Thousands of people have told me that they would love to be a professional photographer. Very, very few ever will be.
As you well know, the reason that few photographer hopefuls will ever become professionals is because the competition is stiffer than stiff and, um, it’s not that hard to make good images.
Of course, it’s not so simple to make good images consistently, and to do so on-demand and in a way that meets the exacting needs of various clients. It’s not so simple at all. But it’s still very doable. And this is why today’s photographers need to get beyond highlighting their image making skills.
Who cares if you have a stunning portfolio? So you make good images. It’s not that important. It’s a little important. But what’s important — and I mean really, really important — is what is your winning difference.
“What’s your winning difference?” I love this question, and it comes to me from reading Sonia Simone’s great Coppyblogger post titled, “Take 15 Minutes to Find Your Winning Difference.”
She jumps right in with this great start:
“The unique selling proposition (USP) is one of the cornerstones of marketing. There has to be a reason people do business with you and not someone else – a winning difference that sets you apart and makes you the only real choice.”
USP? Never heard of it. But it turns out to be a great way of thinking about, “What is it that I can really offer clients better than any of my photographic competition?”
Simone continues:
“Traditional marketing advice will have you lock yourself in a cave for weeks listing all of the features of your business, translating them into benefits, then somehow finding that one compelling point that will differentiate you from everyone else you could possibly compete with.
“There’s nothing wrong with this approach if it works for you. But if it doesn’t, try throwing it out the window and doing it the cheap and easy way instead.”
Instead of continuing to quote Simone’s entire post, I urge you to read it (keeping in mind that her post is for bloggers), and see if you can’t apply some of her concepts to your own photographic business.
Why You?
Simone ends her post by asking “Why You?,” as in:
“Why should anyone buy your product or retain your services? What do you have to offer that makes it worth anyone’s time and/or money?”
This is really what it comes down to for focusing our business success in the creative realm, and coming up with honest, good answers is not easy. But clearly “making wonderful images” is not what sets you apart, nor what’s going to keep you in business. So what will? Why you?
Every day the business of photography gets more challenging, even though making images becomes easier. Given this, it’s critical that we thoughtfully explore, define and refine our winning differences.