Should photographers put prices on website?

Great question. This question comes up a lot in conversations with photographers here in Charleston. When I am out shooting video for a wedding, inevitably I will eat with the photographer and get into a marketing conversation. Since my Charleston Web Marketing firm specializes in helping people get new business through their websites, I feel that I have a special understanding about this subject.

First an opinion

In my opinion, when asking, “should photographers put prices on his/her website,” I would have to say, “yes.” Here is why.

I look at websites as a sales presentation. You are displaying yourself and your work for the public to see and you are making a presentation to them on what you can do. It is similar to being able to sit in front of them at a desk and pull out your portfolio for them to see.

At the end of your presentation, you would present them with your pricing and hopefully get a contract to shoot for them.

So if you are willing to give them a price at the end of a personal presentation why would you not give it to them on the web?

The normal fear

Most photographers tell me that they don’t put their prices on their websites because they don’t want the visitor to jump strait to the “prices” tab and get scared and leave.

My response to that would be that you don’t want that customer anyway and you just saved yourself some minutes on your cell phone. That customer, not finding your prices, is either going to leave your site without you ever knowing who they are or call you and get scared off by the pricing when you tell them over the phone.

Another point

I have been in sales and marketing for almost 25 years. Heck, my degree from UNCC is in sales and marketing. I have tons of experience in it. One of the things I have been taught is to try to figure out potential objections to your presentation and handle those prior to the customer making them. Do you think price is an objection? EVERY TIME folks!

So why not handle price from the get go? Why not get that phone call or email from a bride who has already seen your work AND your prices and now only needs to know if you are available to shoot for her?

Does it work?

You can visit any of my websites and you will find my prices quickly and easily. Do some potential customers leave after seeing my prices? I am sure they do. But I book almost 65 weddings per year and countless portrait sessions with little more than a website WITH prices on it.

Unless your prices are so high that you will scare everyone away, (you may want to revisit your pricing policy) then you should, IMHO, put your prices on your website. Photographers who don’t are missing the point of the Internet. It is to find warm to hot leads and to replace the traditional sales presentation.