Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

FM Forum Rules
Wedding Resource List
  

FM Forums | Wedding Photographer | Join Upload & Sell

1      
2
       end
  

Archive 2009 · Brushed metal business Cards?

  
 
glort
Offline
• • • •
[X]
p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Brushed metal business Cards?



^^^^ Don't laugh too much.
My brother in law has a suit this colour and you would be amazed ( as we usually are) where he seriously wears it.
His doesn't have the Gold trim or the bell bottoms and he wears white shoes, but other than that....

He thinks he looks fabulous and can't ever understand why people laugh and pass comments or what wrong with it.

Was pretty funny the other week when we went out to the Thai restaurant for his wife's birthday and the waiter innocently asked why the rest of us weren't wearing fancy Dress as well.



Dec 17, 2015 at 07:55 PM
Marcus Watts
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Brushed metal business Cards?


MRomine wrote:
Thats ok, don't listen to me spend a boatload of money on them and see how it works out for you. See if you can tract how much it improves your booking numbers vs a less expensive well designed paper card. If you actually book another 5, 10 or 15 weddings after getting the cards will you be able to attribute it to the metal business cards or to something else? How will you know? I imagine spending money on making you photography and it's presentation better will serve you far better than stainless steel cards.

As far as the
...Show more

Not sure what you mean by "see how it works out". I've been doing this for over 30 years. Though i'm not really interested in the brush metal cards now (this thread is several years old) it would simply have been a style choice.

Maybe you assume everything with branding is about quantifying the number of resulting bookings or it's a waste of cash but that is not always the case. I could show you websites so bad loaded with photography so bad that you would think they were set up as a hoax yet the photographers are in the top percentage of money earners in the industry. I would still advise them to get a better web presence just to look more professional even if has nothing to do with what they make.

In terms of what kind of impact such things have it is about impression. I agree people rarely use a business card if handed to them but that does not mean it has no value. Someone mentioned a film that had been recommended to them and I responded by telling them it was terrific. They asked what it was about and I drew a blank, I could not remember any details, I simply remember how it made me feel when I saw it.

I think cards can still do that if they are distinct from the myriad of generic cards a client sees. Not so much about the details but how they felt when they first saw and held it and thought of you.

As I say I know in marketing we could get work spending far less than we do sometimes and there are successful people who can prove that. Many successful wedding photographers rarely if ever have a decent photo to show either as they rely on other things to brand themselves but that does not mean investing in improving those other areas is money wasted.



Dec 17, 2015 at 08:08 PM
Marcus Watts
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Brushed metal business Cards?


glort wrote:
^^^^ Don't laugh too much.
My brother in law has a suit this colour and you would be amazed ( as we usually are) where he seriously wears it.
His doesn't have the Gold trim or the bell bottoms and he wears white shoes, but other than that....

He thinks he looks fabulous and can't ever understand why people laugh and pass comments or what wrong with it.

Was pretty funny the other week when we went out to the Thai restaurant for his wife's birthday and the waiter innocently asked why the rest of us weren't wearing fancy Dress as
...Show more

I would want the bell bottoms.



Dec 17, 2015 at 08:11 PM
MRomine
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Brushed metal business Cards?


Marcus Watts wrote:
Not sure what you mean by "see how it works out".


It's pretty straight forward comment. Instead of listening to me, give it a try and see if you get more or better bookings. After all, it's not my money. It was a suggestion to help prevent someone from wasting money. Lord knows I've wasted plenty by foolish expenditures. I believe you can get the same results with more prudent spending.

Marcus Watts wrote:
I've been doing this for over 30 years.


Not that it matters much but I'm no spring chicken either, I've been doing this for about 40 years now.

Marcus Watts wrote:
Maybe you assume everything with branding is about quantifying the number of resulting bookings or it's a waste of cash but that is not always the case. I could show you websites so bad loaded with photography so bad that you would think they were set up as a hoax yet the photographers are in the top percentage of money earners in the industry. I would still advise them to get a better web presence just to look more professional even if has nothing to do with what they make.


Thank you, I think your comments prove my point. You are telling me that you know people who are doing well financially with a terrible website. My point exactly, don't overspend on something that can be accomplished with less expenditure.

Marcus Watts wrote:
In terms of what kind of impact such things have it is about impression. I agree people rarely use a business card if handed to them but that does not mean it has no value. Someone mentioned a film that had been recommended to them and I responded by telling them it was terrific. They asked what it was about and I drew a blank, I could not remember any details, I simply remember how it made me feel when I saw it.


I never said that cards are worthless, they just aren't as powerful as they once were. To many millennials, they are old school. Therefore don't over spend.

Marcus Watts wrote:
I think cards can still do that if they are distinct from the myriad of generic cards a client sees. Not so much about the details but how they felt when they first saw and held it and thought of you.


So a card should be selected to impress those who are going to book you. Since it is primarily the women who make the decision on photography I would try to select a card that would be impressive to a woman. IMO, I don't think metal cards would impress many women, guys yes but guys don't have the final say when it comes to booking the photographer. Generally speaking.

Marcus Watts wrote:
As I say I know in marketing we could get work spending far less than we do sometimes and there are successful people who can prove that. Many successful wedding photographers rarely if ever have a decent photo to show either as they rely on other things to brand themselves but that does not mean investing in improving those other areas is money wasted.


Your own comments seem to contradict your own thoughts.

Edited on Dec 18, 2015 at 09:14 AM · View previous versions



Dec 17, 2015 at 09:39 PM
glort
Offline
• • • •
[X]
p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Brushed metal business Cards?


Marcus Watts wrote:
[/uote] Maybe you assume everything with branding is about quantifying the number of resulting bookings or it's a waste of cash but that is not always the case.


No, not for corporates like Coca Cola and other giants it isn't because brand awareness is a part of their over all marketing in achieving market share. For one man gigs like the majority of shooters who don't have that sort of money to throw around, they would want to be seeing the results of their promotional efforts translating to bookings because they will go broke before you can say bankrupt otherwise.

MR brings up an excellent point in tracking the bookings generated and it's a fundamental of all business. Know where your leads and business is coming from.
Sorry, You can spin it anyway you want but throwing money out there without measuring the effect of your efforts is a classic and highly detrimental marketing mistake.
Not only do you stand the potential to bring more work in or no more work, you also have the equal chance of turning it away.

If someone sees you card and thinks " Are you kidding me?" it may have cost you business. If you don't track this, How are you going to know whats happening in your business? You might think it's that last ad you did which was a winner and cancel it which would be another noose around your neck.

ALWAYS measure EVERYTHING you do in marketing and advertising.


I could show you websites so bad loaded with photography so bad that you would think they were set up as a hoax yet the photographers are in the top percentage of money earners in the industry.

Really? Then PLEASE do show me these websites! I would be fascinated to see them and learn how these people have laughable websites but are top industry earners. With the competition in the industry these days I'd love to see what they are doing to let them pull in so much work with such poor marketing and presentation of their product.
I'll keep an eye out for the links!


In terms of what kind of impact such things have it is about impression.
Yes but there is equal chance of it being a negative impression as well as a good one.
People remember things they hated as well as they liked.

Many successful wedding photographers rarely if ever have a decent photo to show either as they rely on other things to brand themselves

This is something new to me! Do you have links or examples of this? I have yet to ever see a successful shooter that didn't have great pictures on their sites or studio walls or in display albums.
What other things are you referring to that these shooters with no decent pics brand themselves on? It would seem absoloutley fundamental to me that a successful shooter would need decent pics to brand themselves on so again, I am keen to see actual examples of what you are saying because I have been round the block a time or two in this game and I have never seen what you are talking about.




Dec 17, 2015 at 10:43 PM
Marcus Watts
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Brushed metal business Cards?


glort wrote:
No, not for corporates like Coca Cola and other giants it isn't because brand awareness is a part of their over all marketing in achieving market share. For one man gigs like the majority of shooters who don't have that sort of money to throw around, they would want to be seeing the results of their promotional efforts translating to bookings because they will go broke before you can say bankrupt otherwise.

MR brings up an excellent point in tracking the bookings generated and it's a fundamental of all business. Know where your leads and business is coming from.
Sorry,
...Show more

Did I pm you links to some websites as you asked here? I would not hold someone up publicly and say I think their work or websites suck but happy to do it via private message.

If you go through a few of the top whatever photographer list you could find examples of photographers who have very basic level work but market their personality well enough that even other photographers drink their cool aid.






Dec 13, 2016 at 04:40 AM
paparazzinick
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Brushed metal business Cards?


MRomine wrote:
That's a lot of money to spend on cards when cards are not used very much any more. Plus think about who your target market is, mainly women. Would a metal card really impress a woman? Guys more so. But are grooms actually hiring you? I can think of a lot of other things that I could spend my money on that would help me to actually book a client.


I have to disagree. Cards are still widely used in all industries, including ours. My day job I am a growth hacker for a steel company. They use metal cards for their business cards. Just about every person they have handed that card too either freaked out on how cool it was or they were so impressed it got them to call back for business. As for the wedding side of things. Last year we handed out over 5000 business cards. Cost us $285 and we had so many calls and emails from that alone. It helped bring in about 30% of our 2016 business. Our target market isn't just women. Men look for wedding photographers too.



Dec 13, 2016 at 02:10 PM
MRomine
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Brushed metal business Cards?


paparazzinick wrote:
I have to disagree. Cards are still widely used in all industries, including ours. My day job I am a growth hacker for a steel company. They use metal cards for their business cards. Just about every person they have handed that card too either freaked out on how cool it was or they were so impressed it got them to call back for business. As for the wedding side of things. Last year we handed out over 5000 business cards. Cost us $285 and we had so many calls and emails from that alone. It helped bring in about
...Show more

Well that's up to you, spend however much you want if they work for you. I seldom give out a card unless I'm asked for it especially at a wedding. I think it is tacky on the wedding day unless someone asks for one. So I don't just indiscriminately hand them out to anyone. 5,000 business cards would last me several years.

I've been shooting weddings full time for a good number of seasons now and in that time I can count on one hand the number of times that the guy was the one who made the decision on the wedding photographer. It's the woman who 99% of the time makes the call, in my experience.



Dec 13, 2016 at 05:19 PM
DmitriM
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · Brushed metal business Cards?


Completely useless in this day and age. In 2015 I gave out about 6 business cards, all to irrelevant people. In 2016 that number is still 0.
Nobody is going to book a photographer based on a business card. All they need is a crappy piece of paper with your website inscribed on it. In fact, I booked more weddings that way than by giving out business cards. Don't even carry them anymore.
Most folks in their 20s don't even have proper wallets to carry cards. If they need your info, they will ask and tag your website/facebook/instagram right away.
Business cards are a dying thing for our profession and only will impress fellow photographers or completely wrong audience.



Dec 13, 2016 at 08:54 PM
IrishDino
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · Brushed metal business Cards?


DmitriM wrote:
Completely useless in this day and age. In 2015 I gave out about 6 business cards, all to irrelevant people. In 2016 that number is still 0.
Nobody is going to book a photographer based on a business card. All they need is a crappy piece of paper with your website inscribed on it. In fact, I booked more weddings that way than by giving out business cards. Don't even carry them anymore.
Most folks in their 20s don't even have proper wallets to carry cards. If they need your info, they will ask and tag your website/facebook/instagram right away.
Business
...Show more

I bought a pack of 50 from Moo when i first got started 5 years ago. Spent hours going over designs, fonts, colors, etc. There was a brief moment before placing my order that 50 cards might not get me through a month's worth of weddings and maybe I should order more.

To date, I doubt I've given out more than 5.



Dec 14, 2016 at 08:14 AM
FrancisK7
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · Brushed metal business Cards?


About two years ago I had a lot of cards made (over 1000) when I started doing bridal shows. I figured being in an artistic field, the cards should at the very least look nice. I don't think lawyers or electricians need fancy business cards, but I figured artists might benefit.

http://fk7photo.com/fm/fk7businesscards2.jpg

I have received many praises over the cards. They have satin finish, are thick and feel great in hand. But no one has ever booked me because of the card.

If a bride meets you at the your booth and is impressed by its look, chats for 10 quality minutes and you end that meet by giving her a nice business card, it all validates her initial feeling and she may be more likely to call you once she is home for a consultation. That's the only boost I can see a nice card giving you.

I got a real metal card when I backed Star Citizen on Kickstarter and while it feels very nice, the cost per unit must be astronomical (over $1/card I'd say) which is insane.

If you do it though, take photos because I'd like to see it



Dec 14, 2016 at 08:27 AM
glort
Offline
• • • •
[X]
p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · Brushed metal business Cards?


The more cards you give out the wider the audience you reach and the better the chances of someone contacting you.

Edited on Dec 19, 2016 at 07:55 PM · View previous versions



Dec 14, 2016 at 10:25 AM
glort
Offline
• • • •
[X]
p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · Brushed metal business Cards?


FrancisK7 wrote:
If a bride meets you at the your booth and is impressed by its look, chats for 10 quality minutes and you end that meet by giving her a nice business card, it all validates her initial feeling and she may be more likely to call you once she is home for a consultation.


Spot on Francis.
What do you think the impression might be if you handed her a crappy bit of paper?
Not so great I would think.

Your cards are exactly what I would expect from you.
Always beautiful and professional presentation from start to finish.
Not much question why you are achieving so much in my mind.




Dec 14, 2016 at 10:30 AM
IrishDino
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · Brushed metal business Cards?


If I'm at a wedding and someone's interested in booking me, my lack of a business card isn't going to stop them from finding my contact info.

Maybe it was different in the 90s, but today it's almost scary how easy it is to find me.



Dec 14, 2016 at 10:55 AM
elkhornsun
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · Brushed metal business Cards?


As a photographer I want a business card with a picture that stands out from the rest of the cards that couples get. I use White House Custom Color to print the cards on Kodak Metallic paper and the effect is stunning.


Dec 18, 2016 at 06:22 PM
DmitriM
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · Brushed metal business Cards?


glort wrote:
I thought that would have been obvious.
I can guarantee you no one is going to book you when they can't remember your name or don't have your details either.
There are a whole load of things a client won't book you for individually. That's why sales is a process even if business owners recognise it or not.



Most photographers bust a gut to present themselves as professionally as possible because they realise the value of making a good impression.
I don't think there are many that would argue giving a client "a crappy piece of paper with your
...Show more

Wow...you're one angry old man! lol. Lighten up dude. There's no reason to spew personal attacks on such a minor topic.
I've given out over 1600-1800 of those business cards when they were relevant.
If the stuff from the 90s works for you in your Australia market in the way YOU do business and you make enough from that then by all means, all power to you!
It's just beyond ignorant of you to think what works for your business model and in your country will work the same here. The way I would market say in Russia is COMPLETELY different than how I would do so in Western Europe. The way I would market myself in a small town in USA or Canada is also quite different than how I would do so in a big city. Same goes for marketing cheap wedding photography, moderate and "high-end" - they all call for different strategies. Heck, 100 photographers in a city can market themselves differently and all can be successful. Some just are easier.


For you to assume everyone should follow your way and it's the most correct way is just childish, not all of us are newbies here and do quite well. Do you even do wedding actively and full time? Because if not, then your memories of past glory may not be so relevant right now. Things are changing very quickly and it's good to adapt.




Dec 19, 2016 at 10:48 AM
glort
Offline
• • • •
[X]
p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · Brushed metal business Cards?


DmitriM wrote:
Wow...you're one angry old man! lol. Lighten up dude. There's no reason to spew personal attacks on such a minor topic.



I apologise if you took what I said as a personal attack. It was not meant to be and reading back I can't see where it was personal.

I addressed the ideas not the person but I did not mean to insult or offend personally if that's the way it came out.

You are right, I am an angry old bastard but I did not meant to take that out on you and apologise if I did.




Dec 19, 2016 at 07:52 PM
1      
2
       end




FM Forums | Wedding Photographer | Join Upload & Sell

1      
2
       end
    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.