"Drilling Down" - Increasing Brand Awareness

by Skip Cohen

It's Marketing Monday and time for another installment of "Drilling Down." I started this series to give you ideas to build a stronger business, no matter what the challenges were. Most of you are right-brain creative types with too little focus on growing your business. Of even greater concern is the number of you who don't think of yourself as small business owners. Even if you're freelancing or working for another studio, imaging is a career choice that lends itself to ALWAYS building your brand.

Success isn't as much about who YOU know, but WHO knows you! Here's a list to help you keep your name out there in the spotlight. Your goal is top-of-mind awareness, so anytime somebody is thinking about photography, your name comes up first.
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• Stay in touch with your past clients: I love the idea Steven Gotz shared back during the pandemic. Here's the link. In summary, he took portraits of clients and pulled the color, converted them to line art, and sent them to clients with young children as coloring book pages. It's a brilliant way to remind clients what you do for a living. And it doesn't have to be exclusively for kids!
• Community Involvement: People like buying products/services from companies they perceive as giving back. Being involved in your community can start at any time. And it doesn't have to include a camera in your hands. Use your social media presence or blog to help spread the word of nonprofits in your community - be an ambassador!
• Own Your Zip Code: Draw a circle around where you're based and start knocking on doors!  IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR SPECIALTY IS! My favorite example is a wedding photographer walking into a real estate office. Once you've introduced yourself, all you need to say is, "My specialty is wedding photography, but I've got an incredible network. If you ever need any help with anything photo-related, give me a call. If I can't help you directly, I'm sure I know somebody who can."
• Use Your Blog and Social Media: Your website is about what you sell, and your blog/social media is about what's in your heart. Post at least twice a week, same days, same times. Share stories/ideas relatable to your readership. Your goal is to build a community. Talk about the diversity of your skill set. Share tips on photography, especially posing, lighting, and composition.
• Teach a Class: Just about all of you, unless you started yesterday, have enough expertise to help the community raise the bar on better photographs, even if they're only shooting with a cell phone. Share tips on composition, lighting, fill flash, posing, exposure, and storytelling. For most of you, your target audience is "Mom," so help make her a better photographer. 
• Partnerships: You don't have to fly solo all the time! Look for opportunities to cross-promote with other vendors. A postcard mailer, for example, with two other partners, brings your cost down to a third. Best of all, all three partners become ambassadors for each other. Here's your chance to cross-promote on discounts and each other's products as gift ideas.
• Pick up the Phone: When in doubt, call a past client. You don't need to be selling anything. The call's purpose is to let them know you're thinking about them and just want to know how everybody is. My suggestion is to make at least two calls a day to past clients. This is all about keeping in touch.
• Show Your Work: Years ago, Bambi Cantrell displayed her images in a local Starbucks. Helen Yancy, a past president of PPA, started out showing her work in a local diner. Offer to decorate your doctor's office. Think about it - almost every doctor's office is the same - BORING! Let's get some good photographs on the wall, and all you're asking is to leave a stack of your business cards on the magazine table.
• Career Day at ANY School: If we've learned nothing else from the toy manufacturers, the way to get to Mom and Dad is through their kids. Every school needs help with special programming. Offer to do a career day presentation and talk about what it's like being a photographer. Don't be boring and just talk - show photographs, special techniques, and things they can do with their cell phones!  Here's your chance to make education more fun.
• Build a Community Calendar: Everyone is always looking for new content. So, keep a calendar on your blog and Facebook page of upcoming community events, mostly non-profit fundraisers. And with each event you personally attend, share the story with a paragraph or two and photographs. It's a great way to build your reputation as a supporter of the community and be more recognized.
• Join Community Groups: From PPA affiliates to photography guilds to organizations like Kiwanis, Exchange Club, Rotary, and business networking groups, be involved. You're building a network of relationships, and right now getting together online is the next best thing to being there!

Relationship building is your most vital marketing tool - so, set up a time every week to build your foundation of awareness, beyond your skill set.

Tony Corbell, one of the most recognized photographers in the industry, once told a story about when he first got started. "I might not have been the best photographer in town, but I was determined to be the nicest!" Tony's never strayed from that practice!

Your overall goal: Exceed expectations and make yourself habit-forming! And that applies to every interaction with past, present or potential future clients!