The Marketing Headshots Game Plan with Moshe Zusman
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When I first picked up a camera, I had no idea I was going to use it to photograph powerful CEOs, fly on their private jets to where they wanted me to photograph huge business deals and find myself almost too busy in my studio. If you’re starting off in weddings, it can seem like a pretty big leap to jump into a new genre of photography. A lot of people think it requires a completely different method of marketing, but it doesn’t.
When I first moved to D.C. from Israel, I started researching photographers in the area, and kept hearing the name of a celebrity photographer (no I’m not going to tell you who). Everyone knew him. He was marketing himself perfectly. The celebrities he photographed and put on his website weren’t paying him to be their photographer, but somehow he was photographing them regularly. Bingo. Marketing brilliance.
Marketing is much like math. Math is the same in every language, and marketing principles are the same in every business. Marketing is learning how to get your business out there and make it look attractive enough that people will want to plunk down their dollars to work with you. Everything in D.C. is who you know and who knows you. I knew no one when I came to the states, so if I can do this, anyone can. Here’s my game plan for marketing myself in the headshot world.
- Meet People
Photographers hate this part. A lot of us are introverts and got into photography because it put something between us and everything else. If you’re working with headshot clients, you’ll soon discover that being a people person is no longer an option, it’s a must. You have to learn how to bring your client’s best self out, which comes through conversation and getting them to let their guard down.
Thankfully my wife, Ashley, was working in a PR firm at the time and introduced me to a foodie who got me in to photograph top chefs, cocktails and food. I was growing my portfolio, but more importantly, I was meeting people—business owners, magazine editors and publishers, all people that I could network with to grow my business. You don’t need your own Ashley for this. Think of how you are already connected and start expanding your network there. As Tim Sanders says, “Your network is your net worth.” Networking and word-of-mouth became the cornerstones of building my business and life those first years.
- Photograph People
I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but work with me on this one. If you don’t have a portfolio, you’ll need one. If people don’t know you photograph headshots, you’ll need to do more of it. If you’re not comfortable getting people comfortable in front of your camera, you’ll need to practice.
This is where my headshot date idea came into play. When I was transitioning from weddings to studio work, I needed to create a portfolio. Unlike weddings, I didn’t need to spend the next year developing a portfolio. I could do it in a day. And I did.
I sent out invitations to everyone I knew and asked them to let me photograph them. In just a day, not only did I build a complete portfolio (exactly like we do at www.headshot-bootcamp.com), but I also practiced my lighting, developed my banter with my subjects and built relationships with people from all types of career paths. It’s one of the best things I did to jumpstart my headshot business.
- Make It Easy
Photographers spend so much time getting clients in the door, but when the client finally gets there, they’re met with obstacles. If you want clients to book with you and leave happy, you have to make everything extremely easy for them. This starts the second they get to your website.
My website (www.headshotdc.com) is chockfull of information for my clients. They’re first met with an Animoto video introducing them to me and my studio. They can then browse through my comprehensive portfolio and take a look at my pricing and packaging in the info section. The most important thing about the info section is the FAQ. Every typical question I get is listed there, along with a video summarizing the most important parts. I give my prospective clients everything they need to decide if they’re going to book with me.
Now comes the best part. When a client decides they’re ready to book, they don’t need to call the studio. They don’t need to send an email and wait for a response. Everything is done right through my website. Clients use Square Up (related to Square, the credit card processing service) to choose a booking time, type of session and add-ons, and pay right there on the spot. It makes my life easier because the system is linked to my Google calendar and, once an appointment is booked, it updates my calendar automatically. The whole process is fast, effective and super easy for the client.
After the session, delivery of the images is just as simple. I tell them they’ll receive their final retouched images within 48 hours of the session, and all they have to do is wait for an email. Using CloudSpot, I share the images with the client in a super sleek email with an easy-to-use photo sharing system. It doesn’t get any easier for me or my clients.
If you’re looking to change photography genres like I did, or perhaps you’re just looking for an extra marketing boost in your current business, these principles will help you out. Not only will they better your business, but they’ll better your life as well.
Check out this video to see a few more marketing tips for your headshot business.
Want more information on this article? Get access to video content and additional supporting images. Launch the February issue of the magazine by logging in or signing up for a free account by clicking here. Shutter Magazine is the industry’s leading professional photography magazine.
