This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Hey there, Side Hustle School listeners. We've got a question today from Jacob, a semi-professional photographer based in Chicago. Now Jacob has been specializing in wedding photography. Obviously that's a big market, a big recurring market, comes with a high price point, so it can be a good market for a lot of people, and he's built a solid reputation. But he's now looking to expand his services into corporate events, corporate events, and I think product photography as well.
We'll hear more about it in a moment. But he's got the goal of growing his business and potentially exiting the wedding world. Now, how do you do this? How do you successfully transition into a new market and market your services to corporate clients while maintaining your income during the process? So that's the trick.
Let's see what we can do to help Jacob navigate this transition. And by the way, thanks for tuning in today. My name's Chris Guillebeau, the detailed question and my answer coming right up. [Music]
Hi there, my name's Jacob. I'm a semi-professional photographer based in Chicago.
I specialize in wedding photography, and I've built a solid reputation in my local area. But I want to expand my services into corporate events and product photography to grow my business and potentially exit the wedding world. Can you provide some advice on how to successfully transition into these new areas and market my services to corporate clients? I'm a bit concerned about maintaining my income while exploring new opportunities. [Music]
All right, Jacob.
Since you already have experience in wedding photography, you're gonna be able to use your existing skills and expertise to make a transition. You just need to figure out essentially how to do it. What is the strategy to making that transition? So, first of all, it is the technical aspect of adapting your style. Now, I'm sure you can handle that on your own, researching the visual styles popular in corporate events and product photography.
Obviously, it's different than weddings. So, figure that out, get some examples, and then leverage your current portfolio. Use examples of your wedding photography that can demonstrate your ability to capture events and products. Now, eventually you'll want to update that portfolio with more suitable images, but it's a start. Now, as part of this plan, you want to revise your website and social media, update your online presence, whatever it is, however you choose to communicate and present yourself to the world, showcase your expanded services, include a dedicated section.
So, this will be a new section on your website for corporate events, a new section for product photography. Those are different things, so different sections. If you are using social media, share relevant content, you might want to offer an introductory promotion. So, you might want to reach out to your existing network, let them know you're now offering these new services, offer that discount or promotion to encourage them to book and help you build out that new portfolio. So, ideally, everything kind of works together, including networking with industry professionals.
So, there might be some events, there might be some relevant online communities, or you can build relationships and gain exposure. Overall, definitely a doable plan. Don't walk away from weddings entirely, at least as you're building the transition, but hopefully this is going to help you to increase your income and do more of what you're excited about. So, that's what it's all about for all of our listeners, all of our community. Listeners, if you have a question, sidehustleschool.com/questions.
We'll continue to feature them throughout the year. New episode every day. I'm cheering you on out there. My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School.
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From the Onward Project.
