What does a first communion photography business need to succeed? Find all the answers here

The 2024 communion campaign is already here but if you still don’t have a communion photography business that really works, you still have time to organise it. Because, although it may seem like a simple campaign, the reality is that families are increasingly demanding more in this type of report and take great care in the choice of the communion photographer to ensure they get a precious memory of their children. Gone are the days when parents would go to the studio directly and with almost no prior information to book a communion photo session with their trusted photographer. Nowadays, clients inform themselves, search and compare on the Internet. And that means a lot of work for the photographer before booking.

If you have already opened the agenda for this communion season and you still have plenty of free spaces. Don’t worry, in today’s article we are going to help you create a communion photography business that works perfectly.

Learn how to set up a first communion photography business.

Why is it important for you to have a professional first communion photography business?

It is true that a photographer cannot depend exclusively on a communion photography business. These campaigns are temporary and although they may cover the months of March to June, most professionals also offer other types of separate sessions, such as weddings, children’s photo shoots, etc.

However, it is undeniable that communion sessions, even if they are not available all year round, bring in a significant part of the photographers’ income during these specific months. And this season’s progress can make a crucial difference to your financial stability if you learn how to build a profitable first communion photography business.

This implies not only offering a high quality service and creativity in photo shoots, but also implementing a series of commercial strategies that are really effective, such as promotion, correct information, good customer service, etc.

Today we are going to focus on some of these aspects that you have to implement and take care of so that the communion sessions become an important part of your business. But first we are going to share with you an article in which you will find great tips when it comes to carrying out communion photography sessions.

>> Guide to taking the best communion photos 2024

What do you really need to sell first communion sessions?

Without going into the type of photographs you take, your style, the packages you have available or even the final products you deliver to your clients, which are very important aspects of your first communion photography business, this time we are going to focus more on client acquisition and what tools you need to have at your disposal to get more income from these photo shoots.

The first thing you need to do is to get families who are looking for a first communion photographer to find you. Here you will have several options, such as: placing ads on Google, scheduling ads on social networks or looking for a more organic and free positioning thanks to the articles you write on your blog.

Once the visitors start coming, you will need to offer them a space where you set the rules of the game, where you can explain what these reports are like and where you can show some of your latest work.

Nowadays we are in the age of digital communications and practically everyone shops online, if you offer this possibility on your website, the number of bookings will increase considerably.

And don’t forget, once the client has already hired your services and you have done the session with him/her, to continue offering a professional and comfortable service for him/her.

Before we look at these recommendations in a little more detail, you can take a look at this compilation of communion photographers who are getting their photography businesses off the ground.

>> Explore 10 websites of communion photographers that work really well

1# Blog with ideas for first communion photos to attract clients

The way clients act has changed and now their way of looking for this type of photographers is totally different to what it was a few years ago. As we said at the beginning of this post, in the past, families would go to the nearest photography studio to their homes and there they would book their children’s first communion photos.

Nowadays, parents are not only very busy, but they are also doing their research on the Internet and a good way for them to get to know you is through your blog articles. Because if you learn to write good articles and take into account a series of basic SEO rules so that they are better positioned you can get:

• Better ranking on the Internet: by publishing relevant and quality content on a regular basis, you can increase the visibility of your website in search engines and this will lead to more traffic and customers.
• Demonstrate your expertise and authority: writing on topics related to communion photography will allow you to show your expertise. This can increase your clients’ confidence in your ability to do this type of reportage.
• Generate qualified traffic: by creating content that responds to the questions and needs of families, you will capture their attention and get people to visit your website who will be much more likely to eventually become your customers.
• Etc.

In Arcadina all our websites have a professional blog with a fully integrated design. In the following article you will find several recommendations to create your own.

>> How to create a professional blog for photographers?

2# Photography website to showcase your communion work

Families want their children’s photos to be much more than just images to be included in the memory.  It is no longer enough for parents to find a good professional to take a few photos. Now families want the decorations to match their children’s outfits, for the little one to live an entire experience in the session, etc.

We know that most of you communion photographers have adapted to the new demands of your clients and now offer this type of service. The problem is that many of you don’t explain it properly or you do it too late.

Now bear in mind that when a client contacts you, even if it is to ask for more information about a story, they will have already done their own particular research about what you do, and if they are contacting you, there is a good chance that they will eventually hire you.

But what happens to all those families who know about you but don’t take that step? Some of them will not be your ideal clients, there is no doubt about that, but on the other hand, a percentage of those who do not contact you would have hired you if they had found more information about this type of reportage.

The great thing about Arcadina’s websites is that they are very easy to customise. If you would like to temporarily highlight this 2024 communion campaign, you can make small changes to your website, for example: creating a pop-up ad, modifying the Presentation page, publishing a communion services page or even creating a communion gallery.

>> 8 mistakes you are making on your photography website that you need to fix right now

3# Booking calendar integrated into your website for easy sales

Once you have managed to get your “future clients” to your website and they can discover everything you can offer them to keep a memory of this special time for their children. If you also offer them the possibility of being able to book a photo report directly from the web and without having to contact you, the number of communion bookings will increase considerably.

Families are getting busier and busier with their day to day lives and by the time they get home and manage to find time to organise their daughter’s first communion it is usually in the evening. Finding a first communion photographer who matches their services and who offers the possibility of making the payment and booking the photo shoot directly from the web, will make you much closer to being their ideal candidate.

At Arcadina we have created a Booking service in which you will be able to create a series of campaigns, add different sessions and offer your clients the possibility of hiring your communion photos on the spot.

>> Want to improve your sales? Discover the 5 advantages of Booking

4# Customer galleries for a unique experience

When you have finished your photo shoot with a client, it is important that you continue to offer them a very special treatment. In many cases, if you are a children’s photographer or if the client has more young children, they may repeat the experience with you or even recommend you to their acquaintances. That’s why it’s important that you don’t let your guard down and offer a professional image delivery service that is as convenient as possible for your clients.

Customer galleries allow you to send your customers their photos in a very practical way through a private area that they will find on your own website. This sending method will also give you the opportunity for your customers to make several extra purchases, download their images or make a selection of photos to create a photo album. The possibilities are endless for them and for you, these private galleries will help you to free up a lot of hours per week that you used to have to dedicate to attending to your clients in the photo studio.

Booking service for communion photographers

As you can see, there are several basic tools you need to make your first communion photography business run smoothly, but before we say goodbye we would like to highlight all the options that we consider to be the star business solution for first communion photographers. This is the Booking service that we offer at Arcadina.

These are some of the advantages you will be able to enjoy thanks to the booking calendar:

• Ease and immediacy for your clients to book a session.
• Possibility for them to choose the date and time that best suits them for this photo reportage.
• Unless it is due to force majeure, you will ensure that customers will not back out of the booking as they will have already paid a part of the amount.
• You will have a fully organised calendar with all the session bookings that will be generated automatically, in which you will also be able to modify or add any type of booking.
• Offering this service to your clients will free up a lot of time each week that you previously spent answering phone calls or emails with queries or session booking requests.
• Etc.

Create a communion campaign to offer your different sessions

A new feature that we have launched relatively recently within the Booking service is the possibility of creating campaigns. This option is perfect so that you can offer different packs within the same type of reportage independently and without mixing them with other types of sessions.

To make it clearer, we will give you a practical example.

Let’s imagine you are a photographer who does newborn, baby, family and communion shoots and in your Booking section you want to include a campaign for each type of shoot.

If we now focus on the communion sessions, for this year you have created 3 packs that you would like to offer in your Booking section but in a more private space where users can only see the communion sessions.

In this case, what you have to do is to create a campaign called, for example, Communions 2024 so that you can create 2 types of sessions (one for each pack).

This way you will have much more organised and structured information in your Booking section and your clients will be able to choose more easily which communion package suits them best. If you are interested in this option, below we are going to share with you an article from our help where we explain all the steps so that you can configure your campaigns and types of sessions.

>> Arcadina Help: Booking. Campaigns

Follow these steps and create a truly profitable first communion photography business

If you want to take this type of temporary sessions seriously and create a communion photography business that really works, it is important that you learn how to attract clients through the Internet, offer them all the information they need as soon as possible, give them all the facilities in the world to be able to book online and offer them a totally personalised and remote service after the session.

At Arcadina we offer you these and many other business solutions that help you create a solid and professional digital business so that all your efforts are focused on getting your work done. Would you like to try them for 14 days for free?

On this occasion we would like to share with you the testimonials of some of the clients who are trusting in our business solutions to make a living from what they are most passionate about. Photography.

>> What our users say

And finally, one last question: How do you organise your first communion photography business? We would love to read your opinion in the comments.

Arcadina goes with you

Fulfil your dreams and develop your professional career with us. We offer you to create a photography website for free for 14 days so you can try our platform without any commitment of permanence.

Arcadina is much more than a website, it is business solutions for photographers.

If you have any queries, our Customer Service Team is always ready to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We listen to you.