Google Adwords are a quick way to pay your way onto the front page of Google (read how Google Adwords work here). According to Google, more than 20% of searches on Google are related to location, and people often act quickly on local searches. Research shows that using smartphones, 88% of people who search for local information take action within a day.

To help you organize your local Google ads – and to keep you on budget – you can Target customers by zip code. Plus, you can get feedback on the performance of your local campaigns by viewing campaign performance statistics at the postal code level.

But here’s the cool part: you can customize your ads automatically to include the city clients are searching for.

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Here is a marketing promotion guaranteed to help you increase your holiday card sales. Order 2 flat cards, 2 designer cards, or 2 folded greeting cards with envelopes and your custom images for only $2 in ROES. No shipping or minimum order fees. Pearl, linen, standard paper and standard paper with coating are all available at the same $2 price.

Custom samples make it easy to get holiday card orders from your clients.

Instead of showing clients generic card designs, you can show them a card you’ve customized with their image. For example, you could customize the message inside the card and mail them to your clients as part of a fall marketing campaign. Then, keep the second card as a studio sample to show other clients.

To place your 2-card order in ROES, create a card as you would normally, then select one of the “2 Card Sample” options. The cards will be printed at the lab, and sent to you via first-class mail. No shipping or minimum order fees apply. You can combine several 2-card sets from different customers into a single order, or you can print different samples for the same client.

Every day you find one or more postcards in your mailbox. It isn’t surprising: postcard advertising is one of the most cost effective ways to put your message directly in front of potential customers. Every post card gets read, even if just for a moment.

Unfortunately, many established studios have gotten out of the habit of sending post cards, and instead focus their marketing on (cheaper) mediums like Facebook.

The irony is that no marketing tool beats post cards when it comes to differentiating yourself as a professional photographer. Beginning photographers don’t send them: they don’t have the budget, the mailing list, or the huge selection of images to choose from to create the perfect post card.

Here are 4 simple steps to maximizing your return on a post card marketing campaign:

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Most of us write in a single style (English teachers call it “tone”) we have developed over many years. We write emails, newsletters, Facebook posts, flyers, and (if you’re good at marketing) blog posts and web site pages too.

But when we’re in a hurry, we don’t always think about what our writing style says about our business. We focus on writing to give information or to persuade, and we assume our writing style will just take care of itself.

However, to turbocharge your studio’s marketing, it is important that your writing style enforces and reflects your brand.

So what do I mean by “writing style?”

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about localization, and how important it is for your studio. Basically, the goal is to make sure your studio contact information is available and up-to-date on every web-based network that lists local business.

That’s why I was happy to find GetListed.org, a free service that quickly shows you the current status of your business listings on the Internet.

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According to the experts, about 80% of us use Google to search online. To handle the hundreds of millions of online searches each day, Google needs thousands of computers running at the same time, all plugged into the Internet. And to pay for these computers (and the electric bill), Google sells ads.

Look at any page in Google, and you’ll see 1-3 text ads at the top of the page, and 1-10 ads in the right margin. Each of these ads is written and placed in Google by a company like yours or mine.

What makes Google so successful at selling these ads is the concept of CPC, or “cost-per-click.” This means that Google doesn’t charge for showing the ad. They only charge the ad’s owner when you click on the ad and go to a website.  This is completely different from an ad in a magazine or the yellow pages where you are forced to pre-pay for an ad up front, even if no one ever looks at it.

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"JDLAB.COM"

QR codes are an easy (and fun) way to get smartphone users to access a page on your website or to collect emails for your marketing newsletters. Here’s what you need to know about QR codes, and how they can help market your studio.

What Are QR Codes?

QR stands for “quick response”. They are a special type of square bar code made of squares of black on a white background. In the same way that a regular barcode stores numbers, a QR code is designed to store text like a website address or an email address. In order to read a QR code, you need a smartphone (like an Android or an iPhone) and free software downloaded to the phone. You take a photo of the printed QR code with the smartphone, the software reads the code, and the phone’s browser is directed to a website or email address.

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Why is branding important? When folks don’t know anything else about two similar products (like two 5×7″ prints) they will use price to decide between them. Without branding, the lowest price wins.

If you don’t want to compete on price, you have to compete on brand.

A brand is more than just a logo. BNET defines branding as:

“a means of distinguishing one firm’s products or services from another’s and of creating and maintaining an image that encourages confidence in the quality and performance of that firm’s products or services.”

Jon Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing offers an even simpler definition:

“Branding is the art of becoming knowable, likeable and trustable.”

It makes sense. All of us would rather do business with someone we know, like and trust – even if it costs a few dollars more. That is how you want your customers to feel too.

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A gentleman called this week and asked if I would mail him a catalog and price list.

“Sure,” I replied, but noted that he could also download it immediately off our website.

“I don’t know what your website name is,” he said. “I got your phone number off an ad in an old magazine.”

After I put down the phone, I was again reminded of a fundamental truth in business: never stop marketing. You can never know which advertisement is going to motivate a potential customer to call.

It works like this:

• building business is the goal, marketing is the plan, and ads are the steps you take to achieve your goal.
• Your marketing plan answers a simple question: How can I put my brand and/or offer in front of folks that are in need of my service?
• Brand builds trust and name recognition, offers generate sales.
• The rule of thumb is that a potential customer needs to see your ad seven times and be ready to purchase before they will pick up the phone.
• The closer you can put an ad (in time) in front of a potential customer who is ready to purchase, the more likely they are to respond.
• Measure results. If it works, re-use it. If it doesn’t try something else.

There isn’t any other secret sauce. marketing is a critical component of every successful business. As a business owner, you should expect to spend 2-3 hours every day marketing. A better rule could be, if you aren’t shooting or selling, you should be marketing. Outsource everything else.

I’ve long forgotten which magazine the ad was in, but I am confident it was according to the plan.

Our photographers who are great marketers start designing their ads, flyers, and postcards for the 2009 holiday season in August. To encourage the rest of you to get started, below are 5 tips to make sure your ads have maximum impact:

1. It’s about the customer. Go through your ad, and everywhere you use the words “I” or “we” change it to “you” or “your”. For example:

I specialize in senior photography. We guarantee satisfaction.
or
Your photos will reflect you. Your satisfaction is guaranteed.

2. Make it short and simple. Take a hint from the print industry: the average newspaper is written for 6-8th graders. You should do the same. For example:

Our expert staff will take the time to insure that each and every photograph you purchase is skillfully color-corrected, printed and mounted to your exacting specifications.
or
You’re going to love your photos.

3. Cut the hype. The more you hype your specials, the more you sound cheap and insecure about your work. This applies to both ad copy, as well as fonts, uppercase and punctuation. For example:

BIG SALE!!! Limited time only.ACT NOW!!!
or
Exclusive offer just for you

4. Let others say it. Testimonials from others are the most effective form of advertising. Make a habit to collect testimonials all year, then use them in your promotional pieces. For example:

Your prints will be perfect, on time, and at a great price.
or
“JD Photo made my prints perfect, on time, and at a great price.” Joe Client

5. Call to action. At the end of every ad, your customer should know exactly what you want them to do. You have to tell them specifically. For example:

Please contact us at your convenience to set an appointment.
or
Call us now at 888.858.8084 to reserve your free, private consultation.

These tips aren’t just for new ads; if you’ve already created an ad, check it against this list to measure how well it stacks up. If you’re missing one or more of these 5 items, you should edit your ad before you use it again.