Are you looking to have your mini sessions be booked solid? You’ve come to the right place!
I sat down with my friend, Kayla Brint to share all about the common mistakes photographers make when promoting and selling mini sessions, ways you can get visibility for FREE and the secrets on how to sell more mini sessions all year round!
A bit about Kayla; she’s a Photographer, Speaker, Mom and natural light studio owner in Texarkana and is the absolute best at offering profitable mini sessions AND she is sharing all of that knowledge with you!
So let’s dive into Kayla‘s top four tips for booking out your minis an how to make them ENJOYABLE!
1. Selling your Mini Sessions
Sell your mini sessions WAY in advance. By doing so, you are getting in front of other photographers in your market to book the clients that WANT to work with you! For example, sell your Christmas Sessions in July – not November!
When it comes to naming your mini session, avoid the term “mini”. This de-values your craft! Re-work the name to be something along the lines of “Seasonal Session”, “Holiday Session”, “Limited Session”, etc.! As a result, you’re eliminating price shoppers that just want the lowest price.
2. The Do’s and Don’ts of Booking Dates
The date that you open registration is more important than the actual date of the mini session! Clients will always be able to find the date of the shoot. BUT by creating a launch around the registration you are getting your clients excited about signing up.
3. Mini Session Booking Site
Make sure you are listing out all of the available sessions, even if they are booked, on your booking site. For example, list all time slots available and those that have been booked be crossed or grayed out.
By doing this, you are creating urgency and showing a demand when clients go to book with you.
A great booking site that I recommend is BookFocal!
4. Utilizing Facebook to Sell your Mini Session
Since you’ll be pushing your registration date; rather than simply sharing a post on your Facebook page, create a Facebook Event for your mini session! This way you can gauge who is interested in your session and provide them with the information they are looking for around the event.
BONUS TIPS
Work in upsells! Give the option to allow them to purchase the entire gallery.
Mini Session Ideas for All Year Round:
- Brand Sessions
- Headshot Sessions
- Outdoor or Indoor Sessions
- Pet Sessions
- Valentine’s Day Session
- Moments of Motherhood – around Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day Sessions
- Santa Specific Sessions
Make $5k with Mini Sessions Next Month!
In Part Two of profitable mini sessions, we are talking about realistic numbers, pricing, upselling, and marketing strategies to make mini-sessions work for you.
Pricing
When it comes to pricing your mini sessions, you need to set your goal of what you want to walk away with at the end of the day and back track from there!
How to get $4K in a day:
15 spots
8 minute sessions
$175/session
= $2,625 in sessions
+
$1,600 in upsells (8 people upgrade at $200 each)
= $4,225 TOTAL
Upselling Selling the Gallery
Since clients will only receive a limited number of photos, offering to purchase the full gallery after the session is a great upsell!
Bonus Tip: Include black and white photos in the gallery. Clients may love the photos in color and B&W. If they only get 5 images, but if they want both, this encourages them to buy the full gallery!
It also allows you the opportunity to get paid twice and it is essentially a “payment plan” plan for your clients. They end up paying $375 total but in two installments!
Day of shoot Workflow
Session Timeframe:
15 minutes per session, but block of 20 minutes as a buffer.
Logistics:
Only allow one family in your studio or staged area at a time! This minimizes distractions and allows you to focus on one family.
Have families wait in their car and text them when it’s their time for photos!
Bonus Tip: Notify your clients prior to shoot that they need to arrive 10-15 minutes early and if they are late it cuts into their time for pictures.
Want more advice on Mini Sessions? Join the Photoboss Facebook group where members share there advice and ideas!
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Steps to Starting your Photography Business Part Two
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