The Seasonality Countdown

“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.”

Roger Staubach

It’s October, and I’m always surprised at business owners who are still procrastinating over the “extras” this holiday season! They’ve got all the basics in place – their skill set is good; they’ve defined the level of service they want to provide, and with the help from Marathon, there’s a good selection of products being offered. But what about the frostong on the cake?

What are they doing to seperate themselves from their competition?

Keeping in Touch: This is the time of year to be proactive in contacting your core clients. You don’t have to be selling anything – just keep in contact. For example, Facebook is perfect for tracking your followers’ birthdays. Well, what about all your clients?

• Community Involvement: People like buying products from companies they perceive as giving back. So, what are you doing to stay involved in your community? For example, booster groups at every school need support this time of year, and it doesn’t have to involve a camera in your hands. Filling ketchup and mustard bottles at Friday night football games puts you out there. The point is, you’re giving back to the community.
• Social Media: Be helpful! Share your tips for better holiday pictures. Posing, lighting, cropping – they’re all part of what you do every day as a professional photographer. Share gift ideas for this holiday season – again, playing off that sense of family that’s so strong today. Share things that get you out in the public eye!
• Be an Ambassador! Every community has fundraising drives going on, and they need help getting the word out. Put together a community calendar and help spread the word on your points of contact on social media. And when you do share information about your favorite nonprofit, remember to let the staff at that organization know what you’re doing.
• “With Our Blessing” is a concept I learned from Bob and Dawn Davis. When they photograph a wedding, for example, they make a point of capturing images of different aspects of the event, like the flowers, the table settings, the band, and the food. After the event, they send them to the responsible vendors, with a personal note allowing them to use the images with our blessing. It’s an outstanding way to build a stronger referral network.
• Continuity Marketing: Every day, from CVS to the local supermarket to restaurants, we get bonus offers – bounce-back rebates and free products to bring us back to the retailer. Why not offer the same to your clients? How about including a certificate for a free winter portrait sitting after the holidays? Give your clients more reasons to come back.

It might be the start of the fourth quarter, but there’s nothing on the list above that you can’t do NOW! The point is to go beyond customer expectations and, in turn, make yourself habit-forming!