IMG_0858Are you too busy to grow? Or how about the opposite? Finding the balance for a lot of photographers is an incredible challenge. However, the most financially successful photographers I know spend more time marketing and relationship building than they do behind the camera and computer.

I often hear photographers pronounce that they have 60 or 70 weddings a year. With only 25 weekends in a typical wedding season, that often sounds to me like a dead end road, unless of course they are a photography firm with 4 or 5 shooters. I know because at one time, I was the guy shooting that many weddings per year. Looking back, I was busy, but I wasn’t able to reap the financial reward that I did when I narrowed my focus down between 25 and 35 weddings per year. But there is more to it than that because I found a clientele that suddenly appreciated my art, understood the value of hard work, and were proud to have me at their wedding or event.

Much like the diamond industry, photography is a luxury product. These two products have more in common than most realize. What they have in common is that neither are needed for the wedding. Both are in plentiful supply and can be found everywhere. With jewelry stores everywhere, a few jewelers, such as; Tiffany’s for instance, have still found a way to become the preeminent symbol of love and affection, something our studio strives for in our marketing efforts on a daily basis.

So what is marketing and how can a small business, specifically a photographer reach potential clients? First off, it is vastly important to take action in your business and to place yourself in the path of people who can afford your luxury service and/or products. To do so, you have to have time on your hands. Far too many photographers spend the majority of their work hours behind the computer and camera and far too little time marketing.

IMG_0902The way I market mostly is by investing my talents and time to help others grow. Whether I am giving back to the photographic community, helping a floral designer, or party planner with their image, or helping companies gain publicity, I am a giver. I spend more time helping others than I do behind the camera because, when their referrals come in, they come in big and often in numbers.

Sometimes I question if I should have been in marketing as a profession simply because I love helping others succeed. There is nothing better than helping and then seeing another person or company take flight and grow. The same holds true with sponsorships for speaking engagements. I am often asked about how I find sponsors. The fact of the matter is that I am always looking for ways to share great ideas with the companies I do business with. I speak first without asking for anything simply because I am proud to use their products. Then, if there is a natural fit and I can help others find their way because of it, then sponsorship makes sense.

Our latest venture, http://www.TogetherInStyle.tvgoes a step further and focuses on bringing publicity to great companies. Whether it is a luxury hotel, a 5 star resort, a couture designer, an amazing photographer, or a product that couples should know about, we are creating informative television content that is free, unbiased editorial for the benefit of engaged couples.

Words cannot describe the relationships and friendships we have made by helping so many companies gain both internal social media driven publicity and external publicity as well. So we are taking our vision one step further and building an online social environment that, unlike other bridal publications and wedding websites, puts photography at the top of the totem pole in terms of importance. We have always felt that photographers haven’t been given the credit that is due or the voice from other publications, so we started our own online presence and welcome feature weddings and submissions from other photographers that want to help the cause.

IMG_0795The new technologies at your fingertips, like motion picture in the Canon 5D Mark II, social media, and image creation give those that want to help our industry and others incredible tools to go beyond that which people expect. Today’s marketing isn’t about advertising everywhere imaginable. It is about creating an image, fostering relationships, having a voice, and using it to help yourself and others reach new heights. Start using the tools and going beyond what others are doing by investing time an energy in helping photographers, your clients, and others and see your business grow to new heights among new found friends that are proud to mention your name potential clients.

Charles Maring July 31, 2009