As of this posting, we are less than a couple of weeks from school starting in many states. We are about 90 days from Halloween. 120 days from Thanksgiving. The days are getting shorter. The weather will begin cooling down. See where I’m going with this? The holidays will be here before you know it.
This is the portrait industry’s biggest opportunity for sessions and sales. It’s the time of year that you simply can’t procrastinate with. It’s just too critical. Don’t be one of those studios that try to wing it. You’ll miss a golden opportunity and never realize your full potential.
The biggest stumble in business today is a lack of preparation. But you can prevent that! Success requires planning. You need to work about 9 weeks in advance to get ready for a marketing campaign in order to succeed.
It takes time to think through your offer and how you will reach your potential customer. You have to:
- Identify who your ideal customer is. This helps you determine the businesses you’ll network with and the kind of offer you’ll promote.
- What are your session and sales goals? Be specific. For example – I want to book ____ sessions by ______, and I want to have a sales average of $______.
- What’s your marketing budget?
- Which media you will use to promote yourself?
- New photographic samples need to be created. Set a deadline for this.
- Networking connections need to be made and details discussed.
- Determine the content for your promotional offer.
- Will you have a deadline?
- Will you extend the offer for any reason? If so, how long?
- Will you offer a bonus for anyone who books a session within the first few days of the promotion?
- Will you use testimonials? Do you have testimonials? If not, can you get some?
- Your website & social media sites need to support your campaign. What changes need to be made to support your message?
- How frequently will you promote this offer and where?
- Deadlines need to be made for what needs to happen in advance and by when.
- Printed support materials identified and ordered early.
Being prepared gives you confidence. It gives you a competitive advantage. It clarifies what your priorities are and saves you money. Now is the time to prepare to promote to your family sessions later this fall.
Tap into the marketing power of Marathon’s Power of Three. There’s not a more affordable or effective way to attract those families you’re looking for!
Good luck!
