Toronto editorial and portrait photographer

Story Marketing

October 21, 2015 No Comments

A lot of folks are either having a good laugh or scratching their head over the $500 bridal selfie stick that was shown at a New York fashion show.

The boutique clothing designer said the selfie stick wasn’t just a fashion runway prop but that it’s a real product. She even claimed the product was already out of stock. (Out of stock even before it was in stores?!)

A bride could easily buy a cheaper selfie stick and decorate it themselves but they won’t have a “designer” selfie stick. Of course, no one should have a selfie stick or even a pair of selfie shoes ;-) but that’s another post.

Who would buy a $500 selfie stick? Someone who thinks it’s worth $500.
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You can trust me on this

September 29, 2015 No Comments

Photographers are often told to sell value rather than just pictures. But when it comes to value, there can be a disconnect between photographer and customer.

A photographer generally tries to sell future value: how the photos might be used and enjoyed in the future.

But a customer often sees only the immediate value: the cost of the photography today.

If cost is greater than perceived worth then the customer won’t buy.

It’s difficult for any business to sell the future because we only see the present and we only know how we feel today.

A solution is that you have to realize that it’s not about cost, high or low. It’s really about worth or the lack thereof. If a customer sees little perceived worth today then your only option may be to lower your price and even that may not be enough.

Having to discount your prices is proof that your current marketing has failed.

Once you understand that worth is related to trust, then perhaps you’ll change your marketing to build trust rather than to promote low prices.

Customers can, and want to, feel trust today.

Photo Saturation

September 29, 2015 No Comments

There are nine take-out pizza stores within a one-kilometre radius of my home. How did they know I like pizza so much? More importantly, how much pizza do I and my neighbours have to eat to keep all those stores in business?

If you were the only photographer in town, you’d probably be quite busy with work. If a second photographer arrived in town, would the total number of photography customers double or would the existing number of customers be somehow split between you and the other photographer?

What if the number of photographers in your town went up by a factor of ten, fifty, a hundred or more? How would that affect your business?

It’s said that competition is good for business (and good for customers). More competition can increase customer awareness of your products and services which then might increase demand for your business.
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Experience or Just Service?

August 11, 2015 No Comments

With many photographers in your area using similar equipment, offering similar services, and having similar websites, how do you set yourself apart? After visiting a few websites, potential customers may assume all photographers are the same.

What can you do to stand out? Create a flashier website? Offer deeper discounts? Invest in trendy backdrops or lighting accessories?

None of these are long term solutions.

Instead, focus on understanding your customer more deeply. What are they really looking for when they search for a photographer? What concerns or constraints do they have when hiring one? What do they expect when working with a photographer? And how do they want to use the photos you deliver? These considerations have nothing to do with shutter speeds, pixel counts, or focal lengths.

This isn’t about customer service but rather it’s about customer experience (link to PDF). The two are not the same.

In short, customer experience is the overall impression a customer takes away from their interaction with your business. For a photographer, this experience often begins the moment a potential client visits your website. Customer service, while an important part of the experience, refers specifically to what a business does for the customer.

By improving your customer experience and gaining a deeper understanding of your clients’ needs, you can become their photographer of choice, more so than any new gear or price discount could ever achieve.

Fade to Blacks

June 10, 2015 1 Comment

Every Canadian news outlet today reported that Blacks, a 67-year-old Canadian retail chain of 59 photography stores, will shut down within two months.

[Update: It didn’t completely shut down. See end of post].

(To be accurate: In 1930, Eddie Black opened a Toronto radio and appliance store, “Eddie Black’s Limited,” which later sold a few cameras. In 1947, his sons opened a section in the store that sold guns, fishing tackle and cameras. The following year, in 1948, the sons took over the business and launched “Eddie Black’s Camera Store.”)

Today’s news stories repeatedly mentioned that the increased use of cell phone cameras has killed the photo store. The irony is that Blacks is owned by a cell phone company.
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Photo Psychology

March 26, 2015 No Comments

A McGill University psychiatry graduate student, Jay Olson, and his fellow researchers last month published a study titled Influencing Choice Without Awareness which examined the psychology of magic. Olson is also a professional magician. The research showed how various psychological factors are used to influence someone’s decision making especially when it comes to magic.

The use of persuasion extends far beyond magic. In fact, some photographers already know this and they use psychology to influence their customers.

1) Some wedding and portrait photographers know how to properly list their photo packages. Never start or end with the lowest priced package unless you’re trying to sell that low-priced package.
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Lines of Sight

marketing