How do you advertise yourself ?

[Olegis]

Hi all. I would like to ask - how are you advertise yourself ?
I mean - how do you "spread the word" about your photography work (prints, galleries etc'). I don't mean professionally, most of us are amateurs who want to be noticed and maybe to sell a couple of their works.

[tommykjensen]

My own website based on Pekka's Exhibit Engine, this site, dpreview, a couple of danish sites and a danish usenet newsgroup. Also at work in a small discussion forum we have in lotus notes I have posted some of my photos. The last batch of photos got mentioned in our internal employee online magazine :D But noone has yet asked to buy any photos :( guess they are not good enough yet.

[IndyJeff]

One thing I have done that seems to be working is providing images for someone in exchange for ad space or an active link in the photo credit.

One of the softball leagues I did a tournament for this summer added my website link to their website. I provided them with images in exchange for the link. Did it work? Well, I gave them 10 images and sold quite a few images.
At the next one I added a couple of signs at the field, cheap stick in the ground signs which cost me about $60 for the both of them and set up a booth. That upped the sales a bit too. Some of the teams that were there were at the tourney 2 weeks prior. Still sales increased.

Now I am shooting for a local high school football team. I post the photos to my site, their webmaster visits the site on Saturday morning and emails me which ones he wants. It is a newsletter which he puts out on Monday morning to each player, parent and any other interested party. Now from the link on that I am selling images to the parents/players, a township news site, and this weekly local paper called and wanted the interception shot I got which locked up the game for the team I shoot for.
All of this came from me providing images for their newsletter in exchange for access to shoot their games and sell the images. The only investment I have is my time.

Thing is you have to identify who your selling to, your targets if you will. You want to shoot subjects which will be of interest to your target market. Taking a photo of a landscape may make a great shot but, who will want to buy it? A photo of a flock of geese may be another great shot but, again who will want it?
If it is landscapes you like to shoot, try a landscaping firm. Ask to shoot some of their work. They may buy some for showing potential customers what they can do.
If wildlife is your forte, maybe a local nature club would be interested. A park which the animals live in may have a visitors center which displays photos. Maybe they have a nature club that is sponsored by the park. See if you can speak at one of their meetings, show some of your best work. You never know, someone may buy some. Someone may also ask if you can do a job for them.

The thing is you have to get your name out in front of people, people who will have an interest in what you have to sell. Business cards, public displays, speaking to clubs, anything that will make someone know you are around and what you can do. Don't over look local fairs and festivals. Fairs and festivals will require a pretty good investment in inventory tho. So you better be sure that what your selling will have a marketable appeal. You could always have a printer and do onsite printing. Just have one of each photo on display already printed. When you sell it, print another one.


Be creative, think outside the box to get your name out there.

[Digital Prophet]

IndyJeff makes alot of good points. He seems to be on the right track (from what I read and hear) for an effective, yet low cost advertising campaign.

I am starting down this same path myself. I have found that I enjoy taking photos of horses. And as it were I have a friend who has a friend that owns a riding school. So I make weekly trips out there on Saturdays and shoot pictures of the girls (girls in chaps how can a guy go wrong?). I have hada a few offers to buy prints, but thus far I have just given away a handful of prints.

I know I know, why not charge? Well until recently I had not fully decided to ever go into business. Now I have gotten my DBA and am setting up my site. But I still think that the few prints I gave away and the time I spend at the barn are helping get my name amoing the parents. And if nothing else it is good practice. Practice shooting and more importantly practice dealing with potential clients.

Every person you talk to isn't just a potential client. They are a link to a dozen more potential clients. I have had casual conversations of doing jobs for churches, a resturant, and several other sports. And it comes from, god I hate cliches, networking. I am waiting for my cards. And when I get them I plan to hand them out like they are cracked peanuts.

There is an excellent book (I haven't actually read all of the current version but I have the previous version) called The Photographer's Guide to Marketing and Self-Promotion (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1581150962/qid=1094514820/sr=8-7/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i7_xgl14/103-3189970-3831830?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). I just can't even begin to fathom how many times I have seen this book recommended. And they are all right, as near I can tell this is a good book.

Another excellent book with some good thoughts is Sell & Re-Sell You Photos (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0898797748/qid=1094514933/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/103-3189970-3831830?v=glance&s=books) which I just realized has a new edition out before I am even done with the version I bought. Damn it. Even though this book is focused on stock photography I think that it has alot of good information that can easily be tranferred to other fields of photography.

I am going to get more of my ducks in a row and move towards new opporunities to spread my name and shake those hands. And I am looking to give a bit to get alot. IndyJeff's idea of trading services for links: great idea. Gon'na steal that one myself.

- Digital Prophet -

[IndyJeff]

DP you ever see the movie Cadillac Man? Robin Williams, the main character, sold used cars and gave away a business card to everyone he talked to. And I mean everyone, that is what I call self promotion LOL.

DP is that book by Maria Piscopo? I have that sitting right here, second edition. A pretty good book, you should enjoy it.

I have read different books, looked at things from "outside the box" and found ways to promote myself without trying, really.

Jeff


edit: Probably not the same book. Mine is from a 1995 printing. Altho it may be very similar in content, the covers are different based upon the one pictured in your link.

[Olegis]

Thanks Jeff, Prophet ! These are truly wonderful words of advice, I really appreciate them !
So far I didn't have much success convincing somebody to buy (or even use for a credit) my images. I have shot a couple of concerts, sent emails with gallery links to the records companies - didn't even get an answer. :?

[IndyJeff]

Oleg when I decided to give youth sports a try, I found a website which listed teams and leagues with sites. I sent out about 10 emails. I got one response. That led to a tourney within about 10 days, which led to a second one they were having about 2 weeks later. The first tourney also got me a foot in the door with another league which called me, I had not sent them an email. I did a tourney with them.
Since that first night I sent out the emails, I have had two other responses from that mailing. One is a youth football league that I will be doing this weekend. The other was a baseball league that wants me to attend a board meeting in November and discuss doing action and T&I shots next year.

So the score is 10 emails = 3 responses. 1 response = 2 tourneys and 1 referral.

Don't give up tho, keep sending stuff, just make sure it is not a "good shot" but, a GREAT shot. One that 'pops'. Think about the guy at the record company, how many photos do you think he sees in a week/month? What makes yours stand out and 'pop'? How is your shot of the lead singer different than the last 35 he has seen?
If you current attempts at marketing aren't working, look for a new angle. Sit down and ask yourself, "Self, who would want this shot bad enough to pay for it?" Identify that guy and go after him. Do the vendors at these concerts sell photos? Ask for a business card or give them one of yours. Remember, think outside the box when inside the box isn't working.

Jeff

[tommykjensen]

Some time ago I got an email from a webmaster that was running a site about Asian elephants living in European Zoo's. He had seen my photos of elephants in Copenhagen zoo and asked if he could get a few to display on their site. That came out of the blue.

A few days ago I got a PM from a user here who told me about the photographer Nick Souza who had done alot of corporate phoptography for the company that owns the containership I photographed last week. I contacted Nick with a link to those photos, he suggested me to contact the PR department and ask if they would use my photos. I did that and just this morning I got a reply that they would like to use one of my photos on their website.

So even when You are not actively promoting Yourself You can get lucky. Well I have not earned any money of it but that is not my goal either.

So this morning I decided to send an email to our Zoo and see if they are interested in some of my Zoo photos.

[Artur Gajewski]

My way of promoting myself: have a look at my signature!

Try to push your on-line gallery as much as you can to any website dealing with photography. :wink:

[Olegis]

Thanks Jeff (sent you a PM).


Some time ago I got an email from a webmaster that was running a site about Asian elephants living in European Zoo's. He had seen my photos of elephants in Copenhagen zoo and asked if he could get a few to display on their site. That came out of the blue.

A few days ago I got a PM from a user here who told me about the photographer Nick Souza who had done alot of corporate phoptography for the company that owns the containership I photographed last week. I contacted Nick with a link to those photos, he suggested me to contact the PR department and ask if they would use my photos. I did that and just this morning I got a reply that they would like to use one of my photos on their website.

So even when You are not actively promoting Yourself You can get lucky. Well I have not earned any money of it but that is not my goal either.

So this morning I decided to send an email to our Zoo and see if they are interested in some of my Zoo photos.

Thanks Tommy. I sent some emails to places I had photographied in the past to see if they have any interest in the images, so we will se about that.

Artur , great gallery you have. Very impressive !