I have written some information for any newbie newborn photographers that are looking for those 1st basic steps in the right direction.
This is based on the first steps of setting up a business/website. There will be lots of things that I haven’t mentioned, but these are the main first things to put in place.
There is quite a lot here to think about so don’t let it overwhelm you. Maybe just focus on 1 thing at a time.
Domain.
Buy a website domain that looks professional and personal to your business. Example www.hannahwestphotography.com
Branding yourself.
Choose a logo that represents your style of work, and contains font and colours that you love.
Put this logo on business cards and use the same colours on your packaging. This will keep your branding consistent.
Your specialty.
Pick 1 area of photography that you would like to focus on for now and showcase that work on your site.
(It is best to specialise in 1 thing and focus on being fantastic at that, rather then spreading your time across different areas and just being ‘ok’ at each one. Customers will always prefer someone who specialises in one thing.)
Make it obvious that you are purely a ‘newborn photographer’ for example.
Model call.
Offer to do some newborn photo sessions for free to build up a portfolio and gain more knowledge and confidence....but make sure they sign a contract to agree that you can use their images.
Website.
Have some of your work on your home page so customers can see your work as soon as they click on your site.
Main pages to have are:
Blogging.
Blogging means words, and words mean more website content.
Google loves content so the more you can blog the better. This will mean that you will appear higher on google searches when customers are looking for someone like you.
You can set up a blog page on your website and blog about things that your ideal customer might be interested in. So for example:
Popular nursery ideas
Newborn photo shoot preparation
Tips on what to wear for a photo shoot
A recent newborn / baby session that I shot
Cute poses / posing guide
Baby shower ideas
Packages.
Have a clear ‘prices & packages’ page so people know exactly what they are getting.
Try to make packages clear - so for example
Family photo session
Baby photo session
SEO.
This is a very difficult thing for me to explain as this is a bit of a mind field, so I’d recommend investing in some SEO training.. however you can start off by researching it for free online and on YouTube.
In a nut shell SEO means Search Engine Optimisation. This is all of the secret coding that is used within google and websites.
You need to know how to embed key words such as ‘baby’ and ‘pictures’ onto your site so you are more likely to be seen on google when people search for those words.
Privacy policy.
Create a privacy policy to have on your page. The new GDPR law that took effect on 25th May 2018 states that any business must have a privacy policy on their website. This is proof that you are keeping personal information secure.
So for example - where you store customer information like email addresses, where you keep the contracts that contain their details, where you will keep their images (as faces are also classed as personal data).
You must state that you are keeping them in a secure place where information can’t be stolen.
Most importantly.. Insurance!
I use Bee Policy and it doesn’t cost the earth. There are different packages that you can buy from them but the main things that you’d need to be covered for are damage to equipment and injury to yourself and others.
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So.. I hope some of this information has been helpful to anyone who is looking into setting up a new business.
If you would like any other tips then feel free to subscribe to keep updated with future posts!
Annie x
Photo sessions covering Bagshot, Camberley, Frimley, Aldershot, Farnham, Farnborough, Bracknell, Egham, Windsor, Reading, Guildford and other surrounding areas.