Moving My Photography Business to a New State: 4 Month Status Update
Hey friends! So this post is a little different than usual :) After making the huge decision of moving across the U.S. (and bringing my photography business with me), I decided I wanted to make a post of what I’ve tried and learned throughout this crazy process.
If you are someone who is moving their business, I hope this can encourage and help you as you are trying to figure out what to invest your time/money in to help find success!
Blogging 2-3 times a week. Even though I am busy with my full-time job, I make it a priority to blog 2-3 times. This is to provide opportunities for my SEO ranking to increase (especially at a new location) so more couples can find me in their area, as well as just be a help to everyone that follows me.
Attending as many networking events as possible. Even though I’m wayyy introverted and prefer my nights spent along with a book (sorry, Hank), I have gotten way out of my comfort zone and attended as many networking events in my industry that I could find. Through this, I’ve actually built relationships with other photographers/vendors that are now friends AND that refer me to weddings. As much as I feel uncomfortable in big groups, it’s really worth it.
Following every photographer I can find in the area, and messaging some to meet up. Before I moved here, I started following Colorado photographers, especially in Denver, on Instagram. Because of this, I’ve been able to hop onto second shooting opportunities, private photographer events, and build friendships that are encouraging me and helping me as I make this transition.
Joining local Facebook groups - and being active. Facebook is a great way to connect with vendors and other photographers in your state - I’m part of one group that is constantly posting referrals, advice, and second shooting opportunities. Advice with this - actually build connections with people instead of just posting your website info and leaving it at that for a referral.
SEO, HASHTAGS, AND LOCATIONS. This is more of a long-term build, so I haven’t seen a ton of growth yet in this area, but making sure the SEO on your site is up to par, find hashtags for Instagram that work for your industry, and put a location on ALL of your photos - this is a great way
SEND VENDORS GALLERIES. Sending a vendor a gallery of photos from an event you photographed that they also were hired for is a GREAT way to build a connection/relationship, as well as get onto a preferred vendor list. It takes less than an hour to choose the photos to send and to send them - so just do it!!!
I hope to continue doing these updates as I learn more, but I’m so grateful to God for everything that has happened so far - definitely not just because of my doing :) Hope these tips help you as you begin the process of moving your business!
