We’re back with more ways to market your portrait business. With spring coming up, we want to help give you ideas to freshen up your marketing strategy for the new shooting season.
1. Take pictures at little league games, high school sports, dance studios, and karate classes.
This can be a great way to expand your portfolio and network with new clients. Always make sure you ask permission before you do this.
Pre-make the album you’re going to put the photos into and get the link and password printed on cards to pass out to the parents and coaches.
Give them a time that the photos will be ready to view and let them know that they can make prints directly from your site.
Make sure to get photos of every child involved and some of the whole game/event while it is in progress to ensure the most print sales.
2. Print off your welcome packet and leave it in local places where your niche client hangs out.
For example, if you’re a newborn/maternity photographer, I would suggest places like the waiting area of the OBGYN or the maternity floor of the hospital. If you want to target seniors, see if you can leave your welcome packet in the guidance counselor’s office at the high school, at coffee shops, or on a billboard at your local movie theater. Find out where your clients will be and try to leave an information packet in those places. Welcome packets provide all of the information your client will need to know – portfolio, your company information, pricing, and reviews. This is a great way to sell yourself without being pushy.
Tip: Check back every couple of months to ensure that the packet is still there and in good condition. If you update your pricing/portfolio, take a new packet to the location to replace the old one.
Alternative: To increase more business. Take the photography challenge. Go to the location that has your target niche. Spend 1-2 hours passing out marketing materials…this can be business cards, welcome packets, postcards, magnets, stickers, etc. Leave them around local businesses. Be sure to ask the owner/manager if you can leave them on the front desk or checkout counter. I got a ton of new clients when I passed out postcards at my local fairgrounds. I spent two hours each day for two days and the results were amazing. I got some of my best clients from that advertisement.
3. Get your car lettered.
We did this a few years ago and it was about $200. We put our company information on our car as a moving billboard.
If you don’t want to put this much money into it or don’t want to have that big of an advertisement on your car, you can always get bumper stickers or window decals with your company information on it to place on your vehicle. An added perk to this is that if you’re meeting your clients in person, you can always tell them to look for your car that is clearly marked with your company name. This can benefit mini session photographers especially because you can have your car be the meeting place on the session day.
4. Do a session with one of your friends in a public place.
Find a park, mall, or other public place that clients of your niche would hang out. Make sure you have permission to shoot there so you don’t run into any problems. You want people to notice you and want you to do their photos. Wear a shirt with your company information on it, or have your studio name and/or website embroidered on your camera bag. This way, people will see your name and will be able to contact you should they not want to interrupt your session. You may be approached on the spot, so be sure to have business cards handy.
Be sure to remain professional the entire time you’re advertising for your company. Even if you’re not shooting anymore, any time you are wearing your name, you are representing your company, and your actions reflect on your company.
5. Ask local businesses to display your work.
Go around to local businesses (coffee shops, gas stations, boutique shops, theaters, etc.) and ask if they would host some of your photos somewhere at their business. If they have a window display or somewhere to hang your photographs, that would be ideal. People all around town will come to that business and see your work. You want to include your company information and logo somewhere prominently where it can be easily located. You’ll also want to leave a stack of your business cards at the checkout in case people inquire about your work.
Tip: You don’t have to print off several sets of large prints. That can get expensive really fast. Make your display a traveling work of art. Ask each company that agrees to host your work for a month, then schedule them out throughout the year. The more exposure you get, the better.
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For more tips, check out last week’s post by clicking here.
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