Image by Matt Kozak

Today is also, “National Compliment Day”.  Go ahead and celebrate.  You will look good doing it!

February brings us, “National Pet Dental Awareness Week” and I always make sure to enjoy, “National Pancake Day”!

These efforts work because they rise above the noise and clutter of the endless parade of ads and commercials that are constantly in our faces.

This sort of marketing works because it is also narrowly focused.  If you happen to like pancakes, you HEAR the messages because you like pancakes.

I believe this is also a great way to market photography!

For photographers, each month could feature some new reason to celebrate life with outstanding photographs. Maybe February is, “Elegance in Black & White Month”?  March could be, “I Love My Harley” month.  Or how about, “Get Out of the 80’s and Freshen Up Your Headshot” month?

Each month of the year provides us with the opportunity to get above the “noise” and offer consumers a targeted reason to do business with us.  Dancers.  Musicians. Dad’s and Daughters.  People with Poodles. The more targeted the focus, the more likely the message will be heard by those who relate.

If you did this sort of targeted marketing for the next 12 months and only got 1.5 additional sessions a month for your efforts, that would be 18 sessions that you would have likely not photographed!

If you attended Imaging USA earlier this month, then you heard a lot about the “Gap” that exists between professional photographers and consumers.  We at TPPA think this is an important message to all professional photographers to understand how to close that gap and relate the benefits to consumers of having professional photography hanging on the walls in their home and offices.

Photographers can no longer sit around and wait for people to NEED photographs and call us!  We have to create the need for our wonderful images.  It is our job to inspire folks with unique ideas and compelling reasons to have photographs created.

TPPA’s Summerfest is going to have a very specific emphasis on closing the gap between photographers and consumers and helping photographers generate better sales.  I hope you will plan on joining us June 24-27.

We have to learn how to market our craft or we may find ourselves participating in “I Don’t Have Enough Business so I Have to Get a Job” year.

Steve Kozak
TPPA Executive Director