Discuss Craigslist Marketing

[rab3rd]

Look--Great Photography

[rab3rd]

I am really shocked at the number of houston photographers using craigslist as part of their marketing. I have set a new goal for 2011 after having reached my 2010 goal. Marketing myself as a photographer to broader markets and seeing a return from it. I will be going legit with a DBA after the first so I am trying to get a handle on marketing. This is a new venture for me as I have never really tried to market anything.

[kayumangi]

I was shocked too until I realized most of them were doing it for SEO and link backs. A good example is Evoke studios (I don't know them personally) but I saw their CL ads everywhere about two years ago, now they're showing up on page 1 on google for "Houston Wedding Photographer".

[janikphoto]

Originally Posted by rab3rd

...I will be going legit with a DBA after the first so I am trying to get a handle on marketing. This is a new venture for me as I have never really tried to market anything.

A DBA does NOT make you legit. You can get a DBA for $10. If you need a piece of paper to make you legit, it would probably be the Texas state sales and use tax permit. This is the one that allows to to collect and file state sales tax with Austin every January.

Originally Posted by kayumangi

I was shocked too until I realized most of them were doing it for SEO and link backs. A good example is Evoke studios (I don't know them personally) but I saw their CL ads everywhere about two years ago, now they're showing up on page 1 on google for "Houston Wedding Photographer"...

That may be the case with some of them, but not with the guy in the link above. His pics are pretty bad. I'm guessing this was his big marketing push.

[mrsrice22]

I've used CL in the past and when used in Colorado I had pretty good results with the clients that I booked. I'll admit that I'll use it again here shortly, along with other marketing angles to get my name out and business going. Since moving here at the end of May, I still don't know anyone or have any portfolio clients to build off of, in regards to referrals. So it's back to good ol foot work and CL, sigh.

[rab3rd]

@Jason. Yes Jason thats correct. It was implied on my part. Guess I should have listed all the steps.

[ChristopherCoy]

Originally Posted by janikphoto

That may be the case with some of them, but not with the guy in the link above. His pics are pretty bad. I'm guessing this was his big marketing push.

IF those are even his/her pictures. Did you notice the two different watermarks? I can't make the bottom one out, but its definitely not the same as the top.

[Crashoran]

I've posted one ad, received a reply, discussed and showed my portfolio over dinner. Have been getting steady work from the client ever since.

[rab3rd]

@ Nick, Im glad it worked for you. I have seen both ends of the spectrum on there. Like the one linked here, charging to much for the quality of work, and others that are doing quality work and under charging.

[kayumangi]

Charging too much is subjective. Photography is all about emotions, if the customer has such an emotional attachment to a photo no matter how underexposed, blurry or grainy it is, he or she will buy it. The tricky part is knowing how and when to make that connection.

As for charging too little I guess its all about the photographers self confidence and self worth, that's another story altogether.

As for marketing one thing I learned from here and from the other places I frequent is to know thy target audience first. If you can paint a face to who your audience are the easier for you to make a plan.

[ChristopherCoy]

Originally Posted by rab3rd

...charging to much for the quality of work, and others that are doing quality work and under charging.

This is something that is stated time and time again, by everyone at some time... but what is the basis for someone charging too little or too much? Who is the 'all knowing' entity that pulls back the emerald curtain and says 'you're charging too much/little'?

We can all agree that the pictures listed in the CL ad link above are sub-par and low quality, but who/what defines the value of them?

[TheRandomPhotographer]

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

IF those are even his/her pictures. Did you notice the two different watermarks? I can't make the bottom one out, but its definitely not the same as the top.

they are all the same....if you look closely you can see the same watermark text...although the photographer added the flower in only two images

[rab3rd]

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

This is something that is stated time and time again, by everyone at some time... but what is the basis for someone charging too little or too much? Who is the 'all knowing' entity that pulls back the emerald curtain and says 'you're charging too much/little'?

We can all agree that the pictures listed in the CL ad link above are sub-par and low quality, but who/what defines the value of them?

I do, you do, everyone that looks at the work does.... We may not all agree but we do all decide...

[dmarty78]

Don't understand this discussion? The ad looks like someone selling photogrpahic services on CL. I see their photos aren't the best around, but everyone has to start somewhere. Did you spend alot of time to find a photographer to throw up on the forum to filet, becuase their photogrphy isn't up to par? What sets you apart from this photographer, a 5DMKII, a DBA and some business cards?

Jeez the egos in this business are amazing!

[janikphoto]

Originally Posted by dmarty78

Don't understand this discussion? The ad looks like someone selling photogrpahic services on CL. I see their photos aren't the best around, but everyone has to start somewhere. Did you spend alot of time to find a photographer to throw up on the forum to filet, becuase their photogrphy isn't up to par? What sets you apart from this photographer, a 5DMKII, a DBA and some business cards?

Jeez the egos in this business are amazing!

Get your facts straight before you start flaming people. I never mentioned his sub-par work just to say, "hey, look at his crap!" No, I only mentioned it to directly comment on the idea of some studios using CL as a way to bump up their SEO.

These studios aren't looking at CL to directly add quality/repeat clients to their sales base. They are using the ads to bump up their presence on the internet, thereby affecting their google page rank. Studios like this are usually bigger-budget, better quality studios that have the time and money to work on multiple marketing fronts... not some kid who is just starting out on the path to becoming a pro shooter, and is using a CL ad to find his next paycheck. I ONLY mentioned his quality to point out that he's obviously just starting out. He has a long way to go. He's not flooding CL with faux ads just to help his SEO. He is actually using this ad at face value.

And to the people who have gained good quality clients from CL, that's great news. I never said CL was a giant black hole of bottom feeders. I'm sure there ARE some good clients that can be found through CL. I'm just guessing that CL also has a lot of bottom-barrel customers looking for a $25 two hour shoot with a full disc of all the images... you have to take the bad with the good on CL.