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Relocating a photography business can be both exciting and challenging. From organizing logistics to maintaining client relationships, careful planning is essential for a smooth transition.
In this article, we will explore seven valuable tips to help you relocate your photography business effectively. By following these tips, you'll minimize disruptions, attract new clients, and thrive in your new location.
Let's dive in and discover the essential steps for a successful photography business relocation:
So, you just found out you are moving. Maybe your husband got orders to a new duty station. Perhaps you’ve decided to move closer to family so that you can help care for aging parents. Or maybe you just need a fresh start.
As stressful as moving can be, the good news is that you can begin setting yourself up for success right from the start!
Have you ever sat down and written out a business plan? If not, preparing to move is a great time to start! Writing down your goals, strategies, and the deadlines you set for yourself is an excellent way to keep yourself in check and make sure you’re staying on track.
Completing a business plan also helps you focus on familiarizing yourself with the demographics of your new location and identifying your new target client, which may be different from what you’re used to.
If you live in a big city and spend your efforts marketing to corporate CEO’s, then moving to a small town with only one grocery store will likely require you to adjust your expectations and marketing strategies.
Your current target client may not exist in your new location. This warrants saying again. YOUR CURRENT TARGET CLIENT MAY NOT EXIST IN YOUR NEW LOCATION.
Now, I’m not saying that your current business model won’t work, but I am saying that it will probably require adjustments. Maybe you chose your new location, knowing it would be a good fit for your business. That’s awesome! But that’s not everyone’s reality.
For military spouses, your location is entirely out of your control, so you have to adjust and adapt to your new environment, which can mean drastic changes for your business. But regardless of your situation, there are some things you can do before you move to ease the transition.
Okay, not everyone is an SEO guru, but you should be. It’s one of those tedious things that no one wants to invest the time in, but it can be a goldmine!
When I moved my photography business to a new state (for the first time), I didn’t even know what SEO was. (It stands for search engine optimization, in case you’re as ignorant of the term as I was).
My Google presence was nonexistent, and you couldn’t find my website unless you knew my specific URL.
By taking a few extra minutes to optimize my web presence (I use a WordPress plugin by Yoast), I went from page 16 to page 1 in about six months when searching for my keywords and phrases.
This isn’t a quick fix, but the good news is that you can start reaching out to clients in your new location right now! Having clients find me by a simple Google search means I don’t have to rely as much on inconsistent platforms like Facebook.
If you’re shy or introverted, this will be a challenge because networking with peers and other local businesses is paramount to integrating yourself into your new community. I have been blessed to find a group of local photographers who support each other, send referrals, get together for lunches and headshot swaps, and are all-around extraordinary women.
In addition to my peers, I’ve also introduced myself to local businesses and started building relationships with them.
For example, there’s a great bakery down the street from my house, so I reached out to the owner, offered to take pictures of her bakery, and asked if she’s let me interview her for a feature on my blog. Boom! Now when someone comes in and orders a birthday cake for their child, they also receive a referral for a local photographer to document that milestone in their child’s life.
One such collaboration with a local style blogger not only brought in some additional paid work but also landed me in the Sunday paper just a few weeks ago.
If I had focused only on SEO and just hoped people would find my website on their own, those opportunities would never have happened.
So brainstorm some local businesses that your target client may frequent and then think of what you could offer to make networking with you beneficial. Remember, DON'T ask them to do something for you until you’ve done something for them first. You may find it’s the start of a beautiful friendship!
You may think you know all about running a legal business but throw that out the window. Every state has different requirements and standards. You may find that you need a special license (I’m required to carry a Privilege License) in addition to your business registration and Sales & Use Tax license.
Do you collect tax on session fees or only on products? This is yet another area with different requirements for different states, which can be very confusing. For instance, where I live, you don’t have to collect sales tax on a session fee UNLESS that session results in product sales or if products are included as an all-inclusive option.
Take the time to research your new state (assuming you’re moving out of state - but even different counties have different requirements), so you’re not caught off guard in the future.
With a bit of forethought and planning, you can make moving your business a relatively seamless transition. Don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed. Instead, focus on completing just one thing each day. Set deadlines so you don’t procrastinate. Schedule specific tasks for certain days. (i.e., Marketing Mondays) and stick to it.
You can do it.
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