Holiday Mini Sessions: Could there be another, more profitable way?
There are a lot of mini sessions going on right now for the holidays. I often see the following postings in various photographer groups on FB:
I posted my mini sessions and I have no bookings. Help! (Even worse if you’re rented space or bought props)
I priced low because the market is so saturated (Even worse if you’ve rented space or bought props)
I was hoping for upsells but no one bought extras
Clients only booked the outer time slots and now I have a huge gap of sitting at the (tree farm, park) for hours between clients with no income
Very few photographers get minis exactly right - proper lead time and strategy for marketing, a list of clients to tap into, selling out, efficiently run back-to-back sessions, prices that are profitable before any upsell and to make the significant burst of effort worth it, and a tight backend process for purchase and delivery.
The others struggle in some way. They price low to compete with the market but then they don’t fill their spots because their marketing efforts didn’t succeed in making enough bookings. Or, they counted on the upsell that never came, usually because enough photos were included for the low price that there wasn’t any need or incentive for clients to purchase more. Or their ads weren’t shown to the right people, weren’t designed properly to create a strong desire of the public to book or didn’t get enough eyeballs enough times to even make an impact in the sea of social media content, and got crowded out.
Many new photographers use minis to try to build a brand new clientele and that can be an uphill battle. If a client has a relationship with a photographer already (“their photographer”), and said photographer offers minis/ holiday photos to their clients at a VIP price (or first dibs on best spots), then that clientele is already off your radar. What’s left are people who are shopping for a decent set and a cheap price. It’s their goal to find that in time for holiday mailings, and not to start building a relationship with someone. And while you could hit on a few clients that love the experience and come back to you, it’s not the soundest client acquisition strategy. Why? Because of the very specific time-sensitive pressure of looking for a few holidays photos at a time when gifts will suck most of their money:
People just need to get it done and out of the way before the holidays are upon them
You haven’t been able to assess whether this client is really a good fit for you or not because the marketing was likely very expansive and not highly targeted (any warm body to fill those empty slots)
The experience where a client is rushed through in 10 minutes isn’t a great opportunity to do much loyalty building.
Clients who are mini-clients first (don’t crucify me here - there are exceptions of course but not that many) don’t often translate into a better paying and loyal client down the line - at most maybe someone who returns for the next holiday mini, attracted primarily by the low price. And your FB ad that just lists a 10 or 15 min session for low cost and a number of photos, doesn’t have enough traction to do all things. It tries to book for that event but doesn’t cultivate a relationship with the right client. You need time, consideration, and a strategic approach to do that, none of which is on your side when the stress of a major holiday approaches.
Two alternate ways to gain clientele INSTEAD of doing minis:
Become “Their Photographer”
During the course of the year, your marketing efforts strive to convert ideal or near-ideal leads into happy, satisfied, loyal clients. If you succeed, then you can then offer that VIP or first dibs holiday session to them first, making them feel special and important. This not only creates a good feeling for them in the now, but deepens the relationship overall which leads to referrals and repeat business down the line. And they are already qualified clients who bought from you at full price and it can also save you some marketing expenses of promoting to a larger public. Better than a cold-call mini! That’s why it’s so important to have a marketing plan set for your year - you have a strategic blueprint to find clients for a regular session and as a bonus they are added to the list to be notified of special bonuses and goodies! You can add even more value to the session price by giving 25 complimentary holiday cards as an incentive to book, and an extra something for being valuable clients (like a $10 card to Starbucks for some hot chocolate, or an upgrade to a premium gold-lined envelope). You could afford it because your minis are priced profitably to a clientele used to and happy to pay in the range of your prices - it’s an exclusive offer available only to these existing clients and they get more than any new client (see below). Now you’ve filled your mini calendar with clients that already know and love you! While this advice may be coming too late for this approaching Christmas season, January is the time to start planning for next year and it’s just around the corner!
Create a time-sensitive offer package that appeals to new clients
Discounting sessions is a race to the bottom and as Seth Godin warns - a race you might win. If you’re trying to find new clientele and win for the holidays, lowering price isn’t the answer and neither is offering cold-mini sessions to the general public amongst dozen of others doing the same, where your results are unpredictable and less controlled.
For those who didn’t find you as “Their Photographer” during the course of the year, create a special campaign for the holidays. All regular sessions booked by new clients within a certain time frame (like October 15 - November 15) come with a special add-on of 25 complimentary holiday cards. You take a bit of time during the session to create a beautiful portrait that can be used for the holiday card (families often go with a portrait that isn’t “Christmassy”). You could tailor this further by adding the cards to your middle and upper packages only, creating an incentive to upgrade. Adding the expense of holiday cards to your bottom line is negligible, but the value to your clients is significant. They get a regular session (which has value to a family all on its own that drew them to you), plus something for the holidays baked right in. And because you’ve nailed down your marketing plan at the start of the year for finding new and loyal client who want to work with you, you just up amp up your efforts around that time to get that offer seen by as many as you can!
Minis aren’t the only kind of offer that has to circulate in advance of holidays and no photographer has to do minis if they don’t like the model or don’t have luck with it - you can find other ways to create an extension of services that your clients love, be profitable and find success in serving your clients in the best way you can.
If you’re stuck with no new clients and a sluggish mini-campaign right now, here are some quick-fixes you can try to apply to salvage this year (and then be sure to start planning anew in January!)
Ensure your campaign has an EMOTIONAL pull. This can be words, or a powerful photograph, or both. Don’t just tell people the uninspiring trifecta of time, price and files. No one has ever said - wow, 10 minutes, I’ve gotta have that! Instead, think of what gives people the feels at this time of year - togetherness, connection, coziness, warmth, family.
Use absolutely your best and most relevant imagery. Don’t overdo with collages of 10 images - it dilutes the impact. One or 2 images will suffice. The example should be reflective of who you want to book (i.e. don’t show a couple with pets cuz that’s all you’ve got in an outdoor setting, if you are wanting families with young kids to book). Often this one requires pre-planning too, but if you’re late to this game, beg and plead and do what it takes to find relevant models for your set.
Lead people to a sales page. 99% of photographers don’t do this and their small ad with tiny real estate that doesn’t pack a huge punch, gets lost in every other holiday offer. A dedicated page on your site give your plenty of opportunities - you can create and FB event that allows people to share the event with friends, and a page to go to for more details and booking. It takes pressure off your ad from “book” to “learn more” and has a better chance of investing the right person into your services, and also elevates the experience which can command a higher price.
If you’re looking to kickstart your marketing journey, do a “Present Vision Board” exercise. It’s a process of self-discovery that will inform your business model, branding and give you some marketing clarity, available on my products page. It’s a powerful process that taps into your subconscious and can really surprise you! Read about my own personal results here.
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