The Do's and Don'ts of Advertising

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The Do's and Don'ts of Advertising

Postby VidQueen » Thu Oct 19, 2006 6:09 am

For anyone who has a Photo Video business, or is thinking about starting one, Advertising may be the key factor in making or breaking your business. I started my business, Moving Pictures, in August of 2000 and it is still going strong six years later. I'd like to share with you some of the important Do's Don'ts of Advertising, specifically for this kind of business, that I have learned over the years:

1. R.O.I - These three little letters can help guide you through the vast sea of advertising choices out there. Return On Investment is simply knowing how much you spend on an advertising campaign and comparing it to the sales that you gained as a direct result fo that advertising. This is important to know: if you spend $500 on a print ad, get $700 of business over the next couple of weeks and if you don't know where that $700 came from, you may be unaware that your print ads aren't working.
Suggestion: Track where every sale came from. This can be as simple as asking "Where did you hear about Moving Pictures?"

2. All Print Ads Are Not Created Equal - When you first start your business you have to get the word out. If people don't know you exist, they can't buy from you. Many people first gravitate towards print advertising, as I did. Hopefully I can save you a ton of money by sharing what I learned over the first three years of my business. For Photo Video Businesses the majority print ads won't work. I did flyers. I did direct marketing postcards. I did block ads in my local newspaper. None of them brought in enough business to pay for the printing fees. So why didn't they work? You are embarking on a very specific business: Photo Videos. Two facts I learned early on: First, everyone thinks they already understand what you do (can you say PowerPoint?) and secondly, they are all wrong. In order for my prospective customers to understand that I don't create basic "slideshows" they are going to have to see what I do. You can 't see animation in a print ad.
Two Exceptions: First, the phonebook. I have always had a modest block ad in my local yellow pages. When people know what they want, but don't know where to find it, they almost always turn to the phonebook. The second exception would be very targeted print publications. I advertised in a small Wedding Ideas booklet that was placed in local businesses for thier clients to have for free. Many brides are already aware of photo videos, so this may be one of the few print ads that may work for you.

3. TV and Radio Over the years I have done radio and tv ads. I was absolutly shocked to find out that the radio ads worked much better for me than the tv ads, given that this is a very visual business. I did get plenty of business from the tv ads, but the ROI wasn't there. It cost $3,000 for two months on several different cable channels. I got around $1,800 of business from it. After the ads were off I didn't receive another sale from those ads. Radio, on the other hand, was closer to $1,000 for two months and I got approximately the same amount of sales from it. Amazingly, after the radio ads were off the air, I continued to get calls months and months later from people who said they remembered the radio ad. I advertsized on the radio, on and off, for approximately three years.
Timing Is Everything: If you want to try either TV or Radio know that your timing of those ads is very important. My busiest times of the year are always spring (weddings, anniversaries, graduations, school sports all happen in the spring) and Christmas (including, sometimes, a fall sports video for local schools). If you want to boost your spring sales you must advertise in March and April. This means preparing those ads in January and February! Simple rule of thumb: always think six months out.

4. Word of Mouth And now...the Grand Daddy of them all.....FREE ADVERTISING!!! As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I have been in business for six years. With the exception of my yellow pages ads, I haven't paid for advertising in the last three years. I'll let you in on the best kept secret about the business you are going into: The majority of the videos you will produce will be watched by mass audiences. You will have a built-in customer base everytime you create a video. Weddings, memorials, graduations, sports events, business christmas parties, high school reunions: all are watched by large audiences. 95% of my current business is from repeat customers and, more importantly, people who say, "I saw the video you did for my daughter's school graduation! My parent's have a 50th anniversary coming up and....". I can't count how many times I heard that. So here's the good news: the longer you are in business, the less you will have to spend on advertising.
Best Tip Ever: Target large audiences. Visit your local schools, daycares, funeral homes and wedding planners. Work with them. I have produced the senior class video for three local high schools every year for the past four or five years. I get more business from their audience members than any other paid advertsing I have ever done.

Finally, I'll make a brief statement about the internet. I have a website, www.yourmovingpictures.com. I've had it for 5 1/2 years (although I changed it recently). I thought it was essential in this day and age for business to have a website. In short, it is; and it isn't. In 5 1/2 years I've gotten one sale that came directly from that website. When you're talking about someone's photographs, someone's irreplacable memories, they don't want to send them through the mail. They want someone local. However, what has been essential is having and instant demo available that people can watch from the comfort of thier own homes. They have to see why what you do is so much better than a PowerPoint! Also, having an email address that is attached to that website can be invaluable to your branding.

I hope this information helps! Good luck to all of you just starting out. This is a great business to be in and, in my opinion, the best time to be in it.

Jennifer Weeks
Founder of Moving Pictures
Creater/Graphic Artist of Choice Backgrounds[/list]

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Postby weldr » Fri Oct 20, 2006 6:46 am

Thanks for all the good advice. I live on an island, word of mouth is good advertising here. Thanks, Don

lsheppard

Postby lsheppard » Fri Oct 20, 2006 6:05 pm

Great article. Thanks for sharing this with us. It is very valuable information.

Leigh
PS. I love your work.

Cindy

Postby Cindy » Sat Oct 21, 2006 4:59 am

thanks for sharing Jennifer - it was very kind of you. I will be sure to take these hints into account! Your kindness is much appreciated.

Ladybug

Postby Ladybug » Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:32 pm

Vidqueen..

Ditto and Bravo!

FYI everyone.....Vidqueen is right on the money :wink: Web is great presence and shows you are 'real'. Word of mouth and networking is best.

Thanks, Jen!

LadyBug

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