Next Step in advertising

[jane_jones1]

<p>So I have been at it for a year now and have been using mostly free advertising, I have a website and have free ads on all the wedding websites I could find that offer free ads (facebook, myspace, wedplan, onewed, eventective, decidio, etc) and here in New Orleans craigslist is popular. So now I am wondering where to dump my money. The knot has been calling and they claim 8-10 brides are online w/ them, the yellowpages wanted me to upgrade and I got a call from a SEO company claiming they could put me on the 1st page of a google/bing search for new orleans wedding photographer... (not photographers or phtography just photographer..seems like a scam) I already do word of mouth and try networking w/ other vendors but the vendor market is flooded just like photographers..everyone is baking cakes and doing hair etc... A friend of mine who lives in the next major city over wants to share a booth w/ me at a wedding fair expo thing?? are those worth it...<br>

So what is a smart investment???</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Read the following very valuable thread.</p>

<p><a href="00Jbns">http://www.photo.net/wedding-photography-forum/00Jbns</a></p>

<p>Also read Anthony Lazzari's post in the following--toward the bottom.</p>

<p><a href="../wedding-photography-forum/00Wr2T">http://www.photo.net/wedding-photography-forum/00Wr2T</a></p>

[savagesax]

Personally The Knot didn't work for our studio's and posts from other photographers on this forum have said the same. There has been a lot written about advertising, so maybe do a search. There are lots of ideas and opinions. This will probably keep you busy for a while; reading all of the posts.

 

Right now we are playing with some of those church and temple news letters. Since we just started 2 weeks ago no phone calls yet.

[fuccisphotos]

<p>Nadine, I hadn't seen that post before, but wow, THANKS!</p>

[vitadesigns]

<p>Nadine - Thank you for the kind nod. It was a welcome surprise indeed!</p>

<p>Also thanks for that first thread link, there's an awful lot to digest. </p>

[fotografz]

<p>I think there are some excellent points made in the threads that Nadine linked to. While, most of the basic advice there remains true (like "hard work pays off"), some of it has changed due to the continued economic ills which have had a cumulative effect on people.</p>

<p>Pricing increasingly seems the over arching issue these days ... or better put ... perceived value for dollar spent. Plus, clients are putting a cap on spending for photography based on aggregate pricing in their area .... which is influenced by more photographers competing for less dollars.</p>

<p>I think advertising in the traditional sense is a "<em>rough row to hoe</em>". The wedding sites appear to have their head in the sand, and keep jacking up their prices ... they tout added value and content, but all that does nothing to book more clients as far as I can see ... even if you do everything right. </p>

<p>Basically, people's average incomes have been thrown back a decade, their homes are worth considerably less, and their savings earn next to nothing, but pricing keeps inching upwards rather than rolling back to commiserate levels ... so they seek out what they can afford.</p>

<p>So, my advice is to <strong>first</strong> look at your "value" in relationship to your market. Some shooters tout that they are booking like crazy, but that has to be evaluated in context to their market and their pricing structure relative to the competition. Then go from there.</p>

<p> </p>