Photography Marketing & Selling Secret #23: Never Post Your Prices On Your Website

Posting Your Prices On Your Website Cuts Your Profits In Half! (At Least!)

Posting Your Prices On Your Website Cuts Your Profits In Half! (At Least!)

Photography marketing is a lot of work. You put so much time and effort into the marketing of your photography, don’t screw everything up when someone responds to your marketing and visits your photography website.

Never, ever post your fees on your website.  If you do, you’re (at least) cutting your cash flow and profits in half!

This is a HUGE mistake I see so many photographers making right now. It’s really sad, because photographers think they are doing the right thing, but instead, they are losing so much business that should have and could have been theirs!

You know why this is such a bad mistake?  Three reasons really.

Reason #1.  If you give your prices online, it removes the single biggest reason for people to contact you.

Think about this. What’s the most common question you and I get from people who are emailing us or calling us? …. …. “What do you charge.”  Right?  So if you tell them what you charge, there’s absolutely no reason for them to contact you.

And if they don’t contact you, then you can’t “build rapport and trust” with them, and help them decide to hire you now.

Now, I totally understand that you may not agree with this – but I urge you to think about this very carefully. Building a successful photography business is all about relationships. And the only way you’re going to build up that relationship so that prospect becomes a client is by talking with her. So if she never calls you to find out what your fees are (because they are clearly posted on your website) then you’re never going to work with her.

Reason #2.  Your prices (numbers) are “left brain” analytical items, and we know that people invest in photography for “right brain” emotional reasons.

Almost no photographers “get” this.  For most people who contact you, the price is NOT the most important thing to them. I know, they do ask you how much right away, but that really isn’t the most important thing to them – there’s something else.

What is this “something else?” It’s the emotional reasons – why does she want the images created? What’s she wanting to express with the photography? What’s she want to capture and remember? What’s she want the images to say about the people in her life?

All these emotional things are way more important to most people than the prices. (At least to those “Warm Fuzzies” who we want to work with!) But if she sees all your specific prices on your site, she is “forced” into “left brain” and so she will usually not contact you about working with you.

Reason #3.  Most photographers pricing is very confusing to prospects.  And one of the major “rules” of marketing is that a confused mind makes no decision.

You and I know all the prices by heart – we deal with them every day.  But for our prospects, the prices are confusing, and because they are confused, they don’t go any further.

So you are miles ahead if you do NOT put your prices on your website.

I urge you to carefully consider what I’ve talked about here today. It will have a HUGE positive effect on your photography business if you do NOT put your prices on your website.

All the best,

Charles J. Lewis, M. Photog., Cr.

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2 Responses to Photography Marketing & Selling Secret #23: Never Post Your Prices On Your Website

  1. dave
    February 28, 2015 at 9:39 am

    I disagree FULLY with this position . When potential customers visit websites they are evaluating 2 things , Is the work of acceptable quality and can I afford it . If the displayed work meets their criteria they look for some idea of pricing if they don’t see it they MOVE ON. They do not call, you don’t get the chance to build a relationship with that potential client because they have moved down the street.

    I have this argument with the photography palace guys all of the time . the client mentality has changed . The old school ways are not as aceptiable in the internet age

    • November 18, 2015 at 6:05 pm

      Dave,

      I totally understand your position on this. It’s not an uncommon belief. The key, in our humble opinion, is how your website is set up. I agree, if the primary (or only thing) on a photographer’s website are photographs, then all they will do is look at them, look for prices, and move on. However, what we have found, time and time again, is that when you’re website also uses carefully chosen areas of text, designed to build rapport, reveal unique factors, and ask the visitor questions designed to get them out of left brain (logic / money) and into right brain (creative, emotion), they end up reaching out by email or phone. It’s incredible the difference. And you end up weeding out the “price shoppers.” The key are the WORDS on the website. Do them right, and your target market will reach out. That’s been our experience, and continues to be. Hope that helps! Thanks for the comment! – Todd Lewis / Charles Lewis Photography

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