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The Marketing Process

Why marketing your company is a process, not an afterthought, creating a total experience for customers that you must implement continuously. This total experience "wows" the customer and guarantees much repeat and referral business.

The statement found in the above headline is very profound and, when fully understood, describes the difference between owning a mediocre job or owning a thriving business.

Note: How do you tell if you own mediocre job or a thriving business? Can you get away when you want to? Do you take annual vacations with your family? When you are gone - does any photography get done? If you got sick for a couple of months - would your business go on as usual? If you answered no to more than one of these questions, you probably own a job instead of a business.

Simply put, it means that marketing is everything your business does, every day.

Many photographers make an attempt at marketing and, when it doesn't produce immediate results, make the mistake of concluding that marketing doesn't work. Perhaps they assume all they need is one big, mind-blowing marketing idea, and Bam! It will send them over the top.

To truly realize success in your business, you must get past such two-dimensional thinking and really grasp the process of marketing. When you realize the simple truth of what it truly takes to hurl you into the realms of success, will find your bank account flooded with cash faster than you can say, "Show me the money."

The Experience

The process of marketing should create what I call "the experience." The experience starts when the client picks up the phone and calls your company. What exactly are they getting when they call you? Do they get a message machine, a rough price quote, an uneducated - unenthusiastic person on the phone?

Or, do they get a friendly, informed voice; the offer of a free Portrait Design interview; a money-back guarantee, a Certified photographer; a enthusiastic and friendly person the phone? Then after the session; beautiful photography; a thank-you letter; a follow-up call; and an informative, an informative, even entertaining monthly newsletter?

The first company above did everything right and did great photography.

The second company did everything right, did a great photography, and wowed the client, made sure the client was happy, and established a lasting relationship with the client that pretty much guarantees tons of repeat business and referrals. The second company also charges twice as much as the first company to do the same work, and the clients are happy to pay the difference. However, note that the experience wasn't created from one event; it was a process.

Decide what kind of experience you want to give your clients and work toward creating it. Start by writing your ideas down on paper. This makes your goals tangible. Decide what kind of company you want to be, and then start playing the part. Apply the process of marketing to everything you do in your business, and soon you will find that your reality has caught up to your vision and will offer your clients an experience to remember.

The Tool That Makes It All Work

In the process of marketing, remember that none of your goals can be realized without this vital tool: consistent implementation. I teach thousands of photographers across the country proven marketing methods and systems. A lot of them listen, and a lot of them buy my stuff. Some take the information and turn a unprofitable or marginally profitable company into an overnight sensation, and some take the identical information and set it on a shelf to collect dust. There is a simple difference between my clients who have extraordinary success and those who don't: implementation. Consistent implementation means the difference between struggling to make a buck and having the money flow to you. Consistent implementation establishes systems in your business that generate revenue, maintain client relationships, and produce efficient and profitable work from you and your employees.

Consistent implementation is not going to happen overnight. Start applying it today and tomorrow and the day after that, and you will find yourself in the process of marketing every day.

Put the Process To Work

In this process, you will find that consistent implementation will systemize your business. It will establish the experience that your clients will have and will allow you to create the kind of company you always wanted. The process is everything: the way you answer your telephone, the way everyone at your studio treats the client, how the entire process is handled (greeting the client, photographic session, and sales session), and how the client is maintained in your database. The process is really a simple matter of plugging a few simple, proven, marketing strategies into your business that will set you apart from your competitors.

Remember, "Marketing is a process, not an event." Don't make the mistake of thinking of marketing in terms of putting out one ad, letter or flyer. It is so much bigger than that. This process of marketing, comprised of "little big" ideas, when implemented consistently, will create a snowball effect that will create the kind of business and income you only dreamed of. The process of marketing will turn a humdrum business into an exciting and profitable company.