You’ve been told you need to blog, and show yourself as an expert to potential clients. But your old friend Imposter Syndrome is telling you quite confidently: you aren’t an expert.
The experts are people with big followings. Photographers who have shot hundreds of weddings. Photographers who other photographers know and look up to.
That’s all bull. You’re an expert, but you don’t know it – yet.
This article is going to show you how you’re an expert, and what you can do to harness your expertise to get more clients.
What does it take to be an expert?
Now, we’re not talking expertise in the sense of having a degree in a specific topic, spending years researching a niche, and becoming a known name on that topic (I know that’s what you were thinking, though!). We’re talking simply knowing more than your potential client. Do you know more than a couple who have never planned a wedding before? Do you know more than a couple who have never hired a photographer before? Yes, you do! In fact, there’s LOADS you’re an expert in.
How are you an expert?
If you’ve shot a wedding at a particular venue, you know more than your potential couple about where the good light and backgrounds are. You know how well the venue is run. You know where the sun sets at that venue. You know that the wedding arch looks terrible in midday sun. You know if the food is good.
If you’ve shot a wedding, you know how long is needed for the reception to capture group shots, portraits and candids.
If you’ve created a photography style for yourself, you know what that style looks like and what kind of couples will like it.
“But I haven’t shot many weddings”
Have you shot one single wedding? Did you learn anything from it that you can tell a couple and help them with their wedding and their photography? Think really hard!
“Other photographers know way more than me”
Yeah maybe – but they don’t know what you know. They haven’t had the exact same experience as you. And they’re targeting different kinds of clients to you, too. Think about what your dream client would want to know, and match that up with things you know.
What’s the point if you have no followers to show this expertise to?
You can write a blog post about your topic, and optimise it for SEO, then run a Facebook and Google ad to the post. We have a replay of a Facebook ads workshop in the Kick Ass membership that took place in Sept 2022 if you want to know how to run an ad.
How to communicate your expertise
First of all you need to know your ideal client (something we have in the membership education library!) and what they’re looking for. Then tell them what they need to know, and pepper it with photos illustrating your points and showing off your work.
If you don’t know your style and don’t feel confident in your work
You still know more than someone getting married and booking a photographer for the first time. However, imposter syndrome affects so many aspects of what we do, and our work is so close to our hearts that it’s the biggest one. We always feel like we’re not good enough. Just look at how far you’ve come, and the lovely things your clients have said about you. Think about what you’re proud of, and what you think your work represents. If you seem to lack style, think about what you’re passionate about, what means a lot to you, and what kind of photography gets you excited, and work towards that. As soon as you’re shooting in a way that feels right to you, you’ll feel much more confident in your work.
What else are you an expert in?
- Your local area
- Wedding venues
- Other suppliers you’ve worked with
- Wedding day timelines
- What questions they need to ask you
- What things your couples don’t need to worry about
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