This document provides guidance on branding and marketing for commercial photographers. It discusses the importance of creating a memorable photographic and graphic identity to support one's photography. Photographers should choose images that represent who they are, their specialties and style. Both passive and active marketing strategies are covered. Passive strategies include websites, blogs, social media and directories. Active strategies involve researching target clients, managing contact lists, emails, phone calls and meetings. The goal is to build familiarity and find clients that are a good match.

1. BRANDING &
MARKETING
For Commercial Photographers
Bill Cramer/CEO

2. Promotion equals…
BRANDING
Create a memorable identity
for your photography
+
MARKETING
Introduce that identity
to appropriate clients

3. BRANDING

4. Branding
PHOTOGRAPHIC IDENTITY
GRAPHIC IDENTITY
Choose the right pictures
Design marketing materials
to show
to support those pictures
▹ Who you are, what you do, how you do it ▹ Consistent, intelligent use of type, color
and graphics builds familiarity
▹ Specialties, style, audience
▹ Communicates your level of
▹ Not just about your “favorite” pictures
professionalism
▹ A good portfolio looks forward, not back
▹ In a nutshell: this is what it’s going to be
▹ In a nutshell: these are the kinds of like to work with me
pictures you can expect to get from me

5. Branding
PHOTOGRAPHIC
IDENTITY

6. What is my
photographic identity?

7. What you
like to do.

8. What you What you
like to do. are good
at doing.

9. What you What you
like to do. are good
at doing.
What the market
wants from you.

10. What you What you
like to do. are good
at doing.
What the market
wants from you.

11. PHOTOGRAPHIC
What you
like to do.
What you
are good
at doing.
IDENTITY
What the market
wants from you.

12. Generalist Specialist

13. Branding
GRAPHIC IDENTITY

14. Graphic
Identity
Ties together all of your marketing materials:
Website
Blog / Social Media
Print Portfolio
Mailers / Leave Behinds
Stationery

15. WEBSITE
▹ Match URL to your company name— yourname.com or yournamephotography.com
▹ Consistent use of work mark/logo, color, design
▹ Large images
▹ Logical sections with meaningful names
▹ Concise galleries < 30 images
▹ Intuitive navigation—show what gallery you are on, where you are in that gallery, make it
easy to move forward and back
▹ No music, no elaborate intros, no splash page, no water marks, no “recent work” section
▹ Mobile device friendly

16. WEBSITE
▹ Contact page with contact info and location
▹ About page with short bio and picture of you
▹ Link to blog and social media
▹ If images can be dragged off your site, include metadata with name, copyright, and contact
info
▹ Check spelling, punctuation, grammar
▹ Make sure copyright notice is current
▹ Update photos regularly

17. BLOG/SOCIAL MEDIA
▹ Coordinate (but don’t duplicate) the look with your main website

18. PRINT PORTFOLIO
▹ Still important for big jobs
▹ Makes a great conversation piece for face to face meetings
▹ Make it visually consistent with your website, but not a printed version of it
▹ Include your logo/word mark, contact information
▹ Pick materials that suit your style and audience
▹ Update regularly

19. MAILERS/LEAVE BEHINDS
Most get thrown away,
so do what you can
to stand out…
▹ E-Mailer
▹ Post card
▹ Accordion
▹ Booklet

20. MAILERS/LEAVE BEHINDS
Most get thrown away,
so do what you can
to stand out…
▹ E-Mailer
▹ Post card
▹ Accordion
▹ Booklet
▹ Cupcakes

21. STATIONERY
▹ Business Card
▹ Letterhead
▹ #10 Envelope
▹ Crack-N-Peel Label
▹ Same look as your other marketing materials
▹ Design is important, but function comes first

22. Branding
THE LITTLE THINGS

23. THE LITTLE THINGS
▹ What’s your email address? Should match your url
▹ What do your emails look like? Normal sized (black or dark gray) text
▹ Do you have a proper email signature?
▹ What do your estimates look like? Treatments when appropriate
▹ How do you answer the phone? What does your outgoing message say?
▹ How do you dress?
▹ Are you responsive to emails and phone calls?
▹ Are you nice? Are you easy to get along with?
▹ Do you send thank you notes to your clients after a big job?
▹ Everything you do, say and create is part of your brand

24. Case study
Mark Katzman
Lifestyle, St. Louis

51. MARKETING

52. Promotion equals…
BRANDING
Create a memorable identity
for your photography
+
MARKETING
Introduce that identity
to appropriate clients

53. Marketing
PASSIVE MARKETING
ACTIVE MARKETING
Make it easy for clients
Seek out clients who are
to find you
right for you
▹ You never know who might relate to your ▹ Take charge of your career path
work ▹ Get where you want to go
▹ There are a lot of clients out there that you
don’t know exist

54. Marketing
PASSIVE
MARKETING

55. Passive
Website
Blog
Marketing
Social Media
Online Photographer Directories
Printed Source Books
Ads
Picture Agencies
Reps
Editorial Credits
Contests
News Releases
SEO
SMO

56. WEBSITE
▹ The only absolutely essential marketing tool
▹ Centerpiece of every photographer’s promotional efforts
▹ Your other marketing tools should drive viewers here

57. BLOG
▹ Highly recommended
▹ Opportunity to talk about your process and about your recent projects
▹ Helps bring out your personality, allows clients get to know you
▹ Helps with SEO

58. SOCIAL MEDIA

63. ONLINE PHOTOGRAPHER DIRECTORIES

64. PRINTED SOURCE BOOKS

65. ADS

66. PICTURE AGENCIES

67. REPS

68. EDITORIAL CREDITS

69. CONTESTS

70. NEWS RELEASES

71. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

75. SEO TIPS
▹ Avoid Flash (unless you have an HTML ghost site behind it)
▹ Tag your photos so search engines can recognize them
▹ Example: Portrait Photographer Philadelphia, PA Bill Cramer Photography
▹ Link to other relevant sites and have relevant sites link to you
▹ A blog is a great place to include lots of relevant text that search engines look for

76. SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

77. Marketing
ACTIVE
MARKETING

78. Active Research
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Marketing
Prospect Contact Lists
Email Broadcasting Services
Mass E-mailers / Print Mailers
Individual Emails / Print Mailers
Phone Calls
Portfolio Meetings
Industry Events

79. RESEARCH
▹ Ad Agencies ▹ Record Companies
▹ Magazines ▹ Fashion, cosmetics
▹ Corporations ▹ Media Companies
▹ Graphic Design Firms ▹ Architects
▹ Non-Profits ▹ Department Stores
▹ Book Publishers ▹ Institutions, schools, hospitals*

80. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
MANAGEMENT (CRM)

81. PROSPECT CONTACT LISTS
▹ Agency Access, Creative Access, File FX
▹ Find and target the right clients for you
▹ Build a list of fewer than 1000 prospects
▹ Refine it over time

82. EMAIL BROADCASTING SERVICES

83. MASS E-MAILERS/PRINT MAILERS
▹ Spray and pray?
▹ Limit your list to relevant prospects (don’t add to the noise)
▹ Use catchy subject lines, but don’t try to fake people out

84. INDIVIDUAL EMAILS/PRINT MAILERS
▹ Personalize each email by drawing a connection between what you’re offering and the
needs of that particular client
▹ Much more time consuming than mass emails, but can be more effective too

85. PHONE CALLS
▹ Have a purpose
▹ Get a meeting
▹ Pitch a project
▹ Send some emailers or print mailers first to build familiarity
▹ Create a script so you know what you’re going to say
▹ Research the client before you call so you know that you’re relevant to them

86. PORTFOLIO MEETINGS
▹ Meet with clients who are
most important to you (and
the best match for you)
▹ Clients are generally
interested in meeting with
photographers who are
relevant to their needs

87. INDUSTRY EVENTS
▹ Speed-Dating (pay-to-play) style
portfolio reviews
▹ Art Directors Club and other
associations are opportunities to
meet clients

88. Marketing
WORD OF MOUTH /
NETWORKING /
CHANCE MEETINGS

89. You can’t do it all.

90. Shoot
pictures
Show marketing Integrate them into
materials to clients your marketing materials

91. RESULTS

92. Results
WHAT’S ALL THIS
TRYING TO
ACCOMPLISH?

93. For the photographer: work with
clients who are right for you.

94. For the creative: build a level of
comfort so that they’re willing to
take a chance on you.

95. More
Resources
Go to our blog and navigate to How We Help Photographers Resources
Expert Advice Articles
Go to our blog and type in “Expert Advice:” into the search field
Print iPad Portfolios
Go to our blog and scroll down to YouTube Videos

96. Questions?

97. Thank you!
(The End)