Marketing

Q:

What do I do when clients use my photos for marketing before paying me?

A:

A norm I’ve experienced when our images go live before being paid for is one client’s department didn’t communicate with the other department or the client may not be aware of usage ownership rights. This must be spelled out and agreed upon before the job begins. Contracts usually state this, but clients may not be reading our contracts. Make sure the logistics timeline is also communicated verbally. Do your research, and don’t assume they will handle this appropriately.

Q:

How do you get a rep to look at your email?

A:

Address it to the right person, keep it short, and link them to your website.

Public relations is the backbone of our marketing. Curating connections comes from listening, asking questions, and relating to those we want to remember us. Where are they from? Is there anything interesting on their LinkedIn or IG? Comment with interest as a part of your brand. 

Q:

Are there any new ways to give clients gifts since they aren’t in the office the way they used to be?

A:

With so many clients no longer in their offices, I find the best gift is to bring back the personal human connection by taking them to dinner, coffee, even a phone call or whatever works. Essentially, you are bringing YOURSELF into your marketing plan with sincere long-lasting connections as a bonus to your “cold” mass promos, outreach, etc. 

Q:

Out of curiosity: How many contacts do you have in your list?

A:

Commercial artists often have smaller contact lists on their promo/newsletter client lists than reps do. At SternRep, we can have anywhere between 4k and 10,000 names for any promo. I usually see about 200 – 600 names on artists’ client lists. (Tell us how many you have.) 

As important as marketing is for all of us, it does not come close to the importance of having an A+ portfolio. Spend 75% of your budget on upgrading your portfolio of images, such as testing.

Q:

What is this “YOUNG” business approach you have mentioned? Do you mean naive and accommodating, or do clients want younger people? How can we do that?

A:

A young attitude means seeing the business as it is now, rather than comparing it to how it was in the past. It’s about having excitement for new ideas and approaching both technical and marketing efforts with fresh creativity instead of letting changes in the industry weigh us down or keep us from evolving. 

Q:

How would you advise a photographer about how to get more work?

A:

Focus specifically on the client or industry you most want to work with, and shape your portfolio around that market. Start with one area and master it. Then you can expand and grow.

Outreach is simultaneously one of the most necessary aspects of our career and one of the most uncertain pathways. There is no one absolute, consistent way to do this, but the foundation of our business depends on it. As Nike said, Just Do It. 

Q:

Is it ok to add people to your mailing list without asking, or should you only contact people who have given you their email address directly?

A:

People can always unsubscribe from your mailing list, so ensure there’s an option. Just make sure the work is applicable to the people you’re including. The key is to do your LinkedIn upkeep, ensuring your target clients fit your specialty.