I recently attended a marketing session with several studios from my geographic area. Much of what was discussed in this half-day session was similar to ideas that have been shared before or they represent ideas that are somewhat familiar to all of us. In other words, the ideas aren’t all that earth shattering nor do they conjure up feelings of "Hmmm, I've never heard THAT one before". However, what they will do if you take them to heart, is force you to ask yourself Have I been doing these things, to help maintain business for my Studio?
We all know that we're looking for more photo sessions and hopefully, print and other product revenues that result from successful selling efforts. The difficulties we face today are characteristic of a depressed economy with less traffic into the studio. Many of the people I talk to have found themselves with fewer customers today, when business was bustling just a year ago. I hear the same comments wherever I travel with many folks stating that their past business was successful based upon referrals; the phone just seemed to ring more. Since that's not the climate for where we're operating today, everyone is forced to look deeply within and ask "How did I do this before? What was it that brought me new customers, and helped me to grow my business? Is it different today, or will I be able to do the same things that helped me in the early years?"
My impression is, that there's much that has changed, but then, there's also a lot that has remained the same as far as the basics of marketing and advertising are concerned. There may be a greater need for photographers to be more creative in a more challenging economy. I believe creativity is an inherent talent many photographers have - because this is what it takes in setting the right scene, lighting, and pose, etc.. But, the following ideas were discussed and where I say we need to look at ourselves and ask those hard questions of: "How many of these have I been doing to try to maintain and grow business for my studio?"
So take a look at a few of these ideas:
Develop a direct mail campaign that addresses a particular market of photographic application that you wish to aggressively go after such as sports, seniors, or babies. Decide which one you know best, and develop a campaign designed to inform your Mail-to population about You, your Studio, and the services you offer. Include any special discounts, or promotions offered; AND a limited time frame for redeeming that offer. It's crucial to create that element of limited time offer or recipients won't think "Gee, I’d better not forget to follow-up on this, or I'll lose that discount." Even if they did show up a day or two after the advertised redemption period, you wouldn't turn them away, would you? Whatever campaign you decide on, Accordion Cards, your Studio Business Cards and any other related advertising collateral you plan to use should mirror your studio image and the services you offer. It's just the idea of having a fully integrated approach to your overall marketing and advertising efforts.
Don't think just 1 mailing will do it and everyone will come running to your Studio. Be prepared to support your campaign with continued mailings before you get the response you're looking for - it takes time. If your budget can't afford the frequency, I suggest reducing the recipients on your mail list by being very selective about who receives your materials. Effective mailing lists, however developed over time, need to include phone numbers and eventually Email addresses for future communication efforts.
You can always support a mail campaign with follow-up phone calls or an Email or both. The one certain thing is that you've now touched this prospect Vs. no campaign at all.
Our Custom Designed Campaign Incentive to You: 
If making phone calls isn't your best attribute, then think about having someone else such as a family member or high school students over for a Pizza Party some evening, and have them make the calls. Offer them incentives, i.e. free wallets, if they successfully book portrait sessions for you.
Speaking of High Schoolers, if you chose to pursue a Senior Market for the photographic application you're best at, try contacting some kids you know and agree to a really cool photo session for free. Then use a product like Burrell's New Senior DVD Slideshow and give it to them to show their friends, upload to their MySpace or Facebook or to an MP3 device and share at ballgames or school or wherever they socialize! This approach will get you free advertising by word-of-mouth along with your Studio logo displayed.
Gift Cards - Let's say you've chosen "Babies" and that's the market you wish to develop. Have you thought about calling on daycare centers, or baby clothing shops in order to develop a working relationship and a collaborative sales promotion? Create graphic styled Gift Cards with your Studio name/logo and make them available as a "Thank You" for shopping and/or a purchase at the store. It can also serve as a “Thank You” for entering into a daycare contract. The Gift Card provides a discount on one of your packages or portrait sessions. You can negotiate to have the collaborator’s information on the Gift Card too for the sharing the expenses incurred, if it is more justifiable that way.
These are just some ideas to consider for developing your business. Always feel free to modify to suit your particular image, circumstance and needs; but by all means, don't look yourself in the mirror and have to admit that you haven't tried something.
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