One of the most frequently asked questions I receive both from my Facebook community and course students is how can I compete with other photographer but also not compete with them on price? How can I get out of the pricing game where I can be just a little bit cheaper than the photographer next to me? I love this question because it really just brings us back to the basics of business and back to the basics of serving our clients well. I’m going to be giving you 3 ways that you can differentiate yourself and stop competing on price alone in your photography business.
How To Stop Competing On Price
Tip 1: Establish Your Brand
By far the #1 thing you MUST do is establish your brand. Brand is something that is thrown around a lot and it can start to lose its meaning a little bit. I want to first address what a brand is and what it is not. Typically we think of a brand as logos, colors, fonts, and more. This is considered visual branding which is a part of your brand but is NOT brand in and of itself. A logo is not your brand, it’s simply a small mark that is under the umbrella of your overall brand.
Your brand is WAY more than that. It is your story, your background, your values, your products and really WHO you are as a business. It’s essentially the personality of your business. One thing photographers don’t do is properly brand themselves so they can stop focusing on price and really showcase their truly value and what makes them different and unique from someone else.
Tip 2: Truly Understand Your Ideal Client
Next, you must absolutely understand your ideal client. This isn’t simply just an avatar or a profile or someone who you think you’d like to work with. But a really tangible research profile of somebody that you KNOW exists. You know exactly what they want and how you can best serve them. One of the biggest mistakes people make in business is that they make it too much about themselves. The harsh reality is that your client does not care that much about you, they care about what you can do for them and what’s in it for them.
Keep remembering and keep in mind your ideal photography client. The best way to do this is through listening and research. You need to poll as many people as you possibly can, listen as much as you possibly can, and be receiving of that information. Don’t automatically assume that you know what they want – instead, ASK them what they want so you can produce exactly what they want.
Tip 3: Establish What Makes You Different
The final tip on how to stop competing on price is to establish what truly makes you different and what makes you unique. Now, you might say, “There’s nothing unique or different about me.” I say this with so much love but you’re wrong. We all have a unique story and we all have unique perspective. The sooner you can begin to pull this out and show that you are different from your competitions, they sooner you can say, “I’m not the same as them.”
Start to think about how you are different and how you can bring that unique competitive advantage to the marketplace so you can stand out and stop competing in the marketplace.
I would love to continue this conversation about branding and marketing and how you can grow your own photography business. Join the Photoboss Facebook group with over 10,000 other photographers and come have conversation with us about these topics.
Let me know too in the comments which one of these tips resonated with you the most or which one you’ll be implementing in your business soon.
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