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.
You’ve chosen a career that zooms rapidly into ‘what is next.’ We can either stay on top of refreshing our brand to continue being relevant or we will fall behind the times quickly. Incorporating ‘creative business growth’ is not just a key to success; it’s a necessity in your business plan. Without it, you could up the odds of becoming a one-hit wonder.
DO NOT send any promos to a client’s personal email, unless they have given you permission. Doing this crosses a professional boundary and could affect potential future work.
Photographers, what extras are you bringing to the job? Think about it. What is your contribution that extends beyond your client’s expectations? Reach further by offering more than completing the expected shot list. Build up your reputation to win you the jobs.
The secret formula to get bidding financial feedback:
When bidding on a job, clients won’t usually respond with the exact budget numbers; we have to ask with specific amounts, allowing them to respond with “yes, no, more, less…” etc.
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.
Proofread your emails. Use spell-check. Double-check that you’ve addressed your email to the correct person. Professionalism will take you to the next level.
For photographers who are assistants, something to note is how this ongoing job-to-job life can potentially take you off your own creative path. Our industry is one where the support staff can depend on intense job-to-job work with little time to focus on the original purpose of developing their own career. Remember why you are doing this; keep sight of valuable time and why you are doing what you are doing.
Always address a person by their name in an email. Do not approach a rep or a client with a mass email if you want a response.
Marketing outreach has no set plan for success, and we can take all those closed doors as a deterrent, or we can keep showing up—trying new ways, knowing the right moment could arise. But we must be actively out there; it’s up to us if we want the doors to open. Be in it to win it!
