Commercial Marketing Trends

[sherle]

<p>I'm interested in what commercial photographers see are the trends in the coming years. I am taking a photography class for business and I am tasked with finding out what the trends are for commercial photographers.<br>

What have you had to change in the last 5 years to stay in business, how has the commercial market changed, how do you market to your potential customers, how has the stock photo market affected your business, do you use social media sites to advertise and if you do, how much of your income comes from that source, how important is your website to your business and how often do you update it to keep current, and how do you go about communicating your value as a photographer to your clients?<br>

Please feel free to make any other comments that are pertinent to running a commercial business and where you think the industry is going.<br>

Thank you for all your time and information</p>

 

[kevin_delson]

<p>Sherle,</p>

<p>Allow me to preface my answer by saying I do not have the Nike, Adidas or Microsoft accts. LOL..Wish I did. :)</p>

<p>20% of my income is derived commercially.</p>

<p><strong>Ask 10 photographers to define a "commercial" shoot and you will get 10 different answers.</strong><br>

<strong><br /></strong><br>

The ASMP loosely defines it as photography to sell, promote or advertise a product, idea or service. I am in some agreement with that as a general statement only as some of my editorial work has transitioned to advertising from time to time where I had no intention of doing so during the initial shoot which was (on spec).</p>

 

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<p>What have you had to change in the last 5 years to stay in business</p>

 

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<p>1) I've had to increase the frequency at which I contact clients to educate them in the reasons to steer clear of stock photography. I'm not slamming stock shooters; but I prefer to have a contractual agreement in place before I shoot.<br>

2) I've had to keep a closer eye on what my client's needs are as they change much faster than the science of photography. 5 years ago many of my clients didn't care about the internet; now they do. The economy has caused a demographic shift in how and to who my client's market to; so the imagery I produce for them must change as well.</p>

 

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<p>how has the stock photo market affected your business</p>

 

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<p>It hasn't. I saw this coming as the digital era ramped up.<br>

My commercial clients don't go to the stock houses for their imagery. I insure they don't because the clients I chose have widely varying needs. The clients I chose don't have the time to scan databases of images. They tell me what they want; if I don't have it, I will create it.<br>

Choosing <strong>(WHO)</strong> to do business with is critical for me to secure commercial clients.</p>

 

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<p>do you use social media sites to advertise</p>

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<p>No; not to attract commercial accts.</p>

 

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<p>how important is your website to your business</p>

 

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<p>Very important when I am looking for new biz as it's an easy way to show my portfolio rather than fly across the country with my book.<br>

Zero importance with current clients.</p>

 

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<p>and how do you go about communicating your value as a photographer to your clients?</p>

 

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<p>It does not matter if it's shooting a wedding or the firm shooting for Ford Motor Company; we <strong>ALL</strong> must communicate value. This is what separates those that make a good living from the weekend warrior pulling in a few bucks here and there.</p>

<p>If I may toot my horn here a moment...:)</p>

<p>I just finished a shoot for Olympia Pools.<br>

It would be considered by most a high dollar shoot both in cost to produce it and what I was paid. I contacted the president of the company..Notice the word (I). Work does <strong>NOT</strong> come our way because of a great portfolio or a fancy website. I suppose it could, but I don't play the lottery either. ;)</p>

<p>I initiated dialog with him. He asked questions like (Can You?)..(Will You?)..(What About?)</p>

<p>This aspect is (SELLING). No one will do it for me. Selling is fast becoming a lost art.<br>

People skills are fast becoming a lost art.<br>

Marketing is not throwing money at the problem in the hopes of getting business; without the ability to (<strong>Sell)</strong> AND (<strong>market</strong>), we pretty much have a one legged horse attempting to run in the Kentucky Derby. Notice how the words are almost always used together (Sales & Marketing).</p>

<p>Olympia Pools wanted a certain look for a certain demographic that will appear in their promotional literature. They wanted someone who could technically produce it w/o constant monitoring. They wanted it by a certain date. They wanted the photographer to be able to communicate and collaborate with their graphic arts dept. They wanted someone to interface with the people who actually will print the literature.</p>

<p>What got me the job?<br>

Was it my famous notoriety? Nope...I don't have that.<br>

Was it my perfect technical skills in all areas of photography? Nope.<br>

Was it my expensive camera? No..although I have some excellent equip.</p>

<p>How did I get the job then?</p>

<p>It was my people skills, my listening skills, my selling skills and my confidence that I could do what they wanted.</p>

<p>How often do so many of us see a photo in a publication and say <em>"Hey, I could of done that"</em><br>

The fact is they did NOT do that because they were unwilling to approach this as a business.</p>

<p>To succeed in the business world, not photography only, one needs to rise above the din; and the decibel level right now is deafening in the business of photography.<br>

I chuckle at some of the listings in "The Photographer's Market"...There is a section for "Advertising" houses. Care to guess how many people send them stuff? Yeesh! You've got to be kidding me!</p>

<p>I make no attempt to go after businesses like Nike, Adidas, Microsoft, FMC etc..That would be a total waste of my time...They are closed markets; besides, everyone else is trying to get in there. LOL</p>

<p>If you're looking for a well known shooter in the commercial world, I hope they will respond to you.<br>

You will find however many of these high profile commercial shooters are rarely free lancers and are on staff and the payroll for the big names.</p>

<p>It's interesting to note that although I only shoot 20% commercial, it accounts for about 70% of my yearly earnings; yeah, commercial pays better than shooting on spec. Shooting on spec however helped me develop my career with all the disappointments and rejections at first from publishers.</p>

<p>I keep most of my business and my clients fairly close geographically, rarely venturing outside my own state of residence; there's a lot to be said by working in your own back yard.</p>

<p>Your question is a good one.<br>

It could have been about widgets, fruit growers, tool makers or any other business.<br>

Photography as a business is no different than ANY business if one seeks some success.</p>

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[kevin_delson]

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<p>20% of my income is derived commercially.</p>

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<p>Sorry..meant to say 20% of my shooting is commercial.</p>