GOING PRO
Adding Video To Your Web Site Can Help Attract New Clients
By Tricia Gellman Holmes
In the age of the Internet, consumers expect immediate gratification, answers at the click of a button and engaging visuals to capture their attention. As a professional photographer, the demands of your potential clients are no different.
Photographers from all walks of life have been adding video components to their Web sites in an effort to attract new clients, showcase their creativity and create an emotional connection before ever speaking to or meeting with them directly. But, interestingly, only about two percent of the world's professional photographers have jumped aboard the video train.
Many of these are the photographers who are on the cutting edge or at the top of their field, and, as a result, they are leading the industry. For everyone else, this trend seems to take some consideration either because of the technical hurdles you'd have to overcome or because you might be afraid of breaking the bank.
"There are many ways to incorporate video on your Web site and you don't need the technical know-how or a big budget to accomplish this goal."
The truth is there are many ways to incorporate video on your Web site and you don't need the technical know-how or a big budget to accomplish this goal. In fact, most new computer operating systems are built to handle video capture and viewing, and if they do not also include a camera for creating the video, you can easily purchase the hardware and software you need at an affordable price. As a result, the end product can be as simplistic and homemade or as professional and flashy as you'd like it to be.
Attracting potential clients through video
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of creating a video and uploading it to your site, it's important to understand how videos can benefit your business. Photographers are using videos to explain who they are and what a potential client's experience will be like, provide a "behind-the-scenes" look at how they work, and translate their creative ideas into a visual story.
The trend toward photographers using video on their Web sites began with people putting their images to motion by creating a virtual video with audio, moving images and graphics to help tell a story. It was only logical that the wedding industry embraced this trend on the heels of the advent of sites like YouTube.com. Video is now an influential medium for communication and consumers have grown accustomed to hitting "play" and getting all the information they need.
In today's globalized economy, people are not only searching for products local to their area, but they want the best and, if the price is right, they'll go to the other side of the country (and sometimes the world) to get it.
People are also less patient and tend to have less time, so watching three videos to see if they like a photographer instead of scheduling three meetings to evaluate their work is a value add, regardless of whether you are a bride or a busy art buyer. Videos are the perfect solution to creating that emotional connection from afar, and it's not just wedding photographers who have discovered this.
Now, more and more commercial photographers and photojournalists are realizing the benefits of using videos on their Web sites. Photojournalists are using them to help bring their stories to life and commercial photographers are using them to share their creative vision or to provide a further understanding of how they work and what makes them tick.
In fact, videos have proven particularly useful for the commercial photographers, whose job opportunities typically hinge on their ability to work well with an art director. Videos streamline the hiring process, allow art directors to determine if a photographer's style is in keeping with what they are looking for and how well their personalities and working styles might fit with the client's.
What kinds of videos are right for your business?
Much like the three uses for video I highlighted earlier, there are three different kinds of videos that tend to correspond to those purposes, and most photographers start with the easiest (and least expensive) version and work their way up the ranks.
Slide show set to music
For starters, most photographers creep into the video world by setting their still images to music and creating a slide show to help tell their story and showcase their work. This involves adding motion to the site -- while not necessarily introducing video. Examples of this kind of video, in the wedding and photojournalism industries, can be viewed on CHRIS+LYNN's Web site and the Curse of the Black Gold Web site.
[Unfortunately, QuickTime will be needed for viewing this last site. Connected Photographer doesn't recommend QuickTime for video both because you have to download the entire video to view, as compared to Flash streaming video, and because the QuickTime intall download from Apple often comes with other, less savory payloads that will install themselves onto your computer. -Ed.]
Bio videos
The next logical step is to create a video that talks about who you are as a photographer and how you prefer to work with a client. These bios, if you will, can be shot on a Web cam or any of the latest and greatest video technologies on the market, and editing isn't always necessary.
The frequency of real-time videos being posted on the Web has altered people's expectations in terms of video quality, so as long as you have good lighting and speak clearly, the outcome will likely be acceptable. In fact, an unedited video can sometimes help your personality shine through, which makes it appear more endearing and natural. An example of a commercial photographer's bio video can be viewed at on Chase Jarvis' home page.
That being said, however, it is important to note that while you can develop online videos for free or for very little money, it is essential that you always put your best face forward. There's nothing wrong with being quirky and fun, but regardless of what kind of video you choose for your site or how you create it, it's crucial that its quality reflects the brand you want to portray.
Behind the scenes
That brings me to the last style of video photographers tend to use. This is typically a behind-the-scenes look at how a photographer works with a client and what sparks his or her creative vision. It may incorporate parts of the other two videos I mentioned, but is typically longer and of higher quality, so as to present the photographer in the best light possible.
Again, you don't have to spend a lot on a project of this nature, but when photographers decide to invest in videos on their Web sites, this tends to be the product they choose. An example of one of these videos can be viewed on John Griffin's Web site, or you can see how one photographer has incorporated all three types of videos on Garret Nudd's Web site. Unfortunately, Nudd's site tends to require you to wait until everything loads to begin telling you anything, a design that's not particularly recommended.
What factors do I need to consider before starting a video project?
Once you have decided to incorporate video into your Web site, the next thing you need to do is ensure that your current site can support it and, if it can, how you want the video to be viewed.
Some Web hosting sites simply do not allow you to upload videos. If that is the case with your site, that's a deal breaker and you'll have to shop around for a new host (or just host the video portion of your site with a video-friendly service).
Similarly, you need to find out whether or not your Internet service provider (ISP) can support the bandwidth you would be using with a video and, if so, how much it will cost you each month. You want to be sure that the people who visit your site have a quality experience, so if you're hosting your site at a place that is not set up to deliver data quickly and efficiently, you may need to look into a new host or consider the alternatives.
One alternative to placing your video on your own site is hosting it for free on another Web site, such as YouTube, CutFrame.tv (now part of Photography Mentor) or Blip.tv. You can use the embed code to put those videos right on your site, but it will have the host company's logo on it. Depending on what you are trying to achieve, having someone else's branding on your video may or may not work. Again, it all comes back to how you want to portray your brand.
Once you get past that decision, you need to determine how you want to encode the video, if you have the knowledge to do this yourself, and whether or not you want the video to be a streaming or progressive download.
The most common solution is to place your video on the host server and have it play back on the viewer's computer as the bandwidth allows. In this case, which is called a progressive download, people can pause the video to allow it to buffer, meaning that if they have a slow connection they can wait and then experience a clean playback at their leisure.
With streaming video, your video is sent to the viewer's computer only as they watch it, so if they have a slow connection it will be jumpy. This is the future of video playback but, unfortunately, for many people, this still does not deliver an acceptable experience.
The final thing to consider is what tools people will need to watch your video. You may be creating your video on a Mac, in which case it may seem to be a logical decision to post your video in QuickTime. However, you need to realize that people who are using a PC may not have a QuickTime player. What is most common and is used by the likes of YouTube is Flash video. The Flash Player is able to play back most videos and more than 98 percent of computers with Internet browsers have Flash Player installed.
You can also consider providing an embed code, which will allow people to upload your video to their own sites and blogs, and ultimately share it with others. Viral marketing is a good thing, and I would highly encourage this action.
Getting started
I understand that this is a lot of information to digest and that the process probably seems even more daunting after reading all of these options. However, it's not nearly as difficult as it seems and you can probably sort through your fears by making a quick call to a video savvy friend or your Web site provider. Many of the leading photography Web site companies can help you add video to your site without a lot of hassle or confusion.
The next step would be to review some other photographers' videos and see what the competition is up to. There are an array of photographer videos online, and they all range in length, approach, and quality. Once you've fully researched your options, you'll be well on your way to standing out in a sea of professionals and finding new clients with a greater appreciation -- and understanding -- of your work.
Product availability and resources
Visit CHRIS+LYNN's Web site.
Visit Curse of the Black Gold (QuickTime required).
Visit Chase Jarvis' home page.
Visit John Griffin's Web site.
Visit Garret Nudd's Web site.
Tricia Gellman Holmes is the vice president of marketing at liveBooks, Inc. The San Francisco-based company provides fully editable and customized Web sites and management solutions with innovative online tools to help photographers translate their work into effective, online experiences, increase their exposure and share their creative vision.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Crafting a Marketing Strategy
By Ira M. Gostin, MBA, © 2008 www.gostin.com
Photographers traditionally search for ways to let the world know they are creative folks, and then market themselves using the same old methods. It’s time to change the way you think. Now is the time to develop a new, creative and effective marketing strategy for your photography business.
Your marketing has to be innovative, informative, creative and above all, interesting. It’s about presenting yourself in an honest, simple to understand, positive manner that the client can relate to and be comfortable with. And most importantly, it means presenting spectacular images. After all, that’s what your prospective clients are seeking - amazing photography.
Who are you?
Understand who you are as a business first. Then determine who buys what you want to do. Your marketing strategy will follow. Once you identify who you are, make it your marketing message, slogan or tagline. This should be a brief description about what you do: We Photograph People; Digital Food for Menus; Auto Racing the World Over. Whatever you decide upon, it should be a straightforward reflection of you. Your tagline should be concise and consistent with what you are selling.
Who do you sell to?
Now that you have identified who you are, you need to determine who you are selling to. This is best done on paper — a successful marketing strategy should only be a single page. This list of potential clients, whether self-generated or purchased, is your target market. Do some research; find out all you can about the prospective clients and formulate a database. Don’t overwhelm yourself; keep the lists small and manageable. A list of about 25 prospects per list is a good number to begin with.
The USP
Establish your Unique Selling Proposition. Simply put, what is unique about your business? Use this uniqueness to position your business in the market. It is the foundation of your brand. The USP is a time-tested and effective strategy that all businesses use. Look at other industries; what do their tag lines suggest? Look at ads in magazines; see how businesses present themselves. Use these ideas as the building blocks upon which you will sell your own unique qualities and talents.
Your portfolio
When you are choosing images, find unique images that will separate you from the rest of the crowd. It is difficult look at your own work objectively, so ask for help from friends, a portfolio coach or anyone that might be able to assist you. And be sure to show your prospective clients images that talk about you, not what you think they want to see. Accept your uniqueness, embrace it and be as creative as you can be.
Contact materials
Look at your contact materials. They should be professionally designed and reflect the quality product you are delivering. You are marketing to designers and art directors, which means your contact materials need to be professional and creative.
Your marketing calendar
After you have pieced this all together, develop a calendar for the implementation of your marketing strategy. Will you market every quarter? Every month? Who knows what time is best? That is up to you to decide. One photographer did a mailing to 50 art directors every Friday for two months — she was the talk of the town. Decide what you are trying to say, and say it as effectively as possible.
Be committed to the image/brand you are presenting. Be committed to your marketing message. And be committed to your strategy.
Here’s a brief check list:
- Who am I? (Marketing message)
- How am I unique?
- Who do I want to do work for?
- How will I show them my work?
- Can my contact materials be better?
- Are these the most creative images I can show?
- Who can I get some unbiased help from?
- How often am I going to send out?
- How can I integrate multiple components for a common message?
- Develop your marketing calendar.
- Think positively and be relaxed.
- Double check everything.
- Look up the word serendipity in the dictionary.
- Stop planning already and do it!
You can’t stop marketing. It must be a part of your weekly routine. All of this work can be accomplished in just a few days per month. It isn’t overly complicated; it just requires your commitment to change. “That’s the way we have always done it,” is a dangerous strategy. Don’t be afraid to change.
Ira Gostin is a marketing strategist with Rand & Associates in Reno, Nevada. A photojournalist turned commercial photographer (and former ASMP member), Ira went through an extensive career change with graduate school, management training at Starbucks and an internship at an advertising agency. Ira now works with small to medium companies connecting their marketing to increased profits. Find Ira on LinkedIn or at www.gostin.com.
Marketing Your Stock Directly to Buyers
Jon Hornstein
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to make a reasonable amount of money from stock sales. There are still some success stories but the explosion of inventory and new sources for stock imagery, and the resulting downward price pressure all present significant challenges for photographers.
Some photographers decide to market their stock images themselves. This can have many benefits. It removes the “gatekeeper” aspect of stock agencies that may not want your work because they already have similar inventory. It’s also a chance for you to make your stock stand out from the crowd. And it opens up the possibility of much greater revenue. But marketing your own stock requires a substantial commitment in both time and resources.
There are many things to consider when deciding to market your own stock. The focus of this article is on marketing, so it assumes that if you want to market your stock directly you’ve already considered the following:
– Whether to use a hosted, turnkey service (such as IPN Stock, PhotoShelter, Digital Railroad, PhotoStockPlus) or build your own stock photo site.
– That you need distinctive, high-quality images that are significantly different from what buyers can find at the dozens of other common sources for stock.
– You are committed to spending a specific amount of your time and money in preparing and marketing your stock images.
The most difficult and expensive part of any stock business is getting your work in front of interested and qualified buyers. To give yourself the greatest chance of success, you should:
Focus on a Specific Market
It’s very difficult to compete head on with the big stock agencies. It’s expensive to address all possible photo buyers as they do, and your relative lack of inventory means that a lot of your marketing effort will be wasted. Your best chance of success is to focus on a specific set of buyers. Oftentimes, the work you do will dictate what that market is. If you shoot outdoors adventure images then your market is outdoor equipment companies and outdoor magazines. Do you have a lot of images from a specific geographic region? Focus on travel magazines and travel companies. The more tightly you can define your market, the easier and more cost-effectively you can address them.
Create a Distinctive Service
Many photographers offer stock for licensing on a “what the hell” basis. Somewhere on their portfolio site it says “Stock” where visitors can see some of the photographer’s most popular images. This is very different than making a proactive effort to market stock. Having a few dozen images on your site that you call stock is not something that will get the attention of buyers. Give your stock offering a sub-brand or its own brand. Make it clear that stock is a serious business to you. Clients can tell the difference.
Articulate Your Difference
Why should someone license an image from you? What is special about your images or your service? There is a lot of “noise” in the stock photo market. What is your brand for stock and what distinguishes it from the competition?
Market Consistently and Use a Variety of Channels
How will you get the attention of art buyers? Most hosted stock photo services attempt to attract photo buyers to their sites. But if you’re serious about getting stock sales you’ll need to drive traffic to your site yourself. Email blasts, postcards and booklets are just some of the ways you need to promote your stock offering. If your work is around a very specific subject (i.e. gambling, horses, rock climbing, jazz musicians) then Google AdWords might be a good way to attract traffic. The key is to be consistent. It often takes repeated exposure to a brand before a buyer will investigate. And photo buyers have different needs over time. The only way to ensure that you hit them at the time they are looking for work like yours is to always be out there.
Remember, buyers aren’t looking for images. They are looking for a service that provides the images they need. They want to deal with an organization that looks to be efficient and professional.
Marketing you own stock can be rewarding both creatively and financially. But it requires creating a brand that photo buyers recognize as targeted and professional. It also means making a commitment to put in the time, and resources to market your stock consistently and effectively.
Jon Hornstein is the owner of Creative Touchpoint, a marketing services firm for photographers. You can read more articles by Jon at
http://photo-marketing-tips.com.
http://photo-marketing-tips.com.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
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