1. What is a Pop-in?

Wondering how to get more clients to your portrait photography studio?

A "Pop-in" is a taste tester opportunity for your family portrait photography business. Give hundreds of customers a reason to visit your studio every month, and capture their baby growing through the years. 

Pop-in creator and founder Anna Little takes you through an introduction to Pop-ins, explaining why you need to add a Monthly portrait offer to your photography business right away!

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Transcript

Anna Little (00:07):

On today's episode, we are introducing the basics of monthly Pop-in. What is a Pop-in and why should you be thinking about adding Pop-in to your photography business? Welcome to How to Pop a Business podcast for photographers who want their family portrait business to pop. I'm Anna Little, founder and creator of Pop-in Photos, and I want to help you go from hustling and struggling to busy and profitable with a cute little idea I call Pop-in. So nevermind the classic podcast dive in. Today, let's Pop-in.
(01:05)
Are you a skilled family portrait or newborn photographer who loves capturing beautiful moments, who is inspired by their work, but who is struggling to find enough new clients to keep you going? Are new photographers in your area constantly undercutting your prices and making it impossible for you to stand out from the crowd? Is your business struggling to recover from COVID-19? Or perhaps you're a person who's been putting off your dreams of being a full-time photographer for many years, only to find yourself now out of work due to the pandemic and ready to launch your business. The time is now. Or maybe you're a wedding photographer who's tired of the feminine feast, seasonal income, and who's looking for a regular revenue stream to get you through the winter months? Are you an enthusiastic, talented beginner who's weighed down by having to spend all of your time on marketing when you feel like truthfully you kind of suck at it? I suck at this.
(02:05)
If this sounds like you and you're ready to put your business on the fast track. Well, this tiny little Kiwi idea is about to completely revolutionize your photography business. Woo-hoo. Hello from New Zealand. Oh, hello. There's something a little bit magical happening down here in the photography world. Newborn and family portrait photographers have found a simple way to put their businesses on the fast track, bringing in hundreds of new customers and generating a regular income stream. Us Kiwis are famous for our ingenuity, and this crazy creative idea is no different. I've been doing this in my business for almost seven years now, and I can't even imagine marketing the old-fashioned way. I've turned my part-time side hustle into a thriving full-time studio business. I'm living the work life dream, balancing spending time with my 3-year-old while earning a healthy income. Do you girlfriend.
(03:06)
I want to introduce to you the idea of creating a taste tester for your photography business. A teeny, tiny, little bite-sized piece of your service that potential clients can sample to find out what you're all about. And no, I'm not talking about mini sessions. We're talking about even smaller than that. I'm talking about monthly Pop-in portraits. Oh, Pop-ins.
(03:29)
It's called Pop-in because in New Zealand, if we are going somewhere very quickly, we pop-in. For example, if I was picking up some milk on the way home from work, I would pop into the supermarket you might pop into or maybe you drop by, swing pass, nip in, pop over. Basically, a Pop-in is the smallest possible little taste professional photography that you could possibly offer.
(03:55)
It's a super simple idea that is making waves in New Zealand and in Australia, an idea that has already successfully turned business around for more than 40 incredible family photographers just like you. You can do this too, and I'm going to tell you exactly how I did it because I believe that great ideas should be shared, and I'm sick of seeing amazing photographers floundering under the pressure of hustling and struggling for new customers every day. Done the right way, monthly portraits are a carefully crafted taste tester for your photography business. The smallest chunk of your professional service possible that provides your clients with value by giving them something that they want at a bargain price. Pop-ins can create profit for you without devaluing the full family sessions and the a la carte items that you already have available. These addictive little morsels of your amazing talent create hundreds of customers who love and trust your business and who will return for years to come, and who are perfectly primed to purchase any other offer that you waft under their noses.
(05:01)
Pop-ins make perfect sense for portrait photography companies the world over and it's time for my little Kiwi born idea to grow some wings and fly overseas. The time is coming very soon to open our platform, that's Popinphotos.com, to other brands and to smart photographers outside of New Zealand who want to try Pop-ins too. I would love for you to try it.
(05:25)
So what is a monthly portrait? How does it work? My favorite metaphor for explaining how monthly Pop-in portraits work is this. Imagine for a moment that you own a bakery. Your main business is creating beautiful custom birthday and wedding cakes. You make these stunning cakes to your client's specifications using your skill and artistry to turn their ideas into a reality. If a customer wants to order a cake, the price is high, the whole cake is included, although they may pay for extra things like sugar flowers or laser cut toppers. It takes you hours to prepare the cake. You bake and decorate it, and you only take a small number of bookings each week. You spend time discussing the cake with the customer. You deliver it personally in a beautiful box. And for extra special orders, you even include a cake knife and a bottle of bubbles as a surprise to delight your customers. Oh, thank you.
(06:24)
The birthday cake is just like your full priced family portrait shoot. It's custom-made for the client. It takes hours to prepare and you can only do a few a week. So the price has to be high to ensure that you cover your costs and still make a profit. This is your high value product. Your customers are carried the whole way through with personalized service treats and ultimately beautiful personalized photos.
(06:51)
What about many sessions? Well, now you are already in the kitchen baking cakes. So as a clever bakery owner, you decide to bake a few basic cakes to sell by the slice. These cakes aren't custom designed. They're all the same as the customer. As only buying one eighth of the whole cake, the price is lower. Furthermore, the customer isn't waiting for a special occasion like a birthday or a wedding. They're buying a slice because they're hungry and they love cake. Maybe they pay a little bit extra for a cherry on top or cream on the side. A slice of cake is exactly like your mini session. Every mini is the same and you offer a few back to back on the same day or in the same place. Everyone is having a slice of that same cake. The price is more affordable and extra upsells are possibly available. Clients purchase the shoot on a whim because they like the theme rather than waiting for a special occasion to visit your business.
(07:51)
So business is going pretty well at the bakery, but you'd love to reach more customers. You know that the taste of your cake is superb and that most customers who come for a slice end up ordering a whole cake when their birthday comes round because once they've tasted your baking, they're familiar with your business and they know your exceptional product. You decide that to help reach new customers, you will offer taste testing days once a month where potential customers can sample your cakes by the spoonful. Yummy.
(08:23)
Word about these monthly events spreads quickly and so does the reputation of your business, and pretty soon your taste tester days have lines around the block and your bakery is on everyone's mind. For most visitors, a spoonful just isn't enough and you find you're selling a lot of cakes and slices on the day too. So how can you create a taste tester in your photography business? What does just a spoonful of your service look like? How can you create a monthly portrait product that your ideal customers will flock to and that doesn't overtake your full price sessions, but instead, encourages customers to upgrade to full cakes by leaving them wanting more? I'm going to tell you exactly how I did this and turned my business from a part-time side hustle into a full-time thriving studio business and how you can do exactly the same to add thousands of dollars to your income every month.
(09:22)
Join me on my next episode to learn the seven essential elements of a Pop-in that you need to make it a success. And on episode three, I will tell you exactly how to get started in five simple steps. But first, now you know what a Pop-in is, let's talk about why you should be running monthly sessions at your studio, or if you don't have a studio yet, in a hired space. And let's find out what Pop-ins can do for you because there are many benefits.
(09:49)
Okay, number one, increase your visibility. Social media is absolutely full of photographers showing off their photos and getting no replies. How can you get your beautiful photos in front of moms more easily? Number two, create a unique selling point. I'm sure you've heard about the importance of a unique selling point and maybe you've wondered what is yours. Monthly portraits can help you stand out from your competitors so you're no longer competing on price nor relying on getting clients to fall in love with your unique artistic vision.
(10:22)
Number three, get moms talking about you. We all know that word of mouth, social proof, and friend of friend recommendations are the most powerful form of marketing. Give them something they'll be dying to tell their friends about with Pop-ins.
(10:38)
Number four, show new clients in person what's so great about your photography business. Goodbye awkward sales calls, free session gift vouchers and pressure selling. Show them what you can do and leave them wanting more. Once your monthly portrait clients know you and have seen your skills in action firsthand, you don't need to do anything else to convince them that they want what you're selling. When it comes time to update their family portrait, they already know who to ask.
(11:08)
Number five, generate income from moms who would never usually spend a dime at your business because your full services are out of budget. I don't know about you, but I'd rather make $20 than $0. Monthly portraits are all about building long-term relationships and trust with your clients who then return month on month with their second baby and their third.
(11:32)
Imagine this, all the moms in your area are bubbled down to just 100. Out of these 100 moms, maybe two or three of them have enough disposable income to spend a couple thousand dollars on a family portrait or newborn shoot. And that's great, there are way more than 100 moms in your area, so there's plenty of those big fish in the sea who will purchase your full price sessions. The issue is that every photographer is targeting those same three customers. And more importantly, reaching that specific demographic is difficult. You're not just looking for any mom with a baby. You need a specific type of mom who has enough money to put towards a luxury service, and they're not always that easy to spot. Plus, they're not always determined to spend that thousand dollars. So when old Peggy Sue with a hand me down camera and her eager face comes along with her everything for $100 introductory offer, those big fish sometimes swim the wrong direction. Come back.
(12:31)
Now, imagine you had monthly portraits in your business. Suddenly you're reaching about 96 of those 100 moms because every mom in the world wants a beautiful photo of her baby and lots of moms have $20 or $40 or whatever it is that makes sense in your area to spend on a little treat each month. The important part here is that crucially, those three mums who have thousands of dollars to spend also have $20 to spend. Those big fish mums will love your monthly pop and portraits, which means that you've created a product that lures your ideal customer to your business, but not for free and not at a discount. They're coming because you're offering something unique that is valuable to them, monthly portraits of their child growing, and that accurately reflects the cost of the service they receive.
(13:20)
Not only that, you've reached the 10 or the 20 other moms in the group of 100 who might be keen on one of your summer mini sessions or a birthday cake smash or a Christmas card shoot. Those moms now know you personally, trust you and love what you do. Who do you think they'll turn to when it comes time to update that family portrait or book that Christmas card shoot at the end of the year?
(13:42)
And absolutely, some of your monthly portrait customers will never ever become your full price customers. But you've created a product that allows all those customers who typically wouldn't spend a single penny at your company to pay you $20 or $30 or $40 a month. When you have 20, 30 or even 100 of those customers, you've got yourself an extra revenue stream that can come in very handy for covering overheads or helping you reach your goal of creating a beautiful professional studio that you've been longing for. Or maybe even just keeping a roof over your kids' head and food in their bellies, all in one extra day's work a month. I'd personally rather have $20 from a customer than $0.
(14:24)
With monthly Pop-in portraits done in the Popinphotos.com way, you can do this without undercutting your full service and without working at a loss. And no, there's no subscription required either. Some moms will come just once a year or twice a year, or every now and then if that's what they can afford to do. Monthly Pop-in and portraits make professional photography accessible to mothers on all income levels because everyone deserves beautiful professional photos of their baby. Professional photos shouldn't just be reserved only for the rich. And with our automation tools and your strictly limited monthly Pop-in portrait offer, they don't need to be anymore.
(15:01)
Number six, monthly portraits are addictive. This trains your clients that family portraits should be updated multiple times a year and not just on special occasions. Number seven, you know that moms everywhere are obsessed with taking photos on their phones of their precious babies. Most moms already try and capture a monthly milestone photo of their wriggly baby at home, usually resulting in average photos and a lot of frustration. Hey, come back here.
(15:26)
Maybe you've even had clients ask you already whether this is something you could do for them. Being successful in business is all about seeing a need and filling it. Your ideal customers need and want monthly Pop-in portraits. They would love to have them done professionally in a fun and welcoming environment at an accessible price. You can do this.
(15:49)
Number nine, because your Pop-in is your new marketing strategy, your loss leader, your lead magnet, your new client generator, this highly affordable introduction is the modern equivalent of flyers and cold calls. And number 10. I bet you've had inquiries like this before. Your eyes lit up as a potential client's email hits your inbox only to be disappointed and frustrated to find yet another price shopper looking for just one or two digital photos.
(16:20)
Meet Jess. She's a photographer just like you. When she saw this email land in her inbox, she felt super annoyed and frankly, undervalued. All she can see is a customer who doesn't understand her business and doesn't value her skills. She responds anyway and offers a free session with a print credit, hoping that once the client has seen her photos, they'll be so happy that they want to buy them all. She proceeds with her full price service offering a pre-consultation over the phone, custom props and champagne on arrival. At the sales session, Jess is feeling flat. She has left crestfallen when the customer chooses just one photo, spends their free print credit and leaves the studio. Hey, where are you going?
(17:01)
Now, meet Cassie. Hi, I am Cassie. Cassie is a portrait photographer too, and she offers the same great high value services, Jess. But when she got an email from a client wanting just one or two photos, she decided to create a session that fills this exact need without wasting her time. Cassie has a monthly Pop-in event where 20 mums come along each hour for a super quick photo of their baby. The photos are very affordable and it's easy to find enough clients to come along. Cassie doesn't waste her time trying to upsell her price shoppers to bigger packages. She saves her time for those customers who have the budget for a full service, so she's never working at a loss.
(17:45)
This is the secret to your monthly portrait taste tester offer. The full cost of your service is split over 10 or 20, even 120 customers a day. Now, you can fulfill the needs of those customers who only want one or two shots without wasting your time and without being left feeling dejected and undervalued For a rock bottom price point, you need to make sure that, one, you can get through lots of bookings in a short space of time, and two, that your Pop-ins are very different to your full service product. So what that boils down to is every customer is coming for just one photo. And more than that, everyone at Pop-ins gets exactly the same photo. The only thing that's different is that it's their child in the chair and also how much their child has grown since their last Pop-in.
(18:35)
This is the McDonald's of photography, delicious, affordable, and you know exactly what you're going to get. And before you get at me, McDonald's makes billions of dollars every year, and I know you secretly love a chicken nugget too. I know you see your photography business as fine dining and not vast food, but hear me out because you can be both. And more importantly, as much as I love going out for a special dinner with my husband for my birthday, I also love a cheeseburger. Your customer that loves your high value service will also love your Pop-ins. And your customer that loves Pop-in will also want a full family portrait for a special occasion. And here's the big secret, you can do both. It all just kind of makes sense, right? This is a complete game changer, a life changer. It's the missing piece of the puzzle for those photographers who are ready to try something new, something a little bit rebellious, and something that truly works.
(19:35)
Now, this isn't for everyone. Many photographers will be afraid of trying something different. When I first started offering monthly portraits here in New Zealand, my competitors were furious. But do you know what? I was hugely comforted by the hundreds of dollars rolling into my bank account every month, and the stream of new customers being introduced to my photography business. That's right.
(19:56)
Are you brave enough to take a chance on something special? Yes, I am. Yes, you can do this. I'm going to tell you exactly what you need to do to create a thriving monthly portrait offer that is a powerful lead generator for your business, that gets your bookings humming and keeps your bank account looking healthy, all with minimal effort to keep your profit margins in the green. So how can you fill this need in a way that is profitable for your business? Don't worry, I'm going to tell you exactly how to do it. Remember, there are seven essentials of a successful monthly Pop-in portrait. The seven key elements that your monthly Pop-in portrait needs to make money, and to generate new leads for your full sessions. After that, I'm going to give you the five steps to getting started, pricing, set design, handling bookings efficiently and more. We're leaving nothing out. So buckle your safety belt and let's do this.
(20:55)
Stay tuned Pop stars. The next episode is dropping soon.
(21:01)
What do you think? Do you want to get in on this? Hit me up on social media if you have questions. I'm always here to help. Check out our How to Pop Facebook group and join the conversation. If you have enjoyed this podcast, have a look at our website, Popinphotos.com. We are very excited to open this amazing tool to new international brands very soon. Sign up to get notified when it's available near you.
(21:26)
That's popinphotos.com.