Selling Your Photography and Services Successfully

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Let’s face it, selling your photography and services helps pay the bills. Sure, it’s rewarding to get positive feedback on our work. Even more so when they purchase an art piece from us.

In addition to the love of our work, many of us also rely on sales and services as a source of income.

There’s an art to selling our photography and our services. And there’s some science too. Our success is based on the right mix of great work, visibility and tenacity.

So Many Options!

The good news is that buying trends on the internet continue to rise. Additionally, many options exist to get our work and our services in front of people looking to buy. Examples include:

1. Websites built with hosting platforms & easy to modify templates.
2. Websites selling our products on a commission basis.
3. Etsy (and other marketplace sources) who put our work in front of a broad shopping audience.
4. Local art shows, clubs and events.

Our individual business model should drive the platforms we choose.

With options #1 and #2 above, potential customers have to seek you out. They need to search and locate you on the web to find your work. When they get there, they are exposed solely to your talent and bodies of work.

With option # 3, potential buyers find your work in many cases before finding you. When Etsy shoppers enter a line item in search, they are searching for something to buy. Through the use of a diverse set of tags for each of your art pieces, there’s a greater chance that your work will be seen by their buyer network of over 40 Million.

For me personally, I have both a website and an Etsy site. My website has the option to jump to my Etsy Studio: Sheen Watkins Studio.

Selling Your Photography: The Art of Reaching Your Audience

The first tip? When you sell your work and grow your business, celebrate. You’ve worked hard for each milestone.

The tips below share diverse methods of reaching your customers. Your strategy may include one, a few or all. If you’re early in your photography, starting with a couple from the list will help impact visibility and productivity.

• Social Media – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn are sources that promote visibility to a broad and global audience. And it’s free. Selecting which platform(s) and actively engaging starts the foundation of your reach.
• Local Art Clubs/Photography Clubs/Professional Photographers of America – Never under estimate the power of your photography network. You’ll always learn a new tip, technique, contact or resource. Plus, you’re a valued resource too. (see: Behind Every Photography Influencer)
• Engaging with local organizations and non-profits that reflect and complement your line of photography.
• Entering competitions in your local clubs, local and other media outlets that are in line with your type of photography. These provide exposure to you and your business.
• Contributing/loaning an art piece to a gallery, a storefront, a doctors office. Anywhere there is high traffic and it’s relevant to your genre.
• Networking with businesses and business owners. A lot of diversity based on your business model.

Selling our work on a consistent basis gets harder with increased competition. Even with a defined marketing strategy and an active social media presence, how we reach buyers evolves over time. And, we need to evolve and shift with trends.

Which option and approach is right for you? There’s not a one size fits all solution, but there are a few facts. Success requires 1) Solid work 2) Solid business plan 3) Outstanding communication with your clients and 4) Flexibility.