Photographers from all over the country have been asking me, “Bruce, my phone isn’t ringing. What can I do?” The answers these days are not easy, but there are 8 pro-active things you can implement right now to get your studio’s phone to ring! Some of the reasons for the "Summer Surge" I've been blogging about on the Daily Mentor Minute comes directly from these 8 strategies!
Pin-point target marketing using variable data: It’s simply not enough to send out a mailer and hope for clients to call you; but everything has to done at a different level in order to achieve success! We try to target specific groups of people whenever we can, with marketing pieces geared towards their lifestyle. You’ve seen our custom lake cards before—that is exactly the kind of target marketing I’m talking about!
Niche it! Anytime you can niche a specific market, go for it! We are doing it with HS seniors right now, and we even developed a senior’s only website, not to mention our Facebook presence and direct mailings to help drive more clients to us. Just by niching seniors by themselves, we are already seeing a bump in less than 2 weeks of the site going live! It’s all about taking it to another level!
Effective email marketing with a focus on lead generation: I hear from a lot of photographers that their email marketing isn’t working anymore. I think it comes down to expectations. If you’re expecting a huge return on emails sent out every time, you’re dreaming! But you can increase your rate of return and use your email marketing to generate leads for your studio. For example, attach a link to your site promoting an end of summer promo. Track the number of clicks and send a follow-up letter, card, or email! The more touch points the better! You’ll find that your emails become an automatic lead generator for you every month!
Using social media marketing to your advantage! –Facebook & Twitter: They’re free and effective, and they can create a buzz in the community like you wouldn’t believe! Since adding social media to our marketing efforts, we have actually done quite well! Not just for seniors, but for families and even for commercial! If you’re not familiar with social media, talk to a junior high kid—they’ll fill you in! Here’s a tip: when you get your Fan Page up and running, give people an incentive to want to join. We offer a $50 Gift Certificate! Social media also provides your website with more referring links, which helps your Google search ranking! The more web traffic the better!
Speaking in your community: Being seen as an expert in your community is key to getting your studio brand noticed. This is one of those marketing tools that can be extremely effective, not to mention it costs only a little time out of your day. Call your local chamber, service organization, or high school and see if they need any speakers. This is a great way to educate the community about professional photography and showcase your work.
Co-op marketing with the right partner! It’s not enough to partner with another business—your target demographics have to match! We’ve developed a referral program with a few cosmetic dentists and surgeons. The referral letter is from the doctor, and it’s in a nice package with a custom gift card. This is a hit with the right kind of client and the doctors do all of the marketing work…well, their staffs do!
Win-win marketing: When’s the last time you volunteered your services for your local chamber? Charity? City? There are a ton of in-kind trading opportunities out there for photographers! I do work for the school district, city, and chamber, all in exchange for sponsorship opportunities! A few years ago I was the platinum sponsor for a jazz concert in our city, complete with radio advertisements, all for the cost of doing some work for the school district. Talk to members of your chamber and your clients. It’s a great way to get your name out there!
Get pro-active! Lastly, you have to be pro-active everyday! Send cards to your clients, follow-up emails with personal phone calls, and leaving nothing on the table. Start each day off with some positive momentum and always be mindful of weekly cash flow. Like I’ve told many photographers this year, I am working as hard as ever! The same notion was repeated by Lori Nordstrom during her Monthly Mentor Interview, which is featured this month.
It’s time to get your head out of the sand and start running your business again! It’s all about developing a plan, tweaking the plan, perfecting the plan, and implementing it!
Hope to see you guys there and I hope you’re having a great summer!
Article by: Bruce Hudson
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