Intro by Skip Cohen
It’s so frustrating when I catch up to photographers who are upset because they don’t have the answers to building a stronger business. The answers are all out there and they cover virtually every aspect of business and marketing, together with your skill set, sense of customer service and the passion you have for people and the craft.
The true frustration comes when so many of you don’t do a little exploring on the Internet, as well as attend workshops and conferences offering support to help make your business stronger. At the very top of the list of places to find help is Joy of Marketing with Sarah Petty leading the way.
Taking a scroll through her archives I came across this post and it’s perfect to get you thinking about business this time of year! I’ve left Sarah’s links in place for this post along with her invitation to join her.
Business is out there, but with all the noise in our lives, it takes more work than ever before to build a successful business. There is no “Success Fairy” who is simply going to knock on your door one morning!
Success doesn’t just come and find you, you have to go out and get it!
Author Unknown
By Sarah Petty
Ever wonder how to market photography… without having to spend even more time away from your family?
Not all of your photography marketing activities need to take a lot of time or a large marketing budget.
Even spending 15 minutes weekly on the right marketing activities can build momentum in your business and get the phone ringing with clients.
As your photography business picks up or the kids are home for the summer, it’s easy to stop doing the little things you need to that keep your calendar booked with sessions all year round. If you don’t want to look up later this year with no clients on the book and are short on time right now, here’s a quick how to market photography tip to help you build a database of quality clients you can sell your photography to, one at a time.
Add 5 New Prospects to Your Database
Take 15 minutes and add 5 new potential clients to your database by listening for opportunities on social media.
It doesn’t mean you’re going to market to these people now. Sure you can if you’re slow now, but what you’re doing here is focusing on building an arsenal of potential clients to market to when things get slow.
Here are things to look for:
1) If you see that a good client’s sister is pregnant or has just added a new fur baby to her family, send her a gift certificate for a session or service or make a note in your database to do this down the road.
2) When a good client’s extended family comes to town for the holidays, offer to extend your hours so they can bring their entire family in for a private, VIP service. You’ll get orders from extended family members who you hadn’t ever photographed.
3) If a past bride’s best friend gets engaged, reach out to your bride contact with congratulations and offer to provide a list of great new vendors you’ve started working with to help the bride get started on with her planning. Your client looks like a rock star and you have a foot in the door for a potential new client.
4) When a client’s daughter makes the cheer squad, note this in your database. Then, reach out and offer to host a portrait party for the entire team to celebrate the start of the season. You get exposure to the entire squad and can get some great shots, too.
5) If a client is volunteering at an upcoming community charity event, make a note of it. When business is slow, see if the charity is looking for auction donations or charitable marketing partnerships? By putting yourself where your clients are, you’re in a position to add clients just like them to your database.
Little opportunities to prospect for new clients can add thousands of dollars to your bottom line.
There is no magic mailing list you can rent of new clients who will invest in photography.
Your best new clients will be referrals from existing clients. Use social media to prospect for new client opportunities with your existing clients. The Marketing Momentum Series gives you weekly 15-minute marketing tips
If you’d like to learn more about how to market photography, you can have one sent to you one each week via email. The Marketing Momentum Series gives you a simple 15-minute marketing tip each week for a year so you can build momentum in your photography business.
If you do NOTHING to market your business other than the one activity you receive via email each week, the momentum will start to build and you’ll be on your way to attracting the clients you want in your photography business.
