Building a Stronger Business in 2022 - The Art of Promotions

No promotion can stand by itself. Whatever you do for Spring seasonality has to mesh with your marketing, skillset, brand awareness and target audience.

by Skip Cohen

​While the pandemic may have created a paradigm shift in so many different business areas, one thing that hasn't changed is the importance of solid promotions. I'm betting there are a lot of you who have pretty much missed the Valentine's Day window, but that's okay. I look at February 14 as a fire drill when you were a kid - it's a reminder to be prepared for something much bigger.

And here it is - Spring seasonality!  Easter, prom season, Mother's Day, graduation, and Father's day are the foundation for the second busiest time of year under the imaging umbrella. That means NOW is the time for you to be thinking about your promotional calendar for the Spring!

Sadly, too many of you are going to procrastinate and kick back, waiting for your ship to come in. Well, if you don't do anything, when your ship comes in, you'll be at the airport! You need to create excitement in your community through your blog, social media, and network.

Great promotions don't happen by themselves - they need excellent execution! Everything starts with your planning. For example, your blog and social media involvement can help you tease your target audience. That means whatever you're going to offer in the upcoming months, you've got so many avenues to start the education process in advanxe for your customers.

• Whatever you offer has to have perceived value. And if you're stuck for ideas, pick up the phone and call your lab and ask, "What's new?" Your lab works with thousands of photographers all year long and whoever you're talking with has some great experience to share. If you're going to offer something new in prints or albums, for example, share images of the products early on.
• Keep your promotions simple and easy to understand. You don't need to give away everything; just have the right ingredient to get Mom's attention. Why Mom? Because women make 95% of the decisions to hire a professional photographer in the portrait/social categories. Over the years, I've seen too many promotions that only a rocket scientist could understand.
• Cross-promote with other vendors. With Easter and Mother's Day especially, florists and restaurants offering a Mother's Day Brunch are terrific partners. I've shared a lot of partnership ideas - so if you're stuck, go back to my post on the topic a few weeks ago.
• Share great images on your website and blog. Photography is about emotion, and there's that old line about a picture being worth a thousand words. Save the words and show your audience what you're capable of producing. Here's where you want images that pull at people's heartstrings. Every photo you share should make a point about your skillset. If you're sharing photographs that anybody's Uncle Harry could get - remove them from your website!
• Once you put the offer out there, be ready to close the sale with the first phone call. Respond quickly with a great attitude. Have all the facts about the promotion prepared so that you can answer any questions. If you're lucky enough to have staff answering the phone or email, make sure they know what they're talking about.
• Use a few people at the core of your network as sounding boards. Years ago at Hasselblad, whenever we put a promotion together, we had one great retailer we used to call and just say, "Okay John, what's wrong with this idea?" He'd either love it or shred it, and we'd go back and make it better. When putting together promotional ideas, don't plan them in a vacuum. Bounce them off a friend or two. Test them on some people with the same demographics as the target you're about to go after. Role-play with an associate or family member, so you're really prepared.
• Remember, you need some examples. If you're offering something completely new, like a Day in the Life Package, or a Legacy Program, don't be afraid to do a two to three for free. You need to work out the kinks and have images to share on your blog, website, and in social media.

 
Last but not least, photography is about the relationship between you and the client. I've written volumes about relationship-building being your best marketing tool. If you aren't ready to greet each new customer with the biggest smile in person, in Skype, Facetime, or Zoom, in your voice, or your email, then don't launch the concept. You can tell when somebody isn't smiling, even over the phone.

You can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in it!