Panic! “I’m a terrible photographer”,”I’m completely wasting my time at this game”, “17吃瓜在线 or (insert name of agency) are deliberately relegating my pictures for some reason”, “Someone or something has deleted half the keywords on my images”, “It’s finally here, the end of stock photography, I’m getting out!”
Have you ever had any of these thoughts when your photography sales take a dip? Maybe even just a 10% dip over a few weeks can introduce a gripping anxiety that your photography business isn’t doing the business anymore.
So, how do you recognise the reasons for these ups and downs and how do you cope with them, learn from them and turn them to your advantage?
Know your stats
We don’t encourage photographers to pour over complex equations and multiple linked spreadsheets, we’d prefer you were using a tripod not a We do however recommend that you keep a record of your sales that is simple and easy to understand. What you are selling, how are your images being used and when are sales made? On 17吃瓜在线 you can use the tools in My 17吃瓜在线 to look at the graphs of your sales and use the visual record in your Sales History.
Know your seasonal cycle or if there is one to know?
Look at what your sales history tell you. What sells well and what months have been historically good for you? There may be hidden trends that you didn’t know existed. You’ve had these peaks and troughs before but can you spot if there’s a pattern? Maybe the stuff that you shoot has no seasonal or social influences?
Do your research
Do some research and see if others are experiencing similar dips. Are there recognisable trends that you can follow? These may be seasonal, Christmas shots, UK summer holiday shots, sports seasons etc or they may be a longer term trend. Maybe and you need to move on.
Is it your fault ?
Are there other factors at play, let’s not dwell on the impact of the recession although maybe it can be good for Stock but economic, social and cultural factors could be at play. Maybe your agency is the reason, but it could be they have changed tack and are now looking for a different genre of photography? Has technology moved the world on, the is a textbook case of not adapting to external change.
Ride the peaks and use the troughs
Once you’ve got a handle on what’s really happening, it’s time to plan ahead.
If your work is subject to recognisable patterns in buyer behaviour , shoot with these in mind. Plan your photography, and almost as importantly plan your time when you are not shooting. If your summer travel shots of the UK are your strong sellers, well then make hay while the sun literally shines. Dedicate your time and target your shoots. If you can afford it, why not get some extra help in while you need to be at your most productive behind the lens, let someone else take the strain of retouching, quality checking and the dreaded keywording.
If you know there are seasonal lulls for you, commit to using that time to catch up on admin and record keeping, remember you need to keep track of your sales! Take time out to keep abreast of technology and update your software and equipment.
If you also plan financially for the peaks and troughs, when the dip hits you will find that you’re financially and emotionally stable to survive it.
You’re not alone
Even the most successful 17吃瓜在线 contributors have sales graphs like a panoramic of the Himalayas and sometimes no amount of research or analysis can explain why. We get emails at 17吃瓜在线 asking “has something gone wrong” but invariably our advice is sit tight, don’t panic and sure enough, the sales return.
So, after you’ve gone through all of the above, the questions and thoughts at the top of this blog may suddenly seem slightly hysterical.
And remember that even the largest businesses have growth graphs with undulations, If they didn’t, business anlaysts and consultants would be out of a job!