Marketing

Q:

After shooting with an international client, I had a frustrating experience when I asked if I could show the images, and the response was that I could not show them. I’m just getting started, so I was excited to use these to help me leverage my career. How are other photographers able to post work they create with large brands?

A:

My unofficial assessment of this issue is some clients say it, and some clients mean it. I’ve never lost a client after being reprimanded for this. Of course, you never want to be surprised by our client’s terms, so read them carefully and adjust your fees accordingly. We have a few options – ask and cross your fingers, don’t ask and claim ignorance, respect not posting on public platforms, or pick and choose to show the images in a pdf or an email promo to a select group.

Save time and make the most of each marketing outreach session by sticking with a similar theme. 

OUTREACH Helpful Tips:

1. Stick to one main message to copy and paste, just swapping in their name and something personally related to them. 
2. Focus on one company or one type of client to use the same overall message. 
3. Start with mutually connected people to find the right contacts and use who you know to warm up the conversation.
4. Have one specific point of timely information giving a purpose to your message. 

15 to 20 percent of a photographer’s marketing budget and time should be spent on outreach to potential clients, whether they are past clients or new ones. Having a specific point or question to ask when reaching out is essential, as it shows that you have taken the time to understand the client’s work or interests. Whether connecting through social media or in-person meetings, it is important to have something meaningful to say and to share updates about your own business growth and progress. By doing so, you can establish a rapport with potential clients and increase the chances of securing new business.

Q:

Here’s one for you! Sometimes I wonder how much personal work I should share on Instagram. I feel it occasionally adds a pop of color or style to my feed, mixed in with my client work. But I don’t want to overdo it. Hmmm.

A:

Your apprehensive response is correct. At the moment, your Instagram feed may feel like a daily update, but you have to approach this as your long-term business referral selling point. You don’t want to overdo the personal work in your feed, as the timely or obscure twist could work against the quick, powerful read of what you will bring to a project.

A promo type that will work for one client may not work for another; that is why I use all four of these methods to get my promos out.

Four Promo Types:

1. Mass email promo showing an individual project or a specific theme with one or more images. 
2. Mass newsletter email promos are a summary update sharing news with a collection of images. 
3. One-Sheet promo is an attachment on a short email not needing to be scrolled, creating a warmer, more personable email.
4. Printed mailers or leave-behinds with the hopes of being easily saved by clients come in many shapes and sizes designed to show off your work’s branded vibe.

As you may notice, I did not include a pdf attachment on my promo list as they can often be mistaken for dangerous spam materials when sent by strangers.

Every photographer can have that REP MENTALITY mindset, no matter your situation. Your job is to continuously keep your REP (Mentality) excited by actively feeding your marketing supply chain.

Photographers come from the training to be a photographer. I get it, but we must treat it as a business for this training to pay off. 24/7, you are now a business owner with a Marketing Mentality, always by your side and ready to go. What company can exist without marketing and self-promotion? We have to open up our sights, taking this where we want to go. 

Marketing Tip = Timeliness

Immediate follow-up is one way to secure your position in a client’s memory. 

Use the open door at the moment to open the doors of your future through LinkedIn, IG, a handwritten card, send a plant, an email or any type of old-fashioned follow-up whether you get the job or not. Go with what works by using the moment to your advantage.

When done right, Instagram is a free marketing platform that can consistently get your work in front of the right clients and help you grow your business. This Webinar will not be about turning you into an Influencer. We highlight practical strategies that every commercial photographer can deploy to shape their creative presence and optimize Instagram to build an audience that can help create a sustainable business. Originally aired as part of APA Chicago’s workshop, “Industry Experts Talk Photography Growth Strategies for 2022”.

Co-host: Photographer + SternRep/AskSternRep/ASRsocial Creative Director Ranee Vespi https://www.raneevespi.com

Apply now to ASRsocial→ https://www.bit.ly/ASRSOCIAL

Don’t waste all that you put into your Marketing by looking like another mass spam junk email.

Here are some simple ways to have potential clients take our marketing to that next level by clicking to see more. 

Easy ANTI-SPAM Checklist:

• Send your emails only to the correct contacts. 
• Sound like a human to human with real words as if you are talking. 
• Email new images without repeating yourself
• No need to sound “sales-like” as they know why you are contacting them. 

We are currently accepting applications for photographers who could use a revamp on their Instagram + will be taking on a limited number of clients. Price options will vary depending on individual needs. 

ASRsocial is an out-of-the-ordinary social media management service working exclusively with commercial advertising photographers’ looking for new ways to jumpstart their Instagram account. 

Photographer agent Andrea Stern is behind-the-scenes, with creative director Ranee Vespi of @sternrep and @asksternrep being the lead contact as we give to you what we have discovered together.

Andrea Stern of @asksternrep/@sternrep: “Have your IG work for you instead of against you. We all know that Instagram is the way to be seen and discovered right now. It’s the new portfolio show and the new email promo. We have to stick to the times and lead the way if we want to be getting the jobs.” 

ASRsocial offers:

• Critique of Instagram + Website by SternRep/AskSternRep’s Social Media team, including rep Andrea Stern
• 1-on-1 Coaching with Ranee Vespi, SternRep/AskSternRep’s Creative Director
• Individualized Instagram Strategy
• Personalized Packages
• Branding You as a PERSON, not just as a Photographer // Show your authentic self on Instagram
• Engagement System Plan
• Design + Scheduling Feed
• Content Creation

Apply now→ https://www.bit.ly/ASRSOCIAL