Branding & Marketing for Commercial Photographers | Phase One Chicago
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Transcript of Branding & Marketing for Commercial Photographers | Phase One Chicago
BRANDING & MARKETING For Commercial Photographers
Bill Cramer/CEO
BRANDING +
MARKETING
Promotion equals…
Create a memorable identity for your photography
Introduce that identity to appropriate clients
BRANDING
▹ Who you are, what you do, how you do it
▹ Specialties, style, audience
▹ Not just about your “favorite” pictures
▹ A good portfolio looks forward, not back
▹ In a nutshell: these are the kinds of pictures you can expect to get from me
▹ Consistent, intelligent use of type, color and graphics builds familiarity
▹ Communicates your level of professionalism
▹ In a nutshell: this is what it’s going to be like to work with me
Branding
Choose the right pictures to show
Design marketing materials to support those pictures
PHOTOGRAPHIC IDENTITY GRAPHIC IDENTITY
PHOTOGRAPHIC IDENTITY
Branding
What is my photographic identity?
What you like to do.
What you like to do.
What you are good at doing.
What you like to do.
What you are good at doing.
What the marketwants from you.
What you like to do.
What you are good at doing.
What the marketwants from you.
What you like to do.
What you are good at doing.
What the marketwants from you.
PHOTOGRAPHIC
IDENTITY
Generalist Specialist
GRAPHIC IDENTITY
Branding
Ties together all of your marketing materials:
Website
Blog / Social Media
Print Portfolio
Mailers / Leave Behinds
Stationery
Graphic Identity
WEBSITE ▹ Match URL to your company name— yourname.com or yournamephotography.com
▹ Consistent use of work mark/logo, color, design
▹ Large images
▹ Logical sections with meaningful names
▹ Concise galleries < 30 images
▹ Intuitive navigation—show what gallery you are on, where you are in that gallery, make it easy to move forward and back
▹ No music, no elaborate intros, no splash page, no water marks, no “recent work” section
▹ Mobile device friendly
WEBSITE ▹ Contact page with contact info and location
▹ About page with short bio and picture of you
▹ Link to blog and social media
▹ If images can be dragged off your site, include metadata with name, copyright, and contact info
▹ Check spelling, punctuation, grammar
▹ Make sure copyright notice is current
▹ Update photos regularly
BLOG/SOCIAL MEDIA ▹ Coordinate (but don’t duplicate) the look with your main website
PRINT PORTFOLIO ▹ Still important for big jobs
▹ Makes a great conversation piece for face to face meetings
▹ Make it visually consistent with your website, but not a printed version of it
▹ Include your logo/word mark, contact information
▹ Pick materials that suit your style and audience
▹ Update regularly
MAILERS/LEAVE BEHINDS
▹ E-Mailer
▹ Post card
▹ Accordion
▹ Booklet
Most get thrown away, so do what you can�
to stand out…
MAILERS/LEAVE BEHINDS
▹ E-Mailer
▹ Post card
▹ Accordion
▹ Booklet
▹ Cupcakes
Most get thrown away, so do what you can�
to stand out…
STATIONERY ▹ Business Card
▹ Letterhead
▹ #10 Envelope
▹ Crack-N-Peel Label
▹ Same look as your other marketing materials
▹ Design is important, but function comes first
THE LITTLE THINGS
Branding
THE LITTLE THINGS ▹ What’s your email address? Should match your url
▹ What do your emails look like? Normal sized (black or dark gray) text
▹ Do you have a proper email signature?
▹ What do your estimates look like? Treatments when appropriate
▹ How do you answer the phone? What does your outgoing message say?
▹ How do you dress?
▹ Are you responsive to emails and phone calls?
▹ Are you nice? Are you easy to get along with?
▹ Do you send thank you notes to your clients after a big job?
▹ Everything you do, say and create is part of your brand
Case study
Mark Katzman Lifestyle, St. Louis
Case study
Jonathan Chapman Lifestyle, Minneapolis
MARKETING
BRANDING +
MARKETING
Promotion equals…
Create a memorable identity for your photography
Introduce that identity to appropriate clients
▹ You never know who might relate to your work
▹ There are a lot of clients out there that you don’t know exist
▹ Take charge of your career path
▹ Get where you want to go
Marketing
Make it easy for clients to find you
Seek out clients who are right for you
PASSIVE MARKETING ACTIVE MARKETING
PASSIVE MARKETING
Marketing
Website Blog Social Media Online Photographer Directories Printed Source Books Ads Picture Agencies Reps Editorial Credits Contests News Releases SEO SMO
Passive�Marketing
WEBSITE ▹ The only absolutely essential marketing tool
▹ Centerpiece of every photographer’s promotional efforts ▹ Your other marketing tools should drive viewers here
▹ Highly recommended
▹ Opportunity to talk about your process and about your recent projects ▹ Helps bring out your personality, allows clients get to know you
▹ Helps with SEO
BLOG
SOCIAL MEDIA
ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHER DIRECTORIES
PRINTED SOURCE BOOKS
ADS
PICTURE AGENCIES
REPS
EDITORIAL CREDITS
CONTESTS
NEWS RELEASES
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO TIPS ▹ Avoid Flash (unless you have an HTML ghost site behind it)
▹ Tag your photos so search engines can recognize them
▹ Example: Portrait Photographer Philadelphia, PA Bill Cramer Photography
▹ Link to other relevant sites and have relevant sites link to you
▹ A blog is a great place to include lots of relevant text that search engines look for
SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
ACTIVE MARKETING
Marketing
Research Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Prospect Contact Lists Email Broadcasting Services Mass E-mailers / Print Mailers Individual Emails / Print Mailers Phone Calls Portfolio Meetings Industry Events
Active�Marketing
RESEARCH ▹ Record Companies
▹ Fashion, cosmetics
▹ Media Companies
▹ Architects
▹ Department Stores
▹ Institutions, schools, hospitals
▹ Ad Agencies
▹ Magazines
▹ Corporations
▹ Graphic Design Firms
▹ Non-Profits
▹ Book Publishers
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP"MANAGEMENT (CRM)
PROSPECT CONTACT LISTS ▹ Agency Access, Creative Access, File FX
▹ Find and target the right clients for you
▹ Build a list, then refine it over time
EMAIL BROADCASTING SERVICES
MASS E-MAILERS/PRINT MAILERS ▹ Spray and pray?
▹ Limit your list to relevant prospects (don’t add to the noise)
▹ Use catchy subject lines, but don’t try to fake people out
INDIVIDUAL EMAILS/PRINT MAILERS ▹ Personalize each email by drawing a connection between what you’re offering and the
needs of that particular client
▹ Much more time consuming than mass emails, but can be more effective too
PHONE CALLS ▹ Have a purpose
▹ Get a meeting
▹ Pitch a project
▹ Send some emailers or print mailers first to build familiarity
▹ Create a script so you know what you’re going to say
▹ Research the client before you call so you know that you’re relevant to them
PORTFOLIO MEETINGS ▹ Meet with clients who are
most important to you (and the best match for you)
▹ Clients are generally interested in meeting with photographers who are relevant to their needs
INDUSTRY EVENTS ▹ Speed-Dating (pay-to-play) style
portfolio reviews ▹ Art Directors Club and other
associations are opportunities to meet clients
WORD OF MOUTH / NETWORKING / CHANCE MEETINGS
Marketing
You can’t do it all.
Shoot pictures
Integrate them into your marketing materials
Show marketing materials to clients
RESULTS
WHAT’S ALL THIS TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?
Results
For the photographer: work with clients who are right for you.
For the creative: build a level of comfort so that they’re willing to
take a chance on you.
More Resources
Go to our blog and navigate to How We Help Photographers > Resources
Expert Advice Articles Go to our blog and type in “Expert Advice:” into the search field
Print & iPad Portfolios Go to our blog and scroll down to YouTube Videos
Questions?
Thank you!
(The End)