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Stick To Your Theme

“I think I’ll choose a Pepsi,” the lady says in front of the vending machine.

Out comes the soft drink can of her choice.

She makes a choice based on preference (or need) and makes payment for it. Vertical marketing works much in the same way. If you were to open the interior of the machine, you would find that the soft drink cans are all lined up in a vertical row. All soft drinks of one selection are slotted into one vertical column, ready for dispensing.

There’s no crossover. The cans must be lined up in the same dispensing vertical row, or they will deliver a wrong selection to the customer.

If you were the serviceman and haphazardly placed the cans in the machine in random positions, the results would be chaotic and unsatisfactory to customers.

NO CENTRAL THEME

Most beginning stock photographers make the mistake of building a stock file in random fashion, with no focussed marketing themes. Their picture-taking choices are “all across the board.”

Because any one photobuyer’s publication appeals to a vertical market (gardeners, pilots, medical technicians, teachers, etc.) photobuyers turn to vendors who can supply them pictures within those specialty areas. They can’t afford to waste time on a vendor who does not offer an extensive selection of the product in the vertical market they need.

NO TEARS MARKETING

If the customer at the vending machine is served up a soft drink that doesn’t fit their choice, they become irritated and pound on the machine and demand a return of their money. “This is not what I wanted!”

The soft drink they received may be of excellent taste and quality, but it doesn’t match their needs. This realization may help to assuage your disappointment when a photobuyer rejects your submission of excellent pictures. The pictures may be of high quality, but you are vending them to the wrong buyer.

Stay within the vertical markets that you enjoy photographing in, and match with markets who need photos in those subject areas. At this moment, buyers are searching for you. Don’t waste film or time on picture-taking that doesn’t fit into your vertical market areas.

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola, WI 54020 USA. 1 800 624 0266; Fax: 1 715 248 7394. http://www.photosource.com

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“I have a great product, and I know exactly where it can be sold at this moment. But the only thing standing between me and seeing my product in national circulation is procrastination.” Have you heard this before?
By applying the same management techniques that are used by successful businesses, you can move your stock photography operation forward. Here are some self-management principles for the small business entrepreneur:

GET IT DONE. It’s easy to slip into the habit of narcoticizing yourself with the evening news or a sitcom. Change your habits. Buy a $4.95 quartz alarm to beep the same time every evening to remind you and others in your household that it’s “Marketing Time” — in others words, time to devote some specific time to getting your business off the ground.,br>DO ONE THING WELL. Creative people often do themselves in because they are talented in many areas — music, writing, painting, crafts, and so on. Choose one, and begin today to develop just one area of your creativity.
ASK AROUND. Don’t reinvent the wheel. There’s a goldmine waiting for you in the neighbor or friend or acquaintance who’s already been there. He knows the pitfalls, barriers, and obstacles, especially if he’s failed. Everyone loves to be an expert. Weigh their opinions against others’, and then come to a consensus. If you don’t want to consult a local competitor, phone someone in another like-sized city who is traveling the same highway.
ELIMINATE THE LOSERS. Take time to analyze what’s working for your business and what’s not. Parts of your business are moneymakers, others are not. Don’t let sentiment or the tired phrase, “We’ve always done it this way,” drag you down.
LOOK LIKE A PRO. Too many entrepreneurs feel that because their product is good, it should sell. Not so. A “better mousetrap” will not insure your product’s success. Employ packaging techniques. You don’t get a second chance at a first impression. If you want first class sales to your clients, give them first class treatment. Build a quality website. Invest in deluxe stationery, labels, and product packaging.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Jumping in with two feet and enthusiasm is fun and romantic, but unless you’ve checked to see if water is in the pool, you’re in for some disappointments. If your enthusiasm is still high after you’ve done your research, you’ve got a winner.
UNDERSTAND MARKETING. Your product will sell if you position yourself effectively. Super umbrellas won’t sell on a sunny day, but even poor ones will sell easily in the rain. Your success today will reflect not only your product’s worth to a customer, but your ability to find that customer’s need and fill it.
SPECIALIZE. In the last century, the keyword was ‘versatile’. In this century, the markets are too fragmented to be able to be all things to all markets. Choose your corner of the market and develop it. Become an important resource only to certain consumers.
BE BUDGET MINDED. You’ll see your product in national circulation if you have the cash flow available to pay the production, phone, office, and other bills. Don’t fall into the Madison Avenue trap of buying a new car, new clothes, new office equipment, over the counter drugs, high-calorie ‘goodies’, and other creature comforts that are supposed to make your life fulfilling. If you donate your cash to these dollar-gobblers, you have no cause to say, “The cost of getting into business on my own is too high.”
FAIL BUT DON’T QUIT. Are you afraid you are not going to make it? Fear of failing is one of the greatest deterrents to beginning entrepreneurs. That’s why not too many succeed; they never get up after they’ve been knocked down. Most successful people in any field have failed many times. The difference between you and them is that they never quit.
UNDERSTAND BRANDING. Develop a “style” about your stock photo business - and stick to it. That includes your actual photos right down to your stationery. Develop a logo and a simple “catch-phrase” you can use in your promotions and advertising.*
PLAY NOT WORK. There’s a saying, “The luckiest people sweat the most.” Yes, it’s going to require long hours. But don’t translate that to mean work. If you love what you’re doing, it’s all play. Choose your area of stock photography interest first by asking yourself, “What area do I love most?” Then do your research and find out if there’s a market for that area. If there is, it’ll be all play.
START TODAY. Most people spend their time preparing, rather than doing. “One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, four to get ready, five to get ready…” Start today.

*Reference: The Brand Gap, Marty Neumeier, 15BN 0-321-31810-9; New Riders Press, ask@peachpit.com

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Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes. Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola, WI 54020 USA. 1 800 624 0266; Fax: 1 715 248 7394. http://www.photosource.com

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When you are next out on a photographing excursion, begin the habit of asking yourself, “Is it marketable?” before you snap the picture. Gauge whether the piece of film or digital file that you’re exposing in your camera has a good chance of resulting in a sale for you.

If it’s color: Is it saleable? That is, -is it a picture a photo buyer will need …not one he already has access to. Will that transparency one day be on a photobuyer’s desk? If it’s B&W, will the negative result in many future sales?

One photographer friend said she could not break the habit of snapping pictures of anything and everything on a photo excursion, then trying to make the marketing decisions a week later when the processed film returns. To make the change-over, she placed a label on the back of her camera that read: “Is it marketable?” It took her only two weeks to finally break the habit. The label is now removed. She no longer aims her camera at silhouettes of sea gulls against the setting sun (and other such “classic” shots, that do sell, but that are individually very difficult to market because thousands upon thousands of similar photos are available to photobuyers).

Instead, she now photographs specific subject matter geared to specific market areas that match her own interest areas. She found (and continues to find) dependable markets for her material by doing some sound marketing homework.
>The MARKETING QUOTIENT Critique

In my seminars, I offer a free critique of photos based on their marketing potential. Since the persons who attend my seminars are photographers, I don’t comment on the artistic value of the photograph, only the marketing potential. I use what I call the Marketing Quotient (MQ), a number factor ranging from 1 to 10. (Ten equals high.)

Since there’s no mystery about the MQ, you can make a self-critique of your own pictures. Here’s how to start:

A key factor in selling anything is the law of Supply and Demand. If there’s a great supply of something, it’s not going to sell briskly (e.g. the silhouette of the sea gull). If on the other hand, the supply is limited, the demand will be great. (A volcano erupting in Washington.)

Seventy-five percent of your photo’s marketing worth will have to do with supply and demand. For example, if there’s a reasonable demand for a picture, and it’s not the kind of picture easily available in agencies, your MQ can start at 7. From this point, your MQ will go up or down.

Here are some of the factors that will cause your MQ to increase: 1.) You have an established track record with the photobuyer, or you are a “name” photographer. 2.) Your picture is available to meet a deadline. 3.) Your picture is: a) timely, up-to-date; b) lends itself to a publishing house’s needs; c) matches the photobuyer’s interest area; d) available for one-time use; e) has not been used recently by the competition; f) available for commercial use also and therefore has a model release; g) technically acceptable; h) good.

Your MQ will decrease if your answer is a negative to any of the above.

Photobuyers make the assumption that your photos will be “good.” To be marketable your photos need not be prize-winners, but they must be good.

Since you know your own marketable areas better than anyone else, you are in the best position to make your own MQ assessment. Take a weekend to go through your pictures and eliminate any in your market file that come up with a low MQ.

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes, Pine Lake Farm, 1910 35th Road, Osceola, WI 54020 USA. 1 800 624 0266; Fax: 1 715 248 7394. http://www.photosource.com

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