Need Advise: How Do You Advertise?

[Z FOTOTECHNIKA]

What have you all found to be the most effective bang for your buck advertising technique within your local city? Newspaper, Online, Word of Mouth, etc...

Trying to expand my photography hobby into a successful business.

[Hikin Mike]

Optimizing your website (SEO) is free. ;)

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=793272

[Karl Johnston]

Do good work.

Nothing sells better than amazing work and client referrals.

[Z FOTOTECHNIKA]

OK thank you guys.

[MJPhotos24]

You're supposed to advertise??? THAT'S WHAT I'M SCREWING UP ON!!!

99% of my advertising is word of mouth, nothing like it. I do send out portfolios to possible clients if needed but almost all have been people I've met, networked with, just got a hold of me. Mind you I've been finishing a degree so kind of laying back and not pushing for many new clients because of time issues - that ends in 2 days finally so will up it a bit. Main thing you want to do while advertising is make it directly to your audience - spending advertising dollars in the spray and pray method is a waste of time/money/effort.

[Ernst-Ulrich Schafer]

Avoid advertising in the newspaper, or a Yellow Page ad. It's a waste of money, unless you have lots of it coming in and can throw at it.

A great website, blog, word of mouth, social networking like Facebook, MySpace. Exhibit your work where ever you can. Get your face in front of folks on a constant basis.

Learning MARKETING and how to give great customer service. Keep in touch with your customers on a regular basis.

Have a product that stands out.

Best of luck, Ernst

[Z FOTOTECHNIKA]

Great point guys! Keep them coming...

[Picture North Carolina]

Avoid advertising in the newspaper, or a Yellow Page ad. It's a waste of money, unless you have lots of it coming in and can throw at it.

A great website, blog, word of mouth, social networking like Facebook, MySpace. Exhibit your work where ever you can. Get your face in front of folks on a constant basis.

Learning MARKETING and how to give great customer service. Keep in touch with your customers on a regular basis.

Have a product that stands out.

Best of luck, Ernst

Amen. Double amen! Also magazines.

The rest of what Ernst has said pretty much sums 90% of it up in a nutshell. Study, learn, and understand how to properly implement each of those components (website, social media, etc.) and you can create an effective marketing machine.

[Z FOTOTECHNIKA]

Yes that makes sense. I have a website and am working on business cards. Then I am going to get more into social media like twitter and myspace.

[Ernst-Ulrich Schafer]

Lots of High Schoolers hang at myspace (at least in my area) then as they reach 20ish they move on to Facebook.

A great marketing person with average camera skills can do very well. A poor marketer, but great photographer is nothing more than a starving artist. Put the two together and nothing can stop ya.

Ernst

[Z FOTOTECHNIKA]

Your absolutely right Ernst! I have already been advertising my photography on facebook. I will look to expand that more. Also Twitter seems to be a good avenue for people over 20.

[meekerphoto]

I find that networking is one of the best ways to advertise. It is not instant results, but in the long run the cheapest and most stable form of getting your name out there. I get referrals from people I met even a year ago and they have some of my marketing materials still. There are all kinds of gatherings for other photographers, other vendors, coordinators and even in a big place like LA I have managed to make connections with people and they remember months later.

I follow up with them via email periodically to just see how they are doing and even have coffee once in awhile.

Magazines are good for reputation amongst other vendors. Not a whole lot of direct client bookings, but really good for having your name become well known with the rest of the industry.

hope that helps

[amfoto1]

Coming from 21 years in an advertising business career, I can tell you for certain that every form of advertising has its time and place, and none of it is free... ever. If you aren't spending your money, you are investing your time. People mis-buy or have unreasonable expectations, or put together crappy ads and then are disappointed... then tend to make sweeping, blanket statements that might or might not be true.

Referrals are your very best form of advertising... cherish and cultivate your customer relationships.

Today you need to consider viral marketing, emailings and other "new age" methods. MySpace is so last year... Facebook is so last month and has been taken over by moms and dads, aunts and uncles... Twitter is so last week... But I'm not sure where the kiddies are now... Haven't figured out a way to insert an ad in their texting networks yet! (Maybe I don't want to, now that I think about it.)

Tried and true and properly selective, quaility advertising in traditional media can be very productive.

Yellow Pages are still important, but people tend to overbuy... sometimes a lot! (Look up attorneys and plumbers in many markets' Yellow Pages.) You need to stand out, but in most categories only need some bold face and a little extra info... Look at what competitors are doing and just barely do enough to stand out among them. If they all run single column listings, you don't need to run a full page! Also consider that there are multiple yellow page type books in many places. And that most now have online listings that you should be on.

Don't overlook your alphabetical white pages listing, either. Sometimes a little bold face and/or bumping the type size up one notch there can really work wonders, and isn't too expensive.

Proof any Yellow Page ad very, very carefully! You have to live with any errors for a full year!

Newspapers and magazines can be very effective, used right. For one thing, you shouldn't run one ad and call it a day. You have to run campaigns of ads. Instead of a full page, buy eight 1/8 page ads, for example. And target your ads carefully.... Trying to reach guys for some reason, run your ads in Sports. A wedding photographer might look for newspaper sections targeting women, and special sections that most newspapers run once or twice a year specific to wedding planning. Or magazines specific to wedding planning and young women at the age where they are most likely to be getting married soon. A pet portrait photographer might be able to get their ad positioned next to a pet column or feature in a newspaper, or buy pet specific magazines.

Commercial photographers aren't likely to see much out of advertising in consumer publications. They need to find out what their prospective clients read and advertise there.

There's a high degree of seasonality in many cases, so plan well ahead. Advertising agencies lay out plans one and two years in advance!

Websites are very important. SEO is very important. But your website also has to work closely in conjunction with all your other advertising and marketing, as a cohesive effort.

I can't really think of any examples where radio or TV would be all that valuable or possible as ad media for a sole proprietor photographer... Maybe for a small chain of family portrait studios. Maybe for a wedding or portrait photographer in a smaller market.

Brochures, even portfolio albums at the right locations (such as a wedding photographer, at a wedding shop, popular reception locations, tuxedo rental store, etc.) and other printed materials can also be part of your marketing mix.

Direct mail is still important for some... Such as fine art photography galleries sending out special show and artist reception notices. Or, a location or stock photographer might do occasional direct mailings to a carefully developed list of past and hoped for clients.

Email augments or compliments direct mail these days. Even this isn't free... don't be fooled into thinking it is. There's a lot of work involved to send out fresh info that people are happy to see in their inbox and open, rather than tagging it as spam.

And, yes, networking is essential. For example a wedding planner should be making a point of getting to know all the wedding planners, managers at reception venues, and tux rental businesses in their market area! Each photo specialty would have a different need.

A lot of people design and write their own ads/websites... Some are good at it... Most are not. Most are simply too close to their business to be objective. After all, anyone can buy a camera and take photos... You want them to come to you for your expertise in your specialization.... The same is true of ad writing and design. There are a lot of "dumb rookie" mistakes to make putting ads together (including websites).

Have reasonable expectations. An ad won't make people hire you... It's only purpose is to get them to call (or email, or whatever). Only you can take it to the next level, with your own professionalism and talent being the reason they ultimately sign a contract with you. So, each and every call (or email or whatever) generated is valuable. Work it for all it's worth!

[Z FOTOTECHNIKA]

Wow that's a lot of great info amfoto! Thank you for sharing.

[CanonGolfer]

I have seen a few people on Craigslist advertising their business and all I know is that Craigslist would be the last place in the world I would look for a "professional" photographer.

[C-Shuler]

For me, the best advertising:

1) My big window, facing a busy street, I change out my images frequently. My customers especially get excited when they see their child in the window and tell their family and friends about it.

2) A regular ad in the newspaper. I'm in a small town and it is the only newspaper and goes out once a week. I change up the ad at least once a month to match whatever current promotion I am running.

3) Referrals from existing customers. I always give them more than they expected. I package my prints very nicely (boxes from Bella Grafica (http://www.bellagrafica.com/)) when the customer comes to pick them up and I include a little something extra, usually a 5x7 of one of my favorite poses. I do consider that part of my advertising, because word of mouth is the greatest advertising by far.