Archive for marketing – Page 2

Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Email Triggers

Firstly I’m hoping that you use database management software to organise all of your lovely clients. If not put it at the very top of your shopping list as it will make you more money than any lens, Photoshop action or whatever else has caught your eye at a trade show.

You might only have one client and think its not the right time to invest in software that you’ll not really be using that much for a while. In fact it’s the perfect time as you don’t have to waste hours inputting old data from a spreadsheet and you’ll have time to develop your system and processes.

If you can’t afford much then you can’t go far wrong than the free version of Studio Cloud to start you off. Although the email triggers are a paid upgrade ($30 per month) to the free service but it’s done as a monthly subscription which will certainly make things more affordable.

Marketing your business can be a tiresome affair so it’s a delightful relief when

  1. Things are automated
  2. You don’t have to look for new clients because you already have a database full of them.

One of the best things about photography is that it’s not a one off event. Weddings are arguably one offs but they’ll probably have kids and want pictures of them at some stage. The point is that just because you sold a £1000 wall art to someone last year doesn’t mean they’re not going to want another one this year.

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A Photographer’s Diary, What’s Your Block?

You know I have started putting into each week a slot with a video from a business coach and not only does it kick me out of procrastination, it is helping me to look at things afresh.

Moving on from last week taking five minutes each day to visualise how I want my life to go, I sat down and thought hard when in training with a business coach Jack Canfield he asked, ‘What you could you all day every day for a month that would move your business forward?’ The instant answer was get on the phones and speak to people.

When I was sending out invitations for the presentation I did a few weeks ago, I found that I got a better response from people who I rang and spoke to than those that I simply sent an email of introduction. As busy as we are we still do like that personal touch don’t we? A human rather than a machine. I also discovered that by speaking to people they would quite often say, oh have you thought about trying this person or this company. And I also found one person who did some of my marketing for me by passing on my information to many different departments and organisations.

For me it comes back to, what’s stopping me from picking up the phone and making calls? Am I rejecting myself, with reasons why the courses won’t suit a particular company, before I give them the chance to? And the majority of the time it’s a yes. Though not this week, motivated by a video I watched of Anthony Robbins on Friday which helps you to remove your blocks, (the link to it is at the bottom of the article), I have done his exercises and am inspired to call the list of people that I need to. Read More→

Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – The Pinterest Competition

There’s no denying that in regards to social media, 2012 is all about Pinterest. Everybody seems to be racking their brains to find a way to make it work for them as a marketing tool. There has also been a lot of talk about copyright and the Pinterest terms and conditions so before you sign up you might what to check this article published recently on Mashable –http://mashable.com/2012/03/21/pinterest-copyright-legal-issues/. It is also worth noting that Pinterest have since updated their T&C’s which will go into effect for all users on April 6, 2012

One simple idea that I’ve seen is a competition in which participants aim to create a board in order to win a prize.

The Competition
Create an inspirational Pinterest board (on your own account) that reflects the theme [insert theme]

The board must be named [Your competition title] and finished by [insert end date]

To enter your board share a link [via email/on your Facebook page/in the comments of a blog post]

We will choose the best board that reflects [insert theme] and the winner will receive [insert prize]

What you do
Follow all competition boards and creators.

Comment on pins you like that reflect your style (the theme for the competition should already reflect that anyway).

Share boards on other social media sites and your blog

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Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Create a Competition for Charity

I’ve seen lots of different promotions from photographers who have run different competitions and many that do charity work but this marketing campaign is a little different.

The biggest difference is that you will be raising funds for charity but you’ll also be making some money for your own pocket too.

 

What you need

1. Friends
Not just any friends, but lots and lots of what my wife likes to call my “photo friends”. To be more specific, you need a network of photographers either locally or nationally that photograph the same sort of subject as you (babies, pets, seniors etc).

The next thing you have to do is convince them all that you have a wonderful idea for a marketing campaign and it’s not going to cost them too much time or money.

You will need to have all the photographers on board before you begin the promotion of the competition.

2. A Charity
It does help if you choose a charity which will help you with your marketing and promotion. Ideally your charity needs to reflect your area of expertise so if you are a pet photographer then work with animal shelter, if you’re a baby photographer then a children’s hospital might be your choice.

3. Judges
They don’t have to be celebrities but it’s certainly wouldn’t hurt if they were. Obviously they can’t be the photographers entering images but if you manage to sign up a couple of industry experts with judging experience all the better. Read More→

Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Be a Fool

“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on –shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”

There’s something about April Fools day which I love. It’s not recognized as a national holiday, Hallmark don’t sell ‘happy fools day cards’ (then again I could be wrong about that one) and there’s no real target market as adults and children both equally participate.

But it is jolly good fun and these days it’s not restricted to silliness in the playground or fake stories in the newspapers.

Google (or should I say Topeka) have led the way online in recent years but its not just the larger companies that have been noticed. The viral effect of social media means that any small business with the right prank can generate themselves quite a large amount of exposure very quickly.

So why shouldn’t a photography business be any different?

Well, be aware that there is such a thing as bad publicity and if you’re a family portrait photographer then tread very carefully.

3 golden rules for creating an effective Aprils Fools prank Read More→

Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Seasonal Touches

The one great things about the changing seasons is the fact that we can all jump on the promotional bandwagon and take advantage of the numerous holidays throughout the year.

In a way people almost expect a seasonal offer. A couple of days after valentines day I got a call from a potential client asking me what my mothers day offer was! They found my website had a quick look round and after they couldn’t find anything they gave me a call. Luckily I had an offer prepared, I just hadn’t launched it yet.

There are plenty of photographers out there that will be offering all manner of deals throughout the year so it’s your goal to try and do something different. If you can’t make it different then do it better!

Here’s a couple of ideas that you could use in the coming months. Really these are ideal for portrait studios aiming at a young family.

Mothers Day

Free box of chocolates for every mum that books a session on [insert dates]

Photo-shoot and beauty treatment bundled gift voucher
Team up with a local spa and put together a special mothers day offer.

The little chef surprise
Cupcake decoration photoshoot. Client walks away with a print and a cupcake for mum that the kids decorated during the photoshoot

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