Starting your own school photography business is a creative and rewarding way to make a living, but it’s also a popular marketplace, so standing out is essential if you want to be successful. The good news is that there are loads of simple, straight-forward ways to stand out and make an impact to position yourself as a professional that likes to think outside the box and shoot the best photographs.
Giving your brand a competitive edge doesn’t have to be gruelling – it just means taking out a bit of time to sit down and think about ways that you can add value for your clients and create extra value for your business.
Let’s have a look at a few ideas:
Personalised Products are Popular
We could bang on about personalised products til the cows come home, but they really are a fantastic source of extra revenue for your business and showcase that you’re a bit different. People love personalised products – consumers enjoy buying something unique that has a meaning behind it. In fact, 1 in 3 consumers want personalised products.
A product could be anything from a personalised mug to give to a doting grandma or a leavers hoody to celebrate the end of sixth form. It gives you a way to upsell your services by supplying additional items. You’re tapping into an emotive market when it comes to school photos and photographs of children – personalised products are about making memories and having something to remember milestones by.
Using the latest tools to ensure quality
One of the best ways to stand out and show your professionalism to clients is to have the latest tools and techniques in your arsenal to ensure great quality photos.
At Halsys, we can help out with that…
Our MaxLab package helps you to be your own lab and take control of printing and production costs. Print in-house and use a range of features including Face Detect to improve your efficiency and create a seamless operation.
Scan and Merge allows you to possess your own custom designed, ultra-mobile, camera integrated barcode reader. It’s simple to use and your productivity will rocket.
ID-Shoot minimises errors and enables you to easily organise your photos and reduce production times. Use immediate on-site proof cards to provide instant feedback.
Show off your Creativity
Put your experience and treasure-trove of creative ideas to good use. You might have a background in other types of photography where you’ve used different equipment and angles etc, why not try out something different with school photography. In your discussions with a school, gauge whether they’d be receptive to new ideas.
Being given the creative freedom to try something new or imaginative can bring out the personalities of the children you’re photographing and lead to some brilliant photos. Positioning yourself as a photographer who isn’t restrictive and can be flexible with regards to the requirements of children, parents, schools and their wishes can be really positive.
Ask for Input
Instead of offering a one-size-fits all approach to photography, sitting down with the school and professionals involved can lead to some innovative new ideas. Showing that you’re engaged and willing to listen to new ideas shows your commitment to getting the best quality photos possible and making sure all parties are happy and involved.
Asking for input and communicating properly with a school can lead to lots of constructive conversations. You might find extra opportunities and events that you can photograph for the school and they’ll be more likely to recommend your services to others too.
Go the extra mile.
Read more: 5 Tips for Upselling your Photography Services
