Fine The Advantages of Knowing Your Audience
by: Paul Van Hoy II

Do you really know what brides want and expect from their wedding photographer?

Do you know what the average bride, within your regional market, expects to pay for her wedding photographer – what inclusions and amenities she expects in a basic or premium wedding package?

Do you know how your business model, i.e. the services and products you offer as well as your pricing/packaging structure is perceived by prospective clients?

Knowing your audience is perhaps one of the most crucial, but often overlooked aspects essential to building a successful enterprise.Gaining awareness of what appeals to prospective clients can help you align your business model so that you can increase you yearly bookings and ramp up your yearly revenue. It can also help you get a leg up over your competition and take over that number one spot within your local market.

I workshop with a lot of wedding photographers who know a lot about the technical aspects of image-making and the logistics of business, but when it comes identifying and relating with clients and their concerns, they often return a blank, confused gaze much like your clients would if you tried to engage them on the topic of color space. Simply stated, most wedding photographers understand the business relationship from photographer to client, but not the converse… from client to photographer.

So, how does one gain access to the client’s perspective and all the valuable insights they have to offer by way of critical and candid discourse…? You simply ask.

During my consultation sessions I always make it a point to ask, “Have you had an opportunity to speak with or meet any other local wedding photographers?” Also, “What was your experience/interaction with that individual like?” Because, quite honestly… if they were head-over-heels for another photographer, they wouldn’t be sitting on my couch looking for something they had already found elsewhere.

Most clients will enthusiastically implore you with opinion/criticisms based on consults they recently had with your competition. If you’re hesitant to ask these questions because you fear they might come across as prying or offensive, don’t be. In my fourteen years of experience, I can’t recall a single isolated occasion when I offended a client by asking these questions. Some might feel more comfortable withholding the names of those they’ve met with, but generally clients will talk about their interactions and experiences with other professionals freely and openly.

The answers you receive will provide you with a more precise idea of the couple’s decision making criterion… i.e. are they most concerned with price, product, or personality – the personal connection they feel toward their wedding photographer? More importantly, the feedback you receive will help you focus in on the topics most relevant to your client’s list of concerns.

Equally important to gaining awareness of your audience is having an awareness of your competition and how you rank among your competition (in your own eyes). So if you haven’t already, you should acquaint yourself with all other local professionals (their portfolios and business models) within 200 miles of your studio/area of coverage.

I mention this because if you can find out who you’re up against and you know that particular photographer’s strengths and weaknesses, you can even the playing field, so to speak, by emphasizing aspects of your business that might rank over your competition, i.e. shooting style, product quality, packaging, or pricing structure, for the intended purpose of persuading your client to select you over the other photographer/s.

The bottom line is that although you may know the ins-and-outs of what your selling, unless you know who you’re selling to – you may be fighting a frustrating and futile battle. You might be trying to sell snow-cones to Eskimos as my grandfather used to say. It’s very easy to sell people what they want, and finding out what they want is as easy as paying attention to your audience and asking a few simple questions.

(This article was written by Paul D. Van Hoy II, author of 'Wedding Photojournalism | The Business of Aesthetics' - if you're interested in purchasing the book, please visit: http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Photojournalism-Aesthetics-Professional-Photographers/dp/1608952940/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)

DISCLAIMER : The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent the views of photographik or any member of the photographik organization.