One question I get asked a lot is HOW to grow your photography business to make it successful… how do you gain more inquiries and book more *dream* clients? You know, the ones that every photographer would love to work with? Yeah. Growing your photography business is hard work.

There are three BIG mistakes I see a lot of photographers making when it comes to growing their photography business in these areas. And I’m excited to share them with you today – so let’s jump right in!

Myth #1: Copy & Paste

If I copy exactly what photography educators tell me to do, I’ll book more clients. If it seems to work for them and make them successful, it should work for me!

Alright, let’s bust this myth RIGHT NOW! If you’re just copying and pasting what others in the photography industry (educator or not) are doing because it seems to work for them, I want you to flip that mindset around and think completely differently. You’re not going to be growing your photography business that way! 

If you’re literally copying exactly what an educator says to do or another photographer is doing, think about this: There’s probably DOZENS, if not HUNDREDS of photographers *in your area* doing the exact same thing.

If you’re all using the exact same marketing strategies… using the same email templates… or using the same pricing guides… NONE of you are standing out. 

You WANT to stand out and be different from other photographers in your area. Learning from educators is AMAZING, don’t get me wrong! I am so excited that you are here diving into education as we speak. 

However, I want you to be aware that simply copying them is not enough. LEARN from them, apply it to your business, make it your own, use templates as a guide (and change it ALL for yourself), and most of all, don’t be afraid to try new things!!

Myth #2: Not Good Enough

I’m not booking because my work isn’t good enough. I should invest in more expensive gear to help my booking problem. 

I would argue that 90% of having a successful photography business is knowing MARKETING and business foundations.

Have you ever seen a brand new photographer suddenly start booking themselves out, raising their prices, and grow their business SUPER QUICKLY that leaves you wondering… why isn’t your business growing that way?! 

Well, it’s because unless you’re the picasso of photographers (where your work is just SO DANG GOOD that you’re going to book regardless), you NEED to know marketing. You need to have a solid brand. You need a website as your home (not your social media) to point clients to. 

Your booking problem is not because of your portfolio… it’s because of your marketing and brand. Which leads me into the next myth:

Myth #3: Referrals Only 

I only need to rely on referrals for bookings, because that’s what other photographers say to do. 

Oooh, let me just say right upfront that this is completely NOT true! Although referrals are a big part of my marketing strategy for my photography bookings, it is not the start and finish of it. 

You NEED to have a well rounded marketing strategy that doesn’t just rely on one thing… whether that’s referrals, Instagram, or other marketing methods. 

The biggest thing I like to keep in mind here is to ensure you have MULTIPLE Marketing Channels so that you’re being found in as many different ways as possible!

Not only does this increase your chances of being found, but the more times the SAME bride sees you on MULTIPLE different platforms, the more likely she is to reach out to you and see you as more credible than other photographers.

Which myth about growing your photography business were you believing? Comment below and tell me! I’d love to know your thoughts and how this got you thinking! 

Before you head out, be sure to download my free gift on How to Stop Getting Ghosted by potential inquiries in your inbox! Click here to download!