Building Blocks for the New Year - Part 8

by Skip Cohen
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It's Marketing Monday and I can't think of a better time to share another Building Block for the New Year. I've shared seven of them since the start of January. They're just a click away, if you missed any of them. Sadly, there are still too many of you hunkered down and blaming the pandemic for the crisis in your business.

I'm not suggesting the pandemic hasn't changed all the rules, or that it's been easy to survive, but hunkering down is about your health, NOT about your business, skill set or developing your creativity!

The one thing the pandemic can't touch is the seasonality of the business, and the second busiest time of the year is coming up with Mother's Day, graduation, and Father's Day. But if you're sitting back and just waiting for your ship to come in - you'll miss the opportunity for more business completely. Or, as I once heard a comedian say, "The day my ship came in, I was at the airport!"

You need to create a little excitement in your community. Great promotions don't happen by themselves - they need great execution too! Here are some tried and true tips to consider:

• Whatever you offer it 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. 
• 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.
• Cross-promote with other vendors. With Mother's Day especially, florists and restaurants offering a Mother's Day Brunch are terrific partners. And with a little luck and more vaccinations taking place every day, getting out for a meal, might be one of this Mother's Day's most popular ideas.
• 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 heart strings.
• 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 ready so you can answer any and all 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 you’re 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.

 
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 in your email, then don’t launch the concept. You can tell when somebody isn't smiling, even over the phone.
 
You have to believe and sell one basic concept: “Nobody can photograph your family like I can!”