OPTIMIZE YOUR MARKETING | VIEDO IS THE WAY TO GO WITH LINDSAY WALDEN
As photographers we wear many hats. If only photography was the lone job required of us! Alas - as business owners our day doesn’t end when we put our camera down. That’s just the beginning. As a mentor and business coach in the industry, the aspect of owning a photography business that I hear the most moaning about is marketing. I get it. As artists and creatives the gravity of the task of marketing can seem daunting. There is so much to it and yet it is so vital to our success. One of the most effective marketing changes I made in the past couple years was to focus more on video as a means for conveying my marketing messages to my audience.
We all know video marketing works. What was the last impulse purchase you made because of an awesome video ad? A 2018 Forbes article gives 5 great reasons why video content should be part of our marketing plan. You CAN read the full article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/03/30/five-reasons-video-content-should-be-among-your-marketing-tactics-in-2018/#3d25e915796c
Video is often more effective at engaging the viewer than a still image. Video can help the viewer feel connected to you, to your studio, to the experience you provide or to your beautiful finished artwork. It cuts out the need for a client to read through a ton of copy on your website and instead shows them what to expect. Video can even help your SEO as viewers will spend more time on your web pages watching content. There are so many reasons to use video content in your marketing efforts.
We work in an industry where video content can be used in marketing incredibly effectively. Especially in combination with beautiful finished images. But we are not solely providing our clients with images. Photography is an EXPERIENCE. Clients (hopefully) get excited about their photo shoot. They dress up. Probably buy new clothes. Get their hair and makeup done. It’s a big deal. If we only focus on the end result in our marketing (the images) we are really missing out on an opportunity to capture a whole segment of the market that shop for EXPERIENCES.
If you’re a nerd like me and enjoy reading economic papers, look up a few articles about the “experience economy.” While retails stores around the world are suffering we see a few standouts that are thriving. A great example is the Apple Store. Why would these brick and mortar retail outlets be able to succeed where others haven’t? Have you been in an Apple Store? They are awesome! “Hanging out” at the Apple Store is an experience.
As a luxury brand, the focus at my studio is providing my clients with an exceptional experience that they are going to tell all of their friends about. Years ago when I decided to make this a large focus for my brand I knew that video would be the most effective method to show my potential clients what my brand is all about and what the experience would be like for them. I’m not a videographer and had no desire to learn so I have always outsourced my videos to a talented professional. It’s always been worth every penny.
I use video in a number of different ways. On my website you are immediately greeted by a behind the scenes video that shows the overall experience we offer. Under the video is the option to “experience” different things that we offer. If you click on “Experience Fine Art Newborn” it takes you to a new video that shows the newborn session experience including the mama getting her hair and makeup done. We even have a video that shows the finished artwork experience. Clients can get a clear picture of what a photo shoot is like with me without ever reading any website copy.
I also use video to engage my audience on social media. It doesn’t have to be a professional video. Even a live video on Facebook showing off a recently arrived studio sample or client order, a behind the scenes during a shoot or a video slideshow of still images even can effectively engage your social media audience. We also have found short videos to be most effective for Facebook and Instagram advertising. Our Facebook advertisements get shared dozens of times by viewers and they tag their friends in the videos. When I tried ads with still images, we never received that kind of engagement.
While it is important that our marketing plans are diverse and we use multiple methods to reach our ideal clients, I have definitely found that using video in marketing to be one of the more effective tools in our marketing tool belt. If you have questions feel free to reach out through my mentoring page or join my Facebook mentoring group
Lindsay Walden is the owner of Lindsay Walden Photography based in Colleyville, Texas. She specializes in fine art, newborn, and maternity photography with a heavy emphasis on creating custom photo sessions.
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