really good question.....anyone?
My best marketing campaign right now is my customers telling all their friends "oh...you gotta go to this guy". Great idea for business cards that I use....I choose a favorite photo from a portrait session and thru PhotoShop, put my name and business info on it....print them out as wallets...give them to my customer and they pass them out like candy on Halloween because it's no longer just some business card, it's a business card with THEIR photo on it and they love it. They definately don't just file them or throw them away.
Also....try the "Guerilla Marketing" books....great stuff about marketing for free.
Your target market will determine how to market and it can vary widely.
For my area, radio and local cable tv do wonders for senior portraits. In other locales, the same campaign may prove futile. While wedding clients seem more likely to respond from various internet sources.
Research YOUR target market as to the media source prospective customers use most and focus on that area. In my experience, there are no givens or guarantees in advertising and marketing and it can vary greatly by your location.
Radio is pretty effective in my market since the stations all suck and play the same 10 songs (litterally counted 3 times the "Rhiana - SOS" crap song no the same station in one hour)...so people dont care when commercials come on.
Infact, I heard one guys commercial so much I went to his myspace page (since thats what he uses for his business website) and realized his photography wasnt all that special. (And it was also a regular myspace pages so it really hurt the professional image)
BUT! I still went there and looked cause of the advertisement I heard so much.
Advertising is a slow processes but it helps. Holiday specials are a good thing to advertise too for people on the fence about portrait work. Maybe advertise a package deal (WITH THE PRICE!) Noones gonna care if you dont have a price in your add.
Great stuff. I love the business card idea. I have found running a competition through the paper really works for generating new clients.
Kids can color in my logo to win a family shoot and post in. One winner and lots of runner upswho get the sitting complimentary. People always spend once they see the pics.
Even the winner of the $400 credit spent more money.
rscott wrote:
Great idea for business cards that I use....I choose a favorite photo from a portrait session and thru PhotoShop, put my name and business info on it....print them out as wallets...give them to my customer and they pass them out like candy on Halloween because it's no longer just some business card, it's a business card with THEIR photo on it and they love it. They definately don't just file them or throw them away.
really good question.....anyone?
My best marketing campaign right now is my customers telling all their friends "oh...you gotta go to this guy". Great idea for business cards that I use....I choose a favorite photo from a portrait session and thru PhotoShop, put my name and business info on it....print them out as wallets...give them to my customer and they pass them out like candy on Halloween because it's no longer just some business card, it's a business card with THEIR photo on it and they love it. They definately don't just file them or throw them away.
Also....try the "Guerilla Marketing" books....great stuff about marketing for free.
Your target market will determine how to market and it can vary widely.
For my area, radio and local cable tv do wonders for senior portraits. In other locales, the same campaign may prove futile. While wedding clients seem more likely to respond from various internet sources.
Research YOUR target market as to the media source prospective customers use most and focus on that area. In my experience, there are no givens or guarantees in advertising and marketing and it can vary greatly by your location.
Radio is pretty effective in my market since the stations all suck and play the same 10 songs (litterally counted 3 times the "Rhiana - SOS" crap song no the same station in one hour)...so people dont care when commercials come on.
Infact, I heard one guys commercial so much I went to his myspace page (since thats what he uses for his business website) and realized his photography wasnt all that special. (And it was also a regular myspace pages so it really hurt the professional image)
BUT! I still went there and looked cause of the advertisement I heard so much.
Advertising is a slow processes but it helps. Holiday specials are a good thing to advertise too for people on the fence about portrait work. Maybe advertise a package deal (WITH THE PRICE!) Noones gonna care if you dont have a price in your add.
Great stuff. I love the business card idea. I have found running a competition through the paper really works for generating new clients.
Kids can color in my logo to win a family shoot and post in. One winner and lots of runner upswho get the sitting complimentary. People always spend once they see the pics.
Even the winner of the $400 credit spent more money.
rscott wrote:
Great idea for business cards that I use....I choose a favorite photo from a portrait session and thru PhotoShop, put my name and business info on it....print them out as wallets...give them to my customer and they pass them out like candy on Halloween because it's no longer just some business card, it's a business card with THEIR photo on it and they love it. They definately don't just file them or throw them away.
