Searching for New Business and Clients

© ipopba

At the same time, we're into Spring seasonality, and activity for many of you has picked up, you can never slow down looking for new business. So many of you forget that new business doesn't have to mean new clients. Today, you've got the most extensive set of marketing tools in the history of business, and they often combine new technology with some of the old tried and true relationship builders.

It's "Marketing Monday" and the perfect time to help you develop a list of things you should be doing all year long. This list is only meant to be a beginning and certainly isn't all-inclusive. But just maybe it will plant a seed or two to help you be more active in building your more revenue!

And, remember, as I've written dozens of time before - if your skill set sucks, finding clients and getting people to trust you means nothing. Any moron can get their first customer. The challenge is getting them to come back a second, third and fourth time, and tell all their friends. This is a word-of-mouth business, and nothing spreads faster than horror stories. However, if you've done an excellent job and exceeded client expectations, nothing has more influence than past clients talking about you and sharing your work. ​

"Profit in business comes from repeat customers,
customers that boast about your project or service and that bring friends with them."
W. Edwards Deming

• Your database: For those artists who have been established even just a year or two, I'm always surprised how everyone forgets their past clients. You've got to remind people who you are and create top-of-mind awareness whenever they think about photography. While email is great - texting gives you a new way to reach both past and future clients. And depending on the relationship, a personal phone call or letter might be a great way to build new business.
• Mobile Texting: Communication is continually changing, and the team at PhotoTexting.com is giving artists the ability to stay in touch with their target audience; simplify your marketing; close new clients faster, and build relationships that return new business. I'm using their Speaker App myself when teaching marketing classes. If you're not familiar with the potential for texting to build your stronger business, PhotoTexting is just a click away.
• Own your zip code!  Get out and pound the pavement! Get to know every business within your zip code. Offer your services. You might be the most focused wedding photographer on the planet, but that doesn't mean you can't help a business owner in the community with a new headshot; capture images at an event for the Chamber of Commerce; or post stories on your blog about vendors in your community, etc. You only need to introduce yourself and offer to be helpful whenever it comes to anything under the imaging umbrella.
• Be active in your community!  The best way to get people to know you're out there is through personal contact! Get involved in a charity or two, the local school system, your church, community centers, etc. And, it doesn't have to always be with a camera in your hands - this is about being helpful and giving back.
• Social Media: It probably should be first on the list, since it represents such a massive vehicle to help you expand your reach. Be active on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, with topics targeting your customer base. A few years ago, my good buddy, Scott Bourne, picked up a huge commercial job, just because he chose to follow somebody interesting on Twitter. That "follow" led to his new client seeing his images and hiring him for a specific project. 
• Advertising: It's still important, even in the age of social media! You don't need to spend a fortune, just be consistent. You need to be in the same spot of the local paper, community website, magazine, whatever the vehicle is in your community. If you plan on running a couple of times and then stopping to see the results, you're wasting your money!  You need consistency for a couple of months, and advertising alone isn't enough but needs to go hand in hand with other vehicles both in print and online.
• Develop a promotional schedule: I've written a lot about Vicki Taufer over the years. She created a complete promotional calendar with more picture ideas for Mom than Hallmark could ever think of! Develop your own calendar of events and then keep your community up to date with each promotion. And as we get into the fall, it's loaded with potential for Halloween, back to school, Thanksgiving and the December holidays. Plus, images from these events become terrific content for your blog.
• Use your blog! Your website is about what you sell, but your blog is about what's in your heart. I've shared so many posts on blogging, including topic ideas. This is a reminder to fill your blog with posts about topics of interest to your target audience. If it's brides, then start to develop content of interest to them. If your target is Mom and the kids, then start writing about tips to get the kids to relax in front of the camera or better yet, talk about what makes a day-in-the-life shoot so special. Give clothing suggestions, times of day, etc. And remember, if you're not blogging at least twice a week - then give it up until you have a stash of posts to help you be more consistent.
• Know your target! It's believed that 98% of the purchase decisions to hire a professional photographer, in the portrait, social specialties are made by women! So, if you're website is overly masculine, or you're advertising in Guns and Ammo, it's a mistake! If you know your target, then you can design a look and feel for your site that appeals to that audience. Fill it with content equally appealing.
• Network, network, network! You've got to talk to other vendors in the community and work together to hit your target. Look for partners who might want to share the cost of a direct mail piece, for example. A wedding photographer, along with a florist and travel agent, make perfect partners.
• Set up a networking luncheon. I've repeatedly written about this in the past. Find a good solid cheap place for lunch that has a private or semi-private room. Then invite every business in the community having an interest in the same target audience as you do. If you're a wedding photographer, for example, then it's going to be anybody in the wedding business, which includes, bridal salons, caterers, travel agents, florists, limo companies, bakeries, music promoters, tux shops, wedding planners, venue managers, and salons.  Come up with a flat price for lunch (you're not looking for a margin) and then invite them to join you once a month. Imagine the network you can build and the potential for cross-promoting each other's services/products. 
• Direct mail is still strong. Personally I love hearing about vendors who partner, share the costs and extend their reach by working together to hit a common target. For example a wedding photographer might work together with a florist and caterer to design a postcard and then mail it once a quarter. Check out Marathon Press for any of their marketing continuity programs. For example, here's the link to Maraton's 2020 program for seniors.
• Buy a list and keep building your data base. There are hundreds of companies selling lists sorted by lifestyle topics and zip codes! And, keep your database up to date. Every wedding you photograph has the potential to provide children and family clients down the road. Keep in touch with your past clients! 
• Thank your past clients: PhotoTexting offers a "Customer Appreciation App" which can be designed to offer virtually anything to thank clients. And, if you're looking to focus more on individuals or your specialty, consider David Ziser's idea from years back - do a free portrait sitting on the first anniversary of a previous wedding client. Imagine the word-of-mouth horsepower when a bride tells her friends about her photographer remembering their anniversary! If you're a commercial photographer, Dean Collins used to do something similar. For example, he'd contact the president of a company whose annual report or catalog he photographed and as a "thanks," he'd do a free family portrait for the holidays. This is all about relationship building - your strongest marketing tool.

 
Finding new business isn't rocket-science, but it does take work, time, patience and planning. The customers are out there, but you've got to make sure they know who you are, where you are, and how to find you!

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