Re: Ways To Market Yourself
[Re: Nicole St-Onge]
#36368
09/10/11 10:55 AM
09/10/11 10:55 AM
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Joined: Mar 2005
Florida
Jim Garvie
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Florida
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Nicole, my approach to marketing is very simplistic. First, I identify who my market is; then I figure out how to reach them; I try to understand how they buy (their buying process); and then I find the media that will reach that audience with the right message(s). Now that's pretty abstract so let me focus it a bit.
First of all, the "pet photography" market is a pretty big, amorphous group. Are you talking about dog owners; cat owners; bird owners; all of the above? Are you looking for all of the people in one of those groups egs. dog owners? Or are you looking for a segment of that market such as dog owners who show their dogs? Or, dog owners that live in upper-middle class to affluent neighborhoods?
Once you've targeted your market a bit the question is do they buy what you're selling and if they do, how do they buy it? For example, if dog show exhibitors buy pet portraits at dog shows then you know you have to be at dog shows. If upper-middle class dog owners tend to buy on impulse at special events, then you would need to be at those special events.
Then you'd have to shape your marketing program/materials/offers to those people and that buying process. Obviously, it gets far more complicated than that when you take into account the differences between markets geographically -- James in NYC and Julie Poole in Knoxville -- but within those variances is an approach you can use to reach a particular segment. Once you've reached it and started to produce paying customers, you'll have work that you can use in your marketing program and references/referrals for additional work which is ultimately your pot of gold. That's where social media plays a huge role. You would be amazed with the number of puppy shoots I get from publishing pictures of my own puppies on FaceBook.
You have to start somewhere. You can't reach everybody and offer everything. I suggest you focus on a particular segment of a particular market and work that segment. Get some business. Get some exposure. Get some clients. Get some samples. Once you've done that for one segment -- and it may become your only focus for a long time -- then you can expand your program to other segments or other markets. In my experience, the hardest thing to do is find that one niche where you will have immediate success and leverage it to build a larger business.
I apologize that this message contains a lot of broad generalities but I'll be happy to answer specific questions if you'd like.
Jim
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Re: Ways To Market Yourself
[Re: Nicole St-Onge]
#36370
09/10/11 03:35 PM
09/10/11 03:35 PM
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Joined: Mar 2005
Florida
Jim Garvie
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Well, not necessarily. If you're already doing a lot of the "right" things, then it may be that you are not doing them well (no insult intended but there's being at a show but being there with a less than impressive booth, for example). Passing out flyers is fine but how professional are the flyers themselves? How good are the images you are using to sell your capabilities? How professional is your booth at shows? I realize that a lot of this is a Catch 22: you need clients to get good work to show but you need good work to get clients . That's why a lot of us do volunteer work to build our portfolios either at shelters or with Rescue Groups. You can't sell potential or promises. You have to have portraits that show what you can do and that are good enough for potential clients to visualize in their own homes. I'm not suggesting that you don't have those images. I'm merely emphasizing that you need to have them. And, yes, the process does take time. You can decide that a particular venue isn't giving you access to the right people but if it does deliver the right audience and they still aren't buying, then it's something else. And maybe it's merely the opportunity to see your work again. We have major, national corporate clients that sell through trade shows and they understand that being at one show once isn't going to necessarily provide them with the sales opportunities they need. So, they budget for all the shows and they go back at least twice before they even consider pulling the plug on a show. In advertising, the formula is Reach X Frequency and it holds for shows as well as media advertising. If you reach your audience at one show and they don't buy, there's a chance they'll be more receptive at the next show if you are also there. Or the next one. Jim
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Re: Ways To Market Yourself
[Re: drpotter2807]
#36378
09/11/11 12:46 AM
09/11/11 12:46 AM
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Joined: Jun 2011
Canada
Nicole St-Onge
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Canada
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Actually, my flyers/marketing material were all wrong and I had a less then impressive booth too. It was just kind of thrown together with (4x6, 5x7, 8x10 etc . . .) prints of my work, rather then showcasing the products that I want to sale (albums and wall portraits). And my flyers were nothing more then a price list.
But catch 22, I didn't have the funds buy those 16x20 wall portraits that I would have loved to have there. So you hit that right on the nail Jim.
I just spent a week in a business for photographer course - it was amazing and eye opening. Believe me things are going to noticeable change and are in the works. I really paid attention in class!
I think I have a pretty strong portfolio, I'm just not showing it off in the way it should be in order to draw attention.
When the new marketing stuff is in place, I'm hoping to come at them strong with the WOW factor and knock their socks off!
Last edited by Nicole St-Onge; 09/11/11 01:09 AM.
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Re: Ways To Market Yourself
[Re: drpotter2807]
#36386
09/11/11 11:56 AM
09/11/11 11:56 AM
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Joined: Mar 2005
Florida
Jim Garvie
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Florida
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Rachel, because I tend to work primarily with show dogs, I forget how difficult it can be to work with "family pets" that are not trained. Even our Moxie will sit/stay when told to do so. Well, most of the time . But your point is a good one: if you can make it work with dogs that don't have much training or, more importantly, much attention or play/food drive (or too much) then you can handle any situation that comes up in the future. Jim
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