![]() by Skip Cohen It's Marketing Monday, rolling in right after a holiday weekend. It's a great time to consider ways to grow your business, notably by expanding to new products and a new target audience. While wandering through the SCU archives, the artwork above came to light. It's a powerful statement and excellent advice for any entrepreneur. As I thought about how many photographers need to diversify and expand their target audience, I thought back to ideas that came out of the pandemic. Back then, I shared a post about JP Elario doing Facetime portraits for clients as he worked through a small part of the challenge with physical distancing. In contrast, Steven Gotz's idea of converting family portraits to coloring book pages for young children provides an easy way to keep in touch with clients while utilizing archived images from your files. Well, here's another one and the need is still enormous - outdoor seating at restaurants! One ingredient to bring back business following the pandemic was outdoor seating, but most restaurants, especially those that didn't offer table service outside, needed help in the decorating department. Well, it's summertime, and the pandemic is in the past, but the need is even greater today! It's a perfect application for Bay Photo's Performance EXT Metal prints. I wrote about my own experience many years ago. The original EXT Metal print on the right, was physically damaged by a contractor working on the house. However, it was reprinted, and the image has been outdoors for at least five years. While under a microscope, there may be some deterioration; there's nothing visible to the naked eye. It's been outside the entire time, exposed to the sun, heat, and rain of South Florida. The two smaller images have also been outside for approximately the same time, and with even less shelter from the elements. They's just as beautiful today as when they were hung, and have only been brought in during hurricanes! Two Additional Markets to Consider Restaurants: With or without outdoor seating, the demand for food photography has never been higher. It may have started with the pandemic, but it has continued to grow with the Internet and online marketing. Additionally, carry-out ordering remains a popular option. Check out any of your favorite restaurants, and most often, you'll find a massive need for better photography. Consumer Marketing: Take the idea of outdoor prints one step further, and instead of thinking outside the box, let's think like there's no box. Just about every client you've photographed over the years has a back porch or patio, some area outside their home or apartment. Let's encourage people to appreciate artwork outside their own homes. Here's an opportunity to offer something different and exciting to your existing audience. Let's start to plant a few marketing seeds with a new audience. The concept is also ideal for creating engaging content for your blog. So, from restaurants needing a more substantial presence outdoors to photography for their websites to helping clients bring photography to a new location in their home - most of you are sitting on an untapped market. You're the only one who can plant the seed for new ideas with your target audience...but you also need to follow through and take action. You need to be an innovator! "Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things."
Theodore Levit
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by Skip Cohen
If your website isn't working the way you planned, there's no way your target audience is going to understand why. It's not like road construction with plenty of warnings, cones, barriers, detours and signage! If a consumer can't get to where they want to go on your website, they're simply going to leave and go somewhere else. Spring seasonality is over. We're into summer business, and for those of you outside the bridal world, it might even seem a little quiet at times...but that doesn't mean there aren't things you should be doing to keep your business going strong. Here's a topic that should be at the top of everybody's list: Is your website working properly? We all have the same challenge: getting our website to look the way we want it, work the way it should, and get the support we need when we need it. The reality is that it's not a perfect world, and every website should be regularly checked and on different devices. If your website isn't working and creating a great experience for visitors, it's the equivalent of not unlocking the front door of a brick-and-mortar building. Customers can't get in, but you forgot to open the door and are wondering why business is so slow! Years ago, I received a great suggestion from an attendee at a marketing presentation I gave at the IPI Summer Convention. "We have six people in the company. Every morning, when they boot up, their landing page is a different page on our website. That's six different pages that get checked first thing before we even start the day!" Your website should be checked on different browsers, viewed on your phone as well as your computer, and links checked to ensure people get to where you want them to go. It's not rocket science—just good business. And according to the latest stats from Google via Statista.com, mobile devices account for almost 63% of global Internet traffic. Many years ago, there was a TV campaign with one line: "It's 11:00 PM. Do you know where your kids are?" Well, it's time to modify and bring that line into business, and 2025... "It's the start of another business day - do you know if your site's working?" So, if you got a fire, don't lose it If you got a do-or-die dream, do it If you got something to prove, go on and prove it Don't let nobody clip your wings Keep your head down, keep on the blinders Tune out the doubters and all the closed minders If it's in your blood Fallin' down ain't enough to change who you were born to be Gettin' back up, that's the only backup plan you need. by Skip Cohen I don't usually quote lyrics from country songs, but I just heard "Backup Plan" by Bailey Zimmerman and Luke Combs, and the lyrics to the chorus are perfect words to live by! It's Friday, and this is a short post. Everyone, at some point, hits a wall when something they were working on or hoping for just doesn't happen. But here's the point - listen to your heart first. Next, stop listening to people who don't share your vision. It's hard enough to be in business today without feeling like you're swimming upstream because the doubters in your life seem to think they have the right to redirect your energy! Wishing everyone a weekend with time to relax, dream, and make a little progress on whatever vision you have for your future. Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision,
hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe. Gail Devers If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito! Dali Lama ![]() by Skip Cohen Technically, spring seasonality ended with Father's Day. Now that we're in summer, it's the perfect time for you to fine-tune your presence in the community. I've spoken with so many different artists over the years who tend to view summer as limited to what can be done to capture the attention of their target audience. After all, except weddings and event photography, there's not a lot going on, NOT!!!!! Let's start with community involvement, a topic I've written about numerous times before. Everyone can make a difference. In a world that's currently upside down, imagine how much better your community could be if everyone got more involved. There are so many different ways you can help: Blogging: A blog that regularly (at least twice a week) shares new content that's relevant to its readership helps establish your authority as an expert and builds your personal brand. Posts don't have to be long; they just need to be interesting to your target audience. For example, start and maintain a calendar of events related to non-profits in your community. And with each passing event, be there! Put yourself in the position of a photojournalist, sharing images and the stories behind various events. Within a very short amount of time, you'll be recognized as an Ambassador for the non-profits you're writing about. Your goal is to build a reputation for giving back to your community. You're not just another retailer! Additionally, being a photographer gives you the advantage of displaying your skills alongside your empathy for support. Social Media: While I firmly believe in the effectiveness of a good blog, for those of you who don't feel the same, then use social media to create awareness. As much as we all have a love-hate relationship with Facebook, it remains one of the most effective ways to reach your audience...but stay focused on your target demographics. Live Support: Just about all of you can teach a class in photography. It doesn't have to be an advanced technique, just helpful. For example, consider organizing a program in your community to help your audience capture better vacation photographs, July 4 fireworks, or storytelling. If you've got clients with young children, suggest they put a camera (or phone) in the hands of one of their kids to document family events and vacations. (It's incredible when you see the world through the eyes of a child.) Family Coloring Books: The idea is thanks to Steven Gotz, and it came out of the pandemic. Steven took images of clients as well as some of his animal shots, then pulled the colors and turned them into line art for a coloring book. Imagine the fun kids would have with a personalized coloring book of images of their own family! Even better, imagine the reaction from the parents as you help them document the summer ahead. Publicity: Summertime can be anything but slow! Utilize your network of community leaders, companies, and associations to share updates on your initiatives. Remember, it's all about building brand awareness. From local publications to community-centric websites - it's up to you to deliver a never-ending stream of information. The bottom line is simple: there's no such thing as support that's too small. But it's up to you to remind people you believe in your community! "The future of marketing is not just getting attention, but keeping someone's attention." Tagline from a Spotify webinar ad by Skip Cohen When I saw the quote above in an ad format, it made so much sense. It's the ongoing challenge of marketing, especially for small business owners. Plus, we're through Spring seasonality with Father's Day batting cleanup. So, what can you do to continue building momentum and increasing brand recognition for your business? Just like Subliminal Man on an old SNL routine, you've got to maintain a presence with your target audience. It doesn't always have to be direct contact, but a continual flow of branding is necessary to build recognition and top-of-mind awareness.
Here's the bottom line: Summer is here, and you need to maintain your presence in a way that is supportive without being overly aggressive. It's about keeping that top-of-mind awareness I mentioned earlier. "The best marketing doesn't feel like marketing,"
Tom Fishburne "Whether you're doing B2B or B2C, marketing is all about reaching the right person, and talking to that person in a way that makes them feel comfortable," Adam Spawton-Rice It's no good running a pig farm badly for 30 years while saying, 'Really, I was meant to be a ballet dancer.' By then, pigs will be your style. Quentin Crisp by Skip Cohen Over the years, I've met many photographers who have shared their regrets about the direction their career path took. However, the revenue stream was substantial, and it was too risky to consider a change. Yet, they still have a passion for another specialty and a chance to be more creative. Senior photography is one of those areas that people have found it was hard to break into. So, they gave up chasing the idea. My point isn't so much about what a great direction it can be for a career, but if you're going to take that path, then do it right! If you're interested in the senior market, the first thing you need to ensure is that you've the right skill set, not just with your camera. You need excellent communication skills and the ability to establish a strong relationship with your subject. For many seniors, this may be their first time working with a professional photographer. They're as nervous about getting a portrait done as they are in dealing with some of their own self-esteem issues. That means your listening and conversational skills must be as good as your understanding of exposure, composition, and lighting! But here's the real point of today's post - you don't have to develop the senior market alone. Check out Marathon's "Power of 3" Senior Marketing program. It's direct mail at its best, with the expertise of the Marathon staff to watch your back and help you develop an effective program. For example, check out the strategy and timing below of their 3-point program, as well as the optional fourth "last chance" piece.
At the very least, finding out more about the program should be a no-brainer. It costs nothing for you to get more information. There's an unlimited combination of design components for you to choose from, but everything starts with your interest in expanding your expertise into the community. Even better, to help you build your brand as a senior photographer, the available design for each 3-part mailing is limited to only one studio per marketing area. It only takes a phone call to find out what's being done in your area. You can't create images that tug at people's heartstring if your own heart isn't in it! Skip Cohen If the senior market is something you've considered, then pick up the phone and give the Marathon team a call! Click below to find out how to get your Senior Power of 3 sample pack or call (800) 228.0629 to speak to an Account Representative.
At the end it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back. Denzel Washington ![]() by Skip Cohen In any business today, you need to stay focused on everything you can do to break through the noise and chaos in everyone's lives. One of the best ways to stay on your target audience's radar is to be involved in your community. Jay Conrad Levinson, better known as the father of Guerrilla Marketing, in a presentation I attended many years ago, listed "being involved in your community" as one of the top 100 things guerrilla marketers needed to do, and for a good reason. Simply put, people like to do business with companies they perceive as giving back. If you want your community to be good to you, you have to be good to your community. Spring seasonality is coming to a close next month, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of business opportunities all summer and right into year-end. But you need to keep being noticed as more than just a talented artist. You want to be perceived as somebody who gives back to the community. From local events to national nonprofits, every community has an organization that needs help! The best thing about help is that it can be defined in so many different ways—from financial support to your skills to just jumping in as a "worker-bee."
None of what I'm sharing today is a new topic to share on the SCU blog. No act of support is too small—the key is being involved. I'm not sure there's anything more rewarding or powerful in building your brand. You want to be recognized in your community as a person/company who believes in giving back and can walk the talk! by Skip Cohen It's been a crazy week regarding special projects, eating up the clock, and finding time to post. It was so busy that I even missed my favorite day of the week...Throwback Thursday. I'm writing today as a reminder that we're down to the wire, and if you missed doing anything for the first "race in the trifecta," Mother's Day in the US this weekend, you've still got graduation and Father's Day over the next five weeks! Too many of you still consider active marketing something you only need to do when business is slow. You procrastinate and wait for your ship to come in, but when it does, you find yourself at the airport! I'm here to remind you that it's time to wake up and aggressively go after Spring Seasonality! I use a lot of Adobe Stock photography, especially when trying to illustrate a point. So, I went to my download library and pulled four favorites from the archives. Each image makes a point.
If you missed promoting your services and products for Mother's Day, crank up the volume and aggressively target family/graduate portraiture and Dad's for Father's Day. Based on the clock ticking down, I'd go after Father's Day, which is five weeks away. Think about it—most dads are missing an updated family portrait. Even more apparent is the target buyer—it's MOM! Women make 98% of the purchase decisions to hire a professional photographer in the portrait/social category. Plus, for most families with young children, Mom makes the choice regarding "What should we get Dad for Father's Day?"
Here's the bottom line today - This year has enormous potential, even in these bizarre times, and you're in a service minimally impacted by tariffs and politics. Don't miss the opportunity to finish the year feeling like the two kids below! “Give them quality. That’s the best kind of advertising” Milton Hershey by Skip Cohen Ever think about the impression you make when a potential client walks through the door...of your website? A future client wandering through cyberspace is like shopping for your mother's birthday present. You know you need to get her something, but you don't know what. The solution is to wander through the stores in the mall looking for ideas. So many of you don't realize your website is one of those stores. In the United States, an estimated 273 million people, or about 80.4% of the population, shop online.This number is projected to increase to almost 289.91 million by 2027. (Google A.I.) When people come to your site, are they walking through Nordstroms, where everything is easy to find and nicely displayed, or is your site the equivalent of Macy's the day after Christmas? Your website needs to be an experience and have a look and feel that connects with the shopper. Fine-Tuning Your Website |
Our Partners"Why?"Check out "Why?" one of the most popular features on the SCU Blog. It's a very simple concept - one image, one artist and one short sound bite. Each artist shares what makes the image one of their most favorite. We're over 130 artists featured since the project started. Click on the link above and you can scroll through all of the episodes to date.
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