There is an old saying.
'Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer"
Well my local business competition are not my enemies and to be honest I get on with all I have met. Networking with other photographers has been a key part of my business. I do no advertising other than my web site but my phone rings pretty regularly with work. I pick up work from other photographers regularly and (depending on the job) do it in my name, do it in their name, second shoot for them or provide a sales/print system for them to shoot into.
Networking has also created opportunities to do jobs which would have been too big for one of our businesses on its own. Pairing up allows us to compete with even bigger businesses.
How do you go about networking? Google and have a look who is close to you. Check relevant on-line forums and Facebook groups for posters who are close to you and engage them in conversation. I have yet to meet a single photographer who does not want to talk :-)
Are there any meetings or training sessions being run in your local area? Always worth having a look at these as it is nice to see which of your local businesses are prepared to invest a bit of time outside their working day in developing their skills or network.
I have not found breakfast clubs or other generalised networking groups to be particularly effective. All attending are usually looking to gain more clients (just like you are) but should any have a bit of work for you there is a reasonable chance they will also want 'mates rates' as you are networking buddies.
Ever been asked to help the competition out of a tight spot? This happens every so often and the harder headed would say 'let them sink' and then next time their client may come to me. I have found that saying 'let me help' has borne a good return in jobs passed my way.
Networking can be your cheapest and most targeted advertising. It can also be enjoyable. Meet a like minded photographer every 8 weeks or so for a breakfast/lunch and you will qucikly be having a breakfast/lunch meeting with a different photographer every week and it will be costing you about £15 a week. Not a bad price to pay for your marketing and a lot more enjoyable than giving it to some SEO company.
There is a secondary benefit to networking. One day it could be you who is not feeling well or has run out of media or has just mislaid your assistant. A quick phone call and you will probably have a solution. I now have semi-formal agreements with a couple of photographers to cover for each other in emergencies.
So, yes, you do need to remember that you are competing for business but you don't need to kick each other in the process. On the contrary, you can compete and still work together when and if you need to.
