If you are in a spot right now in your business where you know you could go full-time if you could just double your income, or maybe you just need to add an extra $10,000 to your income to hit your goal, this blog post is going to give you three ways that you can make that happen.
One fun fact about my business is that I tripled my income during my second year in business and then doubled that income in my third year in business. So I’m going to give you the three things that I did both of those years that I believe were the main reasons why I was able to grow quickly.
1. Don’t be afraid to travel
One really easy way to grow quickly is to advertise a little bit further out of your city. I was always advertising within a 3 to 4 hour radius of where I lived, because I could easily travel to a wedding that was 3 hours away. Was it maybe a little bit further than what I wanted to travel at times, yes. But in those first few years, when I was really trying to get traction, I was just looking for an ideal client willing to pay my prices, and I was willing to go to them if needed. So, I always recommend looking to Market in cities for weddings within a 3 to 4 hour drive of where you live, at least when you’re first getting started.
The great thing was that I was living in Atlanta at this time, which meant that I could easily Market in places like Birmingham, Chattanooga, Nashville, Savannah, Macon, and Atlanta. since I was willing to travel and put in a handful of longer days, I quickly grew my business because I was marketing within these larger areas.
Now, if you’re thinking okay that’s great Abby, but I live in a rural area and it’s harder for me to Market to big cities because of how far away they are. Then I recommend still Marketing in those areas but raise your price just slightly so that way it automatically covers a hotel room for you if you need it. That way you don’t have to ask your clients to pay for your travel, it’s already a part of the price and you don’t even have to cover it! It’s a simple solution to get you in these bigger markets and gain traction.
P.S. This is what I did once I started to get traction!
2. Don’t just showcase clients once
One of the biggest mistakes so many photographers make is that they showcase their clients once, or announce their blog once, and then let it go. Sure, you might share images again periodically on Instagram but what about Facebook? Facebook was the number one way I grew my business quickly, and I truly believe it was because of how I was highlighting my clients and getting them to interact time and time again. Make it a habit to share your clients repeatedly on the Facebook platform and tag them and vendors like you would on Instagram. So many times, photographers use Facebook just to Showcase a new blog, and then they don’t share about that client again, don’t make that mistake. Facebook can give you a lot more immediate traction with tags, then Instagram can so take advantage of it.
3. Get comfortable asking for what you want
If you want people to inquire with you and your business, then you need to ask for it. You need to ask for them to inquire with you, whether that is through a Facebook post, on an Instagram story, or on an Instagram post. Make it a priority every single week to ask or inquiries on every single platform. I promise you; you have people who are following and watching and just don’t think about inquiring with you. But, if you show up and continuously ask them to inquire with you, they will eventually inquire and talk about how they’ve been following you for years and are ready to invest in your services. And let’s be honest; those are the best clients!
There you go, friend! Those are the three things that I would focus on very heavily if you are looking to grow your business drastically over the next few months or years to double your income. These are the things that got me the fastest faction and consistent results!
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