Need Help Expanding Into Family Photography?

Family should be the place where you can be your most complete self.
Where you're accepted and appreciated, seen and valued, even in moments of disagreement.
It should be your soft place to fall, the place where you're reminded that no matter what happens to you,
in the face of your deepest challenges, you are loved.
Oprah

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by Skip Cohen

In the hierarchy of why people hire a professional photographer, brides, babies, and pets are the top three based on studies done years ago by Kodak. I don't believe that's changed at all. Family photography and seniors come in at number four and five. My guess is that the two specialties swap places depending on the time of the year, but that doesn't change the potential to help professional artists grow their businesses.

In a post a few weeks back, I wrote about the Power of 3. Marathon Press offers a program that gives photographers a blueprint for marketing to seniors and families. The basic program is in three parts because you can't just hit your target audience one time and expect results.

Think about how much mail you throw out every day. Email, which most of us have access to via our phones, rarely survives long enough to even read if it's not a topic that we're interested in. And it's no different with "snail mail." But when we hit the mailbox, and something relevant catches our eye, we read it and log it in as something we might be interested in. In our house, something that's really interested winds up on the bulleting board in my home office or on a magnet near the fridge!

Marathon starts with helping you design the campaign, then implement it and follow up. The first mailing is your introduction to your audience. The second, allows families to look at your photography and recognize your studio as their best choice for their portraits. The third mailing is a solid reminder to book your session...NOW! And there's even a fourth mailing option for a "last chance" reminder.

Throughout the process, Marathon is driving the bus! Their team becomes your team and keeps the entire campaign on target. Plus, they offer protected exclusivity on a first-come, first-served basis within your zip code. I grabbed a screenshot of one of my favorite designs they offer with the program, but between text, fonts, colors, and layouts, every artist has an opportunity to create a piece that's an attention-grabber and unique.

Continuity Marketing: If you're a family photographer or interested in this genre, it's an ideal stepping stone for continuity marketing. Couples get married and start families. Kids grow up to become seniors and eventually brides and grooms and start their own families.  Along the way, there are opportunities for everything in portraiture, including headshots, commercial work and pet photography. 

Remember, relationship building is your best marketing tool. Family photography is all about the relationship you can establish with a family, and in turn, be there for all their imaging needs.

Looking to expand and grow your family photography business? All it takes is to click the link below to get started and put the Power of 3 to work for you. Now is the time to begin the process and planning for a strong campaign that will help you expand your business and brand awareness within your community.

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