Growing Your Photography Business (Part 10): Get to Know Your Customers, Branding, Digital Conferences
Digital Conferences
Digital conferences are beginning to roll out as most experts are recognizing the fact that their audience is at-home quarantine. Most of them provide ‘responses’ and ‘survival tips’ on how to navigate this difficult situation.
It’s something to be grateful for as everyone is broadcasting the message that ‘we’re here for you’ and ‘together we can make it through.’ Now is the best time to take advantage of these learning opportunities.
Digital conferences can be in the form of webinars or video calls where an expert presents a certain topic to help you. As you go along, you could ‘raise your hand’ and post your question so that the host can ask it to the speaker at the end of his speaking time.
These e-conferences use tools such as GoToMeeting, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts Meet, Cisco Webex, join.me and others.
Here are ways to find digital conferences:
Search for webinars in your LinkedIn events
Check your email and search for the keywords, in case you missed the live webinar, ask if they have a recorded version
Search Google or Youtube for keywords + webinar
Make sure to save the date on your calendar. Make a list of questions before the event so you can ask them during the e-conference. If the video is shared, take the opportunity to introduce yourself to others in your field.
Check out my Shot List to help you get organized with schedules, appointments, and commitments.
Create A Webinar
In difficult times like this, you may have wonderful things to say to your audience. It could be a solution on a lingering problem, an interesting material, your story of success and how you can help others through sharing, or by inviting a subject-matter expert to speak to your audience.
Unlike pre-recorded videos, webinars add to the feel that you are ‘there’ in real-time. It gives more value to your brand as you let them feel even more present through live conversation. Plus, there is an opportunity where they can ask questions and get answers right away.
Webinars can help build or strengthen your network. It can increase leads interested in your products or services. Webinars can also generate content for your materials as you engage with real-world concerns from your audiences. Webinars are also cost-effective.
To run a successful webinar, you don’t need much more than a list of invitees, a webcam/mic and sound devices, a script or notes, a presentation, and an internet connection. You also need enough time to promote your webinar. Here are some ways:
A Landing Page - this is a page where people go after they click a link from your promotional campaigns. A Landing Page contains the initial information about the webinar such as how it can help solve a certain problem, the key benefits or points, the speaker/s, the date and time, a form where they can register.
Design a conversion path - what happens after they sign-up? A conversion path includes sending them a confirmation email, letting them know you’re in. You can ask if they have questions upfront so you can include them in the presentation.
Thank You Page - After sign-up, you can direct them to a ‘Thank You Page’ that confirms their registration, with some other valuable content.
On-site Promotion- promote your webinar within your websites such as the hello bar and exit-intent pop-up. A hello bar is a strip on top or at the bottom of your website, with a line of text and a link to the landing page. An exit-intent pop-up appears when the user tries to move away from your web page.
Teaser video - don’t just promote with text or images, do it with video! Record a short video explaining what the webinar is about and how they can join. Upload it to Youtube and Social Media.
Email Signature - Simply add the keyword and embed the link at your email signature so you can generate traffic and add attendees to your webinar.
Write a Blog - share useful and interesting content, and link or a banner that directs them to your webinar landing page. Make sure to update the link or change the banner when the webinar is over, and lead them to download the recorded version instead.
Email Workflow - design an ‘email drip’ or a series of emails that builds excitement, reminds your audience of the upcoming webinar. Send out 2 weeks before, then 1 week, 3 days, then 1 day. Send out a thank you email 2-3 days after. Better to share a link to the recorded webinar.
A Homepage Lead Magnet - your homepage is probably one of the most visited locations of your website when people try to search your name. Put out a visible lead magnet where they can register for the webinar.
Paid Ads - promote your webinar landing page, image or video via Google Ads, Facebook or LinkedIn Ads, depending on your target objectives.
Check out my Finance Sheet which can help you financially structure your future plans.
Branding
Branding is about creating a name, a set of elements, that makes it identifiable to you as a business. It’s about standing out and being distinct. It answers the questions, “what sets you apart from the other businesses that provide the same service or product like yours?”
Branding helps people to easily remember you in the sea of information and noise. Branding involves ‘differentiation’ where you try to constantly clarify how you are set apart from your competitors.
Branding is beyond your logo. Here are elements where you can distinguish yourself:
Your mission - beyond making profits, the ‘why’ of your business can set you apart. It can be that proceeds go to a certain non-profit, a mission or advocacy.
Your Color Scheme - apart from your logo, using a consistent set of colors makes it easy for your audience to remember you.
The tone of voice - how you communicate to your audience is a part of your brand. It reflects your personality and values. Research what you are, how you are perceived, and who your audience is. Identify your mission and the goals you’d want. Examples of the tone of voice:
Funny, Neutral, Serious
Casual, Neutral, Formal
Irreverent, Neutral, Respectful
Enthusiastic, Neutral, Matter-of-Fact
Personalized product - everybody wants something that’s created for them or their segment. It can be a discounted or customized product for students, for medical workers, for teachers, etc.
Improve the quality and make it last longer - this is the surest way to set yourself apart over the long-term. When the rest of the competitors’ products fall apart, and yours is there to stay, that’s certainly a strong branding message.
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In case you missed it,
Here's the rest of my business tips for photographers:
Part one
Success in your business involves establishing a solid financial foundation. Thank you for reading my photography business tips and I wish you many years of success!
XoXo…
