Seasonality Has Arrived! Are You Ready?

by Skip Cohen

It's Friday, and for us, it's definitely a TGIF kind of day. I've been AWOL for this past week with travel, a few challenges, still cleaning up after Hurricane Milton and having to prioritize writing blog posts. If I've learned nothing else in all my years in business, you simply can't do it all. However, except thinking about the possibility of one more major storm in Florida, I've got a clear head, and it's really good to be back!

The catalogs above were all in yesterday's mail—ten different companies, of which only five have an actual purchase history with us, and three of the five were at least three years ago. But once they have your name, they don't give up!

One common denominator is all the specials—from free shipping to significant discounts to buyer clubs, they're covering virtually every imaginable benefit of ordering early and making them your choice for the holiday season. There's so much we can learn from these companies.
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• Planning: They have their act together regarding what they want to offer this holiday season. All of them started at least six months ago. If your timing has been off, and you're still undecided, use the time ahead to start thinking about what you want to do for the winter and spring...NOW. And there's still a little time to create a few well-placed reminders of gift ideas for 2024 using social media.
• Diversity: Several catalogs feature more than just the standard product line they're known for, but things outside their normal business, focusing on holiday needs. For example, gourmet foods and clothing show up several times in companies not known for these products.
• Timing: While yesterday was a big day for catalogs, we've been receiving 6-12 a week since just before Halloween. On a trip to Costco just before Halloween, they had a few Christmas trees, decorations, and lights already on the retail floor. In terms of email - everything is early this year. The justification seems to be that "Thanksgiving is late this year...so Black Friday is coming early." 
• Getting through the noise: While the direct mail catalogs prompted me to write this post, my email has been flooded with the same promotional material. My point is that everybody uses every vehicle to cut through the noise and get your attention. Sadly, because they're all doing the same thing, they're the ones creating all the noise they want to cut through!
• Photography: Whether it's tabletop commercial work, food, or clothing working with models - from the covers to the pages inside, most companies have done their homework regarding how their products are presented, along with the accompanying text.  

It's Friday, and I don't want to bury you in detail, but here are a few lessons you can learn from looking at your snail mail catalogs:

• There's no such thing as over-planning your promotions. Start early and think through your marketing approach ahead of the crowd.
• Pay attention to the text and descriptions of the offers and the products. Over the years I've seen so many promotions from photographers, that were barely understandable. Proof-read what you're sending out, but more importantly have a few other people read what you've written. 
  
• If you're a one-trick pony, it's time to diversify a little. Include a few logical specialties outside your core focus. A wedding photographer, for example, should include coverage of maternity, newborn, and children/family work. And if you don't have the skills or desire, look for a partner with those skills. 
• Create your own calendar to share the excitement of seasonal offerings. Start planting the seeds early, using social media, and then expand to direct mail and more intense email as your promotional dates get closer.
• You can't do anything about the noise out there, but you can do things that stand out and help create top-of-mind awareness for your business. For example, this is the perfect time to remind the community of your involvement. From charity walks to community fund-raising drives, be involved and then share your experiences on your blog, FB page, Instagram, etc. 
• Make your presentation stand out by showcasing the diversity of your products/services. Vary the images you share on your website, but keep them in line with your overall specialty. Show color, black and white, and technical skills like macro, dragging the shutter, etc. You don't need to step too far away from the basics to get people's attention. This should include traditional prints, canvas, metal, albums, and even videos, especially holiday cards.

Here's the bottom line - no matter what your specialty there's always time to keep your name out there and remind people what you do for a living!

​No matter what you celebrate - Don't procrastinate your way through this year's holiday season.

Wishing everybody a terrific weekend ahead!

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