049: Spencer Lum - Photography Business Branding for True Success

Spencer is so busy that he has to consciously choose to shoot less – the funny thing is, he doesn’t get booked because of his photography. Spencer is a photography business branding expert and has refined his approach to attract the clients he wants. Obviously by doing this he purposely pushes clients he doesn’t want… away.

It sounds scary but will make perfect sense following the interview and I expect you’ll be changing your approach after learning more about branding and what it can do for you and your business.

Branding is more than just a website, it’s your language, the images you show, the way you dress and above all, knowing and being able to define your purpose. You’ll have a full understanding after this episode.

• How the business of photography and the passion for photography change over time
• Putting in the work and effort into wedding photography is really the best way to make a living from photography today
• Dealing with and prospering amongst the huge number of “competitors” in todays market
• Package pricing may not be giving you the return you think
• How to get so busy that you can choose to shoot less
• Branding and how it will affect your business if you do it right
• How to attract the right clients for you
• Why saying no to some clients is better than taking the money and running
• Surviving and standing out in a super competitive market
• Finding your purpose
• If you only shoot for your client, you are living and working in a vicious unhealthy cycle
• The 5% rule and how it applies to attracting your perfect client
• How do you make the leap and start a brand change?
• Trying to attract a small portion of a large market is the worst business decision you can make

After 11 seasons as a wedding photographer Spencer is as passionate about “work” as he was when starting out, although his passion has expanded to encompass the business and branding side of wedding photography. No matter what stage you are at in your business, you, like Spencer need to focus on branding and business to prosper and succeed in the market.

For Premium Members, I asked Spencer, as a branding expert, what he would do if thrown not a brand new and totally unfamiliar market to get bookings and profitable fast.

It’s an interesting approach and different to what I was expecting. And of course, you’ll be able to implement what he talks about in your business right away.

How is your branding? How does it compare to what Spencer is doing in his business? Is there anything you’re doing in your business that Spencer didn’t mention that is working well for you and you’re happy to share?

Following this interview with Spencer – what is the one thing that you’d like to implement or remember from what he had to share? Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

If you have any questions for Spencer that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below.

There are some big positives for leaving a comment: it reinforces what you’ve learnt from the interview, you receive a do-follow back link to your blog or website and it shows Spencer and future guests that there is a real audience listening to the podcast which will help entice future great guests onto the show.

Each week before recording the podcast, I check iTunes for any reviews but this week is a little different – I’m on holidays so I’ve prepared these show notes ahead of time and there aren’t any new reviews to report.

If you haven’t already, please don’t let that stop you leaving a rating and review though!

The iTunes reviews make a big difference to the podcast being ranked well and found in the iTunes store. If you have the time and are happy to leave an honest rating and review, head over to iTunes. Don’t feel your comments have to be long, involved or gushy, an honest opinion is all I ask.

Don’t be shy about leaving your business name in the review either – that way I can add a link in the show-notes and show my appreciation with a proper thanks and a Google loving back-link to your website.

If you’d like to get in touch, ask a question or make a suggestion for the show, you can email me andrew@photobizx.com, find me on Twitter https://twitter.com/andrewhellmich or on Facebook at http://photobizx.com/facebook - I’d love to hear from you!

5 West Studios – Spencer’s Wedding Photography Website

Ground Glass – The Must Listen to and Read Blog for Photographers

I subscribe to Spencer’s blog and he always gets me thinking about my business and questioning why I’m doing what I’m doing. If you do visit and leave a comment, make sure you let Spencer know that you heard about him on the Photo Biz Xposed podcast.

Remember the ever expanding resources page that has a listing of products, programs, hardware, books and directories mentioned in each episode of the show. If you’re looking for something that a guest has mentioned on a previous episode but just can’t remember who or what it was – you’ll find it listed in order on the resources page.

If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, I’d love for you to tell just one other photographer about it – it could be in a Facebook Group you’re a part of, a photography forum, a photographer friend or on twitter. Any help in growing the audience of the show means a better show for you in the future with bigger name guests and a higher quality podcast.

If you do have a twitter account, simply click here: http://photobizx.com/tweet or use the share buttons below to help spread the word.

That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business.

Thanks and speak soon

Andrew

The post 049: Spencer Lum – Photography Business Branding for True Success appeared first on Photography Business eXposed - Have Your Own Successful Portrait and Wedding Photography Business.