This is the second in our series looking at different marketing campaigns for photographers.
Also in this series:
Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Win a Car!
Marketing Campaigns for Photographers #2 Gift Vouchers
This is a great little campaign as not only is it effective but it’s great for building relationships with other businesses.
The Campaign
Free photography gift vouchers offered to businesses. The chosen businesses can then offer these vouchers as part of a purchase incentive or just as a thank you to their valued customers.
What you need
Gift vouchers – it’s all about the packaging – the best looking ones are plastic iTunes style cards. These packaged with a nice thank you card and envelope all add to the perceived value. You’ll want these cards to be properly branded, include your contact details and don’t forget the T&Cs
The businesses – If you’re a wedding photographer then bridal shops are an obvious choice. If you’re a baby photographer then a children’s clothes shop should be your first port of call. The value of vouchers you offer really depends on how much you’ll think you’ll make from each shoot.
What you offer the businesses
A free way to say thank you to their customers and a great sales incentive (spend more than $xxx and receive a $xxx photography voucher).
All the businesses have to do is note down the customers details. This will make it possible for you to contact the customers when their voucher is close to expiration. Phone numbers therefore would be an essential part of that data collection. Email address are also desirable.
What to do with the data collection
A follow up courtesy call is essential
“I understand you have a gift voucher for our services, when can we book you in for a shoot/meeting?”
A follow up email outlining your services/price lists in more detail would also be helpful so have this prepared to send shortly after your call.
“I’m sending you some examples of our most recent work and some of our wonderful products we have on offer”
How much do you make the vouchers worth?
It’s important to give value both for the businesses and the customers. If you’re a wedding photographer I certainly wouldn’t go lower than $100.
The same goes for portrait photographers. If you normally offer a portrait session for $50 then make the vouchers worth $75. This way they client not only gets a free shoot but they have money to spend.
Play the numbers game
You’re not going to get much back by sending out 10 vouchers at a time so play the numbers game and get as many of these out there as you can. You might have to take a few misses (people who don’t buy anything) but this is the nature of speculative marketing.
Notes
Use these section titiles to help create your own campaign.
Alternatively you can download and print out our action plan sheet:
Download Photographer Marketing Campaign Action Plan Sheet
Campaign Title
Gift Vouchers
Description of Campaign
Free photography gift vouchers offered to businesses. The chosen businesses can then offer these vouchers as part of a purchase incentive or just as a thank you to their valued customers.
Target Market
Varied
Target for Campaign
To build a steady referral base and relationship with local businesses.
Time Frame – Set Up
Time to organize marketing material and meeting with businesses.
Time Frame – Campaign in Action
Ongoing – all year round. The time it takes to pick up data and make calls.
Costs – Set Up
Cost of gift vouchers, packaging and marketing material.
Costs – Ongoing
Additional gift vouchers, packaging and marketing material.
Tracking
Data collection from businesses. I would visit these business weekly and in person (don’t get them to email you lists)
Feedback
Verbal feedback from businesses (at weekly pickups) and from clients over the phone and in meetings.
Other Companies/People involved
Local businesses
Other Campaign Notes
The hardest part is convincing businesses to take up your offer but it does tick a few boxes….. the most notable of which is that it’ll cost them nothing!
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Michael has been working as a photographer for the last ten years. In that time he has shot over 100,000 peoples’ portraits and worked in four different continents. In 2001 Michael graduated with a degree in photography from Manchester Metropolitan University.
RT @TrevorCurrent: Another great photo biz tip: Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Gift Vouchers by @MemoryGate http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/03/va-apple-… …
RT @TrevorCurrent: Photo Biz Tip: Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Gift Vouchers https://currentphotographer.com/marketing… #photography #photog #togs
I like this campaign, I’m trying to get all the ducks in a row- so to speak, that I can do this in the following month, or at least align with other wedding vendors. Great post!
I currently give vendors a magnetized gift card so, hopefully, the client will put it on their refrigerator and not lose it. We don’t have any wedding dress shops around here, so the two vendors I have this program with are a local hair stylist/spa for family portraits and Zales Jewelry for weddings. Unfortunately, it hasn’t produced much (only one maternity shoot), and I’ve been doing it for over a year. Thanks, Karen
There are always improvements and that can be made and it’s usually in how you package the gift cards and how the vendors hand them out.
The more valuable they look the more the client is likely to act on them. Plus if a vendor is using the gift cards to incentivise sales then the client feels like they have already paid for part of your services and want to use the cards.
A good friend of mine has fridge magnets as business cards which works pretty well for him but I’m not sure it’s quite right as a gift card.
Another big thing is getting people’s information who have the gift cards. It is unlikely that they will act on them unless you give them a little prompt.
Really neat idea and so simple. My marketing is in desperate need of a boost! Thanks for your input.
Thanks for the comment Sue……. sometimes it’s the simple things that work best….
Hi there! My business is in quite the dry spell for getting booked. I’m going to do this and post it on my neighborhood community page to reel in some, as well as take a bunch around to vendors. My portraits run $300, do you recommend sending out gift cards for “buy two get one free” or “purchase a $300 gift card for only $200”? Thank you for your help!