Creating a Focused Business Concept
How do you assure that your business concept is compelling enough to attract the clients that you desire? Here are some fundamental branding principles to consider:
- Your business concept should be instantly understood by consumers, so keep it simple.
- Don’t try to be all things to all people. Today’s consumers are looking for experts . . . specialists in specific fields. While most businesses will have to offer more than one product line, consider marketing each independently, so that you don’t confuse your marketing message.
- When you market yourself as an expert in a given field, you will be easier for consumers who are looking for that expertise to find. When you are known as an expert, it is easier to create community buzz, and it’s a fact that consumers are willing to pay more for the work of experts!
- Smart marketers know that it’s better to do a good job of marketing one single product line than a sloppy job of marketing several. So if you are new in business, consider marketing one product line at a time; get that segment up and running, then move on to the next. If you have an established business that needs to refresh its marketing, consider restructuring one market segment at a time so that you can do a proper job of each. Start with the product line that you enjoy most, providing that it is—or can be—a good profit center for your business.
- Keep in mind that even if you market only one product line, you will still do business in others. When you achieve market recognition through a successful marketing effort that promotes a single area of expertise, consumers will assume that you have expertise in others. So don’t underestimate the value of a single successful marketing project.
- One of the big advantages of limiting the number of product lines you offer to the public is that your business will be much more focused, therefore much easier to manage. When you offer too many product lines, the marketing alone can be exhausting.
The two collections of promotional post cards shown below are excellent examples of how to present a clearly articulated business concept. In marketing both family and senior portraiture, Cedar Creek Photography, located just outside of Kansas City, Kansas, makes it very clear that its primary business is creating “lifestyle portraiture.” The studio’s blog reinforces this with the following statement: Cedar Creek is a lifestyle studio that believes in capturing people as they are: beautiful, unique and true to themselves. That is precisely the concept that these marketing materials portray, which makes it very likely that their message will connect with consumers looking for this style of photography.
Targeting a Niche Market
If the size of a photographer’s market area is large enough, it is possible to create a specialty business that targets one specific market segment or “niche.” A niche is defined as a market population that has similar interests and/or buying habits. Given sufficient population density, a photographer might consider creating a niche business such as wedding photography or children’s portraiture. Or the studio could emphasize a single artistic style, such as black-and-white photography that applies to all types of subjects. The marketing cards shown below, created by Tot Shots Photography, in Simi Valley, California, are quite likely to catch the attention of parents in search of children’s portraiture because it is so clearly a dominant focus of this studio’s business.
For photographers who work within a limited population base, a niche business usually is not practical; although some small-town, studios that offer a variety of product lines do emphasize one specific niche area as a means of focusing special attention on their business.
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quick marketing tips
The Link Between Image Marketing and “Want Photography”
Portrait/wedding photography can be broken into two categories: Need Photography and Want Photography.
Need Photography products refer to those that satisfy the requirements of lifestyle situations such as weddings, graduations, and even school activities and sports. You need a wedding photographer in order to document and relive the grand occasion; and you need to purchase pictures of your child’s team so that he or she is not the only child left out when the picture-day photos arrive.
Want Photography comprises those types and styles of photography that budget-minded consumers might consider to be luxury products. Even though photographers might argue that all families need to have pictures of their children and of the family itself, these needs can be fulfilled by mass-market studios and low-price school picture packages. For families to be persuaded to pay much more for portraits of their family and children requires more intensive marketing—marketing that presents a compelling message about why they should give you their business. This is the mission of image marketing. While action marketing can be very effective in promoting need photography, industry experience shows that it takes much more image-building promotion to be successful in creating a demand for want-photography products.
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quick marketing tips
Product Branding Versus Call-To-Action Marketing
Small businesses shoulder a very heavy marketing burden. Because independent studios lack the resources of large companies that spend millions polishing their image and promoting their brand, photographers historically have tended to spend most of the promotional time and money on action marketing that is designed to create short-term profits rather than build a long-term brand. Increasingly, however, financially successful photographers are demonstrating the value of both “image marketing” and “action marketing.”
Image Marketing is designed to promote the value of your photography. Often referred to as institutional advertising or product branding, image marketing tells the world that your products and services are the very best and why, specifying what is unique about your business. Although you do not say these exact words, the implication is: If money were no object, all consumers would buy from you.
Action Marketing is designed to stimulate business, usually during a specific time frame. Industry experience shows that action marketing is most effective prior to gift-giving occasions, especially Christmas and Hanukkah. Action marketing also can be effective during times of seasonal change (such as spring and fall) or for limited-time events that feature a specific product and/or involve special offers. Action marketing typically involves campaigns.
Smart marketers recognize a link between image marketing and action marketing: Studios that excel at image marketing enjoy better action-marketing results than those that stick to action marketing alone. Why? Image marketing builds brand identity and helps to create a demand in the marketplace; this brand equity carries over to action-marketing activities, typically increasing their profitability.
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quick marketing tips
Introducing the most powerful video creation tool available… Animoto.
Special Offer:
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Enter promo code MPannual for the $249 annual subscription or promo code MPtrial to redeem your 90-day Animoto Pro subscription for $99. If you are not completely satisfied with Animoto Pro, there is a 10-day risk-free money back guarantee.
Already using Animoto Pro? You can still redeem the promotional code to add additional time to your existing Animoto Pro account.
Animoto for Photography is loaded with features designed to support the unique needs of businesses. In addition to Animoto's regular features, your account will be equipped with the following:
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Create, download and burn as many DVD-quality videos as you like. Give to clients as gifts or resell them for profit.
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Add a custom call-to-action button at the end of your videos. This optional feature turns an Animoto video from a passive viewing experience into an active marketing tool for lead generation. For example, create a button to "inquire about rates" that links to your appointments page, or "learn more" that links to your website.
Note: the "Call to Action" button works only with the Animoto embed code. It won't appear in downloaded videos, and won't link to your site if you export a video to YouTube.
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promotions
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Free Imaging EXPO Pass! You’re invited to join us—VIP-style—at Imaging USA’s Imaging EXPO, the largest photographic tradeshow in North America with 600+ booths. Part of Imaging USA, the first major industry event of the year, Imaging EXPO gives you a first look at our special tradeshow deals and all the latest inspiration (including admission to the International Print Exhibit, the world’s largest display of award-winning images from around the world).
Use your FREE Imaging EXPO Pass to join us at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee (January 10-12, 2010).
Redeem your VIP Expo Pass online
Imaging Expo hours
January 11: 12:00pm – 5:30pm
January 12: 12:00pm – 5:30pm
January 13: 9:30am – 2:00pm
International Print Exhibit hours
January 11: 9:00am – 4:30pm
January 12: 11:00am – 4:30pm
January 13: 9:30am – 1:30pm
Visit www.ImagingUSA.org for complete convention and Imaging EXPO information.
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holiday
Please join 28 industry leading photographers for The Joy to the World FREE Marketing Websummit on December 28, 2009. They'll each share their best money-making ideas for your business in the new year. From promotional ideas, to earning a larger investment from each wedding client, workflow improvements and more, you'll learn so much in these 14 FREE hours to substantially grow your business in 2010. At the same time, we'll be helping fund smiles for children in need of cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries through PPA Charities.
Over 10,000 professional photographers registered for the Free Marketing Telesummit in September. You raved about how much you learned so why not do it again to help you get off to a strong start in the New Year...and make it BIGGER and BETTER! This time, you can learn from David Jay, Sam Puc, Julia Woods, Jerry Ghionis, Scott Crosby, Will Crockett and more! The Joy to the World Websummit promises to provide you with serious money making ideas for your business.
All you need is a computer with an Internet connection on December 28 (and the latest version of Adobe Flash - it's free, too). The Websummit will be available for 24 hours beginning at 12:01 CST on December 28. Listen to only those speakers you like best or watch all 28. You can start, stop and pause each speakers' presentation to learn at your leisure within the 24 hour window. Simply REGISTER NOW for FREE!
If you're not available on December 28, 2009 or want to get a head start on 2010 planning for your business, you can purchase the Adobe FLASH files of all 14 hours for $89 and receive access to the speaker presentations IMMEDIATELY. A pre-websummit special price of $59 is available until December 27. Just register before December 28, 2009, and you'll receive this special offer!
Laurie Hansen commented on January 4th, 2010
Will I be charged now, or when my current subscriptiion runs out? Thank you, Laurie