I watched a funny Youtube video the other day by a comedian who’s entire act revolves around showing a bad Powerpoint presentation (if you’ve ever used Powerpoint, you’d laugh too).

How could you adapt this idea as a way to market your studio? One way would be to create a 10-minute talk and slide show about “bad” photography. Here’s the first sentence:

“In 1888 George Eastman patented a camera that used rolls of film. If he ever saw this photograph, he would have smashed it with a hammer.”

Gather about 15-20 bad photographs, or take them yourself. Make a funny talk about the bad photography we all take, or if you are not a good speaker, give a more serious talk on how to take a good picture. Either way, make it breezy, informal, and informative – and keep it under 10 minutes long.

Once you have your presentation ready, call up the local Kiwanis, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, etc. and offer to be a guest speaker at their monthly meeting. Tell them you have a 10-minute presentation, and that you’ll need a projector and screen (or bring your own). Every group needs a new guest speaker every month, so it won’t be long before you get a return call.

Here’s the key to success: have a pre-written introduction for them to read before your presentation, and hand out business cards immediately afterward. You’ll both establish yourself as a photographic expert in the community, and put your card in the hands of influencers who can get you assignments in the future. In addition, if your presentation is very funny, you’ll soon be getting calls from other groups asking if you can speak in front of their membership too.

If you can put together a great 10 minute presentation, you can turn it into a powerful marketing tool that will put you miles ahead of the competition.

Tags: marketing, selling, social networking, word of mouth

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 10th, 2009 at 12:18 pm and is filed under marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.