Flash Forward Boston Presentation

1. An Introduction to
Branding and Marketing
for Commercial Photographers
Maria Luci Sean Stone
Wonderful Machine

2. Background

3. Promotion
Branding
Marketing
= +

4. Branding
creating a memorable identity
for your photography
Marketing
introducing that identity
to appropriate clients

5. Branding
Photographic identity
(what kind of pictures do you make?)
Specialties
Style, point of view
Audience
Graphic identity (consistent use of logo, type, color, design)
site, blog, social networking sites
Web
portfolio
Print
E-mailers, Printed Mailers, Leave-Behinds
Stationery - business cards, letterhead, envelopes, labels

6. How do I choose my
photographic identity?

10. Photographic
Identity

11. Websites
• Your website is not for you,
it’s for your clients!

12. Websites
• Large Images
• Keep gallery small, images numbered — no more than 30 images per gallery
• Static and intuitive navigation —make it clear which gallery you’re on
• Clear branding
• Coherent and logical portfolios/categories
• Easy to find contact info — including your location
• Clear and concise URL —preferably yourname.com or
yournamephotos.com
• Email address that is connected to your website —ex.
maria@marialuciphotos.com - no info@ or contact@

13. Websites
• Easily updateable (update every 3-6 months)
• Triple check for spelling and grammar
• Link to your blog and social media
• If images can be dragged off your site, label metadata with name,
copyright and contact info
• No music, No flashy intro, No splash page
• Full window images are good, but don’t have site takeover screens
• Make sure site’s copyright notice is current

18. Print Portfolios
• Update once a year
• Should be visually consistent with site, but not a printed
version of web portfolio
• Will be a conversation piece for face to face meetings, so if
you can afford something impressive, do it.
• Pick production materials that suit your style and brand
• Huge number of options, prices, and levels of flexibility

19. Case Study
Leo Gong’s Portfolio

20. Case Study
Roger Snider’s Portfolio

21. Leave Behinds
Most get thrown away, so
do anything you can to
stand out…
• Large, striking image
• A small book, maybe a mini
portfolio
• Accordions are also cool

22. Terry Vine
Lifestyle, Travel
Houston

35. Ways to market yourself:
• Web site
• Press Releases
• Source books
• Bulk Print Mailers
• Editorial Credits
• Reps
• Contests
• Individual Emails
• Print Ads
• Blogging
• Picture Agencies
• Targeted Print Mailers
• Social Networking
• Phone Calls
• Mass Emails
• Portfolio Meetings

36. Mailing
Mass Print Mailers
• Send out every 3-4 months
• Target, target, target!
• Hire a designer
• Maintain your brand identity
• Keep it fresh! Don’t send out the same mailer twice

37. Mailing
Mass Emailers
• Send out every 1-2 months
• Target your list!
• Hire a designer
• Make updateable and consistent
with your branding
• Use an email broadcasting service
(to track results)
• Keep it fresh – don’t send the same
emailer out twice

38. Mailing
Individual Emails
• Send out whenever you have time
• Don’t send to the same person more than once a month
• Personalize each email in some way
• Try to create relationships
• Use catchy and relevant subject lines

39. Photographer
Directories

50. Reps

51. Picture Agencies

52. Contests

57. List
Services
• ADBASE, Agency Access, Fresh Lists, Bikini Lists
• Combine with your existing client list
• Use to find and target the right clients for you

61. Email
Broadcasting
Services

63. Contact
Database

65. Portfolio Meetings

66. SEO
Can search engines find you?
Get connected.

69. Quick SEO Tips
Minimize use of Flash (search engines can’t read it!)
Make sure context-appropriate and keyword-rich content is written
on your site (needs to be able to be highlighted, copied by humans,
and read by web crawlers)
Add ALT tags to EVERY photo on your site
Ex: Keyword, Location, Name of Photographer or Business:
Conceptual Photography New York, NY Maria Luci Photography
Aerial Photographer San Francisco, CA Sean Stone Photography
Links, links, links!
Blog your heart out — about appropriate and interesting content

70. Most Important Marketing Tool:
Word of Mouth

71. Desired result
of good branding marketing

72. Desired result
of good branding marketing
For the client: build a level of comfort so that
they’re willing to take a chance on you

73. Desired result
of good branding marketing
For the client: build a level of comfort so that
they’re willing to take a chance on you
For the photographer: work with clients
who are right for you

74. Judging the effectiveness of
your branding/marketing.

75. Judging the effectiveness of
your branding/marketing.
What’s working? What isn’t?

76. Judging the effectiveness of
your branding/marketing.
What’s working? What isn’t?
Where is your web traffic coming from?

77. Judging the effectiveness of
your branding/marketing.
What’s working? What isn’t?
Where is your web traffic coming from?
Where are your assignments coming from?

78. Judging the effectiveness of
your branding/marketing.
What’s working? What isn’t?
Where is your web traffic coming from?
Where are your assignments coming from?
Are you attracting the right clients?

79. Get out there!
• In the end… the most important thing is to get out
there and show your work
• Don’t let unfinished branding be an excuse
• If you’re book is 90% done, start showing it!
• Send the emails, make the follow ups
• Your dedication to marketing directly relates to your
success as a photographer!

80. Copy of Presentation
Visit www.wonderfulmachine.com/blog
Email maria@wonderfulmachine.com