Define your market
If you’re a wedding photographer, you’re probably hunting for this type of client: affluent, sophisticated, between the ages of 18-35 & educated. Most likely you’ll be able to all zounds of these types of people online. But where do you look?!
In this digital age Facebook, is a huge advantage to allowing wedding photographers build their online brand presence. The following reasons will advocate you for putting your wedding photography company on facebook:
It’s Free. You just need an email address.
Allows you to connect into thousands of people
It’s searchable. Often your Facebook page will allow you to be found easily from google.
Bottom Up Marketing: Facebook puts you in front of clients who are looking for you. You are not trying to force them into making buying decisions.
Effort: Takes very little time and effort to maintain a Facebook profile
Very little expertise needed: Sometimes the web may confuse photographers. Facebook is very easy to use.
Contact Resource Management Tool (CRM): You now can use facebook as a way to constantly be connected with others
Interactive advantage: Facebook interactivity allows them to learn about you as well as connect with you on a personal level. This allows you to leverage your selling power — they know you’re human and and they can instantly ask questions with a message, post. A traditional media ad cannot achieve this.
Hip – You’re cool you’re hip taka taka (Stolen from austin powers from the 90s). Little requirements: computer, internet, open mind, patience. [Update] Wow i’m a dork. I’m taking that reason out.
Constant Consideration – Interacting and networking with others on a constant basis will allow you to be placed on a their consideration list more often.
Proactive – Facebook allows you to build relationships immediately for future purchases. Whether you do weddings, people or portrait photography or senior portraits.
Fun – This is more fun than any other form of advertising
Flashflavor has been rebooted and now features bigger pictures. If you’re unfamiliar with Matt & Sol’s blog it features photography ala strobist style. Strobist is defined as utilizing small strobes with off camera flash. A lot of matt’s photos himself are very groundbreaking and have useful and creative uses of light.
The blog also spotlights some of the best photographers in the industry currently. I don’t need to name them you just have to spend sometime catching up with his blog.
Canon users now have two more third party lenses that they can add to their camera bag.
Photo Source (Dpreview.com)
Carl Zeiss announced on monday that they are going to manufacture lenses of the 50 mm with 1.4 aperture and a 85mm lens with 1.4 aperture as well. The lenses are sleek have a retro look to them.
Prices for the 50mm lens is $660 and the 85mm lens will go for $1,170.
1080p HD quality video capture (Watch out videographers)
You can get all this for $ 2,699 (Retail Price).
Along with this release Canon decided to announce the release of the new 24L 1.4 MK II. The new lens has been reinvented with this new biomimetic coating which is found in moths. The coating reduces the amount of internal reflections. For a more detailed explanation check out dpreview.
Didn’t like your wedding? Want to practice your wedding? Now you can have your dream wedding of choice through Second Life: Be rich, famous, a different gender, occupation, whatever you want or wherever you want for free.
Second life is a social networking application developed to promote user generated content. Second Life allows individuals to live their life in another world as whatever they want to be. Second life has gained a plethora of notoriety from CNN, Reuters and major news sources.
Getting married in the virtual world is becoming more and more common place. Marriages are now almost apart of the culture of Second life.
Second Life Taj Mahal
CNN is now even on second life. As well as a lot of different companies as well as non-profit organizations and news organizations like reuters as well.
Second life is so sophisticated now that it has its own economy as well as wedding photographers.
A google alert notified me and allowed me to discover that second life does indeed have wedding photographers. How does it work? I’m not totally sure. I think through screen shots.
Radiopoppers are the new kid on the block. They aren’t looking to derail the might goliath pocketwizard any time soon. Pocketwizards are the king. You could say they’re almost 99% reliable at triggering flashes. The only downside is the inability to use ITTL Technology. Thats where Radiopoppers fix this problem.
Radiopoppers are triggered through radio and infrared. The radio signal is used to deliver
Other blogs justify the 7D as a french magazine is supposedly suppose to release reviews of the Canon 7D and the new Nikon D90.
Speculation for the 7D had surfaced in October of last year as well. Digital Pro Talk David Ziser tries to confirm his speculation with infamous UPC record.
Previous speculation of the 7D, from last year, eventually became squashed when in actuality Canon releases the Canon 40D. To supercede the 30D.
Here are some blogs that are hot and covering more on the new Canon Camera:
Many blogs also speculate that Canon will release word at Photokina 2008 . Wikipedia says that Photokina is one of the largest international photography and imaging trade shows that is held bi-annually.
Below are my own tips, questions and thoughts about how to position and place your product:
Always breakdown your profit into smaller equatable terms: per hour, per page, per photo. When in doubt use real hours of products.
Choose marketing position – Are you looking to be mid-range, discount or a luxury brand?
Justify your costs – Make sure your quality justify your costs in the following categories: Advertising, Production time, Location time, Price of an Assistant, Equipment Depreciation Costs, Travel time, Consulting time, Phone consultations, Technical support, Website hosting fees, Marketing costs, etc. The list can go on and on.
Make sure your costs are comprehensive.
Demand – Is there a high or low demand for your product?
Ego vs. Perceived Value – Make sure your ego isn’t devaluing or deflating the value of your goods.
Know your brides – A bride in Atlanta and a bride in Detroit will have different needs and demand different pricing structure.
Attend a bridal convention and meet and network with your competitors – see what their quality and price demands.
Call and network with an ad representative – Usually ad reps of magazines are very knowledgeable in your area. They will try to sell you ad placement
Economy – Make sure your prices reflect the current state of the economy of things.
Timing – Timing should play a significant factor in things.
Consistency – Make sure you keep things consistent. This will allow you to leverage more sales.
Presentation – It is best that your prices are placed on paper and are set. People tend to provide you more ethos in your judgement when prices are on paper.
Sales Ability – Do you think you have what it takes to sell your prices at whatever level you choose?
