Starting out a business as a photographer, videographer or content creator is a nail-biting experience. You might just feel like you’re chasing after the coattails of giants who’ve come before you. Well if they can do it, so can you, right? If that’s the case, why hasn’t it happened for you yet? Why aren’t clients spending their money with you?

They Don’t Know You

Who are you? To most people, you’re just an option, a price. You’re a service provider for something they need and they might not need it from you. How can you convince them that you aren’t just a choice, but the right choice? Nobody can read your mind or your heart, and frankly, no one has to believe you just because you say you’re good at what you do. What they trust is their own eyes. So you can show them who you are, instead. 

Concentrate on Your Value

Many beginning videographers or photographers will claim they can do anything, they’ll take any job. It’s a way to attract clients for just about anything, just to get a good base of clientele and experience in many fields. But no one is good at everything, and by stretching yourself thin, you are not only neglecting the skills that you do have but you’re also not providing real value. No one wants to hire someone to do ten jobs badly when they can hire ten people to do the jobs as experts. Know what you’re good at - what you’re great at - and sell that first. Be a specialist who solves specific solutions.

Keep It Simple

Many successful businesses didn’t start out by doing everything. Amazon used to be a used book store online for college textbooks. It specialized and kept itself simple. Even now, it’s business has expanded but remains simple: it stocks warehouses. Everything else is part of that one specialized thing. Your business should do the same. Don’t start out doing everything, start by offering the one thing you excel at and do better than most, and as you grow comfortable with your work, then you can expand and see what else you can take on.

Build Your Brand

Pick three things that you do, three niches you fill, three solutions, and center your business around that. Three should be enough, and those three things should be specific. Why? Because people want specialists in their field. Hairstylists don’t want “general photographers”, they want people who know how to take the best pictures of hair to show it off. That’s what they search for online, too, “hairstyle photography”. Having a centralized brand makes it easier to discover for clients who need your service to fill a specific niche.

You Don’t Know Until You Try

Make sure you put yourself out there to be seen but don’t do it blindly. Figure out your audience, what they value, and if you can align your skills and your talent with their expectations. You may know how to take a photo, but can you take theirs? You know how an apple pie might taste, but do you know how hot the oven has to be to cook it? Learn the process and show your knowledge through a portfolio that encapsulates your skill and your value to your clients. That’s how you get them to start showing up.