Intro by Skip Cohen
Many years ago, back in my Polaroid days, we had a guest speaker at a meeting. His name was Ed Foreman, and he truly left a message that’s stayed with me all these years.
“If I can see the world through my client’s eyes, then I can sell my client what my client buys!”
I’ve never forgotten that message, and it ties directly into today’s post from Mark Weber.
With every contact with each potential client, you’ve got to build a relationship. You’ve got to think about how they see the world and understand their priorities, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a face to face meeting, your blog, a website or any other vehicle of communication.
We’re coming to the fourth quarter and real seasonality in photography. Now is the time to be sharing great content on your blog and website that appeals to your target audience. Now is the time to make yourself unique, and at the same time be a resource of ideas and be helpful.
My good buddy, Terry Clark once said, “The best thing to do to survive and thrive is to find what everyone else isn’t doing and do that thing.”
By Mark Weber
Have you ever purchased something you didn’t know you needed until after you read more about it? It all comes down to the reasons why people buy things. From basic needs to indulgence, photography falls somewhere towards the latter. Here’s a link to an article called “The 5 Reasons People Buy Anything” by Matt McWilliams – http://www.mattmcwilliams.com/5-reasons-people-buy-anything/
Basic needs are easy to justify but what about indulgence? Do you remember as a kid pulling out all stops with your parents why you needed that toy? You might have even said you’d die without it and THAT didn’t even work??? Well you didn’t always get that toy and you certainly didn’t die without it, but as adults, we justify why we give in or don’t give in to buying something for our child or ourselves and it’s usually not logical, practical or sometimes even affordable. So what makes us tick?
Desire
Studies have shown that people buy what they want and not what they can necessarily afford. There was a desire created by the seller that solved a problem the consumer didn’t even know they had. For example –
Apple iPad – Portable, organized and productive business tool. Plus it doubles as entertainment. Apple does a great job touching on the emotional side of their products. See this ad – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_qOUyXCrEM
Concerts – Emotional satisfaction and the rush of seeing your favorite band that a CD, Vinyl (you hipsters) or DVD could ever substitute. There’s also some bragging rights in your later years to those who missed out.
Disney Vacation – You work hard, you’ve earned it. It makes you happy and you remain happier between visits.
Fabulous Restaurant – A fine dining experience sets the tone for not only a great evening but also for a memorable experience with friends, family or a loved one that will be shared for years to come.
The Difference
What do these things have in common? A great experience for sure but chances are the sellers did a fabulous job of communicating how much better this was going to make your life and helping you pre-visualize what that would look, feel, sound or taste like. Who else could relate to this? How would it make others feel about me?
How?
Starting immediately look at every communication piece you are using. Every good ad has an attention-getting headline and some sort of call-to-action or offer, but everyone has that. Everyone is promoting the “stuff” that they get for XX dollars. But what about tapping into people’s inner values and worth?
One example is Tweens. A Teenager (not yet senior high age) often goes through so many emotions from feeling ugly and lonely to feeling like they are ready to conquer the world and move out to live their life on their own terms. Anyone who has kids or is around kids can relate to that right? Well, what if you actually wrote that in your content for a Tween Campaign? Suddenly we go from just another offer to something people can relate to and the trust factor comes in.
Tween Example
“As parents ourselves we completely understand the joys, confidence and sometimes insecurity of being at that stage between adult and child. It’s a transitional time for everyone and now is the time to have a special portrait made before they move into adulthood for good.
They are only this age once so we have created a session just for them. Whether shy or confident, moody or happy, we know how to make them feel comfortable and actually ENJOY the experience. You will too. Give me a call. I’ll tell you more about how fun this is and how we can create that beautiful, one-of-a-kind portrait of your child that will be a conversation piece and a treasure for years to come”
Name
Contact info
etc.
Uniqueness
Now we’re not marketing like everyone else. You still have to show effective images and a consistent marketing effort, but this works for attracting new & previous customers alike.
This is effective in all types of advertising media from emails to direct mail. social media to newsletters. You can blog this and be sure to include a link that takes them to your website to inspire them more. Having good testimonials or testimonial videos is very helpful as well.
What About Weddings?
Tap into the romance. Studios that tap into the emotion of the day through their romantic description of the coverage are doing better than the studios that just list products and things they get with their coverage. It is a psychological thing that touches the heart that very few photographers do.
It doesn’t have to be much but a paragraph that shows you can relate to how important their day is will build trust. Get inspiration from what they read in today’s bridal magazines. They want to buy a fairy tale. You can take your wedding service to the next level by tapping into that.
Wedding Example
Amore Coverage
You have dreamed about your wedding day since you were a little girl. You looked in the mirror wondering what you would look like. What would it be like to be a princess and marry your prince on that special day? What would that perfect day look like?
Well . . . let us show you! We know what your day will look like because we’ve been capturing those dreams for princesses for over a dozen years.
As wedding specialists we totally understand what’s important to you, your prince and everyone in your kingdom.
You’ll look exquisite in every image. Your hair, your dress, your skin, your day will radiate with beauty with our “Happily Ever After” Amore coverage.
The best part is that your day will be just the way you want it. We take care of everything for you. No need to worry about who should be where and when.
We take care of all that for you so you can be the bride in her perfect wedding day. Oh, and we’ll make sure that you have your dreams to treasure and share in the most beautiful combination of albums, prints and DVDs ever created. We are the wedding specialists.
Summary
Separate yourself from the competition through unique and personalized content. Understand how others feel about themselves or others in their family and put yourself in their shoes and use words to confirm what they are feeling and thinking and what your solution is for them through your photography.
