Photofocus

Photo by Scott Bourne – Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

Guest post by Skip Cohen – Follow Skip on Twitter

It’s time to start putting together your proactive marketing ideas for the fall and it doesn’t matter what your specialty is.

For example, if you’re a commercial photographer, remember that most American companies are on a standard fiscal calendar, but Japanese companies wrap up the year on March 31^st.  The bottom line is that now is the perfect time to be designing a post card mailer to your prospect list with a mailing right after Labor Day.  You want to get your name in there as they’re going through their budget process, which for most companies is in October.

If you’re a portrait photographer there are so many opportunities for great promotions in the fall.  It’s back to school with homecoming, Halloween, fall foliage time and then it’s into Thanksgiving and the holidays.  All along the way there are opportunities for you to remind your target audience they’re in need of an up to date family portrait.

This is also a great time to team up with a few partners.  Thinking about doing a Halloween promotion?   How about working with a local children’s store and creating a program for portraiture in full costume?  Cross promote each of your companies and share the cost of the mailing and if you want to add a great finishing touch, do a donation back to a local charity and get them involved in the process.

Wedding photographers need to start thinking about next year.  You should be looking at your advertising and publicity plans and definitely consider a direct mail effort joining forces with a few other vendors outside photo.  For example, how about doing a mailing together with a florist, wedding planner and limo service?  Or, how about a travel agent together with a tux shop and bridal salon?

No matter how difficult the economy is or your feelings about business this year, nothing changes the power you have to plant an idea with your target audience.  It’s not easy and it does take work, but if you do nothing through the next few months then you miss the opportunities to at least grow brand recognition for your company.

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