The Road to Seasonality - Part VIII: Top of Mind Awareness

by Skip Cohen

There are parts of this post I've hit numerous times in other posts, but that doesn't make my point any less relevant!

The clock is ticking, and the remarkable seasonality of the fourth quarter is almost here. Yet, so many of you are still acting like a deer in the headlights, and not taking action.  It's never too late to start establishing yourself as the expert in imaging in your community!

​With or without Covid - it's not who YOU know, but WHO knows you! So here's a list to help you keep your name out there in the spotlight. Your goal is top-of-mind awareness, so your name comes up first, anytime somebody is thinking about photography.
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• Stay in touch with your past clients: I love an idea Steven Gotz shared at the beginning of the pandemic. Here's the link. In summary, he took portraits of clients and pulled the color, converted them to line-art, and sent them to clients with young children as coloring book pages. It's a brilliant way to help lift the spirits of your clients and, at the same time, remind them you're there. He's created coloring books for his clients with young children.
• Own Your Zip Code: Draw a circle around where you're based and start knocking on doors! Wear a mask, and respect physical distancing.  Introduce yourself to the other businesses in the community...and IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR SPECIALTY IS! My favorite example is a wedding photographer walking into a real estate office. Once you've introduced yourself, all you need to say is, "My specialty is wedding photography, but I've got an incredible network. If you ever need any help with anything photo-related, give me a call. If I can't help you directly, I'm sure I know somebody who can."  And don't forget each one of these businesses are going to be looking for photography for their own holiday card - they have the same challenge you do: remind people they're open for business.
• Use Your Blog: Your website is about what you sell, and your blog is about what's in your heart. Post at least twice a week, same days, same times. Share stories/ideas relatable to your readership. Remember, you're building a community. Talk about the diversity of your skillset. Share tips on photography, especially posing, lighting, and composition. For most of you, your target audience is "Mom." Share content that's relevant to her needs.
• Teach a Class: Just about all of you, unless you started yesterday, have enough expertise to help the community raise the bar on better photographs this holiday season, even if they're only shooting with a cell phone. Share tips on composition, lighting, fill flash, posing, exposure, and storytelling.  Help your readers become better photographers and storytellers. And here's a new topic - teach a class on using Zoom, Skype, etc. Everyone is dealing with more interaction online, but so few consumers know what they're doing and spend their time sharing poorly lit nostril shots on their phones.
• Partnerships: See my previous post.
• Social Media: In the portrait/social categories of photography, that means being primarily involved on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. But remember, there are no erasers on the Internet. Stay relevant to your audience. Don't engage trolls! And stay focused on your passion for people and your art. You know how to hold focus on your subjects with your camera - so maintain focus on your audience's needs. Use Facebook's birthday and anniversary features to keep track of key dates with your clients. The pandemic hasn't slowed anything down in social media.
• Pick up the Phone: When in doubt, call a past client. You don't need to be selling anything. The call's purpose is to let them know you're thinking about them and just want to know how everybody is. My suggestion is to make at least two calls a day to past clients. This is purely social, and all about keeping in touch.
• Show Your Work: Years ago, Bambi Cantrell displayed her images in a local Starbucks. Helen Yancy, a past president of PPA, started out showing her work in a local diner. In every community there's at least one coffee shop that needs better decorating. Offer to decorate your doctor's office. Think about it - almost every doctor's office is the same - BORING! Let's get some good photographs on the wall, and all you're asking is to leave a stack of your business cards on the magazine table. 
• Career Day at ANY School: If we've learned nothing else from the toy manufacturers - the way to get to Mom and Dad is through their kids. Every school needs help with special programming, and most of them are dealing with online education. Offer to do a career day presentation online or live in the classroom. Talk about what it's like being a photographer. Don't be boring and just talk - show photographs, special techniques, and things they can do with their cell phones! Here's your chance to make education more fun.
• Build a Community Calendar: Everyone is always looking for new blog content. So, keep a calendar on your blog of upcoming community events, primarily non-profit fundraisers. With each event you attend, share the story with a paragraph or two and photographs. It's a great way to build up your reputation as a community supporter and be more recognized.
• Join Community Groups: From PPA affiliates to photography guilds to organizations like Kiwanis, Exchange Club, Rotary, and business networking groups, be involved. You're building a network of relationships! And in addition to being active in each organization - who's photographing this year's holiday party? Who's doing the headshots of the new officers of the association? Are there special events coming up where publicity photographs can play a role, either before the event or after?
• Community Involvement: People like buying products/services from companies they perceive as giving back. Again, see my previous post.

Here's my point - I'm hearing great stories, from photographers around the country whose businesses are strong and even a couple who told me they're tracking to their biggest year ever! So, stop standing at the airport waiting for your ship to come in! 

Don't miss so many solid opportunities to get your business back on track this holiday season. And if you're stuck trying to figure out what to do next - you know where to fine me!

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