Most photographers don’t want to be a salesperson selling photography. Many hate to advertise or promote themselves. Most don’t want to call attention to themselves by yelling, “Hire me!”
Photographers generally just want to go out, make some nice pictures and then have a cheque magically arrive in the mail. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. You must show loud confidence in your business. If you’re not confident about you then the customer won’t be confident about you.
In the previous post, I wrote about advertising, marketing and being remarkable. In that post, it was suggested that advertising isn’t always the best option when marketing a business. But other forms of marketing are possible and even required.
First, a photographer has to think of marketing as a way for them to share their creative talents with the world or at least with their local area. It’s not icky advertising. It’s not yelling, “Hire me!”
Tell don’t sell
Marketing is simply you, the photographer, telling potential customers about your creative abilities. Okay, maybe it’s a bit more than that. The trick is doing the telling in a way that shows you have what a customer wants. Your marketing must be from the customer’s perspective not yours.
If your marketing is only “I do this . . .” and “I do that . . .”, then you’re wearing your salesman hat; you’re trying to sell yourself to the customer.
But customers don’t want to buy a photographer. They want to buy a photographic solution to their problem.
Your marketing should be about the customer and what they want.
A very simple example:
Whenever you meet someone who might be a potential customer, tell that person you’re a photographer! Obviously you’re not going to stand on a street corner and do this. But it can be done in some social situations.
An easy way to do this is to first ask the other person what they do for a living. They will then ask about you or you can volunteer your information. It’s not hard sell, it’s just casual conversation.
And here’s where the marketing kicks in.
Don’t just say, “I’m a photographer.”
Your answer would be based on what the other person said was their occupation. For example, if the other person said they worked for an insurance company, you might say, “I’m a photographer who helps companies improve their marketing. For example, if your insurance company needs business portraits for your web site, you’d call me for the photography. Here’s my card.” (It really helps to have an interesting business card and not just a plain white card.)
I’ve done this in a dental office waiting room, a car dealership’s service waiting room, at dinner parties and backyard barbecues. It’s just casual conversation. You’re telling not selling.
Marketing your photo business is just talking about your photography services from the perspective of the customer. It’s not so much “hire me!” but rather it’s “this is how can I help you.” You’re giving potential customers information on how they can benefit from your photography. No salesman required.
