How to Relocate Your Photography Business – Faster
How to relocate your photography business is overwhelming. Not only is your family moving to a new state, or even overseas, but you’re ripping out everything you’ve built – a stable income, sell out sessions and referrals to start from scratching in a city, state or country you’ve never lived in before!
Don’t panic. With the right timing, and a lot of work, you can relocate your photography business faster and still make money! I’ve done it several times myself.
Relocating a photography business in a new area takes time. You’ll need to prepare financially and mentally for the challenge. Have at least six months of expenses saved before you move. Be open to taking any kind of paying work in the beginning, even creating a special offer for your ideal client.
In this article I’ll share the basics for how to relocate your photography business faster in 8 steps
Table of Contents
I’m Alison! Photog of 13 years, Milspouse of 15 years and Mom to 4 boys.
I had sell out mini sessions, referrals from strangers, & fully booked. I built predictable photography business that gave me life and income I craved.
But we’re active duty military and it was coming to an end again.
I searched for guidance for months only to find nothing. There had to be a better way.
After 7 moves (2 overseas!) I’ve streamlined a process to help you make more money while moving with the military.
Don’t do it alone. I can help.
Examine Your Current Profitability
Even if you don’t know where you’re moving to, relocating your photography business is the perfect time to implement necessary changes.
- Price increase
- Niche changes
- Moving to in person sales
- Changing your gallery platform
But before you make any major changes, you need to make sure what you’re currently doing is working and profitable, before you relocate your business.
- What are your fixed expenses?
- What costs of doing business?
- What’s your average client investment?
- Are you making enough to be profitable?
If you can’t answer these questions, no matter where you are in the relocation process, stop everything and figure it out. Reach out to me for a Profitable Pricing coaching call.
Research the New Market
This is the hardest part of relocating your photography business. When you know WHERE you’re going, the heavy lifting starts with:
- Location scouting
- Researching Community demographics
- Researching Direct & indirect competition
- Researching Average investment
Even if you’re moving overseas, and you’ve never ever been to this new duty station before, you need to start becoming the local expert. This will not only help your family transition, but will help you serve your future clients better.
If you can, take a scouting trip before the move. I’ve only had the luxury to do this once in my career and it was well worth the expense! I got photography content, had insurance meetings, and even hosted mini sessions while I was there. That content helped me launch my blogs & SEO presence faster.
Create a Marketing Strategy
Many photographers create a website, post on instagram and hope for the best. But when you are relocating your photography business you have to rip out everything you’ve built up and start from scratch. That doesn’t happen on a hope and prayer.
That is not a strategy! Ok, maybe it is but it is weak. You can and should do better if you’re here to make money.
How to relocate your photography business in a new city or state will require a multi-layered approach which could include:
- SEO strategy
- Social media engagement and hashtags
- Networking in person
- Networking online
- Promotional Event
- Introductory offer
Clear Client Communication – Reverse Engineer a Timeline
When to to announce your big move to your current clients is a big deal. You want to wait until you have plenty of information before spilling the beans, but also give them time to schedule their final photoshoot with you! How to relocate your photography business successfully includes how you transition your current clients.
When it is time to announce your move, honor your current clients by telling them first, usually via email.
For your best repeat clients, tell them directly. A direct email (not through a waitlist) that outlines when you’re movings works best. Give them your:
- Currently availability
- Final date for photoshoots
Be ready for them to schedule their final photo session!
Its super important to book out your current location as much as possible because you’ll be facing crickets on the other side. Ideally, 4-6 months is a good timeline to cut off current photo sessions before you move.
No matter how much time you have, reverse engineer your remaining months to make the most of it.
Update Your Online Presence
After you have announced your move to current clients, THEN you can start working on more public-facing changes like blogging, updating your website and social media posts for your new location.
There are so many factors that go into SEO that its impossible to tell you WHEN to switch your keywords, but it will need to be done. Things to consider include:
- Your Current website traffic
- Your click through rate
- How full your current calendar is
- SEO competition of the new location
If some of that sounds like gibberish, let’s talk.
These are key factors you need to not only understand, but know how to manage and manipulate in order to maximize your website presence… and make it work FOR you. How to relocate your photography business should focus heavily on your online presence -LONG before you physically move.
Get Legal
The research for how to get legal should have been done well before you moved. You should know about:
- State corporation entities
- County/city permitting
- State permiting
- Insurance requirements
Now, after you’ve moved is the time to get those things in hand. You’re facing a lull in photo sessions because you’re new, so take that time to get the paperwork straight.
- If you’re an LLC, are you moving your state registration? Or can you keep it in your home state?
- Open your business licenses, take a Small Business Administration course in your new state.
- Submit certificates of insurance to whomever needs them.
Get approved, submit applications. Get it done.
Semper Gumby
In the Marine Corps, the saying is Semper Gumby – Always flexible. Expect things to change, because they will. Some of your best efforts may not prove as fruitful as expected.
You may also arrive to your new location and realize the way you worked before doesn’t work here! That has happened to me in my move from Okinawa to Northern Virginia and again from Virginia Beach to Hawaii.
For my entire career I have only photographed sessions in the evening. But here in Hawaii, its just not worth it for a whole host of reasons. I only shoot sunrise sessions now! Sember Gumby!
There’s no correct way on how to relocate your photography business because every business is different and every move is different. But I’ve done it seven times now and I’m here to help!
Recap: How to Relocate Your Photography Business
Its not easy. Your emotions WILL get in the way. Feel them, release them and move on, sister.
You’ll get overwhelmed, you’ll want to cry and that is ok. But if you want help, you’re the first person to do it and you won’t be the last.
- Talk to someone who has done it before
- Get a virtual assistant
- Outsource your photo editing
- Get Support
You can do this, and it will be worth it!
I'm a USMC spouse, South Carolina native, recovering homeschool mama of a 4 boy circus. They've taught me the most important facet of family photography: KEEP IT FUN!
Alison's Process
contact Alison
