Marketing Monday - Fourth Quarter Seasonality for Photographers

This week we officially hit the start of the fourth quarter and with it comes some terrific seasonality. While many of you have been thinking and working on your October - December promotional plans, a lot of you are still clueless. I've written a lot about so many different opportunities during the fourth quarter. Here are a few slightly different ways to take advantage of all the opportunities...

Blog Posts: Your website is about what you sell, but your blog is about what's in your heart and that includes being helpful. Use your blog to soft-sell your skill set. For example, we're coming into holiday season. Just about all of you are qualified to do a series to help people take better pictures. Lighting, posing, composition - they're all things you do every day without thinking. Even something as simple as showing images where you've moved in tighter on the subject will help your readers capture better looking images.

"As marketers we should change the mantra from always be closing to always be helping."
Jonathan Lister

One of my favorites through the holidays is reminding people to capture details. Get the shot of the Thanksgiving table before it looks like the apocalypse! Think about it - within five minutes after sitting down, one of the kids has spilled their milk, the turkey is carved and the table that Mom and Grandma just spent weeks thinking about is a disaster. Encourage people to get their memory-making images early and to let their images tell a story.
 
Publicity: There are all kinds of events in every community during the fourth quarter. From homecoming at the high school to Halloween and on into the November and December holidays. Check out what's going on in town with all the non-profits. Who's photographing the Kiwanis holiday party this year? What fund-raisers need help, with or without a camera in your hand?

Each event you get involved with is an opportunity for you to do a press release. Publicity doesn't just help you build your brand, but it also helps the organization you're supporting. It's a win-win all the way around.

Holiday Cards: I know, I'm a broken record...sadly there are only a few of you who even know what that expression means...LOL. Plan a holiday card using one of YOUR images or put yourself, your team or family in the image. Here's a card from good friends Melody and Eric last year.

Melody is a children's photographer in Las Vegas. She's used her two kids for the card and reminded everybody what she does for a living. On the back she's got her company name at the top. She used a heavy coated stock and it's first class all the way.

Front Cover

Back Cover

Inside Left

Inside Right

The seasonality of the fourth quarter is naturally doing so much of the work for you - people are already in a buying mood. Everyone is trying to think of creative gift ideas - there's no reason good photographers shouldn't be part of the process, but you have to be the one to plant the seed!