Speaking in Your Community!
By Bruce Hudson
Since 1982 when we started our full time studio, I’ve given hundreds of programs throughout my community. Everything from jr. high career days to service clubs like Rotary. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a high school senior in front of my lens at the studio who said, “You came to my jr. high career day and I always wanted my senior portraits done by you!” One question photographers always ask me is, “Can speaking really get you new clients?” The answer is a big fat YES! http://mystudiomentor.com/Details.aspx?PID=7STEPS
For most photographers, it’s hard to wait 5 years (like the senior I mentioned above) for an excited 8th grader to turn into a client. Most marketing takes time for the seeds to germinate; that was just one example. However, there have been many times when I’ve finished my program and audience members come up to me afterwards right away. They’ll usually help me pack up and we’ll talk some more about photography. Many times these people become family clients within days! In fact, one of my top clients wrote me a $3,000 check for a first year baby plan the same morning he met me at a 7 Steps presentation! Yes, it was perfect timing with their anniversary and first child about to be born, but that is what getting out into the community is all about!
Putting yourself out in the community provides an opportunity for prospects to experience you and not just a name on a building or a website. The longer I’m in this wonderful profession, the longer I realize that people buy from people, not just a name or a company. A portrait session intimidates many people; capturing the essence of the subject requires a level of trust and rapport between the subject and the photographer. This will also help you get more of a natural expression; it’s the personal connection between the two. So, where I am going with this? Bottom-line: Speaking in your community will set you apart from other photographers in your area. The people in the audience will get to know you and not just the name of a studio. This might not sound like a big deal—trust me, it is!
Marketing That Only Costs you Time!
The days of sending out a direct mail piece and watching the calendar fill up are gone! You must be proactive and market yourself in a multitude of ways in order to generate new clients and maintain the current ones. If you are following Josh and me at http://www.mystudiomentor.com/, you know how we preach the importance of using various forms of marketing and implementing them. In this manual we will be concentrating on speaking as a form of cost-effective marketing. Schools, service organizations, mom’s groups, etc., are all looking for experts to come and speak at their meetings. Here’s the cool part—they don’t charge you anything to speak to them!
“Rock Star” for a Half Hour or so…
If you know more information about a subject than anyone else in the room, they you are the authority. When giving a program, this is your greatest asset. When the public is searching for a photographer online or offline in the phonebook, they have no clue who is exceptional, bad, or mediocre. When the public hears you during a program at their Kiwanis Club meeting, you are the authority in the room and this means instant credibility! Yes, credibility is totally subjective, but for that half hour or so you are the rock star in the room, you are the photography expert. You might not be the most decorated, award winning master photographer in your town, but for the time being, you rock!
Training Your Competition?
Some critics might say that you’re training your future competitors. This could not be further from the truth. If anything, you are showing the world the big difference between you the professional and them, the amateurs. For instance, I think I’m a pretty good cook. I love going to cooking classes and wine events. I have access to all the same tools and ingredients that the pro chefs do. Does my food taste like the pro chef who taught me? It’s good, but not even in the same ballpark! Am I going to run off and open a restaurant anytime soon? Nope! But I will more than likely frequent the pro chef’s restaurant because I have gotten to know him and have seen what he can do versus me; it’s as simple as that! You will not be training your competition, you will be building relationships and respect for your expertise in the field of photography.
If I haven’t convinced you yet, check this out! I even offer a Client Camera Class at the studio! This is actually one of our more popular events at the studio throughout the year. Everyone wants to learn how to take better photographs. Our Client Camera Class gives my clients the opportunity to visit the studio and subtly remind them that it’s time to update that family wall portrait! The class is not free; we require 3 bags of groceries for the local food bank! This is a great example of what we call “win-win” marketing.
By Bruce Hudson
Since 1982 when we started our full time studio, I’ve given hundreds of programs throughout my community. Everything from jr. high career days to service clubs like Rotary. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a high school senior in front of my lens at the studio who said, “You came to my jr. high career day and I always wanted my senior portraits done by you!” One question photographers always ask me is, “Can speaking really get you new clients?” The answer is a big fat YES! http://mystudiomentor.com/Details.aspx?PID=7STEPS
For most photographers, it’s hard to wait 5 years (like the senior I mentioned above) for an excited 8th grader to turn into a client. Most marketing takes time for the seeds to germinate; that was just one example. However, there have been many times when I’ve finished my program and audience members come up to me afterwards right away. They’ll usually help me pack up and we’ll talk some more about photography. Many times these people become family clients within days! In fact, one of my top clients wrote me a $3,000 check for a first year baby plan the same morning he met me at a 7 Steps presentation! Yes, it was perfect timing with their anniversary and first child about to be born, but that is what getting out into the community is all about!
Putting yourself out in the community provides an opportunity for prospects to experience you and not just a name on a building or a website. The longer I’m in this wonderful profession, the longer I realize that people buy from people, not just a name or a company. A portrait session intimidates many people; capturing the essence of the subject requires a level of trust and rapport between the subject and the photographer. This will also help you get more of a natural expression; it’s the personal connection between the two. So, where I am going with this? Bottom-line: Speaking in your community will set you apart from other photographers in your area. The people in the audience will get to know you and not just the name of a studio. This might not sound like a big deal—trust me, it is!
Marketing That Only Costs you Time!
The days of sending out a direct mail piece and watching the calendar fill up are gone! You must be proactive and market yourself in a multitude of ways in order to generate new clients and maintain the current ones. If you are following Josh and me at http://www.mystudiomentor.com/, you know how we preach the importance of using various forms of marketing and implementing them. In this manual we will be concentrating on speaking as a form of cost-effective marketing. Schools, service organizations, mom’s groups, etc., are all looking for experts to come and speak at their meetings. Here’s the cool part—they don’t charge you anything to speak to them!
“Rock Star” for a Half Hour or so…
If you know more information about a subject than anyone else in the room, they you are the authority. When giving a program, this is your greatest asset. When the public is searching for a photographer online or offline in the phonebook, they have no clue who is exceptional, bad, or mediocre. When the public hears you during a program at their Kiwanis Club meeting, you are the authority in the room and this means instant credibility! Yes, credibility is totally subjective, but for that half hour or so you are the rock star in the room, you are the photography expert. You might not be the most decorated, award winning master photographer in your town, but for the time being, you rock!
Training Your Competition?
Some critics might say that you’re training your future competitors. This could not be further from the truth. If anything, you are showing the world the big difference between you the professional and them, the amateurs. For instance, I think I’m a pretty good cook. I love going to cooking classes and wine events. I have access to all the same tools and ingredients that the pro chefs do. Does my food taste like the pro chef who taught me? It’s good, but not even in the same ballpark! Am I going to run off and open a restaurant anytime soon? Nope! But I will more than likely frequent the pro chef’s restaurant because I have gotten to know him and have seen what he can do versus me; it’s as simple as that! You will not be training your competition, you will be building relationships and respect for your expertise in the field of photography.
If I haven’t convinced you yet, check this out! I even offer a Client Camera Class at the studio! This is actually one of our more popular events at the studio throughout the year. Everyone wants to learn how to take better photographs. Our Client Camera Class gives my clients the opportunity to visit the studio and subtly remind them that it’s time to update that family wall portrait! The class is not free; we require 3 bags of groceries for the local food bank! This is a great example of what we call “win-win” marketing.
For more information on how to get started with type of marketing, check this out! http://mystudiomentor.com/Details.aspx?PID=7STEPS
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