Hey, how’s it going? I’m Andy Jones and this is episode 103 of the Photography Side Hustle podcast.
This week's episode idea came to me from Josh Rice and Mark Roche.
Josh Rice asked for some feedback in the Facebook group as he wasn’t getting many sales. He shoots cast photos at a local theater.
Mark Roche is in London England. He shoots sea and landscapes, and one of his photos was runners up in the Historic Photographer of the Year 2022 Competition and was also featured in the March edition of the digital camera magazine. We’ve been talking about how he can set up online and make some sales.
So this week's episode is …
Great photos, very few sales
Let’s have a look at Josh’s situation first.
He wanted to know why he wasn’t getting many sales after posting images in his online galleries. So I checked out the galleries and his images were great. In each of the galleries though the same faces were coming up, in different costumes, but still the same people.
I counted how many people were in an image of the cast, and there were 21. Twenty-one people aren’t enough to get the sales you need. Even if there were 50 actors, after a couple of different shows the sales would soon dry up.
I told him he was a great photographer in front of the wrong audience.
If you find yourself in this position the chances are you are trying to sell to people in your comfort zone. Lots of photographers do it when starting out, I did it for a short time.
You need to offer your services to as many people and groups as you can.
If you shoot your kid's soccer games and sales are down, start selling to the opposing team only. Those parents will buy lots of your photos, and every game is a new set of parents. I guarantee that the parents of the kids on your team will soon start asking you to shoot their kid again.
In Josh’s position, I would think turning up at the theater and shooting headshots a couple of times a year would make him way more money than he is getting now. If he went to other theaters and especially businesses offering headshots he could make a lot of money.
It really is simple, get out of your comfort zone and market to as many people or businesses as possible. This isn’t rocket science, send an email, or a postcard, or just call in and drop off a business card so they can check out your website.
Ok, Mark is next.
Like I said earlier he shoots sea and landscapes and he wants to get some sales but is having trouble.
So we need to look at who is best to sell to, whether it is individuals or businesses.
Individuals like you and me might be looking to buy a print to fill a space on a wall at home.
Now businesses are looking to fill walls in multiple offices and reception spaces.
Check out the business and industrial areas in your town or city. There are new buildings going up every week around here. The businesses that move into those spaces need to make them look professional and they will pay lots of money for wall art. But it’s not just businesses moving into new spaces, all businesses need to revamp their offices from time to time. It’s a huge market.
So Mark needs to aim his marketing at businesses in his area. He could use an Instagram account or use Instagram Ads, Facebook Groups, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn, or as I said earlier use emails, postcards, or visit and drop off a business card.
All your marketing should take people to your portfolio on your website. Avoid getting an Etsy store, yes it allows you to sell your prints but it shows your competitor's products too. When someone clicks on one of your images at the bottom of the page are lots of comparable images from other people.
This is the last thing you want. The customer's attention needs to be on your images alone. So set up a website and control what customers see.
So what products should you sell?
If you are dealing with commercial customers you need to offer a finished product. Just offering prints might not get you a sale. They more than likely want you to deliver framed prints or canvases ready to go on the wall. In fact, you could offer an installation service or even include it in the price if they spend over a certain amount.
As far as print sizes go I wouldn’t offer anything below 11x14. When you do offer those sizes sell them in groups of 4 or more. You don’t want an order for one 11x14 framed print with installation included. Turning up to install 4 or more would be worth it.
Pricing can be as simple as deciding what sizes you want to offer, and whether they are framed, acrylics, metal, or canvas. Find out what they will cost you from the photo lab and multiply that cost by 3 or 4.
So I was just on MPIX.com and an 11x14 framed print is $71, multiply that by 3 and it’s priced at $213, let’s round it up and say $225.
Minimum order of 4 will be priced at $900 and that is the lowest anyone can purchase from your website.
To do this kind of business you need lots of images to choose from. I would think at least 30 and that number should constantly be going up. Now Mark shoots sea and landscapes, but this type of business could offer any type of photo, from flowers to street photography. If it will look good on a wall it can be offered for sale.
Remember you are the photographer that took the photo and offered it for sale. This is different from someone selling wall art from an unknown artist. They are buying directly from the artist.
Oh and while you are doing the deal mention that you could shoot headshots for the management team if needed.
Ok, that’s all I’ve got for this episode. If you need help with anything or you have an idea for an episode you can find me on the Facebook group or use Facebook Messenger.
I’ll be back next week, talk to you soon, bye.