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21 Hot Tips for Success in Today's Photography Marketplace

By Ira Gostin © 2003 www.gostin.com

Planning and an aggressive stance towards running your business are the keys to success in today's rapidly changing business environment. If you think that you don't need a plan for your photography business, read on! Success = Planning + Business Strategy + Photographic Talent! If you are an established professional photographer, emerging professional, or delving into market expansion, the following are important and relevant tips to keep your business on the right track.

1. Structure. First and foremost, you are no longer someone with a camera. You must consider yourself a small business proprietor. With the current downsizing and restructuring of resources taking place in corporate America, operating as a small business is mandatory to be competitive and guarantee survival.
   
   
2. Associate. You must associate with people who do what you do. Strength in numbers is an old saying, but highly applicable in this context. Whether you join a trade association, attend meetings, or join an online organization, it is imperative that you associate with others in your specialty. Until we, as the photographic industry, stop looking at each other as the enemy, and start looking at each other as colleagues, true success will be far away. Joining is not enough - you must participate. You can only get out of any association what you put into it.
   
   
3. Ask. Don't be afraid to call someone and ask them for assistance. Most newspapers have a daily business section and many have small-business features. Your local Chamber of Commerce may also have resources that you can use, whether you are a member or not. Keep an eye out for companies that produce small-business workshops and seminars, and call the local number for the Small Business Administration to get the phone numbers of other resources. Build your own resource network to assist you.
   
   
4. Time Management. One of the drawbacks of not having a structured, traditional job, is the loss of the structure itself. Do not let self-employment translate into taking it easy. Being self-employed means working long hours. Some type of time- and day-planner is critical. Whether it is a notebook calendar system or a PDA, you must have a way of planning and tracking your time. If you are not sure how to set up your time-management system, check with some of your various resources or your office supply representative. Network with your peers, see what works for people you respect.
   
   
5. Personal Time. This is definitely easier said than done. However, burn-out can cause your photography to suffer as well as the image that you project. No matter how rough things are or how stressed or tired you may be, you have to project yourself as energetic and ready to take on the world. Allow yourself some time to relax, exercise, get fresh air and in general, just wind down a little and recharge. Go to the gym, play golf, join a noon basketball league, visit a new gallery each week -- but schedule this time as you would any appointment, so you are sure to do it!
   
   
6. Learn the Laws. Learn what it takes to be in business in your community. Do you need a business license? Business phone line? City business license? DBA filing? Your resource network will be able to help with answers to these questions. And don't forget to give everyone that you come in contact with your business card!
   
   
7. Use Professionals. Evaluate what your strong and weak points are. If you are not good at bookkeeping and accounting, hire someone. Capitalize on your personal strengths. If you can't write a press release to save yourself, hire someone, or find a small agency that you could trade-out photography against publicity work. Trade-outs in this area work well, but make sure you are consistent with the value of your photography. Don't ever give it away!
   
   
8. Plan your Business Strategies. When planning a vacation, you would never just jump in the car and drive off. You would at least take a map out, decide where you want to go, and then pick your route. Many photographers print business cards, and the next thing you know, they are in business. It just doesn't work well, however. It's crucial to sit down, and figure out a plan. The plan is very simple, in that it contains goals, and then the strategy to accomplish those goals. Within the business plan itself, there should be a marketing plan. The business plan also contains financial information, deadlines, and overall strategies for working the business. The business plan should give an outsider a concise and accurate look as to what you want to do, how you are going to do it, what your marketing strategies are, who you want to sell to, and your overall goals for success. There are numerous places to find assistance with the business plan, including books, as well as seminars, computer programs, workshops and professional marketing consultants.
   
   
9. Marketing. For most photographers, this is the critical document. Your marketing plan, and how you implement it, is what separates the "guys with cameras" from the successful business owners. If you are a photographer who shoots two different kinds of pictures (say industrial and food in the studio), each area is a different goal and, in most cases, each would have a completely different strategy. The marketing plan should list each goal separately and then be followed by the specific strategy for each. It should also have your marketing messages, a list of marketing tools you will use, a calendar for implementation, and a conclusion. Most important, don't just write it and put it on a shelf. It is a document that needs to be reviewed regularly, updated regularly, and revised as necessary.
   
   
10. What is Your Marketing Message? What single, primary message do you want to send out to the world? Your company is doing business with their company. What do you do? Are you a food photographer, are you a people photographer, are you a product photographer? Do you only work in the studio? All of these questions should come across in your marketing message. The most ineffective way to market is by sending out materials that don't properly reflect the kind of work that you want to do more of. If you refuse to specialize, then pitch yourself as a jack of all photographic trades, but it is imperative that you pitch some specialty.
    
    
11. Know Your Market. To whom do you want to sell your photographic services? Are you going to market yourself nationally, regionally, locally? By carefully charting out your target market(s), you will ensure that your marketing dollars are not wasted. For instance, if you want to photograph small products in your studio, do not waste money on direct mail by sending your cards to art directors from ad agencies that specialize in marketing children's clothing.
    
    
12. Budget Marketing Time and Money. The best plans in the world are worthless if an adequate budget is not allocated, as well as the necessary time to implement the strategies outlined in the marketing plan. A realistic budget should be set after a complete review of all aspects of the marketing plan. Once a budget is set, it should be carefully implemented to initiate the entire campaign. You will need to create and support an advertising or marketing campaign. Time needs to be allocated as well. Make sure that you stay on your marketing schedule by allocating a few hours per week to ensure that work keeps coming in.
    
    
13. Promote Yourself. Once you've got your business established, your business plan written, your marketing plan outlined, your schedule set, and your money allocated, it's time to promote yourself. Don't use the shotgun approach. As anyone who has purchased advertising in the past will attest, you can't just buy an ad and wait for the phone to ring. Does your answering machine or voice mail say what you do? Do your business cards? Do people who know you understand exactly what kind of photography you do? Be "gospel" about promoting your business; make those around you excited about what you do!
    
    
14. Be Image Consistent. All your printed materials should be consistent in look and message. Make sure that the type faces and graphics convey the proper image. You want your name and promotional message to be recognized immediately when your materials hit a prospective client's desk. Hire a designer; get a consultation from an image specialist. All of these things will help associate your name to what you do.
    
    
15. Follow Through. Make sure that you follow through on commitments. If you tell a prospective client that you will be at their office at 2:00 p.m., be there a few minutes early! You can gather a little information by looking around the office. See what magazines your client reads and what types of things are on the walls and on display. If you receive a job lead from someone, send them a thank you note - whether you get the job or not.
    
    
16. Appreciate and Accept the Value of Your Services. Do not underestimate what you provide to the client. If you see yourself as "just a photographer," they will as well. However, what will they see if you present yourself as the president of a company which provides imaging and consulting?
    
    
17. Be Yourself. Ultimately, people will hire a photographer because of who you are and what kind of images you make. Let your own personality come through and let your marketing materials tell a little about you.
    
    
18. Follow Up With Your Clients. Do this in writing or on the phone. You must know your client's reactions to your work, your presentations and every aspect of your company that they come in contact with. While it might seem awkward at first, if you think about what you have received in the mail, most major companies do some kind of follow-up survey with their customers and clients. As photographers, we are no different.
    
    
19. Get Referrals. After you have completed a job, ask the client for referrals. Ask the client who else might benefit from your photographic skills. Do your friends and family understand what you do for a living? Make sure that everyone around you understands the kind of clients that you are looking for. Get out and network, go to chamber of commerce functions, go to luncheons and hand out business cards or promo materials and talk about what you do. Show your passion for your photography. Convey a sense of why that prospective client should call you.
    
    
20. Your Portfolio Is Your Sales Representative. Your portfolio should be as professional as you are. It should display your images in a professional fashion that is easy to look at and conveys a bit of your personality as well. Your portfolio should show the prospective client or viewer something about you that they might not already know or they might not have seen from your promo materials.
    
    
21. Evaluate Your Marketing. Evaluate things that don't work -- and change them. Be flexible. Your marketing plan is not set in stone. You may find that one aspect of your marketing efforts is not working; evaluate it, stop and change things if necessary.

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