Marketing and advertising advice

So far, I have mostly relied on word-of-mouth for job referrals, which worked

well when I was a newspaper photographer, which also led to inquiries. But I

have left the newspaper (for a better paying gig) and was wondering what

resources other photogs use to generate business. I'm looking to increase my

business to maybe 15-20 weddings a year at this point.

 

I live in a mid-sized city but could travel 40 miles to a major metro area

(more money there).

 

I realize word of mouth is probably the best form of advertising. But I have

also looked into some internet marketing venues, such as onewedplace.com and

some others that came up high on google search key words prospective clients

might use in my area. Most offer a free listing and link to my web site with a

reciprocal link, with upgrades if you pay a fee in the listing priority. I am

also waiting to hear back from the knot's on-line wedding site's advertising

dep't.

 

So my question:

 

1. Has anyone had luck with these free sites? Have you had more luck with the

payment options.

 

2. Has anyone advertised on the knot and what were your experiences? Is there

any company that is more widely known/"better."

 

3. What forms of marketing have worked for you? What has been a waste of time

and/or money?

 

Thanks for any input

Yes, I do use them too but I refer by word of mouth because customer willing to pay. Most ppl search on internet for wedding photographer is looking for cheaper price. Just as you would to shop online. You shop around to find cheaper price and there are so many uncle bob out there that willing to do all day wedding for $500.

"Regular" channels of advertising, through local media outlets, are also worth exploring.

The #1

... the actual person handling the phone call , for the perspective bride, @ the venue you wish to work for. That's all I have concentrated on > for the past 25 years. They are the life-line to your steady employment....

One problem being is that ::: every other photographer is knocking at their door. Some venues have taken me a concentrated 10 years, to finally get inside their establishment. These days you have to be very creative with your pricing. Many weddings this year , will not even be including prints > a "uncorrected" CD is all they budget for. We shoot in RAW and just batch them a jpeg. If they want the quality from my time in CS, for manipulations >> the B&G pay by the hour or image.

First off, I personally don't really agree with the statement that most people who use the Internet to research or locate wedding photographers are looking for a cheap price. I believe it depends on the Internet resource; for instance, CraigsList is going to render a different type of clientele than The Knot. Not a criticism, just my two cents, of course.

 

Anyway, to answer your questions...

 

I wouldn't say we've had "luck," per se, with free sites, but they certainly have their uses. We try to get our company name on as many websites as possible. Even if a site isn't generating a lot of traffic, having your company name and information on these free sites could potentially help your ranking in the search engines (depending, of course, on how Google wants to rank sites this week, since they insist on changing their ranking strategies so frequently).

 

Secondly, we used The Knot in our marketing strategy about two or three years ago. It was a good advertising strategy for us at the time, but is not very worthwhile for us now, due to how expensive it is to advertise there now and the number of other Atlanta photographers advertising on their site. If you're willing to throw out an extraordinary amount of money, then The Knot is certainly a good place to do it.

 

Finally, it's hard to take what works well in, say Atlanta, and try to use those same avenues in your market. Every market is different and has different options available. For the best online advertising opportunities in your market, open up Google and do some searches, like "Atlanta wedding photographer," "Atlanta wedding photography," "Atlanta wedding," etc. (obviously, switching "Atlanta" with whatever city/cities you are in or located near.) Whatever pops up in the top three are probably your best bet to research and possibly advertise with. This isn't always foolproof, but it's definitely a great start.

 

Other marketing that works?: word of mouth, networking with other wedding vendors, distributing business cards everywhere, a great website that offers good info and portfolio, etc.

 

What has been a waste of time and money?: Personally (and everybody is going to probably disagree with me on this), bridal shows, The Wedding Channel online, and print advertising.

 

So that I don't have to contend with any hateful P-net posters, let me close by saying this is merely my opinion and there are a million "right" answers to your questions.

 

Good luck,

Jen

Thanks Jen for your thorough response.

 

I did the Google search using the likely key words a prospective bride would use. I'm based out of Elizabethtown, Ky., which is 40 miles south of Louisville. I am willing to travel to louisville, but have been posting my location as E'Town since more than half of the Ky photogs list L'ville. Most of them were the free/pay sites that I have signed with.

 

I don't agree either with the comment about people looking on the internet lookig for lower prices. I think they are looking for photogs and a sampling of their work on a web site.

 

It seems often enough you get what you pay for, which is why I was thinking about advertising with the knot. Most of the lower-priced sites are clogged with shooters of questionable quality, so much so that someone might give up looking before they even get to my listing to check out my site.

 

What have been people's experiences with advertising with local vendors, such as leaving business cards at their shops?

Theknot's gotten very expensive, You'll get aot of hits but mainly for people looking for a deal. Their forum's are unmoderated & promote this. I get better results with WEDJ.com, Wedalert.com, Gettinhitched.com & a few others. I feel it's more exposure for the same money.

Check out The Perfect Wedding Guide (www.perfectweddingguide.com). You can go with the lowest level of advertising to have access to their "leads" program. They collect information from prospective brides and on a weekly basis notify you of new leads. You can then bulk e-mail these brides an introductory note. They are my first marketing attempt and the staff has been GREAT!

Good Luck!

<b>1. Has anyone had luck with these free sites? Have you had more luck with the

payment options.</b>

<br>Our web stats show that our free listings each bring us fewer than 15 hits per month

- some only bring us a few hits each YEAR! We've received exactly ZERO inquiries from

these hits.

<p>

<b>2. Has anyone advertised on the knot and what were your experiences? Is there any

company that is more widely known/"better."</b>

<br>We have never advertised on the Knot, or on WeddingChannel.com (which seems to

be a close rival). Too many of our colleagues have had poor/bad experiences with both,

so we've declined their offers.

<p>

<b>3. What forms of marketing have worked for you? What has been a waste of time and/

or money?</b>

<br>Our WPJA member listing has been the BEST form of marketing. Of course, not

everyone fits neatly into the WPJA category, but I would definitely encourage membership

in a local photography collective or other association. <p>Our next-best form of

marketing comes from a handful of local vendors who like us, like our work, and promote

us like CRAZY! Make solid, strong connections with every florist, coordinator, pastor,

event manager, etc., that you come into contact with. They can make all the difference

when a bride is looking for a photographer. <p>Our biggest waste of money? We

advertised for a full year with Rainbow Wedding Network - we only got ONE inquiry the

entire year, and it was for a date for which we were already booked. We also paid for a

small ad through WedPlan. NOTHING. Total waste.

<p>

GOOD LUCK!