There was a great article in the April 2023 PPA Magazine titled “Reading the Room – How Ed Carreon Gets to the Heart of His Clients’ Needs” By Jeff Kent. It’s on pages 68 – 77. I give it my highest recommendation to read.
After reading this article it reminded me again of the importance of being unique and communicating that uniqueness in every aspect of your business. Remember, in the absence of uniqueness, people shop for the lowest price no matter what the product is. And in this day and age, there’s always someone with a lower price.
So how do YOU stand out? What makes you unique? Why would someone choose you over someone else? Don’t assume that the consumer understands what “good photography” is just by looking at it. After all, they aren’t trained to understand what Rembrandt, split, or butterfly lighting is about. They don’t know what proper lighting ratios are. They don’t know what they don’t know.
But what they are, are people who have been inspired enough to start looking for a photographer for a special reason. Regardless of that reason, put yourself in their shoes. They are looking for something better than what they can do themselves but they are wondering what to look for & how much it’s going to cost.
So even if a person is budget conscious, it doesn’t mean they don’t have money to spend. It just means you have to inspire them. You can do that with the right words, graphics, and images all wrapped up in your branding. How well you do that will also qualify them.
It all begins with identifying who your ideal client is. As a good friend of mine says – “One person’s floor is another person’s ceiling”. If you are marketing to the wrong client, you are going to fail. It doesn’t matter if you are after a high-end client or a high-volume type client, as long as you have a profitable plan to execute to attract that client, you will succeed.
Having the right branded marketing materials & graphics to support your marketing plan is also a must but it all comes down to communicating your uniqueness in everything you do.
Start by making a list of the competition around you. What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? Then list what your strengths and weaknesses are. Compare that and start communicating your uniqueness in all your content.
