BRANDING and MARKETING

An Introduction to

for Commercial Photographers

Bill Cramer/CEO

BRANDING +

MARKETING

Promotion equals…

Creating a memorable identity for your photography business

Introducing that identity to appropriate clients

BRANDING

▹  Who you are, what you do, how you do it

▹  Specialties, style, audience

▹  These are the kinds of pictures you can expect to get from me

▹  Not just about your “favorite” pictures

▹  Consistent/intelligent use of graphics,type, color, design and materials build familiarity and communicate your level of professionalism

▹  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

How do I determine 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

GRAPHIC IDENTITY

Branding

Website

Blog / Social Media

Print Portfolio

Mailers / Leave Behinds

Stationery

Marketing�Materials

WEBSITE ▹  Large images, concise galleries < 30 images

▹  Clear and consistent branding – have your work mark/logo show up on every page

▹  Intuitive navigation—show what gallery you are on, where you are in that gallery and make it easy to move from picture to picture

▹  Coherent and logical sections with meaningful names

▹  Contact page with contact info and location, About page with bio and picture

WEBSITE ▹  Match your URL to your company name— yourname.com or yournamephotography.com

▹  Link to blog and social media

▹  If images can be dragged off your site, label metadata with name, copyright, and contact info

▹  No music, no flashy intros, no splash page, no water marks, no “recent work” section

▹  Check spelling, punctuation, grammar

▹  Update regularly, make sure copyright notice is current

BLOG/SOCIAL MEDIA ▹  Coordinate (but not duplicate) the look with your main website

PRINT PORTFOLIO ▹  No longer essential, but it 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 it regularly

MAILERS/LEAVE BEHINDS

▹  E-Mailer

▹  Post card

▹  Accordion

▹  Booklet

Most get thrown away, so do anything you can�

to stand out…

MAILERS/LEAVE BEHINDS

▹  E-Mailer

▹  Post card

▹  Accordion

▹  Booklet

▹  Cupcakes

Most get thrown away, so do anything 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 is your email address ? Should match your url

▹  What do your emails look like? Normal sized text, black or dark gray

▹  Do you have a proper email signature?

▹  What do your estimates look like? treatments when appropriate

▹  How do you answer the phone?

▹  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?

Case study

Terry Vine Lifestyle, Travel, Houston

MARKETING

BRANDING +

MARKETING

Promotion equals…

Creating a memorable identity for your photography.

Introducing that identity to appropriate clients.

▹  You never know who might relate to your work

▹  There are a lot of obscure clients out there

▹  Take charge of your career

▹  Get where you want to go

Marketing

Allows clients to find you Seek out clients who are most appropriate 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 New 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

▹  Recommended

▹  Opportunity to talk about your projects ▹  Helps bring out your personality, allows clients to feel like the know you

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)

▹  Don’t let your photos speak for themselves, tag all of them

▹  Example: Animal Photographer Philadelphia, PA Maria Luci Photography

▹  Link to other relevant sites and have relevant sites link to you

▹  A blog is a great opportunity to include lots of relevant text

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

ACTIVE MARKETING

Marketing

Research Content Management Systems Prospect Contact Lists Email Broadcasting Services Mass E-mailers and Print Mailers Individual Emails and Print Mailers Phone Calls Portfolio Meetings Industry Events

Active�Marketing

RESEARCH ▹  Record Companies

▹  Cosmetics Companies

▹  Fashion Companies

▹  Media Companies

▹  Architects

▹  Department Stores

▹  Ad Agencies

▹  Magazines

▹  Corporations

▹  Graphic Design Firms

▹  Non-Profits

▹  Book Publishers

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP"MANAGEMENT (CRM)

PROSPECT CONTACT LISTS ▹  Agency Access (now owns ADBASE and

Bikini Lists), Creative Access

▹  Find and target the right clients for you

▹  Build a list, then refine it over time

EMAIL BROADCASTING SERVICES

MASS E-MAILERS/PRINT MAILERS ▹  Hire a designer to create a template

▹  Limit your list to relevant prospects

▹  Use catchy and relevant subject lines

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, but can be more effective too

PHONE CALLS ▹  Have a purpose

▹  Get a meeting

▹  Pitch a project

▹  Send email first

▹  Create a script

▹  Research the client before you call

PORTFOLIO MEETINGS ▹  Meet with clients who are

most important to you

▹  Clients are generally interested in meeting with photographers who are relevant to their needs

INDUSTRY EVENTS ▹  Speed-Dating style portfolio reviews ▹  Art Directors Club and other

associations are an opportunities to meet clients

WORD OF MOUTH / NETWORKING / CHANCE MEETINGS

Marketing

You can’t do it all.

RESULTS

WHAT’S ALL THIS TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?

Results

For the photographer: work with clients who are right for you.

For the client: 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