My personal SWOT
Building on my MOVE month from February, I re-did my own SWOT analysis. A SWOT for photographers is a great way to gain insights into your business. Here is what I uncovered, to help you visualize what it looks like and to get a kickstart with your own:
Strengths:
Good with public, public speaking
Can be outgoing and enthusiastic
I feel that I am a good photographer and always looking to improve through practice, courses etc
Experienced marketer with a previous career in loyalty marketing
Degree in psychology that really helps with influence/persuasion strategies
Love of interior design - always perusing Houzz and other inspirational galleries - great to develop an eye for colour palettes, composition, patterns, trends that I can apply to photography
Great at customer service/ client management
Experienced at managing challenging clients - studied the art of conflict resolution and years dealing with client service
Avid reader of marketing, advertising and sales materials, and about entrepreneurship
Good at creating my annual projections, updating my marketing plan
Weaknesses:
Time management - working on it! Takes a lot of self-discipline and it’s a work in progress - easy to get lost in a good book or go down the IG or FB rabbit hole in the name of “research”
Put myself last often - don’t prioritize self-care
Diagnosed recently with a chronic illness and my physical capacity diminished
Keeping my records up to date in client software - often makes notes on sticky notes and in my journal and let it pile up before finally inputting
Bookkeeping - I have the dreaded “box” that everything goes in - I start out the year using my spreadsheet but then I get busy….and then I need to dedicate a full day or 2 to getting my ducks in a row for my Accountant
I tend to talk a lot, so I need to really check myself to ensure I listen more than I speak
My equipment is about mid-way through its life and will need to look at upgrades
My kit has some gaps filled by rentals but that is increasingly a burden to book and manage pickup/drop off
Opportunities:
I belong to an active group of photographers in my area and we have regular meetups - have found replacements and second shooters in the group; advice etc - feeling of security and belonging to have a supportive community
While my city has an incredible amount of photographers, there are less in my area a bit out of the city - but a growing suburb - have an edge to be super-local
Working part-time in the non-profit sector leverages my community connections - people know me as a contributing member to the well-being of our area and I’ve build trust and confidence
Building on my strengths with customer service and good photography with a defined style, I have cultivated lots of repeat business (wedding, then maternity and newborn, family), non-profit events, and word of mouth referrals
While in the suburbs, near a major city-centre and lots of ideal clients within a short drive
As a lifestyle photographer, feel that an emerging trend is for families to seek true reflections of their lives in their photos (not contrived, overly posed photos) and are looking for customized and interesting experiences
Placed in a recent contest and recently featured in a wedding magazine - lot of opportunities to submit my work for recognition and brand-building
Lots of gorgeous venues in or near my area
Have built some relationships with wedding planners who have credited my work and referred me - by giving imagery to share without strings
Threats:
Lots of photographers in my nearest city-centre (see above - also an opportunity)
Loooong winters where shooting outside is difficult if not impossible. Only about 4-6 months of better/hot/greenery/pretty weather
Transitioning website to completely new platform - will likely lose some SEO I’ve built
I work part-time in the charitable sector, and while I love it and have chosen to remain, I need to split my time between my 2 careers
An entire major highway and road merge network is under a complete teardown (including the teardown and building of a new bridge) that poses detours and delays in meeting clients and requiring added time and consideration for client events
Lots of road repair in the city - again posing problems for detours, delays and finding parking, and in some cases closing off areas previously identified as great shoot locations
This process takes a bit of time and reflection but is a few hours well spent. This is hugely valuable information for me to mull over and then start looking at my stuff - portfolio, marketing plan, pricing, policies, workflows. It helps me me plan for success, and work around challenges. For example, in my wedding consults where I build a rough timeline with clients I can make them aware of possible delays due to roadworks and construction and we can be proactive in creating a schedule for the day that allows enough travel time and thus reduces stress on me and my clients.
I can’t say enough about needing to be acutely aware of all aspects affecting your business. People fumbling in the dark might get somewhere eventually but wouldn’t you rather do things in a brightly lit place where you can see where you’re going? I say often - don’t leave things to chance - things will happen to you and your business and if you don’t craft what those things are, they will be decided by others or external factors. You want to be the navigator of your ship and not just be tossed about by the seas, right? Do your own SWOT and tell me in the comments any AHA moments it may have created for you!
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