Are you relocating, but overwhelmed at the though of how you’ll rebuild your business in a location where you know no one? Well, today I’m sharing my recent interview with Lindsey Tuscany who’s going to share how she’s had to build her photography business in three different states as a military spouse. Get ready to find out tangible things you can do to make your transition to a new location successful for your business.
Let’s get to it!
Brooke: Hey, Lindsay, thank you so much for coming on the show today. Will you just take a couple minutes and introduce yourself to the listeners who might not know who you are?
Lindsey: I would love to! I am Lindsey Tuscany. I was once based in Charleston, South Carolina, then Tampa, Florida and am now in Dayton, Ohio. I’m a military wife and mother of two. I’ve been trying to sell them since they were born. Just kidding! I also call myself a self proclaimed comedian, but some people just don’t get my jokes, so it is what it is.
Brooke: Well, I think you’re hilarious and I know a lot of people who do too, so let’s totally go with it. One thing that I love that you said is you how you built your business in three different places. One of the most common questions I get from photographers is how to build a business in a place they are not from where they don’t know anybody. I think you’re a perfect person to speak on that. I would love to hear how you built your business and three different states. So you want to take us on that journey.
The Journey
Lindsey: So back in like 2016, I was a first time mom working a full time job doing hair and managing salon. I realized I don’t want to work for anyone else, but I wanted to work for myself. I was always interested in photography, but I never actually took it seriously. After having my son, I started working on it a little bit more and trying to put my name out there. From mom groups to military pages, I just joined in and said, “Hey, I’m doing this photo shoot for $50 and you’ll get all your images on a CD and worked my way up from there. My schedule just kept getting busier.
I realized I needed to start investing in myself. That’s the biggest thing that helped me build a clientele in Charleston was to invest in myself. I never went to college for photography, I just did mentorships. And so I was like, Okay, so I’m going to invest in this. It took me a while because, investing is expensive. Next, I got shoot proof gallery, then Lightroom and then Photoshop. After investing in myself, I became comfortable adding a bigger price tag to my sessions. When I left Charleston, I was charing around $275 for all a clients images in a gallery.
Then, I went to Florida and upped my pricing again. It was pretty much crickets, because I didn’t take the time to figure out it was a lower income area. Then, I just sit down and reevaluate. I thought people were gonna just hand me their money, but it didn’t work, because I didn’t take the time to get to know the location.
Location changes
Brooke: What made you move from Charleston to Florida?
Lindsey: My husband got ordered to go to Turkey for a year, so I moved back to Florida, because I was from there. I went to high school there and my mom’s was there to help me. Some people don’t have the opportunity to have help and it just should fuel their fire to work more and harder for what they want to achieve.
Brooke: I totally agree! Looking back on the move from Charleston to Florida, Did you like basically pack up and move immediately? Was there a little bit of a time delay there? What did that look like? Then, how did you start building your business for Florida?
Lindsey: I really had no time to prepare for Florida. Really, the biggest change came for me when I moved to Ohio. I knew about the move a year out, I’ll be up in Ohio, but I finally started taking the time to do locational hashtags about 6 months out. Using locational hashtags really helped because one, people can just go on and say they need a family photographer in Ohio. Then, they’re going to scroll through the feed, see a really pretty picture, and want to book with this person. aI booked my first person in July, but I wasn’t gonna be there until November. It’s crazy what social media can do!
Marketing Using Locations
Brooke: Yeah! I kind of want to dig into that a little bit. How do you use Instagram when you started realizing you were booking clients from there?
Lindsey: The way I use Instagram is super basic. When you open your phone and look at your feed, people are gonna see where you’re from. If you’re just posting pictures without any sort of location on your feed, no one’s gonna book you, because they won’t find you. It’s plain and simple.
Brooke: Here’s my favorite thing about that tip. It’s so simple. It’s common sense. I use location hashtags as well. If you live in a teeny tiny cow town you could even exchange the location tag for one of the surrounding towns. Also, if I’ve ever traveled or done a destination type session, I tag the destination where it was.
Lindsey: When I was in Florida, I was in a smaller town, which had a smaller income. I was in Spring Hill, Florida, so I would always location tag from a bigger suburb. I didn’t mind driving 45 minutes to get the clientele that I would look for, because I wanted to be being able to provide for my family versus having a hobby. When you go a bigger distance you get more people in. When I book here in Dayton, I include all the little suburbs along with Kentucky which is like 30 minutes south and Michigan, which is three hours away. like people.
Making Connections
Brooke: I love that! Besides just location things, how are you making connections and bonds with potential clients?
Lindsey: I never used to get on stories. Then, one day I was just like if all these other people are doing it, why can’t I? Now, I just get on stories and am literally myself. People find me funny, but I’m just blunt, honest and raw. I think that’s what drives people to want to book with me, because I really don’t care. what other people think about you.
Brooke: So, how long have you been in your current location in the Ohio area at this time?
Lindsey: I have been here since October 1 and started booking October 21. I was able to book about nine sessions before I got here at my highest price that I’ve ever. I started in Florida with a max of $275. Since I’ve been here, I’ve booked nine sessions at $500.
Brooke: That is so cool! Lindsay, this was so good. Thank you so much for chatting with me. I’m excited to see what people have to say about all of your golden tips. Where can people follow along with you and your journey?
Lindsey: You can follow me on Instagram at @Lindseytuscanyphoto and on Facebook at @LindseyTuscanyPhoto. I’ll be happy to answer anyone’s questions if they have any questions about moving or relocating or military.
Want even more tips from Lindsey on how she’s built her business in multiple new locations? Head on over to the Book More Clients Photography Podcast to listen now!
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