Marketing and the BIG Picture

© lucarts - Fotolia

"If you want to catch more fish, use more hooks." 
George Allen

I shared this quote as a tweet the other day, but it makes so much sense as a foundation for a blog post on marketing. Think about it for a second - so many of you put all your eggs in one basket and then wind up disappointed when a promotion, for example, doesn't do well. You're often "fishing" with just one hook. 

There's an old saying I remember hearing as a kid..."Two percent of the fisherman catch 90% of the fish!" I have no idea if there's even one ounce of accuracy in that and you're welcome to argue the point, but the reality is, that unless you're an expert in anything you're not going to do well. So, I started thinking about the "hooks" you have available and it's a pretty extensive list.

Check out the chart above. It's not meant to be all inclusive, just give you a few things to think about. Some components are low hanging fruit, making them easy to implement and giving faster results than others. However, the key to everything you do is consistency and it all starts at the top with "Relationship Building". (Note: They're not in any order as you go around the bullseye (your target audience). This is just the way they came into my head.)

Marketing is all about EVERYTHING you do to build your brand. It's about using multiple "hooks," so there's never a day when you're not doing something to build awareness for your business. It's not rocket science to understand, but it does take a little scientific discipline to weave a web around your target audience. You have to essentially be everywhere your target audience is with one goal...creating top of mind awareness.

When a client thinks about anything about photography, you want your name to be the first thing that comes into their head. That's no easy task and it requires discipline, focus and consistency.  Let's talk about your blog, because it's an easy example. You've got to post at least twice a week. Your blog accomplishes nothing if you hit it a few times a month. The purpose is to build followers, be helpful and give your reader base information they want and need to read about. You can't do that if you're inconsistent.

This isn't going to be a long drawn out post this morning. I just want you to realize how much you have to work with. In fact, it's safe to say you've not only got the most tools in the history of photography to create images, but the most marketing reach in the history of business.

This is the perfect time of year for you to focus on your arsenal of marketing tools and we're going to hit each component over the weeks ahead. I've got one goal - to help you make 2015 the best year yet!