Marketing has always been the bane of the artist. For many, it is the part of the business of photography we like the least. Let's face it, most photographers are not the greatest business people. But in today's economy being business savvy is essential if you hope to survive. There are many factors that affect the success of a small business and in the case of the photography business one of the most significant factors is the ability to know your market. One of the difficulties in this quest is that during tough economic time, your market's priorities may change, and marketing strategies that were successful a year or six months ago, may no longer bring the results they once did.
Knowing your market will make adjusting those strategies work to keep you in line with your customers needs.One place you may find as a great source of information, as well as being a great marketing tool, is by getting involved in community activities such as youth sports, local religious groups, and other local charitable organizations. By getting involved with the community you serve, you will get to know the people and they you. By offering to do some pro bono work for these group, you will essentially be advertising your product to them. Surely, if they like what they see, when they have he need for a photographer, yours will be the first name they think of.
During tough times, when both families and businesses are feeling the need to cut back on non essential expenses, it is important that we not panic and think the only way to survive is to lower our prices as a strategy to entice customers, it is actually more important to educate the customer on the value of our product. We have to find ways to differentiate our product and service from what they can get from Sears or Walmart.
This is where "branding" becomes an important part of our business. The term branding refers to making use of a style that sets you apart and conveys a sense of professionalism. Designing a logo for your business is a good place to start your branding. There are professional designers who can help with this as well as software design programs for those "do it yourselfers". Your Logo will represent you to your current and prospective clients, so you will want to spend some quality time with this project. Your Logo should be used on all correspondences, web sites, business cards and wherever you would use your business name. The more the public sees your logo associated with the quality work you produce, the better the chance they will think of your business when it comes time for them to choose a photographer.
So take some time to think about how you can better educate yourself about the changing needs of your customers and how you can educate them as to the benefits of your product vs. the Big Box Stores offerings. Take pride in your work, offer the best product you can and believe in yourself. Keep on top of market trends and you will have the tools needed to be competitive in today's troubled economy.
Knowing your market will make adjusting those strategies work to keep you in line with your customers needs.One place you may find as a great source of information, as well as being a great marketing tool, is by getting involved in community activities such as youth sports, local religious groups, and other local charitable organizations. By getting involved with the community you serve, you will get to know the people and they you. By offering to do some pro bono work for these group, you will essentially be advertising your product to them. Surely, if they like what they see, when they have he need for a photographer, yours will be the first name they think of.
During tough times, when both families and businesses are feeling the need to cut back on non essential expenses, it is important that we not panic and think the only way to survive is to lower our prices as a strategy to entice customers, it is actually more important to educate the customer on the value of our product. We have to find ways to differentiate our product and service from what they can get from Sears or Walmart.
This is where "branding" becomes an important part of our business. The term branding refers to making use of a style that sets you apart and conveys a sense of professionalism. Designing a logo for your business is a good place to start your branding. There are professional designers who can help with this as well as software design programs for those "do it yourselfers". Your Logo will represent you to your current and prospective clients, so you will want to spend some quality time with this project. Your Logo should be used on all correspondences, web sites, business cards and wherever you would use your business name. The more the public sees your logo associated with the quality work you produce, the better the chance they will think of your business when it comes time for them to choose a photographer.
So take some time to think about how you can better educate yourself about the changing needs of your customers and how you can educate them as to the benefits of your product vs. the Big Box Stores offerings. Take pride in your work, offer the best product you can and believe in yourself. Keep on top of market trends and you will have the tools needed to be competitive in today's troubled economy.
0 comments:
Post a Comment