Photographers: The One Client You Should Be Targeting

Let me ask you a question. Who is your Ideal Client?

Aaaand it’s not who you think.

When I ask photographers who their ideal client is, I often get an answer that resembles their version of a dream client.

Two totally different things.

An ideal client, sometimes referred to as a right-fit client is the one person your business serves and markets to.

Okay I know you’re thinking “Vanie, I definitely serve more than one person.” but hear me out on this one.

Sure you have lots of clients. And sure you have different “types” of clients other than the one you market to.

I serve all kinds of clients too.

But if I were to try to market to ALL the types of clients I serve, I’d dilute my brand and I’d definitely burn out.

The goal of having an ideal client is to make your marketing easier and more targeted. And of course, more targeted marketing results in more sales.

That’s why every business coach out there teaches to niche.

Because niching down helps you target your ideal client with laser precision.

And when you’re able to talk to one person in your marketing, that *ONE* person responds to your message.

And all of a sudden you find yourself attracting that exact person you’ve been calling out on a megaphone– over and over again.

It’s kinda like a “if you build it, they will come” situation.

Your message is you waving a bright unicorn colored flag in a sea of photographers saying, “hey, I’m here and I’m the right photographer for YOU, Ms. ideal client”

To give you an example, this is my ideal client.

The 25-45 year old actor, living in Los Angeles, maybe with a partner, who has multiple part time jobs to pay the bills and who dreams of one day getting regular work in TV/Film. They didn’t go to college and instead moved to LA from a mid-sized town in pursuit of this dream and therefore everything rides on this dream. They’re frustrated and tired of wasting money on headshots because no matter what they try, they’re not going on enough auditions to become a working actor and the process of taking headshots is now becoming a nightmare instead of something fun and useful.

Do you see how far from a “dream client” this is?

And do you see how specific my ideal client is?

Does this mean that I don’t work with actors younger than 25 or older than 45? No. I most certainly do.

Does this mean I don’t work with actors who aren’t frustrated by headshots and who have success with their shots? No. I most certainly do.

But the one person I talk to, is about 90% of the clients I serve.

If I tried talking to ALL actors, I really wouldn’t stand for anything and I wouldn’t have a “brand.”

And you know what happens when your business isn’t positioned as a brand?

Share your ideas below, I’m happy to put in my two cents!