A Renewed Sense of Family in the World

by Skip Cohen

​It's Marketing Monday, and as we kick off the seasonality of the fourth quarter, I'm not sure how much more I can write about the goldmine sitting on your doorstep!

While the pandemic hurt us all in so many different ways, it brought with it a renewed sense of family. At the height of the pandemic, everyone was hunkered down, two words that I'd rarely used before Covid! Families protected themselves and especially their senior members. We all connected via the phone, Skype, Facetime, and Zoom, to name a few.

Early on, I remember posts from friends on Facebook with stories about bringing back family game night, stories about Facetime calls with grandparents who couldn't be physically visited, and family projects ranging from the kids joining in meal preparations to interior decorating. And when it came to family pets, thousands of people added a new furry critter to the family. 

Put all the events of the last year and a half together, and there's a whole lot of business sitting on your front porch right now. From family portraiture to children and pets to capturing memories - we're cherishing time. And there it is - the magic word that defines your ability as an artist.

As a photographer and/or videographer, you're able to stop time and take those intangible memories and turn them into moments your clients can appreciate forever!

So, what are you doing to offer your target audience this holiday season? Each of the ideas below is perfect for a theme in a blog post too!
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• A new family portrait
• Portraits of the kids
• Pet portraits
• A Day-in-the-Life Shoot
• Upcoming special events
• Updated headshots for the holidays
• Company groupings for a business holiday card
• Holiday cards
• Video holiday cards
• Outdoor prints

The list easily goes on and on in terms of your style and materials used in the items above. And while canvas prints are old to most of us - they're not necessarily old to your target audience, especially if you're a full-service photographer and include framing and helping each client with the final placement of the work in their home or office.

Most important of all, remember this quote by Seth Godin:

People rarely buy what they need; they buy buy what they want!

That means you have to plant the seeds for unique gift ideas this holiday season with your blog, Facebook posts, Instagram shots, Pinterest, etc. And with a renewed sense of family in the world, what grandma has missed most has been her kids!