Looking 4 Marketing Ideas

[Dsheree]

In a rut and now looking for 2 or 3 great quick marketing ideas to generate some business. Any tips?

[CaptainTom]

Haeven't tried it but it seems sound.
Take the best shot from your last portrait shoot. Have an inexpensive business card made using the shot plus your usual info. Give a whole bunch to your last portrait client and say " This shot was so great I had it put on a business card". They will start passing them around to everyone they know and your name will get out very quickly.

[Steelsun]

That's a cool idea.

[Dsheree]

Tom that was such a great idea I already do that to good customers. Each customer order I make up 16 wallets as business cards from their order and it is there free gift to help me out.

[Dsheree]

keep the ideas comming.

[Resa]

Dawn

Just a thought, but have you checked with the gymnastics place on 685 by the heb to see if they do pictures of there students, or the music school off of 1825 to see if maybe they need pictures for recitals or anything?

Also, I know this is 3 months out, but what about checking with whoever is in charge of the trick or treating in down town where businesses hand out candy to the kids and business info to the parents.

Resa

[suerenee]

Something I did once-

make a list of 100 people you know-friends, family, business, etc. write a letter and copy it to mail with your card. offer something free-like a 8 x 10 or sheet of wallets. Make sure to note that if they can't use the offer to pass it on to thier friends or family. all your out is $39 in stamps and about $10 in copies/office supplies. If you get one booking it's worth it!

I also ALWAYS put my cards up on bullentin boards at places like starbucks, etc. I put out about 5-10 cards a week. I got one booking from it so it's worth the shot.

I do the "here's your pic. on my card" but just print them on photo paper. It's really cheap, still looks nice and I've gotten 4 bookings from that. :)

Great thread idea.

[eswist]

I would try out ModernPostcard (www.modernpostcard.com). Get some VERY nice business cards made would be my other suggestions, I'm talking translucent plastic or metallic. They stand out so much, everyone wants to show them off.

[Dsheree]

Great ideas thanks so much.
Resa: chamber member for years and been doing the Halloween on Main street for two years now. Just finnished letters to all dance etc schools hopefully going out next week. You know Pville so well! Thanks

Eric: I'll check out that printing site thanks.

[Clint_Smith]

heard this from a child/family photographer the other, and this how he got his start. Not my niche but it has done well for him. check out his new studio at www.jayyoung.com

"Drive around your neighborhoood. Write down addresses of 100 homes that have kids toys, football player lives here signs, basketball goals - generally anything that signifies that home has a kid living there.

Make up a postcard mailer - cheaply, doesn't have to be real flashy, but does have to be concise and professional looking.

Mail out 100 post cards.

Total cost $39 in postage, probably 30 in printing if you do it right and $30 in gas. If you get one client, you have paid for your marketing....but like he said you have to keep feeding the train coal to land business."

[agillette]

Get some magnetic signs printed for your cars. Also get some vinyl signs made so you can put it on the windows of your cars. Remember, your car is FREE advertisement. Plaster it with adds.

Regards,

AG

[DeLeon]

I have been doing some group shots of Boy Scout Troops and Cub Scout packs. They seems to love it because no one reallydoes the memory mate type thing for them, and I have had several bookings spin off from those. I have also sold reprints from the individual shots that go in the Memory Mate. Just give the local council office a call and see if they will let you leave a flyer with them.

[shanghai]

Depends on what type of photography you're trying to advertise?

[ShaneKislack]

Shanghai, thank you for saying it before me.

D, I looked at your website...and while the quality is up to par, I couldn't get a handle on where your passion is. What your are trying to say with your photography. As a hobby, being a generalist is fine and quite rewarding, but as a career you will starve unless you really specialize and try and corner that market.

All of the ideas above are fun...but very VERY low percentage choices (no offense). If you want to shoot seniors contact the school district and find out to become a vendor so you can market on campus. If you want to shoot family portraits...increase your yellow pages marketing. Same with weddings. Or maybe google adwords. If you want to shoot commercial you MUST get into the right sourcebooks.

The ideas people have mentioned don't cost alot, but the return is still very low.

[LoungeLizard]

Originally Posted by eswist

I would try out ModernPostcard (www.modernpostcard.com). Get some VERY nice business cards made would be my other suggestions, I'm talking translucent plastic or metallic. They stand out so much, everyone wants to show them off.

Can you recommend some sources for those translucent or metallic cards?