Should you or should you not add your prices to your photography website? Some say one, some say the other, and there are many shades in between. And of course, each of the approaches has its good and bad sides. In this video, photographer Chelsea Nicole will guide you through the pros and cons of all of these approaches. She suggests the three best strategies for adding pricing to your photography website so that you gain a lot of clients who are willing to pay what you ask.
Full pricing
The good side of adding your full pricing is that it saves time for both you and the clients. They have all the info they need so they know whether they can afford you or not, and whether they should reach out. It pre-qualifies your client, so those who contact you will be ready to book. On the other hand, this stops the client’s flow through your website. They browse through it just to gather information and compare your offers to those from other photographers, without contacting you. In this case, lose a chance of creating a one-on-one connection because the clients will more likely reach out to those who don’t have full pricing on their website, which brings us to the next point.
No pricing
If you decide not to put your prices, it can be because you prioritize the experience and the offers beyond photography itself. This also creates an opportunity for clients to reach out and build a one-on-one connection with you, which I mentioned above. However, putting no prices often comes from the fear that potential clients will perceive them as either too high or too low, and both of these can drive them away. Another bad side is that you may get a lot of inquiries from clients who can’t actually afford you, so it’s wasting your time and theirs. This comes from people pre-judging your value: they may assume you’re too expensive because your photos are good, so they won’t reach out at all. Or, they’ll assume you’re within their budget and reach out only to learn that you aren’t. In the end, the right people might not be reaching out to you at all. People don’t like uncertainty and they tend to avoid the unknown, and pricing is one of the main questions they have when looking for services.
The best solution: price points
Only putting price points on your website includes the best of both worlds: the main benefits of sharing the full pricing and no pricing, without the drawbacks. This gives clients enough information to know whether you’re within their budget, and they’re likely to contact you to learn more and explore all the options. There are three price point strategies Chelsea suggests: average price, starting price, and price range. All of them are good depending on your preferences, your business type, and what you think your clients will best respond to. Average price: you can list an average your clients spend or the average you want them to spend. This will typically be the price of your middle or upper-middle package. This approach is very transparent and gives your potential clients a clear idea of how much they might spend. Starting price: this is the minimum price point or your lowest package. Think of the psychology behind it and just think of all the ads that attract us by “starting at…” pricing. More potential clients are likely to reach out, and you’ll get the chance to present to them the value of your higher-priced packages as well. In fact, from Chelsea’s experience, most clients will not book the lowest package after this, but some of the higher ones. Keep in mind, though, that it shouldn’t be a price so low that you don’t feel like shooting. It’s the lowest price you’re happy with. Price range: this range can be the one between your starting package price and the highest package price, or an average price range from lowest to highest. Chelsea prefers the first two strategies for wedding photography, but this one can be a good approach for portrait, family, or senior photography. And now, let me know: do you put your prices on your photography website, and which strategy do you rely on? [Should You Put Pricing on Your Photography Website? | TOP STRATEGIES | Chelsea Nicole Photography]
