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05/24/2005 06:36:55 AM · #1 |
this is a continuation of my offering a different twist on 'marketing' for those just starting to sell their services and/or prints.
i live just north of richmond, va, halfway to the town of ashland. ashland is a charming little town of about 6,000 people that is known primarily as railstop, its being home to Randolf-Macon College, and its annual Strawberry Festival that is held the first saturday in june.
last year i went to the festival to give my still new 300D a good work out. i was there pretty much all day, taking close to 1000 pictures. while i was there, i was approached by a woman who asked what i was doing. i told her i was just practicing. i asked her who she was and she told me she was in charge of running the whole thing, and that she would like to see the pictures when i had a chance...
the next day, i made a CD for her and took it to her that week. when i gave her the cd, i also told her she was free to use them anyway she wanted, as long as i get credit. she was so happy, she offered me a booth for free at this year's festival! and, when she had her website built using my images for illustration, she made sure i got full credit!
official strawberry festival site.
this year's festival is two weekends from now...yikes! i'm almost finished getting everything together. i'm going to have some prints on hand to sell, but i'm also getting set up to print pictures right there, on the spot, so that i can do "instant portraits". i'll also be marketing my freelance photography services.
yesterday, i also dropped a copy of the cd off at the newspaper so that they could pick through it for images for their special strawberry festival section. little by little, i'm getting people used to seeing the words, "Skip Rowland Photos" and "Photography by Skip Rowland".
to reiterate what i've said before, i know this kind of flies in the face of a lot of the advice people get about 'not being taken advantage of', but i don't really look at this as 'being taken advantage of', but rather as
1) there are more ways than cash to get paid for doing something you love
2) it doesn't really cost much to spread your crumbs on the water
3) if you always try to get paid up front for the little stuff, you might not ever find out what big stuff you're missing out on, especially if you're just starting out.
just my 2 cents, for what it's worth...
Message edited by author 2005-05-24 06:37:46. |
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05/24/2005 07:06:44 AM · #2 |
I totally agree. Nice work BTW. It is not always about the dollar amount you see. Getting your name out there can earn you so much more in the long run. You just have to put yourself out there and market/sell yourself.
Teresa |
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05/24/2005 07:53:35 AM · #3 |
Sounds great Skip. Be really interested in hearing how you get on.
I did that sort of thing at the last local dog show. Couldn't do the prints on the spot, it was a 2 day event so did some on the Saturday night and posted the rest out. For the size event it was I had a really good response, and generated a lot of interest. What are you going to charge for the prints and what size will you offer?
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05/24/2005 09:03:07 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by suemack:
What are you going to charge for the prints and what size will you offer? |
prices will depend on how the presentation comes together. if i can pull together some strong, framed portraits to display, i'm thinking $15 for a 5x7, $25 for an 8x10. more than likely, though, it will be $5 for a 5x7 and $10 for an 8x10.
since the plan is to use this event as a 'public' launching, i'm working on a price plan to offer discounts for the first so many people to schedule portrait work, or something like that effect. the primary objectives, though, are simple: 1) generate name recognition, and 2) make it easy for people to find me. anything beyond that will be gravy. |
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05/24/2005 09:13:52 AM · #5 |
Sounds like they are going to be getting a really great deal Skip. Would love to hear how it all goes :)
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05/24/2005 09:18:48 AM · #6 |
Fabulous Skip!!!
Another way to tell how much your name is getting out there, at least in the www - try typing your name into google- I entertain myself quite frequently this way ; ) |
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05/24/2005 09:43:29 AM · #7 |
Nice job! I specialize in helping small businesses start their marketing on a small level. Fairs and festivals (when appropriate) are one of the best ways to show off your wares and involve yourself with a demographic! (I recommend this often and help people plan and set up their booths) If you have a web site this should be prominently displayed to take advantage of indirect sales. A brochure, business card and/or magnet that you can give away to prospective clients are VERY Important. A banner with the name of your company, phone number and web address helps a ton. Remember, there are three things you’re doing here: selling photos directly, building the image of your company and trying to influence indirect sales (I.E. future shoots and web site sales) Good luck and please feel free to PM me with any direct concerns.
DX
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06/03/2005 05:13:03 PM · #8 |
From one Richmonder to another - just wanted to say good luck for tomorrow, Skip!
-Rich. |
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06/04/2005 04:53:54 PM · #9 |
I dropped in on Skip today at the Starwberry Faire in Ashland, and his framed prints and the booth in general looked terrific.
Way to go, Skip!
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