Self-Promotional Campaigns - What's Your Plan?

[Shinnya]

I almost think that you have to change the expectation of how the advertisement works. In my opinion it is not cost-effective especially if you are on a budget marketing.

Instead, I think one of the most effective thing is to have someone write about yourself whether it is on magazine or newspaper. It does not have to be national-level, and of course that is difficult to being with. You can start from local news and even a community newspaper. If you have a friend who is a writer, you should ask if he/she may be interested in writing about you and your work.

Again, you will need to pitch the story to them in a way that would interest them. Whether it is that you use a 100 years old camera or the way you make your prints, you should emphasize something "unique" about it. You may think those are a superficial quality to your work, but the important thing is that you need to be catchy.

One article about your work goes much further than a series of advertisement. People think there is something authoritative about you and your work if it is written in an article. You may think it is superficial, but that is the world we live in. You got to play their game. But once it is written somewhere, it would be much easier to be written again in something else. On top of that, it does not cost you anything aside from your time.

Warmly,
Tsuyoshi

 

[Cheryl Jacobs]

Tsuyoshi, that's exactly what I was describing in my previous post. Works very well.

- CJ

 

[PhotoBob]

publishing?

One thing I am thankful for is having some of my work published, unfortunately not as consistently as I would like. However, this to the best of my recollection has not resulted in clients save one inquiry some time ago which went nowhere.
I also think highly of word of mouth which I believe was already mentioned.

 

[blaze-on]

OK, so maybe let's direct this thread to a no-or-low budget approach.

I will continue to do paid advertising including direct mail because, well, they work for me, and I know my market. Paid advertising typically does takes a consistent approach (more than once) to yield valid results, though I've had success from one timers, as have many of my advertising clients. I'm surprised that it has not yielded results for the rest of you.

Word of mouth is almost a given if you do good work and offer good service, and of course, your clients are happy.

Displays are great but finding a place that will allow you to put one up without paying them is hard to find. I'm surprised Starbucks allowed that.
I do have my cards at several businesses (mom&pops) around town here because I know the owners or have worked for them. So definitely use that resource.

I offer a referral discount toward future service as well, but don't have a specific referral card, just let clients know. But I do give them several of my postcard handouts to pass on though, so the person receiving has a visual reference/sample of my work.

Other avenues for free advertising or no cost are limited, and will involve at least your time. Time is money. Bartering as I mentioned in previous post is always worth a try.

For those who will do or want to do a paid ad insertion, look carefully at the
magazine/paper/kiosk/whatever and see how you can make your ad pop out from all the others. Look for best placement options (section, right or left read, etc) and if possible, inquire as to what other ads will be on the same page/display/etc and design yours to really stand out. There are so many variables for effective advertising.

I mentioned I do work for the local arts council here, and they have a website where you can add a free artist profile. Check your area to see if that's available. Ours also has a class/workshop page which I have utilized as well. Free is nice, but all too rare.

Jon, don't ya just hate it when they spell your name wrong!

 

[Shinnya]

One of the venues we use is Craigslist. If you are in a relatively larger city in US, there is a good chance that you have one for your city. It is a free classified ads basically. But they are very popular in larger cities.

We place ads like this to market our classes and workshops. Again, we always try to visually pleasant layout with some images that we will repeat. This particular image comes from our fundraising print sale. Again, I am trying to get the image familiarized.

Some people simply put their URL in artist section. While this may be ok, but I would try to describe who you are and what you are about. It certainly needs to be short and concise.

People may not look at your website just because of this. But the real benefit of posting on craigslist is that it will tremendously help any search engines to pick up your post on CL. In fact, they will pick them up before your website.

This is why the description of yourself and work is very important. I would make sure that you are using right kind of key "phrases" which people who are searching for a photographic print would use. Again, not the words, but phrases since that is how people search stuffs online.

This is one way to not only promote your work locally, but also help search engines to find your online presence.

Warmly,
Tsuyoshi

 

[Nicole]

IMO word of mouth and referral business is the best way to go. It's amazing once you build up a network of people who love your work and trust you and the contacts you make with clients and gallieries etc... Miracles don't always happen so realistically you should allow 2-3 years for your business to grow to an acceptably crazy pace.

 

[per volquartz]

Of course direct mail will work...

... if highly targeted. Be it from a list you build yourself (probably best) to a list that you would purchase. And of course word-of-mouth is great (probaly the best way of marketing if the word-of-mouth circle is big enough).

Photographers, graphic designers and artists are notorious for not having a clue about marketing and self promotion. The idea of making a few wonderful prints and having the world bang on your door is naive at best.
Cost of adverting / marketing should be incorporated into any business venture (and the selling of photography and prints is a business venture).

Photographers talk to great lengths about the wonderful quality of a Dagor lens, yet have no clue about the wonderful aspects of a well thought out marketing plan (regardless of costs...)

 

[Gay Larson]

Photographers, graphic designers and artists are notorious for not having a clue about marketing and self promotion.

I agree totally, having spent 30 years in broadcast advertising, I thought I would be a step above other photographers but I learned that it's much easier to promote and advertise anyone else other than yourself. I shake in my boots when I think of taking my work to a gallery. I know how to promote and how to advertise but I can't imagine doing it for myself unless I have tons of money. It's a mystery.

 

[Gary Holliday]

Great timing for this thread! I've moved into a new city/ country and face the prospect of starting from scratch. Today I sent my expensive ad into the yellow pages, I heard that the USA edition is somewhere not to advertise!

I'm getting to know the area and understand there is plenty of money in Cambridge, intelligent of course and have a keen interest in art. I plan to use direct marketing and I believe I can directly target the customers I would like to attract.

I'll design the postcards myself and even personally deliver them to ensure they actually reach the letterboxes! I had wondered if this was a lost cause but who is going to find me if I sit here quietly.

I like the idea of referral cards printed from a CDR, so will investigate this.

If I'm targeting wealthy clients with a unique style of portraiture, can I charge £1000/ $2000 a session so soon?

My next project will be to advertise in shopping centres, A professional display will not cheapen your image. In my view, try every form of advertising possible.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

If your target audience is people willing to spend a thousand pounds for a sitting, then the Yellow Pages and shopping centres are not the place to do your advertising. Someone spending that kind of money wants something they feel is "exclusive" and "rare". If you can get a few of those customers, they'll give you terrific word-of-mouth advertising. There is a general perception (largely wrong, but real) that someone who needs to advertise isn't the person you want to do the job. If you must advertise in shopping centres, pick very select and upscale ones. Actually, just go with ONE. First, to see if it actually works, and second, so that you don't dilute your image as a high-end portrait photographer.

 

[Cheryl Jacobs]

Yes to everything Flying Camera said. In this business, your image is everything, unfortunately. You might do the best portrait work in the world, but if your upscale target market perceives you as cheap, you'll really struggle.

In other words, I could put hand-printed, perfectly toned gorgeous prints in beautiful frames and display them in.... the nearby half-dead strip mall with the dollar store, and I have just hurt myself.

Another thought I'll throw out there...

When I did my first bonafide gallery show, I really thought it would help bring in portrait clients. After all, the gallery was exactly in my target market (just a few blocks from the Starbucks I displayed in) and it was a show of child photography. I didn't get any portrait work from it -- and it was silly to expect to. People strolling through a gallery don't generally do it with toddlers in tow, and when they do, they're looking for art work, not a portrait photographer.

However, the show was still highly beneficial to my portrait business because it added to my reputation as an artist. I put the show information on my portrait site and marketing, and made sure all my clients were aware that the work I did of THEIR children would also be gallery worthy. Building your legitimacy and reputation as a true artist helps tremendously when you're working to command top dollar.

- CJ

 

[epatsellis]

Cheryl,

Interesting, as I'm heading down that same path, hopefully. As a matter of fact, if it wasn't for dumb-ass luck, I probably wouldn't have any.

I've been unemployed recently after closing my sign shop, and have been out doing tactile anti depression therapy (shooting all the film I've been hoarding). My wife and I were shooting in a cemetery in a small town, one of the local's struck up a conversation....turns out she's a 4th or 5th gen. descendant of one of the bigwigs in this town (VIP, small town wise).

About 3 or 4 months afterwards, I stopped up there to drop off some prints I had made of the chapel in the cemetery, and was talking to the lady that owns the antique store in town (whose husband does all the maintenance and such for aforementioned VIP, small town, remember). Turns out that this lady and her husband had moved here from South Africa a few years ago, not only did they own a dozen or so antique stores in South Africa, but also several galleries. (her sister owns the art studio next door, and has classes and shows every few months)

When the topic turned to what I do for a living, and my photography, I brought my (admittedly small) portfolio in, she went nuts, insisted that I must have a show, and was end of May OK? And she wants to have me shoot more around that town, and she'll have a permanent exhibit in her shop, as well as a few prints in her sister's gallery. In all fairness, this little town is on Route 66 and lots of Chicagoans stop at her shop, she's developed quite a reputation for being reasonably priced and having good antiques.

I've always shot for myself, if somebody else likes it, great, but it's more therapy for me, and to make up for not shooting for nearly 20 years. So far, in the last week, I've had 3 emails from other galleries, that now want me to display, either in a 3-4 person show, or solo. Based strictly on what they were told by one, seemingly nobody. (and I'm sure by looking at my website to get an idea of who I am/what I shoot)

Now the hard part, more shooting, printing and finding the funds to frame prints. I'm sure I'll get it done, things have a way of happening if they're truly meant to be.

Moral of the story, tell everybody what you do, somebody just might be that one person to help you.


erie

 

[ijsbeer]

Hi everyone,

Nice post to read and very much to learn about it.
here's my little selfpromotional idea and it worked quite good IMHO.

For christmas I made christmas-cards with a small biography and website on the back of the card. Sold them to people I know. Printed 85 cards in my darkroom and sold them all . the card sales covered my material costs and I think itś a good way to spread the word.

 

[Daniel_OB]

Cheryl
I started my business learning from experience of other photogs. Generally, all you said is end experience of many. It always was a joke not a mail to come into client’s house, but photographer with a camera. Mail does not works. Just to add one way more. Go to society on sick people, say diabetis, and offer, through society, to make a portrait for free for anyone with diabetis. When once you get in you will find and many healthy people too. The joke is to get into the house, and if you are good it is it. One by one.

However Cheryl I would like to ask you one question: You charge $5000 per portrait session. I am very sure HCBresson will be happy with that rate, Ansel Adams too. And you advertise yourself with 35 mm camera in hand. Is not something strange in it, or all these posts are also adds. As I know customer also WANT to see photogs commitment, rather than moving around with a camera that they also have, might be and better. What you can achieve with 35 mm neg no one will pay $5000 for sure. Clients are not museum curators to estimate artistical value of your photographs and pay that much. The very fist impact you can make is technical which you nor anyone else can make with any kind of Leica and Apo-Macro Elmarit even.
Sorry, but I agree with you at all you said, no exception, but something is strange in it all. Man $5000 is Toyota in very good condition. I wish your charge is true.
I just have to edit my post and to add:
To get money out of rich people is a terrible think, even $1. Even they are not so emutional about their kids. Business is their life, not emotions. Businessman with emotions go under the ice suprisingly fast. The best customers are average class, and no way for them to pay you talk about even if Remrandt himself is in question. Again I wish you the best luck.

www.Leica-R.com

 

[Shinnya]

I cannot stress enough the importance of online presence these days. I am sure it is a such obvious thing for some, but not quite for others. I mean a lot of people do find stuffs online these days.

For instance, if you go to goggle and type "platinum printing workshop," our site will come up with the title of "Photography Classes/Workshops at Project Basho...." This is very immediate, and people will click the link to our site.

Or if you type "photography class in philadelphia," it will pick up a link to Art-Support, the listing of workshops and classes in the states. If you follow the list, there is our listing on craigslist before a link to our site directly like I mentioned earlier.

Though I certainly do not understand how exactly each search engines work, but these are powerful thing, and it is part of important marketing today.

You should use key phrases to see if you site comes up or not. Again, it is important to use phrases, not just words. You have to think like a person who is looking for a photograph to buy.

if you are designing your site or have an ability to change things in the code, put those key words in the <title> tag of each page. It is surprising how much you can get optimized for these search engines.

Warmly,
Tsuyoshi

 

[Cheryl Jacobs]

Dear Daniel,

First, I have no idea what you're talking about. My portrait website photo of myself in action shows me with a medium format Bronica SQ-Ai (see attached). It's not 35mm.

Secondly, I would like to know why you believe it's the equipment that's important? Do you really believe that the camera makes the photo? It's not the EQUIPMENT that should set apart a really gifted professional photographer; it's what he/she does with it! It's the eye that matters.

I cannot stress that enough.

When you go to a fine restaurant and really enjoy the food, do you first enquire of the chef what kind of pans he uses? If he uses the same kind you do, does it make the food worse? It's a silly argument.

You can find a $5000 portrait session strange all you want, in any case, but it does not make it less true. There are many, many people who have and are willing to spend the money for the kind of work that can't get anywhere else. If the photographer is truly good at what he/she does and is truly unique in his style, people will recognize that.

- CJ

Cheryl
However Cheryl I would like to ask you one question: You charge $5000 per portrait session. I am very sure HCBresson will be happy with that rate, Ansel Adams too. And you advertise yourself with 35 mm camera in hand. Is not something strange in it, or all these posts are also adds. As I know customer also WANT to see photogs commitment, rather than moving around with a camera that they also have, might be and better. What you can achieve with 35 mm neg no one will pay $5000 for sure. Clients are not museum curators to estimate artistical value of your photographs and pay that much. The very fist impact you can make is technical which you nor anyone else can make with any kind of Leica and Apo-Macro Elmarit even.
Sorry, but I agree with you at all you said, no exception, but something is strange in it all. Man $5000 is Toyota in very good condition. I wish your charge is true.
www.Leica-R.com

 

[Cheryl Jacobs]

One more thing, as you've pushed a hot button for me.

You said, "Clients are not museum curators to estimate artistical [sic] value of your photographs and pay that much."

I think you need to remember that the value in art of any kind can only be measured by what someone is will to pay for it. If someone wants to pay $5000 for a photograph, then to them, that is its worth.

You're also making many, many assumptions as far as the $5000 figure. I have never said that $5000 was to pay for a single photograph. And it's not that I "charge" $5000 -- it's that that's what clients end up spending on the prints they want. Some spend more, some spend less. Some clients buy many small prints, others buy session albums, othes are more interested in having a few big framed pieces.

 

[Ray Bidegain]

How about marketing prints rather than services

Bill:

Nice start on this follow up to the other thread.

I would also be interested in hearing from some photographers who are marketing prints of their own work rather than marketing portrait services. I think they are very different clients, those of us who have done commercial or portrait photography know that it is surprisingly easier to find a parent willing to spend a pile of money on a portrait of their child than it is to find a collector willing to spend a pile of money on a print.

We as "fine art photographers” find that we have to market to several clients at once. We might need to market to galleries or dealers, or individual collectors. Sometimes to other photographers if we are selling education. I read an interesting post by Brooks Jensen on another forum where he talked about how important it is to match your marketing efforts to your desired client base. It made sense to me that maybe the first step is to think about where you want to see your work. Take Paul Strand for instance, somewhere along the line he made the decision that he mainly wanted to see his photographs in books.

Have any of you made a list of just exactly where you want to see your work?

Thanks,

Ray Bidegain

 

[Gary Holliday]

I cannot stress enough the importance of online presence these days. ...
Though I certainly do not understand how exactly each search engines work, but these are powerful thing, and it is part of important marketing today.

You should use key phrases to see if you site comes up or not. Again, it is important to use phrases, not just words. You have to think like a person who is looking for a photograph to buy.

if you are designing your site or have an ability to change things in the code, put those key words in the <title> tag of each page. It is surprising how much you can get optimized for these search engines.

Warmly,
Tsuyoshi

Here are some excellent pages for anyone looking to attract traffic to their site.

http://www.tamingthebeast.net/articles2/optimization-tutorials.htm

http://www.tamingthebeast.net/articles5/site-not-listed.htm

I agree you need to think like joe blog trying to find a photographer. A search like that brought me to a directory site which I'd never heard of, yet it is always very high in a google page ranking whether it's for photographers or plumbers. Adding yourself to a directory or even linking via this forum will raise your search engine profile.