marketing

Don’t discount yourself

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(Sorry, another long post)

A newspaper article in The Province reports on a new Vancouver-based company that offers customers the chance to save money by booking a last-minute photo session.

The theory is that consumers can save money by booking last minute because photographers will discount their services in order to fill any spare time in their schedule. This company acts as a middleman between the last-minute customer and the not-busy photographer.

At first glance, this might sound like a win-win situation. But a closer look may suggest that it’s a win only for the company behind this. (For fun, check to see who is seemingly behind this).

A last-minute sell-off might be okay for amateur photographers, part-time photographers who have a day job, or those who like to do dump-and-run photography (more on this later). But if you’re a real photographer then this may be a bad idea for you. It’s somewhat similar to why discount sites like Groupon are bad for photographers.
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Check your focus

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When pricing a photo assignment or negotiating with a potential customer, the photographer’s frame of mind matters a lot. The photographer could be thinking along the lines of “If I get this job, I’ll make $4,000,” or they might be thinking, “If I don’t get this job, I’ll make nothing.”

The former train of thought (being “promotion focused”) is about trying to maximize gains. The latter (being “prevention focused”) is about trying to minimize risk and prevent loss.

Overall, neither type of focus is better than the other and we often switch from one to the other depending on the circumstances. But research has shown that when pricing or negotiating, being promotion focused tends to lead to better outcomes (e.g. earn more when selling or pay less when buying).
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Braking for photography

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Have you been shopping for car tires recently?

The cost of new tires for my car, here in Toronto, ranges from $80 to $220 each. The higher priced tire is almost triple that of the cheaper tire. What’s the difference between the two?

The more expensive tire is made better, handles better and lasts longer. Another key difference is that more expensive tires stop quicker than cheaper tires. Better quality tires have, by design, better braking performance.

Higher priced photography also has, by design, better braking performance. High quality photography will stop people’s wandering eyes faster and get their attention quicker. Getting attention for your business is the goal of corporate photography.

If potential customers are speeding through your web site, zipping past your newspaper or magazine advertisements, or not bothering to slow down to read your content, then you might need to improve the braking performance of your marketing materials by using better photography.

 

Canadian photographers and spam

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In a few days, on July 1, 2014, Canada’s new anti-spam law comes into effect. It will probably affect many professional photographers.

Two things to remember: (i) the law is brand new and nothing has been tested in court, and (ii) I’m not a lawyer.

Basically, the law states that a business cannot send a commercial electronic message without having the recipient’s prior consent.

What’s a “commercial electronic message”?
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Authentic photography for corporate social media

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Press junkets are common in the newspaper industry. A junket is a third-party-sponsored event where that third party is looking for some free publicity. For example:

• A car manufacturer will take a group of writers to an exotic location where they can test drive a new vehicle. Of course, the car company will pay all the expenses.

• A travel company will pay for everything when it flies reporters to a series of tropical destinations so they can experience the locations firsthand and then write about their adventures. (Although I’ve been told by one such travel writer that these excursions can often visit a number of destinations in as many days and it can become a gruelling endurance test.)

• An entertainment network will fly writers to Hollywood, New York City or the location of a movie shoot so they can meet and interview the actors and director.

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Use You Clues

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When a customer is searching for a photographer, they don’t just look for pretty pictures on a web site and the lowest price. Instead, they’re looking for clues that a particular photographer is worth hiring at whatever price they might charge. The customer is looking for value which is quite different from low price.

Every professional photographer pretty much uses the same camera equipment, same computer and same software. Most photographers can, more or less, shoot the same pictures although this can vary by a huge margin. So how do you increase your value to the customer?

You have to offer something that customers can’t get from any other photographer. And what can’t they get from any other photographer?
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Transactional or relational photography?

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In general, there are two types of customer: transactional and relational. Although, most customers alternate between the two, depending on what they’re purchasing.

A transactional customer cares mostly about the current purchase and its price. For example, you probably have transaction-based interactions with gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, auto insurance agencies (at least here in Ontario), carpet cleaners, etc. You don’t really care which business you purchase from, you just want a good deal. Most customer interactions are transactional.

A relational customer, as the name suggests, is more interested in forming an ongoing business relationship. A purchase is based not so much on price but on previous experiences with that vendor. This type of customer wants low risk more than low price. For example, you may have a relationship with your dentist, doctor, favourite camera store, car dealership, hairstylist, etc. A relational customer is often a repeat customer and they tend to spend more.
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