Should you keep emailing editors/buyers new work, even if they never reply?
Yes. Your marketing plan is built on consistently presenting your brand to the right clients, so they will think of you whenever they are looking. We are not emailing them for a project they are working on today; it’s a long-term vision we are investing in.
The best type of marketing is “Word of Mouth.”
We want clients to refer us, but this isn’t easy to control.
What we can control is giving them something to say.
Put forward the ‘searched for’ specifics about yourself clearly and concisely.
Your particular skill set matched with what your clients are looking for is the golden ticket of marketing!
My webinar next week will focus on marketing. One of the most powerful marketing tools is word of mouth. How do we create word of mouth? It’s one type of marketing that we don’t directly control, but it can be the most impactful.
Clients talk to each other to find out who’s the best because they want to be associated with the best. They’re interested in your location, skill set, and any unique aspects of your work. These are the buzzwords you need to get out there. Find ways to get in front of them, whether through networking events, portfolio reviews, or showcasing your unique equipment and skills.
Think about the questions clients might ask each other, such as, “Does anyone know a photographer in this area?” or “Who can shoot with this specific piece of equipment?” Get yourself out there in ways that highlight your unique attributes and skills.
What are clients looking for to include us on their LIST? Our marketing materials are our golden 2-second opportunity to make that happen. They KEY POINTS to make this easy for them are:
Marketing. It’s that huge topic. How do we get on our clients list when they’re looking for a potential photographer? We want to get on there. We have to incorporate what they are going to be searching for.
The first one is design. Your design has to be really well put together. Use the design across the board; on your website, your instagram, your highlights, everything should have your look to it. That shows dependability and professionalism.
Your logo has to be your name, we don’t have time anymore for you to have two separate things for people to remember. Have your logo be your name.
The category you shoot, whether it’s portrait, automotive or lifestyle. Make sure that you write it in your email promo so when they do that search for that category, you’re a part of the list.
Then there are the keywords to specifically describe you in your categories, whether it’s an editorial feel or color pop or warm family, genuine, authentic, anything that really describes you and your work, make sure you try to write it in there.
Location, that is a really important one, especially right now. People are going to want to hire locals.
Then your extras, things you could remember to share, your drone work, or your motion work, or the equipment you use. How many shots you can get per day. All the specific things that are unique to you. And yes it’s always about your style, but this checklist is how the clients can find and remember you.
Navigating the Unknown Episode 13 is now live on YouTube! This week we speak to photography consultants Amy V. Cooper and Julie Skarwecki about all the steps in a comprehensive marketing plan.
Guests:
Amy V Cooper – Photography Consultant https://www.amyvcooper.com/
Julie Skarwecki – Photography Consultant https://www.julieskarwecki.com/
Navigating the Unknown is a Q&A series in collaboration with APA-LA where we speak to different members of the photo community about all aspects of the commercial photography business. https://la.apanational.org/
With Co-Host: Photographer Hugh Kretschmer https://www.hughkretschmer.net/
MARKETING TIPS YOU MAY NOT BE DOING yet…
As the generation on social media becomes the major buying power, is the way of high production and big campaign work going away?
High production and big campaign work have gone down, but mostly it’s changed into more content per photoshoot. High-quality production still happens, but the number of shots has increased because they need more social media assets. The more assets you can deliver through production ideas, equipment versatility, and motion, the better. They need more content, so find ways that you will be the one to give them even more than they are asking for.
I am in the process of launching a new website which has a different front and color of font than my print promo and business card. It is not ideal. Do I create an interim solution or am I overthinking branding?
You are not overthinking branding because your look and vibe should remain consistent. Then again, if you are the start of your career and have not cemented your look + feel then you are more free to explore. We all have to keep revising our look but hopefully there is a consistency to it that continues to grow. The worst part is that your printed promos and business cards should not be used anymore and right now, during this Covid time, that is just fine.
Navigating the Unknown Episode 12 is now live on YouTube! This week we speak to photography consultants Amy V. Cooper and Julie Skarwecki about designing a website and discussing marketing strategies for your brand.
Guests:
Amy V. Cooper – Photography Consultant https://www.amyvcooper.com/
Julie Skarwecki – Photography Consultant https://www.julieskarwecki.com/
Navigating the Unknown is a Q&A series in collaboration with APA-LA where we speak to different members of the photo community about all aspects of the commercial photography business. https://la.apanational.org/
With Co-Host: Photographer Hugh Kretschmer https://www.hughkretschmer.net/
What is your advice to best utilize IG Stories? Especially for creatives who don’t shoot moving images.
IG Stories are the way to go! They are what people are watching now. The feed posts are important, but those are more of a backup portfolio that gets checked out when you are up for a job. Stories are how you stay in front of people and start engaging with those you want to be working with by showing who you are and what makes you tick. People want to get a sense of you, where you live, what you do, what you are up to, behind the scenes on a shoot, where you are going and what kind of life you have. I know you can’t show it all, but branding your IG Stories is just as important as the branding on your website.
How do we reach clients?
LinkedIn is my #1 answer.
The only way I tend to get the answers like email address + IG handle is to ask in several personalized follow-up notes instead of asking all in one message. It takes patience and follow through but hey, that’s called “marketing.”
One of our biggest challenges is figuring out who our clients are and how to reach them. The best way we have found is LinkedIn. Never ask for contact information without a note. Make it a quick note, introduce your name and who you are in two quick sentences. Ask for their email by asking if you can send your promo along with a link to your website. From there you can create a list of emails. We will also add these emails to our Agency Access list. It takes a lot of time and patience to create these lists. It’s very repetitive and it takes a lot of work.
