Marketing / advertising / getting clients

[robyn_thomas]

I decided to "open for business" as a photographer early in 2007. I do not have a studio so have no overheads. I

have paid employment outside the photography industry which I cannot afford to leave, so photography for me at

this stage is a part-time thing. I am fine with that.

However, in 18+ months, I have had not one single paying customer. My clients have been: (1) a couple who live in

my street; when I was getting desperate last year and offered free portrait sessions for Christmas - can you

believe I offered the whole street free pics and only had one taker? (2) best friend (3) friend/couple (4)

another friend/couple (5) my boss's family. 2, 3 & 4 I specifically asked to pose for me to build my portfolio.

I keep hearing "word of mouth" over and over again. I have a website (on Myspace - I have virtually NO money to

advertise). I have done letterbox drops of flyers (which I am now reading don't work, but I was suspecting that

anyway).

My problem with word of mouth - how do I get that? My clients, despite the fact that they said they liked their

photos, and that they didn't have to pay me, have NOT spread the word. I don't know what to do. People told me to

be patient. I have been patient. I realise that with limited funds there is little I can do, but really, I

thought I would have had at least ONE paying client by now! What can I do? Please help.

[tom_johnson2]

Robyn, if I didn't know better I would think you were talking about me. Several years ago I started trying to be a portrate photographer without much luck. I have tried advertising, passing out cards, putting up flyers, and offering freebies, all with little success. Lately I have been trying to follow some advice my wife has been trying to give me from the begenning.

 

She said that since people are always telling me what great photos I take when they see my work mounted and framed on our walls, that I should just try to sell the pictures I take of flowers, and dogs, and clouds, and whatever. I have made a few sales, and am now trying to present some of my stuff on line.

 

In December of 07 I opened a <a href=http://www.cafepress.com/twdesignsagain>Cafepress shop</a> featuring a few designs with some of my photos on t-shirts, and mugs. Not many photos featured yet but I will be offering posters and note cards soon. I have made a few sales without any effort except opening the shop. Now I am studying different ways to market the shop on line, and just last night I opened a gallery on <a href=http://tpjohnson.smugmug.com>Smugmug</a>, a site for showing and selling images.

 

I have not given up on portrates, but something else has to be done if I am to keep financing this expensive hobby.

[kenbooth]

Non-paying customers (Charities) are a good place to start. Donate your skills to a charity, a church, or town events. Go to local concerts

and events, take photos and hand out cards that point to a website where you post the photos for sale. You have to get your name/photos

out there. I do the same as you, work full time at something else, and photography on the weekends (mostly sports). It's a lot of work, but I

love it. Don't give up. It's worth it in the end!

[mattblalock]

Kenneth has it right, start charities and other organizations where your customer base might happen by. Churches are great! Just offer yourself to them, try to find a way of plugging your services. "Word of mouth" comes with that. Its not something you can buy, rent, steal or borrow. It just comes.

 

Get out there, talk, leave your card on bulletin boards, tell people, plug yourself in the coffee shop, the restaurant, be shameless, its the only way.

 

Get a website, it will cost a couple bucks a month, but it makes you much more professional and allows for intermediary between the card and you. Sounds silly, but its true. Smugmug is great as well, gives you a great professional space to show things to customers, I doubt you get work from there, but you will look good and make customers happy!

 

I hope this helps, if you want more, I will be following this thread so just ask away.

[robyn_thomas]

Thanks for the tips. I will try to scope out some charity or other events. There's usually a bit going on in the town where I live.

 

Another problem I have run into though, that I forgot to mention yesterday, is that people tend to be suspicious of photographers around here. (I live in Australia.) I know the whole get permission before you photograph thing, but if I rock up to, say, a church and ask the organiser "hey would you like me to take photos of your event for free?" they'll be suspicious about my motives, thinking I'll be posting photos of little kiddies on the internet for all the creeps to see. Do you ever encounter this? Any ways around dealing with suspicious people?

[mattblalock]

Robyn,

 

As for seeming dodgy/creepy its really in your approach. If you come up, sweating, dirty, fulfilling some stereotype of

child pornographers, you may come off that way. Ha, but if you are professional, show them you are a professional,

running a business, and somehow convince them it is a good thing for them to let you shoot their event, you will earn

their trust. You will certainly get denied occasionally, it happens, but keep at it.

 

Rebecca is right on about that. Put flyers and cards and whatever else you may think of in high traffic areas. Think about

who you want to respond. Mothers with kids? Try places they might go. Teenagers school photos, try the teen places

but ALSO where their parents go. Just be seen, make people know about you.

 

Unless you know people really, really, really read the newspaper, and the advertising rate is reasonable, I would say

more against newspaper advertising. I may be wrong, but I rarely hear that working.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Matt Blalock

[robyn_thomas]

Thanks for your responses. I think building my portfolio needs to be my first priority so I will definitely look into events for charities, etc.

 

In response to Rebecca particularly, I actually dropped flyers in around 10 different neighbourhoods, at least 300 flyers in all. I know 300 isn't a lot, but my prices are super reasonable, so I was surprised to not even get one email or anything from them.

[Ian Shalapata]

Hi Robyn,

 

You gotten some good advice above. I would hasten to add to pick up a copy of the book Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson. If you can get beyond the "Rah Rah" blather, it is FULL of very good marketing strategies which include the low/no cost varieties. Worth the read. It all comes down to the crux of developing a marketing strategy and then to stick with it.

 

I hope you see some sales come your way. Let us know how you make out.

 

Ian

[josheudowe]

Another suggestion -

 

I'm not a professional, just an amateur that loves taking pics (I suppose we all do though). I would also suggest

speaking with realtors in your area about photographing homes. Once people knew that I take nice pictures, I've been

asked a number of times to take home photos, landscapes, etc for marketing. It can really help build a reputation.

Clearly you say, "this isn't my focus, but I'm building a business and would be willing to work with you for our own mutual

benefit." Make sure you get some credit for it though. A link to your website, name, etc.

 

Best of luck.

[david_pratt6]

Package yourself well. People will be seeing your advertising materials before they see you and there is no reason for them to think that you are not one hundred percent professional. I would raise your prices to be competitive with your fellow photographers, make sure not to mention that you are new, spend $70 and learn to design yourself a website, spend a few hours designing a really nice looking flyer, and do whatever you can to get people in the door. Once they meet with you make sure you look professional. Buy a nice button up shirt or at least some trendy clothes. Remember to never let them in on the facts that you are new to the game, struggling to make it, or anything that could be construed as negative; it doesn't matter what your background is as long as you make good images and keep your clients happy. Just put yourself in the consumers shoes and try to make them happy. Good luck.

[tim_ludwig2]

Robyn,

 

One of the smartest things I did early in my studio career, was to follow some advice a mentor gave me at a

convention and ally myself with a local children's clothing store. I was allowed to have over thirty LARGE

(that's important for future sales) portraits of kids displayed above the wall racks in the store and had a

program where the store actually promoted me by giving free portrait sessions for the children of some of their

top clients. (Word of mouth took over in that elite level clientele when they got their previews and

enlargements and their friend started flocking in.) There was also a small brochure rack at the sales counter.

Obviously, I did yearly portraits for the store's owners at no charge.

 

I also placed family, wedding, senior and kid's portraits on the walls along the waiting line for a very

cooperative local steak house.

 

My calls for sessions and the amount per sale jumped like crazy within days of trying each of these methods.

 

By the way, at the the steak house I hung one and only one 8x10 portrait of a large family group in a thin frame

along with many prints from 16 x 20's all the way up to 30 x 40's. Odd how that bit of psychology worked to guide

people toward appropriately sized wall portraits when it came time for sales conferences. All I had to do was

remind clients how tiny that print looked and how very tiny the faces were in that 8x10 and they immediately

recognized their need for 20x24's and larger.

 

If your work is good enough and you can form relationships with either major traffic or specifically targeted

market niche businesses like those, you may be very pleasantly surprised.

 

Good luck.

 

Tim

[robbie_caswell]

Eighteen months and no portfolio? I've learned the hard way. Doing this as a partime job always leads to doing a half@#$ job.

 

That said, enjoy photography and shoot what interests you personally. Follow what interests you and shoot everyday if possible. This gets pretty old quick if you think the money is easy and/or you are doing it for the money.

 

My advice is to freelance for newspapers. With a press pass, you are practically are given a lisense to shoot everyday if you want.

 

With it you will gain a broad range of experince, a diverse and unique portfolio, professional awards, and have numerous opportunities to market yourself at each event you cover.

[k.andy_photos]

Robyn, I have offically been in business for about six months now. Over the summer my clientelle stepped up to a new level. Another piece of advice that I can add to help you with your success, is to join a city chamber committee. The day I presented my new business was the smartest thing that I have done so far. Many of the members are hard workers with a family and I made sure to market straight to them. I handed a ton of business cards out to the lot of them and they began to come to me. When they saw my work and were pleased, they referred their friends to me. Good Luck! I hope things go well for you.