Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

You probably just have a question of wording with the other photographers-- I bet a few of them give something free with purchase incentive.

What you can do is fusion market with another wedding provider. You can give a certificate for a throw away bouquet from a florist (and introducing them to the service).

Here, photographers do free engagement album with photo package all the time. You could offer coupons for save the date magnets or announcement using the pix.

Or, and I'm recently engaged, fusion market with a wedding site or planner-- giving a countdown calendar. A Mary Kay spa treatment is another-- none of these will cost you a penny.

No - you are not "odd" Its a shame that we need to stop and think about being "politically correct" about being courteous and appreciative.

Differentiate yourself above the competition by sending a simple but classy thank you note (not a Far Side card). Possibly include a personal touch by offering your private phone number to be available "24 x 7" if they ever need you for questions or last minute changes.

Instead of a purchased gift, maybe consider a free photography service upgrade, or a extra print.

Don't ever be hesitant about being courteous and personable with your customer because the relationship is most important.

Bob

The personalized M&M's are a wonderful idea, especially if you can match their colors.

What about personallized luggage tags for their honeymoon?

Or offer to develop their honeymoon pictures. (standard # of pictures and sizes would probably be good in case you get some people that come back with 10 rolls of film and want doubles.)

I personally think any gift is a fantastic idea. Almost all brides are looking to feel special and a small tailored gift would accomplish that.

As for your colleagues suggesting it would be seen as something they purchased, I don't believe that would be true at all. You are selling you services not personalized products. There should be no confusion...

I would think a good gift to give customers would be a personalized picture frame (cheesy I know but it ties in), you could also do personalized wine classes for the reception. Its not terribly expensive to have them engraved...just a thought Good luck!

Always say thank you. Something else you could do is to send regular cards reminding the bride of little things that will make the shoot better.

I'm thinking about telling her how a spray on tan looks on camera etc.

Michael

What about finding a small digital photo album--purse sized--and pre-loading a selection of their wedding photos so that it's easy to show them off? I've seen them at very reasonable prices, and it's tied to both the event and your services in a surprising way that would be very appreciated. Or if not an album, a DVD montage they can easily take with them to show to friends.

I like the fusion marketing idea...but your 'thank you' could get lost in the collection.

You could also crate a password-protected web page for each client (behind your own home page) where they and those whom they share their password with can upload their own snapshots and videoblog video from the events, honeymoon, etc. You can pre-load the site with some of their best wedding shots. Then everyone who comes to see or post to the bride and groom's site will pass through your home page and it also gives the bride and groom a great place to "socialize" through the lead-up and after the honeymoon.

Another classic is a sterling silver or crystal photo frame engraved with their date.

For people who buy a large package or have you photograph multiple events (shower, rehersal dinner, wedding, reception), consider a digital photo frame and load a "photo" that says "Best Wishes from (your name) Photography" as the first image.

I was thinking about a nice frame as well (something simple; some of us don't like a lot of decorative design on our frames!). Design a creative thank you "flyer" on your desktop computer and place it inside the glass.

I think your idea is a great one. If I received it, my impression would be that I have a very detail-oriented, thoughtful photographer!

I think a simple gift would be more classy than a co-marketing 'gift'. Brides already have so many vendors trying to sell them stuff -- it's nice to have a vendor that simply knows how to say "thank you". I would also stray away from giving a gift that is linked directly to your photography of their wedding -- because that does, indeed, seem like something they're paying for (like a digital album of their wedding photos or an upgrade).

A photo frame is nice - a glass block frame or a simple silver frame is something almost anyone could use. I would rather have a plain frame than an engraved one.

A spa certificate would be nice, but $20-30 won't pay for a treatment. Might make more sense to do a gift card to some place like Crate & Barrel. But personally, I think the photo frame is the best idea. Just my $.02.

Cliff,

I'm a marketing consultant who also owns a wedding publication. I love the idea of providing a thank you gift!

Regarding what the gift should be, I like the idea of partnering with another vendor. However, I think that, in order to make sure the gift doesn't appear to just be cross-promotion, I would not give something that's supposed to be used in their event. Instead, I would give something like truffles from a chocolatier who might be a good choice for favors, or a gift card from a restaurant that also hosts rehearsal dinners (but with no obligation for the bride to use it that way). Gift cards from spas are always welcome -- and these businesses are increasingly courting wedding party business.

These sorts of gifts stand on their own as true gifts, but do provide your bride the chance to check out some of your favorite colleagues' businesses -- and consider them for her event.

You could most likely approach your colleagues at some of these businesses to buy gift cards with a volume discount or a discount in exchange for promoting them in your studio. You might also work a trade -- provide some photographic services, e.g. for their marketing materials, in exchange for gift cards/certs you could give to your brides. Either of these approaches would allow you to give a gift with a higher/more useful value (e.g., $50-$60 at a spa) while keeping your own costs in your target range of $20-$30.

Regarding some of the suggestions more directly related to your business -- web galleries, free engagement prints, etc -- I think those are the kinds of things you probably should be doing already (in fact, you probably ARE doing them already I would imagine :))

Lastly, I think you should take what the other photographers tell you with a BIG grain of salt. While you see each other as friends and colleagues who refer each other business, don't forget that you're also competing, too. In my experience, wedding photographers frequently try to "gently discourage" their fellow photographers from doing things that raise the bar -- whether it be advertising, exhibiting at shows, blogging, providing full sets of proofs, or, as you're doing, adding a nice thank you gift. They figure that if they can discourage you from doing more marketing and/or more for your brides, they can avoid having to do more themselves. Bottom line: no matter how cordial or cooperative your relationship with your fellow photographers is, you shouldn't rely heavily on their opinions when making marketing decisions for YOUR business.

Laurie