Seasonality in Professional Photography: Time to Wake Up!

by Skip Cohen

​It's been a crazy week regarding special projects, eating up the clock, and finding time to post. It was so busy that I even missed my favorite day of the week...Throwback Thursday. I'm writing today as a reminder that we're down to the wire, and if you missed doing anything for the first "race in the trifecta," Mother's Day in the US this weekend, you've still got graduation and Father's Day over the next five weeks!  

Too many of you still consider active marketing something you only need to do when business is slow. You procrastinate and wait for your ship to come in, but when it does, you find yourself at the airport! I'm here to remind you that it's time to wake up and aggressively go after Spring Seasonality!

I use a lot of Adobe Stock photography, especially when trying to illustrate a point. So, I went to my download library and pulled four favorites from the archives.  Each image makes a point.

If you missed promoting your services and products for Mother's Day, crank up the volume and aggressively target family/graduate portraiture and Dad's for Father's Day. Based on the clock ticking down, I'd go after Father's Day, which is five weeks away. 

Think about it—most dads are missing an updated family portrait. Even more apparent is the target buyer—it's MOM! Women make 98% of the purchase decisions to hire a professional photographer in the portrait/social category. Plus, for most families with young children, Mom makes the choice regarding "What should we get Dad for Father's Day?"

• Direct Mail:​ More active than ever, snail mail is back with a vengeance. Think about how much email you toss, never even bothering to take a look at what it was. A well-designed postcard, especially if you bring in 1-2 additional partners, is cost-efficient and expands your reach...and it gets through the noise better than social media.
• Social Media: I'm a fan of direct mail, but you have to weave a web around your target, and reaching Mom, who's usually active in social media needs to recognize your presence. Facebook is a great resource for reaching moms, but you have to be selective and find the forums where moms hang out.
• Cross-promotions: Look for partnerships in your community to cross-promote and share the cost of direct mail and social media. For example, how about a partnership between a sporting goods store and a photographer or a restaurant or event venue and a photographer? 
• Regular Promotions: Years ago, children's photographer Vicki Taufer used to do an annual calendar with a different portrait theme every month. As a working pro today, regardless of your specialty, there's no excuse not to put together a new promotion for at least each quarter of the year. Each one doesn't have to be a show-stopper, but it does have to be strong enough to get the attention of your target audience.

​Here's the bottom line today - This year has enormous potential, even in these bizarre times, and you're in a service minimally impacted by tariffs and politics. Don't miss the opportunity to finish the year feeling like the two kids below!