We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kim Hopf. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kim below.
Kim, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about how you got your start?
I always had a love for photography and taking pictures of everything around me, but I didn’t decide to pursue it as a career initially. I didn’t really consider it as an option honestly- I thought it was just a passion. So I studied advertising and public relations at UW Oshkosh, hoping to enter a field where I could work with creatives and be creative myself. I worked with many different clients at a smaller and then larger advertising agency as an account manager in Florida, getting the opportunity to learn, among other things, many of the Adobe programs I use today. I was actually preparing myself for starting a business without really knowing it!
In between managing clients, I was learning the basics of website construction. I absorbed as much as I could in those 5 years, working with clients and understanding how to help people create their creative visions. On the side, I was consistently going out with my camera and exploring the city of Orlando and the surrounding areas, taking photos of architecture, wildlife and nature. I enjoyed taking photos of people in a more journalistic type of way, but it was when I took photos of a close friend who recently got engaged, that I realized I had entered into the world of portrait photography, and that this was something I loved doing.
We moved back to Wisconsin in 2012, and I decided to take a leap. I didn’t find another advertising job, and I started Kim Hopf Photography. I used a free website platform, posted a few photos and shortly thereafter, booked my first client who had seen my work on social media.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
When I was in advertising, our goal was to help clients get their message out to the world, and a big part of finding your target market is finding out where they reside. For me, starting a photography business while pregnant with my first son was an unexpected gift in that it did provide me with an opportunity to connect with people who I wanted to photograph. I was a part of local online parenting groups and surrounded by new families sharing in the same stories as me. We could connect easily, and that made growing my clientele a bit easier.
I also built a website using WordPress in the beginning, and applied my knowledge of SEO to that. I used Facebook and Instagram to reach further than word of mouth could and that was a successful equation for me. I think when you’re dealing with busy, new families, you need to make yourself accessible in more ways than one – being a website, google listing, email, messenger, Instagram or even by text message. People with small children are on the go, busy and don’t always have a lot of time, so making booking a session with me easy is my main goal.
Once I integrated Dubsado, a client management system (CMS), things got a lot easier too. It organizes much of my workflow and keeps my clients organized as well. If I would have known how much easier a CMS would make my life, I would have started it sooner, and I think that additional service would have helped my client’s experience early on. Maintaining leads and keeping them organized is so important, and using a CMS, instead of just Excel and email, definitely better serves me and my clients.
Lastly, I try to be understanding of my clients and their needs. Seems almost trivial to say it, but I think it’s a lost art at times. Different businesses require different things, but for me, being in the business of understanding that photos are a wonderful thing to have, but people don’t have to have them. So I need to be aware that my clients are taking time out of their busy lives to allow me in and capture something special for them. I think when you understand the mindset of your clientele, your business will grow.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I think what helped me build my reputation within my market is consistency and offering a service my clients love. Consistency is essential because clients want to be able to count on me, and as my business grows, I need to be sure that I’m treating clients the same as if they were my only client.
It’s not only true for client management, but for the photo taking and editing process too. When I deliver images to clients, they expect them to look a certain way, and I always strive to make sure I’m delivering the best product I can.
I’m also constantly trying to improve my photography personally and professionally (mainly because I love it so much and I can’t put my camera down!) to give my clients the best product. As time passes and trends change, it’s important that my clients know I’m evolving and growing too. I think that’s an important concept particularly for photographers.
Lastly, I think people gravitate towards other people who feel inspired or passionate because I think on some level we all want to feel that way. So I think as people interact with me and get to know Kim Hopf Photography, they hopefully begin to understand the love I have for what I do and want to book a session with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kimhopfphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimhopfphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimhopfphotography
Image Credits
Kim Hopf Photography