Direct Marketing

[fredjclaus]

How do you all handle your direct marketing campaigns? Do you send letters, postcards, or email?

[FedererPhoto]

I realize this isn' the answer you might have been looking for... but...

I don't. I simply don't direct-market cold. People find me, either through referrals, google, friend-of-friend-of-friend, talking to them ("Oh, your engaged - well, I happen to be a wedding photographer...") etc.

It's done me good enough. I was lucky enough to get started with 4-5 from word-of-mouth that all went good enough to get a small referral base going.

[fredjclaus]

That does help though. I was thinking about sending out an introduction letter to some car dealers, or other businesses that may be able to use photos I can offer. I have camped at this one camp site every year since my kids were born and I noticed a couple years ago he had pictures taken so I figured I'd write to him as well.

I'm glad to see you have had great success with word of mouth. I have been doing that lately as well, but I haven't hit the right people yet. At least I know now that word of mouth will work sooner or later.

Thanks for the advise.

[Awais Yaqub]

I think word of mouth is much more appropriate for Wedding and individual portrait session stuff.

To get projects from multinationals and large organizations i think Letter followed by phone call to appropriate department is great. Emails can be considered as spam:scratch.

[mercphoto]

How do you all handle your direct marketing campaigns? Do you send letters, postcards, or email?
What type of photography are you offering? Who do you think your potential clients are? By the way I'm trying to answer the very same question you are. I'm about to hit up a couple of local businesses whose customers I believe could become my customers. I'm going to attempt to hang some of my photos for free, with marketing text on the images, in their business. Kind of me giving them wall art, them giving me an advertising outlet. We'll see.

[FedererPhoto]

Oh yes, I agree... my experience only applies to wedding or other lifestyle photography like that.

[MichaelBrown]

I guess it's true that different methods work a bit better depending on the area of photography a individual works in, and maybe I guess you could say it also depends on the type of person one may be.

For myself?
There is nothing better that works for me when contacting art consultants and designers than a phone call.
I guess it is my southern accent! :D


Michael

[fredjclaus]

Promotional photography is what I'm trying to focus on here. I want to photograph different types of establisments such as camp grounds, hotels, and other hospitality and entertainment places. These types of companies use photos in their brochures so I want to be the name they think of when they need pictures done.

In addition, I was going to contact the local Buy here Pay here dealers to take photos for their advertising. That is a turnover business since they are constatnly selling and buying new cars.

[Digital Illusions]

Promotional photography is what I'm trying to focus on here. I want to photograph different types of establisments such as camp grounds, hotels, and other hospitality and entertainment places. These types of companies use photos in their brochures so I want to be the name they think of when they need pictures done.

In addition, I was going to contact the local Buy here Pay here dealers to take photos for their advertising. That is a turnover business since they are constatnly selling and buying new cars.

I think this would be best done in person by setting an appointment with the general manager or owner, and present a portfolio of your finest work. In the case of promotional photography you need to sell yourself and why having you shoot the photo is better than an employee with a point-and-shoot camera.

I would also go ahead and create the promotional materials (postcards, flyers, etc.) and give them to the manager/owner at the end of the meeting as a tool to remember you when the meeting is over. If you create the material and just drop it off (or mail it) and don’t meet with the potential client; then they are just going to trash it.

This is going to take some personal one-on-one selling from you to the potential client. Essentially is a business to business service you are selling; so it needs to be done in person.