Archive for marketing – Page 5

Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – The Local Business Discount Cards

Here in the UK there is a almost unspoken rule on the high street that businesses share their staff discounts. Unspoken as most big brands don’t allow this but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t had the odd half price coffee here and there!

That said, most high street stores have a high staff turnover and many bosses tend not like their staff giving out discounts left and right.

This marketing campaign aims to bring back the sense of being part of a local business community. I should stress that the aim of this campaign is not just to get half price coffee but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be a little added bonus.

Creating your discount cards

Ideally you want to create something that isn’t just a badly printed card from your desktop printer. Plastic credit card style cards are cheap and easy enough to create and all you need to do is to decide on how much of a discount you want to give away. 10% is generally accepted as standard but it’s entirely up to you.

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Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Teach Photography Basics

Let’s face it, everyone today is an aspiring photographer whether they are taking pictures of their kids with a camera phone or shooting over your shoulder at a wedding with an entry level DSLR.

Photography tuition and training is a busy marketplace, especially at the semi-pro level (these are the ones with the spare cash after all) but I think some photographers often overlook people that could potentially turn into photography clients as well as tuition clients. It’s all very well training other photographers who want to go pro but at the end of the day what is the likelihood of them asking you for a family portrait session?

Back in the days when I was working as a cruise ship photographer I hosted a series of photography basics classes aimed at people with very little knowledge of their camera other than knowing that the big button makes the picture (that’s not a typo it’s a direct quote).

The first class we offered (which was free) would always attract a full house of up to 200 people. That was about 10% of our rather uniquely captive audience.

Follow up classes, for which we charged a rather modest $20 for, would usually be compromised from about 10%-20% of the freebie crowd.

$400 might have been a drop in the ocean (excuse the pun) when it came to our $60,000 weekly target but it did help us build relationships with our clients in a different way than we had before. Most of the time we were hassling the passengers for pictures on gangways and in the restaurant so this sort of interaction was a welcome change.

We sold cameras and probably more photos than we did before so it did prove a success. Read More→

Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Sell a Non-Photography Product

Perhaps it’s my entrepreneurial spirit they made me think of this marketing campaign, or perhaps it’s just another good way to create some interest in your business.

The products or services you sell don’t have to cost tens of thousands of pounds (or dollars), they can be simple, affordable and convenient.

The nature of running a photography business is that at least in the beginning, you have to pretty much do everything yourself from bookkeeping to website design. After a while you might even consider yourself an expert in some of these areas. As I write this I am on my way to do a bit of website consulting work. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no expert but there’s certainly things I can show people that they don’t have time to teach themselves.

In terms of physical products you don’t even have to create the product yourself. As photographers we often have a steady client base which other businesses would be certainly interested in taking advantage of.

Ideas for services

If you are a wedding photographer then it makes sense to partner with other businesses that are dealing with the visual aspect of the wedding. I am of course referring to make-up artists and hair stylists.

Offering a complete package of photography, hair and makeup will not only make your life easier because you will undoubtably only work with hair and MUA’s that aren’t a pain in backside but it will also tick two more boxes on the bride and groom’s to do list.

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Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Creating a Viral Video

Creating a video with the intention of it ‘going viral’ isn’t the easiest of things to accomplish but if you use your imagination and stay clear of Gay Asian Kittens then even a modest amount of interest can aid your marketing efforts.

Using a channel
When most people think about YouTube success they often think in terms of individual videos but the truth behind real YouTube success is having a good channel. Your YouTube channel can be just as powerful (perhaps even more so) than your blog.

Creating your video
I’ve already talked about creating a behind the scenes video but try and think a bit more out of the box. I’ve picked out a few examples to give you a bit of inspiration.

Have a bit of fun
One of my favourite videos has to be the Joey L. Nikon Girl. It fits perfectly into the rock star photographer persona that Joey L. embodies. Catchy song, simple production and over 800,000 hits to date.

Sandy Puc

This is a good example of using a YouTube channel to post a variety of different content. There are promo videos, tutorials and even a blooper reel. In fact it is the blooper reel which has some of the most hits. Read More→

Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Have a Thing

I mentioned this in one of my first articles at Current Photographer in 10 Different Ways to Set Yourself Apart as a Photographer. In fact it was my top suggestion.

Your thing doesn’t have to be your USP but it should be something that people remember you for and something that sets you apart from the crowd. I guess by definition that is a unique selling point but it’s a little more abstract than that.

Mike Larson and Kevin Swan are perfect examples of photographers who have become renowned for their ‘thing’ (the camera toss). I imagine every wedding guest who watches a photographer fling a five grand rig into the air will not forget about them quickly. As Kevin points out “It’s a great icebreaker” but in reality it’s a powerful marketing tool.

Another example of a thing is Da Grip from Joe McNally. Joe isn’t short on career achievements but surely being known for the way you hold your camera is pretty cool. I’ve tried ‘inventing’ my own Steady Grip but unfortunately the photographic community has yet to shower me with praise…. oh well 😉

Your thing

The first thing you need to do is find out if you already have a thing. It’s much easier to realise your own quirkiness rather than to manufacture something.

  • How do you work that’s different from others?
  • Is there something in particular that does set you apart?

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Get Your Photography and Business Seen by Thousands at our Exclusive PhotoPlus Expo and WPPI NYC Broadcast

The Digital Photography Café internet radio show is hitting the road. We’re bringing the big mics, mixers, digital compressors and video cameras and heading to New York City for the largest photography trade show in the U.S., PhotoPlus Expo and WPPI NYC.

We’ve got an opportunity for you that’s to good to pass up. How would you like to get your photography and business in front of tens or even hundreds of thousands of show attendees and online listeners during our exclusive PhotoPlus Expo and WPPI NYC broadcast?

During the course of our 2 days at the show we’ll give you a big on air shout out and include your name, business name, genre of photography you specialize in and of course your website address so everyone can go and check you out.

For a small donation of $50 we’ll also promote you at our booth and include your information on our gigantic iPhone video display.

Check out the video below and if you’d like to get involved simply click on the link for more information!
Hurry, time is running out and we only have a few more promotion spots available.

Thanks for stopping by and we look forward to hearing from you.

Click Here for More Information

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