I used to feel like a TERRIBLE human whenever I did one of those “what’s your WHY” exercises.
Because literally, my favorite thing was high school seniors, and I can say in all honestly I loved to photograph high school seniors because I felt CREATIVE and loved getting dramatic skies and high-fashion poses with my off-camera flash.
And I WANTED there to be more…I wanted to be the kind of person who had more DEPTH.
The thing is, I actually DID have more depth.
And a MUCH better why.
A why that actually MATTERED to my target client.
I was just looking in the wrong place, and asking myself the wrong questions.
I want to share with you the three reasons your “why” may be detracting your target clients, and then share with you the big key difference I found that made ALL the difference in the world to not just my “why” exercise answers, but honestly to my clients.
It quite literally transformed my business – because when I FINALLY figured out how to communicate my WHY in a way that mattered to my clients?
They started emailing me back and commenting on my posts that they LOVED what I was doing…people were actually THANKING me for my marketing!
AND it resulted in more bookings, FYI.
Here we go:
3 Different types of “why” that may be detracting your target client from you:
***NOTE: some very self-aware people may ACTUALLY have a deep why at these three stages. There are always exceptions, that’s for sure. But if you’re like me, I just never had much depth or any reason for people to care at these 3 stages.
1. Why you like to take photos / became a photographer in the first place
Most of us are asked “why are you a photographer?” And THAT is supposed to be our big, in-depth “why.”
This just never worked for me…
I randomly took a photo class at my college, felt instantly creative, and just never stopped. No reason for anyone to care or to want to book me at this level.
2. Why did you choose photography as a career?
At this level, it’s likely going to be about three things…ultimately if you’re like me, it’s for freedom, no financial ceiling, and a passion for taking photos.
Again, maybe you DO already have a deeper “why” at this level. Even if you do, keep on keepin’ on, because I think you’ll be able to take it a step further at the end.
3. Why do you like photographing that SPECIFIC TYPE of session, or why do you take photos in that SPECIFIC STYLE of photo?
This definitely has the opportunity for more depth right off the bat.
But still, for me, it all came back to loving the feeling of creativity.
And now, for the grand finale –
The 4th Type of Why:
4. Start with the end, and work backwards.
A: Pick the type of session you’re most passionate about
B: What is the END RESULT your client gets from that session?
Examples: Self-love from a boudoir session, self-esteem for a tween session, helping a mom finally feel like all of her sacrifice is totally worth it during a family session.
C: Why is THAT RESULT important to YOU?
“C” is the why that will be more in depth.
“C” is the why that will make a DIFFERENCE to your target client.
“C” is the why that when infused into your marketing…
…into your about page.
…into your website home page…
…into the emails you send out to your list, and your social media posts…
That will get people THANKING you for your marketing, and what you are doing.
I hope you enjoyed this.
And will you do me a super quick favor? Reply back with your WHY from “C” – why is your client result from this session important to YOU? And if I could wave a magic wand and you had no time or financial constraints – how would your business look if EVERYTHING was about your “why?”
Cheers!
Lisa Edwards
P.S. I go in depth into MY why, as well as how I took actual sessions I was doing, figured out my why, then made the session WAY more powerful as far as the results my clients were getting. You can watch the video in the Booked Solid Photographer facebook group at this link. Just request, and I’ll approve you right away.