Photography Marketing: Getting Free Displays Of Your Photography Is The Single Best Way To Advertise
Posted: Thursday, October 22, 2009
by Charles Lewis
Creativity International
Trying to make a great living with your photography business without becoming a "Master Marketer" is like trying to start your car without the keys. I suppose you could eventually do it - but it would take a lot of hard work and time.
Most master marketers agree that it takes 5 positive impressions before someone will actually pick up the phone and call you, or will go to their computer and email you. So, unless you have an enormous marketing budget, you need effective but inexpensive ways to make those 5 positive impressions on your target market and get her to take action.
Here's how it works: People start seeing your photography proudly displayed around the community. They see it displayed at their favorite restaurant when they go out to eat. Then they see it when they go to the movies. Then the wife sees it when she has her hair done. Then she sees it again when she does her banking. These impressions keep stacking up, until she just can't stand it anymore. She HAS to contact you.
Here's why having exhibits around your community is such an effective marketing method - much more effective than the paid advertising most photographers do:
1. Every exhibit of your photography carries with it the IMPLIED ENDORSEMENT of the place where your exhibit is located. This is totally the opposite of most advertising you do. You see, if you place an ad in the Yellow Pages, for example, everyone knows you wrote it, or hired someone to write it. It doesn't have much credibility.
But with exhibits of your photography, you are there by "invitation" - or at least that's what most people believe to be the case. This means the location where you are exhibiting is giving their approval of, and respect for what you do. This is a very powerful psychological marketing tool.
2. It's the single most artistic way to present your photography. It's like a "one person art show." It speaks very highly of your artistic prowess as well as your professionalism. Just be sure you only display your best images, and be sure they are up to your finest artistic requirements.
3. Exhibits of your photography allow people to closely examine and scrutinize your images with no "salesperson" or other distraction. They can "scratch and sniff it." They can look at your photography really close up and personal. They can touch it. They can study the composition. They can scrutinize the framing. They can talk openly with their friends who are with them about what they really feel about your photography. No sales person is there. No pressure.
4. Exhibits allow you to present your photography the way it should be presented - in appropriate sizes which truly show off your wonderful style.
(Key point: Never display any of your images without having them beautifully framed, and having them be appropriate sizes for the space they are in.) For example, I prefer to display 24 x 30's and 30 x 40's if at all possible.
5. Since you sell what you show, by showing beautiful wall portraits around the community, you are much more likely to have your paying clients actually invest in those sizes. Wall portraits are extremely profitable, and clients love them, because they can enjoy them from across the room in their home.
So think about who you know. Your friends and acquaintances who own or run local businesses. Think about the other businesses people in the community who would maybe be interested in exhibiting your photography in their business. Think about who you have photographed in the past. Do any of those people own or run a local business? Think about who your spouse knows in the community. All these people are potential exhibit locations.
The true key to building the photography business of your dreams is to create a huge demand for your limited supply, and then control the volume of work you do with the price. Getting free exhibits all over town is the best, fastest, and one of the least expensive ways to create that huge demand.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Photography displays are not the be all and end all of the portrait business. First, displays are not free. It will cost you about $8000. to $12,000 to put in 10 or 12 displays of the size this photographer is talking about.Second, displays don't work fast or on any type of time table. You can go broke waiting for them to work. Displays may never produce a paying photo session for you. They are most like institutional advertising, which is the type of advertising that photographers should not do.Third, you have no control over whether you get them. That's up to another business owner who you hope will work with you. They have there own problems and most of the time you can't even reach the owner.Fourth, the fact that most photographers don't have or try to get many displays bears out that this method is outdated, doesn't work fast or well and needs to be used very selectively if at all.Fifth, you may go broke trying to keep up with changing the photographs all the time if you don't have a large enough customer or client base to support your displays with new photos constantly. Doing free sessions just to replace all the display photos (or to create them originally for the display) may also drive you out of business.Sixth, arguments in favor of displays or exhibits look great on paper put translate poorly in the real world!Bottom line: Your business will live or die based on the direct mail you send out!
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