Advertising....what do you think?

[ZyxKor]

Marketing is really tough, even tougher with a strict budget. Go to the bookstore or go online and get "Marketing for Dummies" or an other book like that. You need to understand some basics of getting a marketing plan together then implement it. As others have said you're in a business that isn't a daily need for people so most people don't think about it much on a daily basis. Because of that if you just blast out ads without thinking about them first you will be wasting money. You need to figure out who your core customers are, where they look for your services when they need them then figure out what makes them buy from a specific vendor. It's sounds pretty tricky but with a good book or two you can figure it out pretty quickly. For a photo business I would definitely have customer quotes on your website saying "wow, great service, great prices, great product" etc. For a smaller company that helps assure perspective customers that other people have used your services and liked them. Without that they really don't know you from anyone.

One of the biggest issues I see with small companies advertising is bad copy. Make sure everything is perfect and the best that it can be. Even one misspelled word will turn off customers.

And, as always I recommend going to www.gitomer.com and sign up for the Sales Caffeine Newsletter. It's free and contains TONS of great ideas and info . And any of his books are great, the Sales Bible is must read.

 

[Jim Gratiot]

Marketing is really tough, even tougher with a strict budget.

Ironically, having a strict budget can be an advantage because it forces you to market smart...

One of the biggest issues I see with small companies advertising is bad copy.

Amen to that... I am a part-time copywriter as well... and it is amazing how truly sloppy (or just plain awful) most advertising copy is.

And the sad part is... you can be the best photographer in the world, but if your advertising doesn't sell your product or service... it doesn't really matter.

 

[ZyxKor]

Oh, one quick thought:

Marketing is what gets people in your door, Salesmanship is what gets them to buy. You need to understand the difference and as a small business you need to be able to do both.


Jim - I learned firsthand that most ad copy is bad. I misspelled the name of the company I was working for once. That was a bad day.

 

[E3PhotographyStudio]

Thanks Jim and Christian. We actually signed a bride and got a deposit check, so we've got a little money now to work with. LOL We decided to get a really nice see through sign made for one of our cars (durango) and the other car will get just a vinyl web address sticker across the back window. That will help for right now. We're also making some post card coupons for some of our friends to have/give away. And we're talking with some local churches about silent auctions they're having. Hopefully it will help for now.

 

[Renair]

I had a similar idea for here in Dublin. The card idea will work if you go to an area with new houses, people want photos to cover there new blank walls. Also I put up flyers in my local library. Hope this helps a little, oh, also stick some business cards down in your local tourist office....