Why Community Over Competition is Good for Your Photography Business
Creating the perfect photo is challenging. Capturing the ideal lighting, posing, and positioning your subject correctly are all difficult tasks for any photographer. However, it’s important to remember that you’re not in this business to compete with other photographers but rather as a photographer to compete with other businesses.
Therefore, for your photography business to succeed, you need to focus on how you can work together with other photographers rather than trying to outperform them. That may sound counterintuitive but trust us, there is great benefit in making community over competition your primary focus.
Let’s explore why community over competition is good for your photography business.
Why Community Over Competition is Good for Your Photography Business
If you think about it, the best brands in the world are all built around strong communities. Think about Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, Disney, Amazon, and even Instagram. Essentially, all of these brands aren’t just selling a product but also a lifestyle, a culture, and a community. That’s why they’ve become so incredibly successful.
So why shouldn’t that same model apply to your photography business? Building a strong community not only helps you turn your photography into a full-time living but also gives you a support system, a sounding board, and most importantly, a tribe of like-minded creatives that you can learn and grow with.
Networking with Photographers is Easy
If you want to learn how to market your business and increase the number of clients that you book, it’s important to understand and become a part of the photography community.
The best way to do this is by attending various photography events and conferences. Not only will this help you interact with other industry professionals in your area, but it will also give you the opportunity to network with other photographers.
But why is networking important? Well, one of the biggest reasons is that it gives you an opportunity to share and exchange ideas with other photographers. You can also ask for advice and get feedback from your peers.
The best part is that you don’t need to be an expert to network with other photographers because everyone at these events is at a different level in their careers.
Working Together Saves Time and Money
There are a number of ways that you can work together with other photographers. You can partner with someone to share business costs or rent out a studio space with other photographers. Alternatively, you could even barter your services for goods or services from other businesses.
Working together will allow you to share your skills and expertise with other creatives while also gaining access to new tools and resources that you wouldn’t have otherwise. Working together also gives you the opportunity to collaborate with other photographers on various photography projects.
Depending on the nature of the work, you may be able to earn money, or you may have to offer your services for free. However, whatever the case may be, you will have the opportunity to learn from other photographers while also getting your name out there.
Helping Others Can Lead to New Business Relationships
As part of working together with other photographers, you should be sure to offer your expertise to your peers whenever possible. You can do that via social media or even at in-person events where you will run into your colleagues.
By offering your services to help solve other photographers’ problems, you will not only make new friends, but you will also find yourself in a great position to ask for advice in return. This is a two-way relationship and a great way to build business relationships with other creatives in your area.
In time, you will be able to establish yourself as an expert among other photographers. This can help you gain referrals, collaborations, and a good reputation within the industry; something that will pay off in spades down the road.
A Focus on Community Makes You a Better Photographer
Building and participating in a community of creatives will not only help you grow as a photographer, but it will also help you book more clients. That’s because clients want to work with brands that they can relate to and brands that have an authentic following.
Therefore, as you build your following, you will start to naturally attract more clients. You will also be able to provide a better customer experience because you will have a support system behind you to help you solve problems and respond to client feedback.
In the end, your photography business will be better off when you focus on making community your top priority. That’s because you’ll have more people to work with, and you’ll be able to solve problems more efficiently.
Final Words
The photography industry is highly competitive, and a lot of people may try to tell you that it is a cutthroat industry where everyone is out for themselves. That may be true for some photographers, but it is not the case for everyone.
In fact, many photographers are eager to help each other out, give advice, and collaborate on projects with their peers. You just need to know how to find them and how to become a valuable member of the community.
If you want your photography business to succeed, you need to focus on building a strong community around your brand. You can do that by getting out there, making new friends, and becoming a helpful resource for other creatives.