I’m sure you’ve heard the term “ideal clients” before, and the thought probably came across your mind, “Yeah, sounds nice – but not realistic.”
Like any new photographer, you probably take whatever business you can get, right? While that might work for getting some quick income in, saying yes to every session will soon lead to burnout, dread, general unhappiness, and a business that looks and feels all over the place to potential clients. Have you heard the saying, “Jack of all trades, Master of none?”
There are so many reasons why I’d encourage you to determine WHO your ideal clients are sooner rather than later, so you can start to see the benefits of working with them. Read on for 4 benefits of working with your “Ideal Clients.”
Honing in on your ideal client within your marketing strategy
Defining your ideal client allows you to focus all your resources on those leads most likely to convert. Doing so reduces wasted time and effort in your marketing and leads to higher conversion rates. Also, by reducing the amount of time you spend on non-ideal customers, you give yourself more time to build relationships with those clients whose sessions light you up, in turn resulting in more referrals! So it’s better to market to the ideal client you want to work with over and over again than marketing to everyone and taking anything that comes your way.
Knowing your ideal client is also super important as you start to boost ads or pay for ads on social media. For example, when targeting who sees your ad online, you can identify keywords, brands, financial status, relationship status, and location so that your money is spent advertising to those individuals only.
You can also optimize your website and social media so that your copy and images speak directly to those ICs (“ideal clients” – look at you already knowing the lingo!). Showing the type of person you want to photograph in your dream location is the best recipe for success, and one I’m sure you’ve heard before – “Show what you want to get.”
Having boundaries within your company and knowing when to say no.
It is so freeing when you can say no to a potential client and feel good about it. It takes a lot of practice to say no, believe it or not, you think to yourself, “Boy, I could really use that money,” or, “I can probably just do it, this once.” Having boundaries in place and saying no to clients that don’t align with your vision gives you more time to work with and for those that do! So soon, your calendar will be filled with those dreamy clients!
My #1 tip for saying no and actually leaving your non-ideal client with a smile on their face – give them someone else you’d recommend. For instance, I have an automated email I send out when a session doesn’t fit within my boundaries, and it goes something like this:
“Hi <Awesome-client-but-not-my-perfect-fit-client>,
Thank you so much for reaching out to inquire about my services. Unfortunately I’m fully booked at the moment.
But don’t worry – I’m not going to leave you hanging! Here are three awesome photographers who I whole-heartedly recommend – and I’ve linked their websites below as well to save you time.
Photographer A – Awesomesaucewebsite.com
Photographer B – Reallycoolphotog.com
Photographer C – Hipsterhatwearer.com
Best of luck!
Sincerely,
<You>”
Trust me – you’ll feel better saying no because you’ve still helped them! I can’t tell you the number of times I get appreciative emails back after I send this. And the cherry on top? You’re totally spreading the love and getting your fellow photographers’ names out there – look at you!
General Sense of Happiness & Enjoyment
One of the main reasons you’ll have more fulfillment in your career once you attract your ideal clients is the overall connection you’ll get used to feeling for both your clients and your company.
It’s like working with your besties day in and day out. Clients who show up dressed impeccably, have the same views and values as you, are totally okay frolicking through the fields, love your editing so much, are happy with your process, appreciate the little gestures you do for them – the list goes on and on. Your ideal clients will actually feel LUCKY to work with you, and will probably fangirl you just a bit. Yes, really!
Once you start attracting dreamy clients who feel aligned with your brand, the byproduct of that is more happy dances and more fulfillment in what you do and why you do it.
Can you imagine how much happier you’ll be working in alignment with your values, aesthetic, environment, and clients? ?! Working with your ideal clients makes your ENTIRE job feel less heavy and more joyful. Bottom line – Get ready to wake up excited to get working!
Less Procrastination and more “run-home–and edit-this-entire-session–tonight”
You know that feeling when you have a dreamy photo session, and you’re just SO excited to get home and edit it, you look forward to responding to their texts asking for sneaks and gushing about how much they enjoyed the session? Don’t forget to pay attention to your feelings of both joy and procrastination when it comes to who you work with. Your feelings will help you narrow in on your ICs in no time.
What do you think?
Does knowing the benefits of working with Ideal Clients get you excited? Guess what.. It does for me too! I also think it’s incredibly important to put the hard work in to determine who exactly your ideal client is at the beginning of your entrepreneurial journey. But, don’t worry, even if you’re an experienced pro, it’s not too late to figure out who your IC is and benefit from it!
Need help figuring out your Ideal Client?
Within the Open Book Club, we go through a few different exercises to help you figure out your IC and the steps to take right now to attract them to you like a puppy to your favorite pair of slippers. If you’re still not ready to join the Open Book Club ( although you really should because the foundation module is FREE), you can start by grabbing a pen and paper and describing your ideal client in as much detail as possible! What is their personality like, how do they dress, where do they shop, what are their values, what is most important to them, etc. Next, write out the steps you can take in your business to attract them. You got this! And just remember, we’re here to help if you run into any roadblocks along the way
