Great article over at Entrepreneur Magazine by Gwen Moran that has several specific tips for marketing on a budget.

• Get Profiled – using social networking. Do you have a Facebook page or Twitter account?
• Make Yourself a Star – with a podcast or videocast. Do you have videos online that walk your potential customers through your services? How about a YouTube video of an event you photographed?
• Pluck from the headlines – my favorite is the studio who blew up life-sized cardboard cutouts of US soldiers in Iraq to give as presents to their children. Called a “Flat Daddy“, the story made them instant heros nationwide.
• Go for the Demo – The next time you’re at a show, take portraits of people in the aisles, then get their e-mail address and offer to send them the digital file. Have someone take a video of the process for your website and as a Youtube video to put on your Facebook account (for extra credit, Twitter before the show that you are offering portraits).
• Find businesses in your backyard – For example, offer everyone in a local office building a professional business portrait for a special price. Medium and large-sized companies like to tell their employees they have negotiated a special offer just for them.

Their are lots more examples. Check them out!

During tough economic times, it’s easy to get discouraged by poor sales. Below is the list of specific things you can do starting today that will give your business the boost it needs to survive:

Don’t Stop Marketing

It is too easy to cut back on marketing expenses when times are tough. If you are like many small businesses, your marketing budget is 3-5% of sales. As sales goes down, your first instinct is to cut costs, and marketing gets the axe.

Instead of cutting your marketing, you should focus it using these proven techniques. Use the checklist below to see if you are doing all you can to market more effectively:

1. E-mail newsletter (at least monthly)?
2. Reduced shotgun marketing – ads focused on existing customers?
3. Collected testimonials and used on website / in e-mail newsletters?
4. Collected 2-3 referrals from every customer?
5. Mingle with potential customers and hand out business cards at least 2x per week?
6. All non-essential tasks outsourced?
7. At least one viral marketing campaign currently in process?
8. Trading photography for goods and services?
9. Can explain your value proposition in one sentence, and list it in every ad?
10. Next sale planned to include additional services instead of lowered prices?

If you aren’t doing most or all of these 10 marketing ideas, you aren’t serious about growing your business.

In the end, the final question is “does all this work?” The answer is YES.

Experience shows that businesses who continue to market during downturns not only stay in business, but are much better positioned to grow when the economy finally turns around.

During tough economic times, it’s easy to get discouraged by poor sales. Below is the tenth specific thing you can do starting today that will give your business the boost it needs to survive:

Click here if you missed part 1 , part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, or part 9

Don’t cut your fees – add services

When times are tough it is tempting to put your products and services on sale to attract new customers. While a sale can be an effective tool, it doesn’t mean you have to lower your prices:

• If you offer five poses as part of your senior special, make it ten
• If you offer four hours with a bride, increase it to six
• Include a “trashed dress” photo shoot at no charge

One of the easiest ways to increase your value proposition is to offer more services at the same price your competition charges. Your dollars per hour average may go down, but you’ll be spending the time making money and developing a happy customer, which should lead to larger sales, testimonials, referrals and more profits.

During tough economic times, it’s easy to get discouraged by poor sales. Below is the ninth of ten specific things you can do starting today that will give your business the boost it needs to survive:

Click here if you missed part 1 , part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, or part 8

Know your Value Proposition

Your “value proposition” is the combination of price, quality and service you offer. As a business owner, you know the old joke “fast, good, cheap – pick any two” has some truth in it. The local hamburger joint is fast and cheap (their value proposition) whereas the gourmet food store offers quality and service, but at a premium price.

What does this mean for your studio?

In a down economy, customers who normally tend to buy on speed or quality will think more about price. This means that even though your value proposition was “high quality/service” last year, that will not be enough today.

However, re-thinking your value proposition does not mean “lower your prices.” Instead, be sure your marketing message raises the value you bring to customers. For example, instead of offering a discount, find out what is important to your customers, and make that the focus of your marketing. See this article for more examples.

Not sure what your value proposition is? Look at your business through your customers’ eyes. This is tough for most of us to accurately gauge, so you may need to ask someone who is brutally honest with you.

During tough economic times, it’s easy to get discouraged by poor sales. Below is the eighth of ten specific things you can do starting today that will give your business the boost it needs to survive:

Click here if you missed part 1 , part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, or part 7

Trade photography for services you need

Of all the services used by small businesses, good photography is the easiest to ignore – and most needed.

Every small business you walk into today needs a good photographer for their own marketing, advertising, business cards, etc. Does every local business you frequent have one of your cards? Do they know you are willing to take your services out in trade?

For example, offer to take photographs for your lawn service in exchange for free lawn care. Trading out services was common during the depression – it will be popular again. Make sure you are the first photographer they talk to.

During tough economic times, it’s easy to get discouraged by poor sales. Below is the seventh of ten specific things you can do starting today that will give your business the boost it needs to survive:

Click here if you missed part 1 , part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 or part 6

Take advantage of viral marketing

Viral marketing is the new online term for word of mouth. A unique product or service is “discovered” online, people write and talk about it, and some call to place an order. Multiply this by a hundred or a thousand, and viral marketing can be the most cost-effective marketing you can accomplish.

Two good examples of viral marketing in the photographic industry are Trash the Dress and Urban Grunge senior portraits. Because of the Internet, thousands of people saw examples of these new styles of photography, resulting in new products that lead to increased sales.

How can you use viral marketing?

• Create your own buzz. Recently I learned about a photographer who was able to get the Main Street in their home town closed off so it could be used as a backdrop for the high school cheerleader’s photo shoot. The entire community started talking and got involved: police, fire, and downtown businesses. I read about another photographer who took photos of Iraqi soldiers, printed them as life-sized cardboard cutouts, and gave them away to the soldier’s children. The local newspaper found out about it, and the story (and photos) appeared nationwide.
• Find a parade and get in front of it. We’ve all met part-time photographers who volunteer to take publicity shots for the local theatre group or sports team for free. If these are opportunities for viral marketing, volunteer for them yourself. A local group will always chose a talented professional photographer like you. You’re not giving your work away for free if you trade it for marketing that creates a “buzz” and is guaranteed to be seen by potential customers.
• Let your passion lead you. If you have a passion on a subject, figure out how to tie it to your business. For example, if you love animals, offer to photograph abandoned pets for your local animal shelter. Then take portrait-quality photographs of the animals for use online. Let the shelter sell the limited edition prints as a fundraiser. Not only will your work be seen by potential customers, but a portion of it can be written off as a charitable contribution.
• Watch for new trends. Even if you aren’t ready to invent the latest trend in photography, you can still attach yourself to the latest trends offered by photographers in larger metro markets. This means reading online blogs, subscribing to photography magazines, and watching for new trends. When a new trend comes along, don’t wait to see if it works for somebody else before you’re willing to try it. Here’s a tip: if you can take a class on a new technique, chances are that your competitors started offering it last year. The buzz is over.

It is not enough to hold an event that has viral marketing potential. You need to publicize before and after the event, attach your name to it, and encourage others to talk about it. Even then, not every viral marketing strategy will be successful. But consider this: one great viral marketing idea can make your reputation as a photographer for years to come.

During tough economic times, it’s easy to get discouraged by poor sales. Below is the sixth of ten specific things you can do starting today that will give your business the boost it needs to survive:

Click here if you missed part 1 , part 2, part 3, part 4 or part 5

Free up time for marketing by outsourcing. When sales are down, it is tempting to cut expenses by letting people go, then taking over their jobs. It’s the old “I can save money if I do it myself!” mentality.

However, working “at” your business instead of “on” your business is an easy way to kill your business.

Every minute you do not spend shooting or selling should be spent marketing your studio: building your e-mail list, e-mail newsletters, press releases, etc.

If you need to lay off staff, hire outside experts to do the same work on a per-job basis. From album design to retouching to bookkeeping, virtually every service you offer can be outsourced on a per-job basis (you can even offer it back to your old staff on a contract basis!).

For example, you could shoot a wedding, pick your favorite images, and send them to JD. We can retouch and color correct the images, create a custom album layout, send you the album page proofs, make any final changes, and drop-ship the completed album to your customer. The lab cost will be more than offset by the decrease in time and labor expenses.

Then, once you’ve freed up your time, get back to marketing.

During tough economic times, it’s easy to get discouraged by poor sales. Below is the fifth of ten specific things you can do starting today that will give your business the boost it needs to survive:

Click here if you missed part 1 , part 2, part 3 or part 4

Networking is the art of considering every person you meet a potential customer. It is a powerful tool used by every successful salesperson.

Consider this: almost every person you meet today will hire a wedding photographer, a senior photographer, a family photographer or a portrait photographer at some point in their lives. Why shouldn’t that photographer be you?

Only by putting your business card in their hands can you be sure a potential customer will think of you first.

Unfortunately, networking has a bad reputation. Most people think of the brother-in-law who corners them at every family gathering and tries to sell them life insurance. But professionals know that networking is based around always having a business card in your pocket, and giving one to every new person you meet. If they are interested, they will ask you about photography…no sales are required.

Where should you go to network? Imagine where your perfect customer likes to be. People who have the money to spend on portraiture in a bad economy aren’t sitting around the house. Instead you‘ve got to be seen and noticed in places your customers will be: local charity events, grand openings, or live theatre for example.

Speaking of getting noticed, if you haven’t updated your wardrobe lately, now is the time to invest in a stylish jacket, haircut, glasses, etc. If you’re not sure what to wear, clip out a few photos of photographers from a magazine you like and take them to the store as a guide.

When you look great, you’ll feel great, and people will remember you. When it comes to networking, that’s all you need.

During tough economic times, it’s easy to get discouraged by poor sales. Below is the forth of ten specific things you can do starting today that will give your business the boost it needs to survive:

Click here if you missed part 1 , part 2 or part 3

Cultivate referrals. A referral is an endorsement of you by your customer to their friends. It should be the logical conclusion of every sale. The secret is not to call them referrals (sounds like sales) but instead call them “introductions.”

Ask for an introduction any time you get a complement from a customer.

When your customer says “my portrait was perfect,” the next thing you should say is something like “Thank you. Can you introduce me to anyone you know who might like one too?” Now wait a moment. If the customer immediately pulls out her address book, accept 2 or 3 names from them, and say thanks. If the customer seems unsure, you can add, “I depend on nice folks like you telling others about my work. If you could help me with just one or two introductions I’d appreciate it.”

If you get 2-3 names, call (or e-mail) them immediately and say, “I just finished photographing your friend, and they thought you might be interested in something similar for you.” If they are interested, book a session. If not, say “Can I e-mail you some upcoming specials at my studio?”

Either way you have a potential new customer.

Here’s an extra tip: if the referral makes a purchase, immediately reward the original customer with a special gift (a small framed print from your fine-art collection, for example) so that they make the connection between the gift and the referral in their mind.

These words may feel uncomfortable to say at first, but if you (and your staff) memorize them, you’ll be amazed at how many extra sales they will bring in.

During tough economic times, it’s easy to get discouraged by poor sales. Below is the third of ten specific things you can do starting today that will give your business the boost it needs to survive:

Click here if you missed part 1 or part 2

You’ve collected lots of e-mail addresses, you’ve signed up for an e-mail newsletter service, and you have lots of great photography. But what do you write in the newsletter?

Collect testimonials. The best marketing copy is an unpaid endorsement by a trusted source.

Remember the lady who cried when you presented her with her family’s portrait? Did you get a quote from her that you can use in your e-mail newsletter or in an ad? If not, write down what you think she said, call her, read it over the phone, and ask if that is what she remembers saying. then ask if you can use it in an ad. You’ll be suprised that most people will say “yes” if they don’t have to write the testimonial themselves.

Collect at least three of these testimonials to use in your new e-mail newsletter (see part 1 and part 2). Rotate them in your newsletter and print ads. Along with the call to action, testimonials will give your newsletter the power to generate sales.