Capitalise on your wedding market
Don’t let your wedding business stagnate. Adopt a focused marketing strategy that makes your business stand out in a competitive market
Competition is fierce in the photographic marketplace right now. There is a wealth of talented and dynamic photographers the length and breadth of the country. So you can’t rely on talent alone to guarantee you success, financial reward and recognition.
But competition is healthy; it keeps the marketplace on its toes. Think about the competition you face in your region. How many other businesses are you competing with? What do they offer? Visit their websites and exhibition stands. Remember it’s not just about assessing their photographic merit, how they operate is just as important.
One of the most innovative wedding businesses currently has to be Alan and Jackie Rankine’s, based in Edinburgh. They have managed to dovetail creative spirit with an instinctive approach to image capture. Their photographic agenda is purely based on the client’s perception and their talented approach to capturing that.
Capturing images which have a personal meaning and reference for the bride and groom has immense value. The consumer knows this and so do you, plus you know how to market the capturing of this emotion. Alan and Jackie’s talent lies in the fact that they can recognise this, shoot it and then sell it – yet with the couple’s interests at the heart of it all.
If you do just one thing to develop your wedding business this month, ask yourself this series of questions: Is the client at the centre of everything I do? Is the client king? What do I do that makes a difference to the client? Consider how your answers are influencing the volume of wedding bookings you take. Think about your standing in the marketplace and whether potential consumers are noticing you. This is a very important question, because it is key to generating traffic to the business.
Like many other markets, the wedding photography business is competitive. So learn from other markets, don’t stand around contemplating the challenge, face it head on. Educate your business and give it an edge. Once you’ve found your edge, put a price tag on it and start selling it. And more importantly, start marketing the message behind your style. It’s no good just saying you shoot digital and use Queensberry albums. No disrespect to Queensberry, but this is like Gordon Ramsay putting his talent down to the oven he uses.
Read this column as a wake-up call. Answer these questions and make a quantum leap forward. It could have a fundamental impact on the type and volume of weddings you shoot. Being successful today is about talent, and having a targeted, marketing strategy.
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