So, after months of torment, I did what any lady would do, I manned up and put myself out there. Most of the time I wanted to puke in the face of the people I approached, but somehow I got through it and have built relationships AND have brought attention to my business. All that without a single puke-fest. Go me!
And, because I'm so nice and wonderful and all of those other peachy adjectives, I've put all of my marketing ideas together in a nice little list for you. I mean really, who doesn't love a good list regardless of what it's about?!!?!
So, pour the coffee or wine (I don't judge) and let's get started!
Idea #1: Cross Marketing
I love supporting small businesses. Eat local, shop local, drink local..you name it! Marketing local is another way to both support yourself AND local businesses that you love. You can do this with almost any type of business, but I specifically work with a local salon. I printed up some gift cards (10 free 5x7's with any session) and a large display print to put in her shop. Anyone that gets a cut and color with her gets the gift. In exchange, I did free headshot photos and artsy shots of her shop for her. No huge expenses and I'm supporting someone that I adore. Another marketing opportunity popped up with my friend that is also a local musician. I took photos for him to use for promotional purposes and every time he uses one of the photos to promote himself or a gig, he mentions my business. With cross marketing, once the initial work is done, I basically do nothing but sit in leggings and let the other businesses do the work. I'm lazy like that.
Idea #2: Personal Projects
I have a running list of things I want to photograph that are both nerdy and delightful. On this list are dancers in an outdoor setting, a coffee shop, a vineyard documentary session, kids on a farm, and hot air balloons (among about a thousand other things!) I love lists and even more than that I love marking things off of my lists. Over the summer, I contacted my local coffee shop and they let me hang out for a morning and do documentary style shoot of their customers. I talked to the people in the shop (distributing business cards as I chatted with a latte in hand) and they were excited to see photos of them with coffee on Facebook. Later in the fall, I randomly found a hot air balloon festival that was happening and was going to attend as a spectator when I read they were having a contest for photographers. And, you guessed it, I was selected as one of those photographers. Other than it being a crazy experience, it was also another way to put my name out there.
I love giving to those who need it and I'm so happy photography is something I can give, either to raise money or to document a good cause. I donated a session to a local silent auction for an environmental group and summer camp. I put the session details in a nice frame and placed my business cards in front. I raised a few hundred dollars for the organization and, of course, got personal exposure to people that might not otherwise have known about me. I also spent 3 days at the camp photographing the kids and then gave all of those digital files to the organization.
Idea #4: Promos*
This I say with hesitation. This past year I gave away a couple of sessions with digital files and I wasn't super pumped with the end result on the marketing side. Some people loved sharing their experience and photos and others were silent. I'm now running my promos/giveaways VERY differently. My current giveaway is for the session only and the clients will then have options to purchase albums, prints, and digital files. I will also be looking for a couple to use for marketing my Valentine's day Beloved mini session next month. I will shoot the couple for free and they will get 5 digital images per person they get to sign-up for the mini. This way, they get something free but are also helping me in the long run. (*be prepared for this to possibly be a really non-lucrative form of marketing)
So, that's my list. I've read so many other good ideas that I can't wait to try! Next year, I want to be more organized and create gift cards with client photos for them to give to friends and family around the holidays. I also want to reach out to businesses in Peoria (which is significantly larger than where I live) to work with small businesses there. My final piece of advice, regardless of how you market, is to make sure you promote what you do. If you do portrait work, don't promote documentary style photos. If you do studio work, don't feature photos of people in a park. You get the point.
Do you have any other marketing strategies that work? I'd love to hear them! Post below or on my Facebook page! Happy marketing!
xo
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