Target Marketing

[by Todd Joyce]

2500 printed mailers might cost around $1 per contact, depending on postage, printing and your contact list.

What if you took that same amount and spent $500 on your very top five prospects?   I bet you’d get results!  The hard part is figuring out your top five.   Marketing isn’t easy and neither is target shooting… that’s why some use a shotgun.   Try spending some time figuring out who your best prospects are and romance them.  You don’t have to spend $500 per, but maybe spending more than a dollar on them will get you noticed.

Todd Joyce is a recent Past President of ASMP and specializes in conceptual people photography for advertising. See Todd’s work at www.joycephotography.com and contact him at todd at joycephotography.com

Look Like a Million Bucks

[by Jenna Close]

The first step in creating an effective marketing plan is to make sure that you are putting your best face forward.  Some monetary investment should go into this, but it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg.  Before contacting anyone, take the time to prepare a few things:
a) Create an online presence.  This is an area where having a limited marketing budget can be frustrating, but it can be done.  You may not end up with your dream website, but something with simple, solid design and striking images can work well.  If you can’t afford a designer, research companies that provide templates (such as http://www.bludomain.com/).  Or, use something like Lightroom to create an online portfolio that you can upload to your website address.

b) Create a brand.  You are selling your services as a professional, so you’d better look like one.  Do you have a logo?  Do you have a font that you will use consistently throughout your campaigns?  What colors will you use?  Do you have a design in mind for mailers that you can use again and again?  If you can, have someone design a logo and mailer template for you.  This will go a long way toward consistent branding.  If you can’t afford a designer, check with design schools to see if anyone needs work for their portfolio or would be willing to trade services.

c) Dress the part.  Showing up for a client meeting in sneakers and a t-shirt is questionable form.  And even if other people do it, why not stand apart and show up dressed well?  Invest in a simple, stylish outfit and good shoes.  Don’t forget to shave and brush your teeth and hair.  Seriously.  It doesn’t take a lot of cash and you will make a great first impression.

Marketing campaigns involve investments of money and time.  Even if you start out with a few 4×6 mailers and phone calls (the calls are basically free, mind you…), you will see a greater return if you are well prepared.
Jenna Close, along with partner Jon Held, run P2 Photography.  They specialize in imagery for the alternative energy market.  You can find Jenna at www.p2photography.net.

Marketing on a Budget

[by Rosh Sillars]

If you don’t have money for marketing, the next best thing is investing your time. This is not a bad thing. Most photographers will tell you referrals are one of their best sources of business.

Attend free and low-cost local events. Check the local listings for chamber of commerce, advertising club, and trade organization events. Get out there and shake hands, but don’t go empty-handed.

If cost is an issue, design a 4×6 portfolio photo card, which can be printed inexpensively. Tailor the cards specifically for the event. In other words, focus your work on the type of people attending the event rather than presenting your whole portfolio.

First, hand people your card and give a short elevator pitch, which is who you are, what your specialty is, and how they would benefit from using your service.

Next, listen. Then, ask questions about them. Find out who they know who could use your service. Listen some more. The more you let people talk, the more they will like you. You will be amazed at the opportunities that come your way just by asking questions and really listening to the answers.

Take the time to follow up. Send an “it was nice to meet you” card, or if someone offers you tip, lead or suggestion, send a thank you note. These gestures are some of the most powerful, low-cost marketing tools on the planet.

Rosh Sillars is a professional photographer, the co-author of the book Linked photographer, consultant, university instructor and host of newmediaphotographer.com

A New Path

[by Suzanne Sease and Amanda Sosa-Stone]

Starting out in any new business is filled with excitement and the unknown.  Here are some tips we recommend to finding your path.

1.    Know where you want to go in your business (consumer: portraits, weddings, commercial: still life, architecture, fashion, editorial: portraits, etc…)
2.    Make sure you have images to support this direction (minimum of 15-20  strong images)
3.     Find someone to guide you on along this path: a seasoned photographer, a potential person who works in that industry (i.e. if you were architectural photographer – find an architect to possibly guide you)
4.    Pull together your personal resources – who do you know and how can you ask them to personally invest in your business (ask them to make referrals for you).
5.    Make sure you have the website and portfolio available to show someone if asked.
6.    Present yourself and your work in the best light.

Your life and work go hand and hand – so merge what you know from both and ask for help for what you don’t.  This industry is not an easy path to take – but if you find the right road for you, it can be a really interesting and fulfilled career – filled with lots of stories to share and hopefully some great imagery.

Amanda Sosa Stone and Suzanne Sease consult with photographers around the world assisting in marketing and presentation efforts.

Find a Photographer

[by Todd Joyce]

Membership has it’s privileges and one of the benefits of being and ASMP General Member is being listed in findaphotographer.org. For what I do, I don’t get a lot of calls, but every so often I do get a call that is a result of FAP.

Over the years, I’ve gotten about ten jobs from FAP.  Some have been editorial and some industrial.  This past December, I got a call from an industrial client that needed about four shots in one of their client’s facilities for a limited use.  They wanted me to shoot about eight for choice, but were willing to ultimately choose four.  They were interested in an estimate, so as a regular practice, I first asked if they had a budget.  They assured me they didn’t so I worked up an cost and sent it to them. I always try to follow up with a call to get a client’s reaction to my estimates, so when I called they said the price was way too much and they only had $1500 in their budget. Ah, now they HAVE a budget…   I’ve heard it before. So we worked up a way that I would only shoot four shots, not eight, so that I could do it for closer to their “budget.”

Come the day of the shoot, everything was flowing well on site, so I shot more than the four I had promised.   I shot about ten set ups.  When I sent the jpegs for choice, they loved what they were seeing and wanted to use them all for a few other purposes. “Sure,” I replied. “Let me work up a cost for the additional use and get back to you.”  I’ve learned through talking with fellow members over the years that when a budget is smaller, I back out what I’m required to do so that the client sees that there is value in my time or what is used.  I also negotiated a maximum number of images so that the client understands that they don’t just “get” everything.  By the time the negotiation was finished, the total for the shoot and usage was $5600.  A far cry from the budgeted $1500 and the client was very happy to get what they did for the money.   Thanks FAP and to ASMP and fellow members for the experience in negotiating. It pays to be a member.

Todd Joyce is a recent Past President of ASMP and specializes in conceptual people photography for advertising. See Todd’s work at joycephotography.com and contact him at todd@joycephotography.com

Selling What Makes You Different

[by Jenna Close]

My partner Jon and I shoot photos mainly for the alternative energy market.  This is our niche, and we spend a lot of time following the industry and thinking about how we can better serve the people we want to work for.  Often we are asked to price aerial photography, and often the logistics and cost deter the client in the end.  So we started thinking…how can we help our clients in this area (and by doing that, better help ourselves and our prospects of landing the job)?  Last year we started working on our ability offer aerial images in-house using a remote controlled helicopter with a DSLR attached.  The RC Heli also allows us to offer aerial photography for urban rooftop installations and other areas where flying space might be restricted.  Not only is this a good sell to these companies, but it also creates a spectacle that excites our clients and generates word of mouth.  The questions at the heart of this story are…how can you sell added value to your clients?  What can you offer that the other photographer in your field can’t?  Look for current challenges and future trends…how can you solve these problems in a unique way?  In this day and age, simply having good images is not enough…think outside the box.  It could make those sales a lot more effective.

Jenna Close, along with partner Jon Held, run P2 Photography.  They specialize in imagery for the alternative energy market.  You can find Jenna at www.p2photography.net.

Quick Tip Week

[by Carolyn Potts]

Do some research about what you’re being asked to photograph.

If you take the time to read up on the product, company or event you’re being asked to shoot (you know you can Google ANYTHING) you appear to be someone who will be a partner in problem-solving. Demonstrating that you’ve actually taken your own time to learn about the client’s product can be a powerful way to show that you’re truly interested in their needs–and everyone finds that attractive and very compelling.

Carolyn Potts, perpetual photo evangelist; international consultant & speaker; and former rep, shows seasoned & proactive photographers how to get more work. Find her at www.cpotts.com , http://bit.ly/FaceBookPottsConsulting and http://carolynpotts.net.

Setting Sales Goals

[by Blake Discher]

In my negotiating seminars I always make a point of letting my audience know that in order to be successful, I think we must be salespersons first and photographers second.

My sales career began when I sold franchises for a quick-print franchise.  One of the first things I learned was that all successful salespeople have clearly stated goals that they continuously work to achieve.  We’ve all heard that saying: fail to plan and you’re planning to fail.

Each month, set one important goal: how many new potential clients you’ll initiate contact with to show your work, commonly known as a cold call.  Don’t just set the goal, write it down.  Better yet, print it out the number on a letter size sheet of paper (with a large enough font size to fill the height of the paper) and tape it to the wall in front of your desk.

Don’t think for a minute that cold calling will be unsuccessful in the summer because those potential clients will only be on vacation.  In this difficult economy vacations are shorter and less frequent.

When you accomplish this month’s goal, make the next month’s goal more challenging.  You’ll find you’re making more contact with potential clients that will inevitably end up with more requests for estimates.

Setting goals helps you in three ways: they help you remain critically focused, they help you to “stay on track”, and accomplishing them help give you the necessary confidence to accomplish the next, more challenging, goal.

Your “sales pitch” will get better and better the more you practice.  You’ll get more comfortable selling yourself and develop your own style of selling.  You’ve probably heard it already,  emotion is the “secret weapon” used by successful salespeople.  People buy emotionally and justify the purchase logically.  Make your cold calls friendly and smile while your talking, the person will “hear” that smile on the other end.  And most importantly, let them know why you’re a good fit for them.  You need to always be selling!

Good luck!

Blake J. Discher is a photographer, SEO consultant, and educator. He speaks nationally on the topics of web marketing and negotiating. Visit his lifestream at www.blakedischer.com.

Guide Them in for a Landing

[by Rosh Sillars]

Create special landing pages for your marketing activities. A landing page is designed to receive incoming advertising traffic and is generally not linked directly to the rest of your Web site.

Make sure you install Google Analytics to help track landing page activity.

Use these special Web pages for all your promotions. If you advertise in a magazine, at a trade show, by e-mail or use social media, make sure the landing page relates to your marketing effort. For example, if you advertise in a construction trade magazine, create a URL that looks like this: www.yoursite.com/construction.html

Make sure the Web page relates to the prospects you are driving to it. In other words, the example page described above should talk about construction and display construction-related images.

Make sure your landing page has a call to action and a request for e-mail or contact information.

Test and tweak your pages until you earn the performance and goals desired.

Rosh Sillars is a veteran photographer, digital marketing consultant, host of www.newmediaphotographer.com and co-author of the book Linked Photographer.

Road Trip

[by Suzanne Sease and Amanda Sosa Stone]

Summer time in an assignment world is thought of as the quietest time in the year, when in fact it could be some of the busiest. We think that since the European markets take a sabbatical, the American market does too – but we should all know better – we are Americans and we WORK ALL THE TIME. Remember June and July are spent gearing for the Back to School circulars, the automotive world is shooting the upcoming models , the Fashion world is preparing for September , the Government run programs are in a new fiscal year that starts in July, So why should you market this summer?   You should market because this is the time people are looking and working!

Emails should still be going out as your base marketing. Emails are the easy way out (meaning not much effort on your part), but we still recommend it…but here is our BIG PUSH for the SUMMER….

TAKE A ROAD TRIP – either down the street or to the closest city near you.  Get your book in for a face-to-face showing. We know these can be hard to get, but you should at least try.  It is easier to visit places out of town than your own town, so plan on a road trip.  The general rule of thumb is for every 10 calls you make, you should be able to get 1 meeting.  When you call the buyer (and most likely leave a message) make sure you tell them that you are going to send them an e-mail with designated times you would like to visit.  When you give them a few options, they are more likely to pick one.  Make sure you have their e-mail address before you call.   Do not make appointments on Fridays as a lot of agencies work half days or not at all in the summer.

So the reality is that summer time may be a time for vacations, but it is also a time for gearing up for a very busy shooting time.  Make your road trip a mini vacation – that you can WRITE OFF.

ENJOY and DRIVE SAFELY!

Amanda Sosa Stone and Suzanne Sease consult with photographers around the world assisting in marketing and presentation efforts.

Start Your Engines!

[by Carolyn Potts]

After the Memorial Day Weekend now the summer games begin! Yeah! I hope that we all got to kick back, take a break from the work stress/recession-anxiety for a moment, and enjoyed the 3-day weekend. But after you had some time to relax and refuel, I hope you don’t let your marketing head get too chilled-out.

It feels counter-intuitive, but summer is actually a great time for a photographers to market their winter-themed imagery. While many clients are engaged in up-to-the-minute current-season marketing, other companies  produce big holiday catalogs that have really long production lead times. Many companies are planning and scheduling shoots of their winter-season products in the warm summer months.

If you’ve some ideas and examples on how to shoot “Christmas in July” now’s the time to get the word out. If you have the knowledge and experience to capture a cozy, winter, hearth-huddling mood when it’s 90º outside you’d do well to target some prospective clients and show them what you can do for their winter promotions.
Let it snow!

Carolyn Potts, perpetual photo evangelist; international consultant & speaker; and former rep, shows seasoned & proactive photographers how to get more work. Find her at www.cpotts.com.

Using Video to Promote Photography

[by Gail Mooney]

Video is the hot topic these days. You’d think it was a new thing. But there’s nothing new about video – it’s been around almost as long as TV. What is new is that broadband has made online video viewing integral to the Internet experience.

In the last year alone we’ve seen an explosion of video viewing and sharing on social networking sites. Advertisers are shifting their marketing dollars to the Web and online ads are booming. Why? Because marketers know that the consumer is going online to see and hear more about the products they are thinking of buying. It’s one thing for a potential customer to see a static image accompanied by text and quite another to see a product in use and demonstrated, or to hear the story behind a company. Online Web videos can be linked and shared and are searchable, providing more possibilities for potential customers or clients to find you and what your company offers.

If you run a video production company, it’s a no-brainer that you’ll want to use video samples to promote your business. But video is also effective for promoting all types of businesses, including still photography. You can import your still images into some type of non-linear editing system like Final Cut Pro, add a narrative track and/or music and create a video promo of your work for online viewing. This promo can also be uploaded to a mobile device giving you the ability to show your work to potential clients in a quick and interesting fashion, anywhere, anytime. Better than your typical “elevator speech” when someone asks “What do you do?”

Another very effective way to market and promote your photography business is to create a behind-the-scenes video. Everyone loves a story and this is a great way to tell people about your company as well as provide more information about yourself and how you work.

Gail Mooney runs a still photography and video production company with her partner Thomas Kelly at www.kellymooney.com. Gail share more on this topic here.

Marketing Doesn’t Take a Vacation

[by Paul Bartholomew]

Where is your marketing going this summer? Is it going on a nice long vacation? When do you think it will be back? I hope it doesn’t have a vacation home somewhere in the South of France. You can, but your marketing shouldn’t.

Your marketing should be consistent. People can get caught up thinking no one is listening or receiving the message because too many prospects are out of the office during the Summer. It’s true, but they don’t all go on vacation at the same time. Your marketing will find an audience and it may be a favorable time. It may be a time when your prospects can actually meet with you. They may not have work yet but the idea is to have them thinking about you when it’s time again. You marketing effort may not get as many responses certain times of year but people are there and listening.

Do you plan on having any vacation time? Here are some ideas to keep your marketing rolling even if you’re not around. Emails can be setup long ahead of time. I usually work 2 weeks ahead but if I have projects or events happening that may interrupt, I may work earlier on my next campaign and have it scheduled during the time I’m not around.  Postcards can be done in a similar way if you’re using a mailing service. Many postcard printers offer mailing services and can schedule not just one mailing but many to go out on specified dates.

Think about working on a marketing buffer and try to be ahead by a couple mailings at all times; at least have the design work ready. This way if you change your mind later on about a marketing piece you can swap it out before going to print.

No matter what, keep to your schedule.  If you allow your marketing to take time off, you might be feeling the effects sooner than you think and have more free time for yourself than you’d planned!

Summer Marketing

[by Leslie Burns]

Often, summer means a slow-down in business. This is usually a function of client staff taking vacations and a general shift in working mentality during the warm days. The wonky economy hasn’t been too helpful either, but this year I am hearing more good news than bad from photogs across the country. Fingers-crossed, things have been picking up overall. Still, summer can mean a dip; but, that can mean opportunities for your marketing.

If you find you have some holes in your schedule, some free time, here are some things you can do to help your business for the rest of the year (and maybe beyond):

• Throw a party. Do something fun and maybe outdoors and invite targets/clients. Try a twist on the usual. Instead of a cookout, how about a toga party? Or a Great Gatsby theme? Or prom (for grown ups)? Make sure to take pics of the attendees and send them prints afterwards as follow-ups.
• Make clients a summer care pack. For a few select clients (depending on your budget) put together things like a little fan, sunscreen and/or aloe (Target has travel sizes cheap!), recipe for some yummy summer dish or drink, a squirt gun, and a list of summer festivals near their location. Put all the goodies in a little sand pail perhaps. If it fits your style, include an image that goes with the materials (maybe on the other side of the festivals list or the recipe). Hand deliver wherever possible. Follow up with calls if you don’t hand it yourself to any of your targets.
• Put together a fun sports event like a kickball or wiffle ball game for other photographers and your clients in your community. Nothing serious, just good outside (preferably goofy) play. Get people together without pressure of selling or a full-on competition.
• Show up at an agency meeting with a cooler full of popsicles. This could get messy if you show your book at the same time, but most people will be careful and respectful. Bring napkins anyway.

In summer things are more relaxed and fun–use that to your advantage in your marketing. No one wants heavy, serious, deep stuff when it’s 80º outside.

One other suggestion: take a real vacation. Photographers are notorious for not taking real vacations, but you will re-invigorate your business more by taking a week or two off than by doing almost anything else.

_______
Leslie Burns is a creative/marketing consultant who is taking the summer off from law school to work on a 2nd ed. of her photo biz book. Follow her at burnsautoparts.com/blog, facebook.com/burnsautoparts, and twitter.com/LeslieBAP.

Help a Student, Help Yourself

[by Judy Herrmann]

Looking to ramp up your marketing this summer?  Consider bringing on an intern.  Many programs require students to complete internships and right now, with the economy and job market so tight, students are having a tough time finding positions.
Having worked with countless mentorship students and interns over the years, I’ve learned that the best way to manage an intern is to assign them a project they can complete from start to finish.  Things like researching prospective clients, designing a promotional campaign, mapping out a social media plan – these are all projects that an intern could take on for you.

Photography, Design, Communications, Marketing and Business students all need experience.  Ideally, the student gets as much out of the experience as you do so look for someone who really needs to learn how to do what you need done and let them at it.

Ways to find interns include contacting the career center at local Universities, Colleges and Community Colleges, reaching out to Department Chairs or faculty members to find out about their most promising students and posting your listing at an internship website like www.internjobs.com or college.monster.com.

Photographer, educator and consultant, Judy Herrmann, helps student, emerging and established photographers build creatively and financially rewarding businesses. http://www.HSstudio.com

Here Comes Summer …

[by Susan Carr]

I hope you had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. We often think of summer as down time for marketing and sales, but in this tough economic climate, these areas of our business can’t really afford any time off. Yes, you can take a vacation, but do not take three months off from promoting your business. With this in mind over the next two weeks, the Strictly Business Blog is going to focus on practical marketing and sales ideas for these summer months. We hope they help you plan a productive period for business promotion.

In these lazy days of summer, most of us have fewer commissioned assignments, so my suggestion is to use some of your time to photograph for yourself. Whether you photograph in your studio or out in the world, create pictures that come completely out of your interests, passions or ideas. We all have things we have thought of pursuing photographically, a place or subject, well, dig those ideas out and go for it. How about dedicating a day a week or three consecutive days a month to this task? Whatever formula works best for you, make the time focused; if you are working in your studio, resist checking email or if your plan is wandering a park or neighborhood with your camera, consider turning your cell phone off. By setting aside time to create, when September rolls around, you will have new portfolio pieces or perhaps even the start of a significant personal project.

How is this promoting your business? We sell creative services, and if we do not nurture that part of our job, we will have little to offer the commissioning client. Our success depends on being distinctive and we cannot achieve that without actively engaging in creativity. My advice for the summer, grab your camera!

Susan Carr is a Chicago based photographer and ASMP’s Education Director. She is currently working on a book, “The Art and Business of Photography”, scheduled to release in early 2011.

Cold Calls?

[by Kevin Lock]

Having a hard time reaching out to new clients?  Pick up the phone and personally reconnect with past clients that you may have not heard from or worked with in a while. You will be surprised how this will boost your confidence and assist you in making long over due “cold calls” to potential clients.

Kevin Lock is a photographer based in southern California.  Recently he was elected to the National Board of Directors for the ASMP.  Contact Kevin at kevin@lockphoto.com

Deep or Wide?

[by Charles Gupton]

The primary business of every business – be it banking, plumbing, restaurant or photography – is the work of acquiring and retaining customers. No buyers, no sales, no business.

To that end, most business owners use the strategy of casting their nets in more directions in an attempt to draw in practically anyone who can fog a mirror as a potential customer. The idea is that the broader the foundation on which one builds, the more likely the business will withstand destructive economic winds.

Diversity of client base can be healthy. If you’ve ever had all your business eggs in one or two industry baskets and experienced the fallout from their decline, you’re wise to broaden your customer base to some degree. But there’s a difference in having a variety of clients to serve and chasing after too many people. The difference comes in driving the significant relationships deeper rather than adding more names onto your contact list.

As you have probably heard numerous times, all things being relatively equal, people do business with those they know, like and trust. When business owners cast out in too many directions for too many people, they not only don’t get to know their potential clients, those people have no reason to get to know what is distinctive about the business approaching them. It requires time to get to know someone, much less develop a like and trust of that person.

Although it may not seem intuitive, driving fewer relationships deeper rather than having a multitude that live on the surface is a far better long term strategy for business growth.

Social Media: Relax…

[by Thomas Werner]

Much has been made of social media and it’s importance in terms of building your market and creating greater visibility for yourself and your business. While I agree social media has become essential to a well-rounded marketing a program, I find the emphasis many have placed on this topic a little extreme.

While giving lectures I often hear people say they have been told to spend one hour a day on social media. That is an extraordinary amount of time to devote to what should become a consistent but casual interaction in which relationships are developed over the course of time. If you spend a couple of hours a week reaching out, creating new connections, and letting people know what you are doing via Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, you should find your network slowly growing and the benefits to yourself and your business growing as well.

Leave the five or seven hour a week to those who want to become online  “experts” in this field. Get out, create images, have lunch with an old client, find new ways to partner with an expanded network of creatives in your city.  Develop your marketing plan and relax when it comes to social media; grow your social network in a manner that you are comfortable with and your “friends” and “contacts” will be comfortable as well.

Successful Marketing is Not About You, It’s About Them

[by Rosh Sillars]

The truth is your prospects really don’t care about your great photographs, your excellent service, or how long you have been in business.

They want your photography to make them look good. They want to  experience your excellent service. They want to see what exciting images you can create for them now.

Everything you do is marketing. Every element that involves the client has a marketing aspect to it: when you answer the phone, when you show your images, and when you deliver the final product. Let others talk  about your great service. Your photography assignments need to revolve around a great customer experience that makes each one feel like the center of their universe. hero.

When advertising your work, make sure it shows your audience what you can do for them. Design your Web site with clients’ needs in mind, not your own greatness.

Only a select few can get away with playing the role of the aloof, narcissistic or eccentric photographer.  There are too many choices in the market place. This might be hard to swallow for some photographers. If you are going to make a living in an over-supplied industry, you must be able to deliver more than a pretty picture.  Working with you must be an experience that focuses on them.

« Older Entries