When you’re starting a small business, it can feel overwhelming to get everything up and running, especially on a limited budget. The easiest part is coming up with a business plan (which is not actually easy). But on top of that, depending on the industry, there are legal regulations to navigate, product development and manufacturing to make heads or tails of, and a litany of other ends to tie off before you can even launch to market.
Arguably, one of the most important things to prepare for a successful launch is marketing. Corporations shell out an insane amount of money towards this because they understand how critical it is for customer acquisition and retention. What attracts potential customers? Simply put, it’s your branding. Branding is essentially every interaction a customer has with your company. How do they experience your brand? Many things influence a customer’s perception of your brand, but the very first thing that sets the tone is your image.
As human beings, we are aesthetically driven. So in order to reel in customers, having polished, clean branding is key. How I achieved this for my small Ankara fashion clothing line was easy and cost me almost no money at all. I simply used the tools I already had at home and then used a HOLY GRAIL business tool that has saved me a lot of stress over the last year. That tool is FIVERR.
Fiverr is a freelance creative gig platform where thousands of freelancers sell their services for as little as five dollars–hence the name. I can’t remember how I first discovered them, but I haven’t looked back since! For the last year, I’d been using Fiverr for my other startup that’s still in development. So when it came time for me to prepare launching my new Ankara fashion clothing line, I knew I would need quality images to make my brand appear more reputable and attract customers. Instead of spending money on a photographer and having to do a photoshoot during COVID, I thought of doing my own photoshoot at home!
All you need are four things for perfect, studio-quality photos from home:
- A white/light-colored wall
- Natural light
- A tripod with a phone holder (and a smartphone with a decent camera–I used an iPhone XS Max)
- A Fiverr account
I set up my tripod in my bedroom, opened my windows so the room was well lit, and used the timer feature on my phone. I modeled my own clothes, took as many pictures as my heart desired, and sent my photos off to a freelancer on Fiverr to Photoshop the background to look like a nice, vibrant studio backdrop. I only paid $5 per picture edit, or $20 for 5 pictures, and honestly, you could save even that small amount of money if you know how to use Photoshop yourself (I just don’t have the patience for it.)
Launching a business is hard and expensive, but don’t let getting quality marketing photos become an unnecessary up-front expense before you even start making a profit. Try out my technique and let me know if it works for you. Best of luck in launching your business!
Paula's World 