Photographer Marketing Help – Profitable 2017 Part 3
WHEW. You’ve made it to part 3 of this photographer marketing help series, we’re almost at the end!
If you have missed the previous posts, click below to read them first and catch up. You’re not behind, but you’ll want to do those steps first so this makes sense!
Part 1 – Photographer Business Help – Reflecting on 2016
Part 2 – Photography Marketing – Choosing your Winning Strategies
Okay we’re into the home stretch here, we have two more parts to go to set yourself up for success in 2017! How about a little photographer marketing help, are you ready?
In Part 2 we discussed all of the different types of marketing that you can do, both online and off, to move your business forward. That list is by NO MEANS complete, as there are literally endless possibilities – but it’s a good start. I asked you to choose a few – no more than five – that you will focus on in 2017. Why no more than 5? Because you want something that is DOABLE, not something that will leave you running around like a crazy person. We have enough of that in our busy lives already!
SO, let’s take a look at the few that you’ve chosen. I want you to grab a sheet of paper for every choice you’ve made. So if you chose four, you’ll need four pieces of paper. If you chose two, get two pieces of paper. Get your sparkly colorful pen out again.
FIRST, check out the questions. You’re going to answer these questions FOR EACH marketing channel that you’ve chosen. Don’t cheat!
1. Where am I at right now?
This can mean followers, engagement, partnerships, any number of things. BE HONEST with yourself – no one is judging you or looking at your answers, if you aren’t honest, you won’t be able to measure your goals later! Example: if you want to use Facebook groups to market and grow your business, how many people are currently in your Facebook group? Do you need to even create one, so you have zero? THAT’s OKAY! You’re not behind, this is not a race, this is a measurement!
2. On July 1, 2017, where do I want to be?
Using the metric above (followers, engagement, partnerships…), where do you want to be in six months? In the example given, if you want to have a Facebook group, at the end of six months do you want 1,000 people in the group? 2,000? 20?
3. Write out 5 ways that you can make this happen.
Does this mean inviting people to your Facebook group? Blogging about it? Emailing your clients about it? Sharing it on Facebook? Tweeting about it? Putting it onto a business card that you share when you’re out and about? Be realistic. Don’t set yourself up for failure – if you know you’re not going to do something, don’t put it on the list!
4. On December 31, 2017, where do I want to be?
Again, use the metric above to determine where you want to be at the end of the year.
5. Write out 5 ways that you can make this happen.
These very well could be the same as #3, but because you will have more time, you might have more options. For instance, if you want to have an event in September to cross promote and grow that group, it wouldn’t be an option in the six month time frame. Again, be real with yourself!
6. ***VERY IMPORTANT***
Once you have grown this particular method of marketing, what is your plan to turn these followers into clients? Write down five things!
Oooh this one is hard and will take some time. Using the example above, let’s talk about a Facebook group. So you’ve grown your Facebook group, awesome! But now what? They’re not just going to book a session with you because they’re in your Facebook group. What is your plan to move them forward into paying clients? Challenges? A special model call just for the group? Content marketing, to give them information they’ll need and that will provide value in their lives? Inspirational memes? Sharing your work consistently? Does this mean scheduling some posts instead of relying on memory? Does this mean scheduling days to focus on this? THINK about this, and really take some time to think about what you need to do to not only grow this marketing channel, but to USE it to grow your business and actually BOOK paying clients!
At the bottom of your paper, draw a grid with 12 boxes, and label each box with a month of the year, January, February, etc. Write in your focus for each month, what you are giong to do in this marketing channel to reach your goals, not just in followers or measurable goals, but in booked clients!
Now schedule a day every month in your calendar to set aside time to do this. To schedule the necessary posts. To set up meetings for partnerships. Whatever it is you need to do, SCHEDULE IT NOW.
If it isn’t scheduled, it isn’t real.
Schedule it into the calendar now, and set aside some time. Even if it’s after everyone is in bed at night – make it happen!
You’ve read through the questions, and I used an online example, but let’s get real for a second, a little tough love.
Staying behind your computer will not grow your business in the same way as getting out and actually interacting with people.
Yes, the online options are amazing. Yes, there are so many opportunities. But I really want to encourage you to think about at least one option that involves getting OUT of the house and meeting with other people. It could be speaking at expos, doing trade shows, or partnering with local companies, but seriously – you’re a photographer, USE THOSE SKILLS and get out and kick some ass!
End tough love.
Because you have made it this far, I have a super special surprise for you – a WORKSHEET for you to work through everything we just did above. So you don’t have to use your pieces of paper, but you’ll still want that sparkly pen. Because, sparkles. And fun colors and stuff.
Print it out, fill it out, and hold onto it for Part 4. You’re ALMOST THERE, and you can totally do this!
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