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.

Every day you find one or more postcards in the mail. It isn’t surprising: postcard advertising is one of the most cost effective ways to contact potential customers. However, if you look carefully you will also notice that most advertising postcards are 5.5 to 6 inches tall and 9-11 inches long. So why would an advertiser bother with a big postcard when the small 3.5×5 postcards can be mailed for so little money?

The simple answer is that little advertising postcards don’t work as well. They are great for reminding customers of appointments, or for telling them something they already care about like their birthday. However, studies show that large postcards have a much bigger impact for direct mail advertising.

While it is painful to pay double the postage and printing costs for every piece of mail, you should avoid the temptation to mail small-sized post cards. They are less expensive, but research shows you’ll see less response. Better yet, consider refocusing your marketing using e-mail newsletters.

One of the best parts of my job at JD Photo Imaging is that I get to talk to photographers — lots of them.  Some have been in business for many years, while others are just starting out.  But regardless of experience or type of work, most photographers have one thing in common: they trust word-of-mouth advertising to build their business.

When I visit a studio, I usually ask “How is business?” If the photographer says “great” we talk about new products.  If the photographer says “rotten” I ask about their marketing plan.  Most of the time their answer is “I don’t spend a lot on advertising – my business relies on word-of-mouth.”

My experience tells me that this answer can spell trouble for a studio.  If you rely on word-of-mouth to advertise your business, you are limiting your ability to grow and profit.

I like to use JD Photo Imaging as an example.  Our lab has served Mid-Michigan for over 35 years.  We’ve printed thousands – perhaps millions - of wedding, senior, and underclass images, and yet at local trade shows I am regularly approached by photographers wanting to know what it is we do!  Even large corporations like GM, Ford, FedEx and Coca-Cola continue to advertise long after everyone in the country knows their name and what they offer.  Why should a smaller business like a photographic studio be any different?

I understand the aversion people have to advertising.  We all see a thousand advertisements a day - many of them are cheap and tasteless.  In the best possible world, we shouldn’t even have to advertise.  Customers should hear other people talk about the great products and services we offer, remember the conversation, and find us later when they need us.

It isn’t that simple.  The truth is, some customers will be influenced by a phone book ad, some by a flyer or coupon, others by a web site, and some will depend on a recommendation from a friend.  Therefore, one of the goals of advertising is to make sure our name and phone number is available to every customer - no matter where they look for us - when they are ready to buy.

But being easy to find is only part of advertising.  The best ads don’t try to sell something – instead, they present a solution to a problem the customer is trying to solve.  For example, some of my customers became frustrated trying to create unique, one-of-a-kind wedding albums using Photoshop.  So I introduced a service that uses our lab’s in-house graphics department to custom design each album.  Telling my customers about this service with a postcard is advertising, but because I’m trying to solve their problem it’s the kind of advertising I’m proud to do.

Here’s another example.  If I was a senior photographer I’d imagine a teenager standing in front of me asking, “Can you make me look pretty/handsome/cool even though I think I’m not?”  Isn’t that a real problem teenagers have?  To solve it, I could promise to take many more shots than average to ensure that they would find a pose they were happy with.  But having a solution to their problem isn’t enough – I need to let my potential teenage customer know about it.  Again, that’s the kind of advertising I would be proud to do.

I’m not saying that word-of-mouth doesn’t work – it does.  It’s cheap, powerful and cuts through all the advertising clutter we see every day.  Recommendations from others are always more valuable than advertising alone.  But having customers advertise for you should only be one part of your total marketing plan.