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Coloring Outside The Box: Ten Crazy Ideas to Promote Your Photography Business

By Ira Gostin © 2003 www.gostin.com

1. Throw an event. Try putting on a Mardi Gras party, a Cinco de Mayo party or something else like a Black & White Ball. Turn your studio into a special event venue. You can keep the cost down by working out logistics on trade. Sneak a brand-new promotional shot into the invitation and have fun with it. Tease your audience. Make the art buyers in your marketplace talk about the party. Be bold about it, but go first class. Try a costume party. Try anything at all to have fun that will get you talked about. If you can raise money for a charity or promote another entity as well, that will get the local media involved.
   
   
2. Buy a billboard across the street from a client you want to work with. Sometimes you can work a trade-out with the outdoor company. Push your brand and, at the same time, let the client know how important it is you to work with them. The other art directors in town will notice and will want to know why they are not using you as well.
   
   
3. Wear a sandwich board with your portfolio pictures on it and walk in front of a big agency in your market. Yes, this is gutsy as hell, and people will think you're insane, but what a great idea to be remembered. You can call up and say, "Hi, this Pat Photographer, and I'm the guy who was in front of your agency with my portfolio on my body last week." I am sure you will get an interview.
   
   
4. Pick five clients and send them each a handmade promotional item every week for five weeks. Then follow up with a binder or small notebook in which to house the promos. Come up with a theme and follow through showing your own personal style.
   
   
5. Throw a miniature golf tournament for clients and prospective clients. Fifty percent of the group should be people that you're not working with currently. Or you can throw a real golf tournament, get clients to throw in prizes. Work on trade; make it an exciting event. Don't just send xeroxed invitations, but go all out.
   
   
6. Hire off-duty motorcycle cops to deliver promos to prospects. (Make sure they don't have outstanding warrants or they might jump through a window.)
   
   
7. Send a letter to family and friends. Use your Christmas card list. Do they know what you do? Do they know what kind of work you want to do more of? Send them a current promo and specifically ask them for referral business. You'll be surprised at the response you will get.
   
   
8. Lunches are tough these days, but how about showing up at an agency for a 15-minute visit with hot Starbucks and croissants. Try to even make an appointment and bring coffee and Danish. Let them know that if you're willing to go this far out of the way for a visit to drop a promo piece off, they can imagine how hard you'll work on their jobs.
   
   
9. Challenge your advertising-specialty company to come up with something really unique, really off the wall. Try combining things. If you're a food photographer, have your name and logo put in the bottom of soup bowls and send over hot soup in ceramic bowls, or cereal bowls. For an architectural photographer, photograph the agency's building or the art director's home, or give them a gift certificate for a picture of their office.
   
   
10. Try to think outside the box. Do something unique.
    

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