While it may seem like it will take forever to grow your family photography business and turn it into a successful venture, there are several ways you can make your business more profitable, whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting. Here are five tips to help you grow your family photography business and make more money.

1) Build Trust

To build trust with your photography clients, you’ll need to do more than just snap a few shots of their family. You can start by understanding their needs and what they want to get out of the experience. Then, spend time getting to know them before the session so that you can deliver what they want and have time for the little details that make each session different. 

You also build trust with clients by running your business efficiently. Sending emails, invoices, guides, and other info to your clients on time and looking professional will establish confidence in your business. Delivering images and products before or by the date you promised them will leave them excited and happy. Happy clients will turn into your biggest fans.

2) Be Consistent

Providing consistent photos is key to developing trust and credibility with your family photography clients. This may sound simple, but it’s not always easy. When you show people a consistent portfolio, they’ll know what to expect when they hire you. 

Using a Lightroom preset is the easiest way to create consistency across your work. Narrowing down your style and saving your basic edits will save you so many hours! Also, it’s easy to take a batch of photos and apply your edits to a similar set of images (as far as lighting, location, and subject go). 

Of course, consistency should start in camera! Knowing your camera and making sure your photos are consistent as you are shooting is key. That way, when you pull your RAW files into Lightroom, you’re working from a consistent base.

If you’re looking for a simple preset to help with your consistency, check out my Lightroom Preset. Or maybe you want to step up your editing game and learn the ins and outs of all those sliders in Lightroom? Check out my Editing Course!

3) Network

Networking can sound like some kind of corporate catchphrase- but I promise it applies to your family photography business too! Networking (connecting with other professionals in your industry) can feel overwhelming at first. So start by looking for any Facebook groups for your local area with family photographers. This is a low-pressure way to connect with people. Usually, in these groups, you’ll find people arranging meetups or other local opportunities for networking. If you can’t find a local group, start one!

I’m a firm believer of community over competition. My local photographer friends are supportive and helpful. We send each other clients, brainstorm ideas, collaborate on shoots, and more. Having this group of people I can rely on has made an enormous difference in my business.

If you’re not in there already, join my free Facebook Community and find some other photographers near you!

4) Give Back

Being able to give back is one of the best aspects of my business. I love having the flexibility to offer certain things to people in need. I personally offer discounts to single moms, military, and teachers, along with free sessions to silent auctions.

I’ve also seen other photographers offer mini session days for veterans, food or clothing drives for local organizations (giving photos in return for donations), or offering free family photos to a family in need over the holidays. There are many ways to give back and support your community with the skills you build in your business.

5) Step Up Your Marketing Game

Marketing is one of the most important aspects of your family photography business. Marketing our business is more than just posting “Now Open!” and waiting for people to come to us. A thought-out marketing plan for your business will drive traffic to your site, leading to more clients.

You can market by posting quality content on Instagram, helpful blog posts for potential clients, or utilizing your Facebook page to spread the word. The best advice I can give when you start marketing is to pick ONE platform and focus on that. Don’t spread yourself too thin, or you’ll get burned out quick.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you’ve found these five tips helpful for growing your family photography business. Try implementing them and see how your business grows and changes!

If you’re looking for courses or templates to help with your business, jump into my Shop for Family Photographers.