Nifty Tricks for Fast Bookings

My last wedding was on August 8th! I now have nothing booked. I've been

doing this for 20 years! Ouch!

 

Does anyone have any nifty ideas for getting in some business fast, for last

minute rush weddings, no matter how small or how big, ike "Super Market

bulletin Boards?" I'm really serious. I'd like to book a few before the

season is over.

 

Any ideas would be most appreciated.

WEDPLAN.NET AND CRIGSTLIST (I ALWAYS APELL THAT WRONG) GOOD LUCK :-)

I just booked one today for this weekend! I did some pro bono work a while back for a restaurant that wanted to get into weddings. The owner liked my approach and has been selling me flat out ever since. I've booked one 'proper' wedding off of it and this one is a surprise (for the guests) and they weren't going to have a photographer but my new best friend sold them on the idea :-) The thing is, doing the work initially cost me a wee bit but it has more than paid for itself in the long run. I suppose it could have backfired on me but I try to be a positive person! Maybe build some relationships with caterers, party hire places, smaller restaurants??? If you were planning a last minute wedding, where would you go in your town?

Have you seen the listings on craigs list? SCARY. Very amaturish. Why oh why would anyone look for a photographer on craigs list?

I second the craigslist.org suggestion. I'm sure its popular in the bay area (did it start there?)

 

The trick is to put together a nice ad in html that looks so much better than the other ads. Have a headline like 25 Free 8x10 Wedding Prints to catch the eye. Stress that you are a professional looking to fill some empty dates on your calendar.

 

Our most profitable job in 2005 came from an ad on craigslist.

I've had others suggest Craigslist. There are some really sloppy and questionable photographers there, but I know of a few who are good and it works for them. I might try that. I was told that one needs to place an ad daily to keep it at the top of the descending list, but Craigslist has a policy against stacking the ads. It's worth a try.

i recently got married. I looked on craig's list because we were on a low budget... i think a lot of people look there if the money's tight - maybe you could make a special offer for a reduced price? Our photographers did a fantastic job and let us pay half their normal fee in exchange for bringing their new assistant as 2nd shooter... Maybe you can get some quick business from people who can't afford you usually!

You might try www.guru.com. You can put in a profile and people can "bid" on jobs. If someone posts a project that fits your criteria, Guru will contact you with a "project notification". You can then see what it is, and if you want it submit a proposal.

 

Alice

Craigslist will get your name out there for sure and most of them have a small budget, but it's better then nothing. Just booked my largest wedding ever, $12,000. Not from Craigslist, but if you advertise someone will hire you. Try joining the local Chamber. I get a lot of work there. Referral groups work well too, like Business Network International. There is probably one in your area. I belong to that too.http://www.bni-sfbay.com/