012: Get More Clients Than You Ever Expected with Tony Hoffer

Episodes The Bearded Tog

January 27, 2017

Do you want to learn how to get more photography clients? How would you feel about getting 1400 inquiries for your photography business in one year? How do you get to that level of demand? The answer isn’t in some marketing trick or seo strategy. According to today’s The Bearded Tog guest, Tony Hoffer, the answer to being in high demand is to master your craft, and focus on giving your clients what they are asking.

Tony and his wife Amy are wedding photographers and educators who focus on tailoring their work to fit the unique personality of each couple they capture. Their work was one of the first I saw when I was starting my business, and they inspired me that you can take cool, unique and fun photos at weddings, and your clients will still love you.

Tony shares the story of how his business grew, what it’s like being a full time wedding photographer, and how they continue to be fully word of mouth and referral based.

Tony Hoffer’s Tips on Getting More Photography Clients

Don’t try to rush into a full grown business in six months. Think long term results, and be okay with slow growth.
A good place to be in the supply and demand chain is when clients feel they need you more than you need them. As you grow and raise your prices, continue to try to be in demand.
If you are transitioning from a regular job to wedding photography full time, you need to think if the longevity of the business. Is this something you want to do 10 years from now,, or only for a few years? Are you planning on having kids, and will weekend activities for them be affected by your bookings? Are you okay with evenings and weekends being your work hours?
The perks of having a different schedule are being able to sleep in, and do things during the day when other people would be working.
When you get more photography clients you’ll probably want to outsource, and hire people onto the team. As Tony and Amy have hired studio managers, editors, and associate photographers, the number one thing they look for is people who fit the business ethics more than anything else. Because word of mouth referrals are how they agin business, they need people who treat their clients well.
The rewarding part of having a team is having a little work family again, and not just being by yourself.
Seo and other marketing strategies are an afterthought to them. Yes, they have a website, but they get all their clients from word of mouth.
Every year they focus on making their work better, and fulfilling what their clients want.
They’d rather have 1,000 people who like them and rave about them, than 10,00 who know of them but don’t care as much.
If you are just starting out, practice, practice practice. Know your camera, and how to use it’s settings, instead of relying on the internet for all your answers.