Planning for profit
A sound marketing plan is essential for future growth. Follow this simple four-step planning process to make 2007 your best year yet
Being a great photographer in today’s ruthlessly competitive market is no longer enough. To succeed you must also be great at marketing, and to succeed at marketing you must plan.
So whether you’re in your first year of business or your 20th, you need to look at how you market your services – and you need to do it now!
Before you begin thinking about this year, consider what you’ve tried before to ‘sell’ yourself. This may have included some or all of the following:
- Advertising
- Direct mail
- Website, Internet and email
- Client meetings and phone calls
- Picture libraries/agents and reps
- Membership of trade organisations
- PR
- Free listings
- Galleries and exhibitions
- Awards and competitions
What did you do and how often? Remember, frequency is important as ‘repetition’ creates ‘recognition’. Who did you target and when? Did you always use calls to action? How much did you spend and what results did you achieve? Get a clear picture of what worked before and consider what could work in the year ahead. Only then can you follow this plan:
1) Firstly, establish your goals for this year, as your marketing plan will flow from these. Keep asking yourself What am I selling? Who will buy my product? How can I reach these potential clients?
Forecast the turnover and number of projects you want to achieve this year and schedule these into calendar months. Be realistic.
Decide which clients you are going to target. Remember, your best new business will come from your existing clients, so at least 50 per cent of your time should be spent on developing and increasing business from this group. And whatever type of photography you are involved in, you should aim to be with at least one picture library.
2) Now decide which marketing activities are most likely to achieve your goals and prioritise which ones you will use.
Get all your promotional material designed in one go (letterheads, printed promotional leaflets, business cards etc). This ensures a consistent visual approach and marketing message, plus it helps establish you as a ‘brand’. If you cannot design the items yourself, get a professional to do it for you. It does not have to cost a lot – even high street shops offer affordable design and print services these days.
3) Decide when is the most effective time to run your various campaigns and create a marketing calendar. Whether using an electronic ‘calendar’ or a good old-fashioned lever arch file, create sections for each month, and plot what needs to happen and when. Remember, December is probably the weakest month in the marketing calendar.
4) Try and cost everything out. If you have a good itemised plan not only will this help you budget for this vital activity, but it could also be useful if applying for financial assistance from your local Business Link office, for example. Either way, all your marketing activity should be 100 per cent tax deductible.
You are a driver and a sound marketing plan is your map. Without a map you are likely to get lost and certainly won’t get anywhere fast.
Taking the time to produce a marketing plan is a valuable investment. It gives you confidence, structure and control. At best a marketing plan should ensure that you make more money this year. Which, of course, is what being in business is all about.
