The word “investment” sounds better than “pricing,” right? It must!
But in reality, it allows every photographer out there who is intimidated by or finds unpleasant the fact they have to actually sell their products and run a business to procrastinate even further.
Don't ask "Yes, but what about the logo?' Ask instead, "How, when, why, and where is my logo being used to inspire my ideal client to pick up the phone and hire me?"
Imagine if a real estate agent said, “Let’s just get you into the house, and then in 3-6 months, we’ll tally up the hours used and see how much this baby costs.” Crazy, right? It’s almost never going to be in the interest of the customer to pay by the hour.
The problem with naming your business after yourself is that the business--its reputation, its successes, its failures, its personality--are forever tied to you, the founder.
Asking "couldn't I just do this website on my own" is similar to when a client asks you "couldn't I just take a photo of my kids on my iphone?"
People that love you and know you want you to succeed, but they don’t want you to change. They will give you well meaning, but ultimately bad advice that won’t help you one bit on your journey to level up your game and career.
If you don't know why your photography business is different...might be time to consider a re-brand.
We all dread that moment when a well-meaning client shows us a Pinterest board of "inspiration" for their photo shoot or wedding. We all know that, if it's on a board, it's been done ad nauseum already. Do you want your website to evoke something that's been "done" already?
When you say, "I need a new website," what you are really saying is, “I have a problem that needs solving.” And sure, a new website might be part of solving that problem.
But when you just go and hire a designer because you have declared that you need a new website, you are not even one step closer to solving the underlying problem.
I have had three huge lightbulb moments when it comes to the task of designing branding and websites for our clients here at 16 Hoops...which is why I can offer you these three case studies. Each starts with a wrong assumption about the photography business, and ends with a revelation.
Your website is a living, breathing organism, and it's the best salesperson on your team. Every single comma, word, and visual should be chatting up your ideal client and asking for their business the second they land on your page.
We've read a million and one high-falutin' and even confusing definitions of marketing. But we here at 16 Hoops only have one way to explain marketing. It cuts to the chase nicely.
The best businesses do the hard work to first uncover their own expertise, and then build a brand that expresses that expertise perfectly to their ideal customer. Effective branding is like a pheromone to your perfect customer. They are drawn to it instinctively, like bears to honey.
Saying you are a photographer is like saying you are a human. Anyone with a homo sapiens brain and a pulse is a human. Ergo, anyone with a camera and a business card is a photographer.
Invent something new (and lucrative, natch) by zooming out and enlarging. Break free of the old limiting framework that might be holding you back. The best way to do this is to look at your market and see what opportunities might be hiding in plain sight.
No one has a deep need for something undefined. People are constantly investigating their own pain points and searching for solutions. Positioning yourself means that you know the questions you target customer is asking, and your brand is publicly declaring the answers.
After thinking hard about what I wanted to bring to my space, what kind of knowledge I wanted to share and how I wanted to share it, I formed 16 Hoops: a strategic design and branding firm for photographers.