Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Some photographers (and I’m just as guilty of this as the next guy) are just not naturally adept at marketing and, at the same time, not solvent enough to afford a dedicated marketing person. This means that the bulk of marketing falls on you but it doesn’t have to be traumatic. Here’s some tips and tools that might help:
Your business card is the single most important marketing and promotional tool for any business, including photographers. While seemingly tiny, this lowly card has billboard-like implications. And they don;t have to be expensive but avoid a low budget approach; the cards represent you.
Don’t use those cheapo, generic cards from a business-card-in-minute machine. Avoid the temptation to knock out cards on your ink-jet printer. Potential clients will be less likely to toss out something that has a quality look especially if it has a photograph of a person on it.
When Mary and I owned our studio people would hang onto out photo business cards. sometimes for years before calling for an assignment but call they did. Tip: Take a look at affordable photographic business cards from Moo that use your own images. And make sure the card has your website, e-mail, Twitter, and Instagram addresses as well.
Wear your company. One successful entrepreneur I know wears golf shirts emblazoned with his company’s logo. These are nice-looking shirts, some are silk, but all of them get attention. Several of his clients liked the shirts so much they asked him for one, turning themselves into walking advertisements for his company.
I was photographing an import car show in Los Angeles. On day one I was wearing a nice shirt and a blazer and wanted to photograph a racecar but it was surrounded by stanchions and ropes and I could never get a good angle. On Day two I wore one of my long sleeved shirts with the Tortuga Racing logo discreetly embroidered on the front and www.joefaraceshootscars.com on the back. I went back to that same display and someone from the race team sees me and says “let me move these stanchions out of the way so you can get a better shot.” And while I’m shooting he returns and says “ Would you like one of our models to pose with the car?” Needless to say, I got much better shots. A coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.
Finally, look for ways to show your company in a positive light by being involved with your community, because I believe that where small photography businesses are concerned “Nice Guys Finish First.”
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