| "Doing business without advertising is like winking at a | | | | get her to read the first sentence of the message |
| girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but | | | | (and then continue on from there, of course.) |
| nobody else does." - Stuart H. Britt, New York Herald | | | | So work hard on that headline, it's very important. |
| Tribune | | | | And NEVER write anything that doesn't have a |
| Charles Lewis here, at Charles Lewis Photography, | | | | headline. It's the "ad" for your ad, webpage or sales |
| and I've spent over 30 years discovering, testing, | | | | letter. |
| PROVING, and perfecting the most effective | | | | 4. Talk in terms of benefits - always benefits. What's |
| techniques for marketing and selling portrait and | | | | in it for her? Why should she contact you now? |
| wedding photography. I did this for one reason, and | | | | What will she miss out on if she does not contact |
| one reason only - I wanted to make a great living | | | | you right now? |
| doing what I love: Portrait and Wedding Photography. | | | | Is there some special reason for her to take action |
| And I discovered very early, that, in order to make a | | | | right now, such as a discounted special price for |
| great deal of money in portrait and wedding | | | | example. Just keep asking yourself, as you're writing |
| photography, I had to become a MASTER | | | | the webpage, or the sales letter, "What's in it for |
| MARKETER AND SELLER. | | | | her?" |
| On the subject of photography marketing, here are | | | | 5. Stories sell, facts only tell. Always include a few |
| 7 secrets I have found to be very powerful and | | | | emotional stories (since people invest in photography |
| effective for both Online marketing such as websites, | | | | for emotional reasons.) |
| email marketing, etc. and off line marketing such as | | | | Women who are "Warm Fuzzies" especially like |
| sales letters, advertisements, etc.: | | | | stories - emotional stories - that they can relate to |
| 1. The more you tell, the more you sell. Longer copy, | | | | and empathize with. |
| if well written and interesting, almost always outsells | | | | 6. Always play up the guarantee - it's very important. |
| shorter copy. | | | | The easiest way to get someone to respond to you |
| The key here is to be INTERESTING in all your | | | | is to give them an iron clad guarantee which removes |
| marketing, to your "Target Market." The absolute | | | | all the risk from them, and places it firmly on you. |
| killer is to be BORING. So for me, my target market | | | | I have done this for my entire career - if my clients |
| consists of what I call "Female Warm Fuzzies" - | | | | don't LOVE their photographs, if they aren't |
| women who love their family and value photography | | | | THRILLED, I will either do whatever is necessary to |
| and all the things sensitive photography can capture. | | | | see to it they are thrilled, or I will give them all their |
| So I want to always talk in terms of warm, sensitive, | | | | money back. And there will be no hard feelings or |
| emotional terms that she will really find wonderfully | | | | hassles, either. |
| interesting. | | | | 7. The most important thing in marketing your |
| 2. Always have a double readership path. Some | | | | photography is to be persuasive, not just pretty. |
| people are readers, others are skimmers. Write for | | | | Photographers miss this one all the time. We like |
| both types. Use lots of bolded "subheads" which | | | | pretty. We're "artists." But in marketing, pretty isn't |
| contain the main BENEFITS of your message. | | | | nearly as important as persuasive. |
| Really what this means is you're going to have other | | | | So don't just make your web pages and ads pretty - |
| "headlines" scattered throughout the webpage or | | | | but use everything I've talked about here to make |
| sales letter or ad. These smaller headlines are known | | | | them PERSUASIVE. Use lots of emotional words. Not |
| as "subheads" - and they are usually in slightly smaller | | | | just attractive photographs. The days where just |
| type than the main headline at the top of the page, | | | | making an ad or a sales letter pretty - and having it |
| but still larger than the regular "body type" used on | | | | work well, are long gone. |
| the page. | | | | Use these 7 powerful marketing secrets as a |
| 3. The headline is the most important part of your | | | | checklist for everything you do that has anything to |
| marketing message . Without a doubt, the headline | | | | do with marketing your photography services. They |
| must stop your target market dead in her tracks. | | | | have served me extremely well, and they will do the |
| That's its job. It must contain a clear benefit. It must | | | | same for you. |