Spring Seasonality – It’s Right Around the Corner

It might be the slow season for incoming business, but it’s never the slow season for building your brand and marketing. Plus, spring seasonality creates so many opportunities for you to be a leader in your community, with Mother’s Day, graduations, proms, and Father’s Day all on the horizon.

Procrastination is not a sound business strategy. While I’m sure I’ve written about this in past Marathon posts, it’s a necessity to plan your key activities NOW.  Time is always running out, but what is on your side is communication with your target audience. 

You’ve got the ability to plant those seeds of ideas with your social media presence, phone calls, personal contacts, and simply utilizing your greatest marketing tool – continuing to build your relationships with your clients.

• Social Media Content: Whether for your blog, Facebook, or other social media outlets, take the time to share ideas on gifts involving photography and video. This is your chance to shine as the leader in imaging in your community.
• Call Your Lab: It’s easy. Just call Marathon (800-228-0629) and ask, “What’s new?” You’re looking for gift ideas that your clients can get excited about. Check out the complete Bella line for albums, prints, and unique approaches to sharing images. Technology never stands still, and neither does the Marathon team!
• Gift Certificates: Whether you’re sending them out directly or to a third party to give as a gift to their clients (realtors and insurance brokers), design a certificate for a discount or free goods on a future purchase of your services. For example, realtors always have new clients who they’ve sold a home. Instead of the usual gift basket they usually do, include a certificate for a free portrait sitting and position it as a gift from the realtor. The value of the certificate adds to their basket, and it also insulates you from eroding your pricing.
• Pick Up The Phone: It’s the perfect time of year to check in with your clients. You don’t have to be selling anything; just checking on their well-being, family, kids that might be graduating, etc. The subtitle to Scott Stratten’s book Unmarketing is “Stop marketing and start engaging!”
• Review EVERYTHING You Offer: An old saying goes, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll never get any more than you ever got!” So, if you review your products and services, are they exciting, or would they put a rock to sleep? 
• Look for Partnerships: Whether sharing the cost of a joint mailing or cross-promoting each other’s products/services, you don’t need to fly solo. Look for partners with companies that have the same demographics as the target audience.

Here’s the bottom line—this is an exciting time to be involved in any aspect of imaging. There’s never been a greater sense of family in the world, but if you sit and wait for business to knock on your door, you’ll miss many opportunities.