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Kalen delivered the almost-impossible – she gave a talk on marketing photography that was interesting,
amusing and informative! Kalen was sponsored by Miller's Professional Imaging. She obviously has much experience speaking to photographers, for her talk was organized, polished and even the few blips didn't faze
her. The audience came away uttering quotes like, "great program!" and "useful information!"
Her information was useful for any type of
photography. She started with jokes about Iowa, but this lady soon demonstrated that photography is no joke with her, and she has the townsfolk in Mt. Pleasant trained to think of her studio first.
She began
by debunking two myths: "It's easier to market in a small town" (no, it all depends on where you are and what you want to accomplish) and "That won't work in my town" (no, if you adapt ideas to your situation, they
will work).
Kalen stated three rules of marketing: 1. Do your research, 2. Know your product, and 3. Expect results. She spent considerable time on the research part, asking, "Is there a need? "Can I create a
need?" "Who would buy it?" and, "Is there a window of opportunity?"
She gave several examples of creating a need. Thinking the available standard graduation announcements are boring and unimaginative, she
designs and sells photo graduation announcements that incorporate her client's photo with their choice of captions.
She created a large poster for the high school football team using shots she had taken in
just the first half of one game. They included action shots, crowd shots, cheerleaders in action, and emphasized the year – a huge seller, and will work in future years, too. It was so successful, she now does
posters of the basketball teams, the volleyball team, the dance team, etc.
She sold the local hospital on the idea of letting her create a "History of Births Book" (not a "baby book"). She takes a snap of all
the newborns for the book, and the hospital gives her the names and addresses of all the parents, which she uses to send promotional materials when the babies get a little older.
Kalen described how she
proves to her customers that the bargains offered by Wal-Mart's studio aren't really a bargain. She borrowed a kid, and took her in for a sitting (104 photos for $9.99). She said they took two quick snaps before the
child was ready or even looking at the camera. Then they pulled down a fancy background, carefully posed the child and took some good expressions. The two undesirable snaps were only available at the super low price
– the good photos were priced about the same as in Kalen's studio.
Urging everyone to observe good ads in magazines and on TV, Kalen said, "Failing to examine marketing outside your own industry is like
looking for a spouse at a family reunion." Asking the question, "Which media is best for photographers?" she said she puts most of her effort into direct mail, none into print ads, telemarketing or TV; and she
thinks the Internet is going to provide the billboards of the future, and studios had better start using the web or they will be left out.
On the subject to "marketing – to whom?" Kalen mentioned the
aging population. She said by 2025 one fifth of the people will be 65 or older, and will have strong purchasing power, so we need to market to this older generation. She also mentioned that studios competition for
consumer money will be hard goods, electronics, etc. – not other photographers. She said we must make having a photo taken easier for the consumer – we must convince them we can make them look more
attractive.
Kalen pointed out that Disney uses "guilt marketing" very successfully, and photographers should, too. She suggests giving framed family photos (for display) to funeral parlors, doctors' offices,
etc. "If a marketing idea doesn't work for you, trash it," she said.
Saying a one point her sales were stagnating, she analyzed the reasons: The product was fine, so that didn't need a change. The packaging
was not doing it. She switched from delivering the photos and frames in plastic bags – she now delivers photos on gilt-edged mounts and packages them in black boxes with tissue paper and gold bands. The
clients have the perception the photos are more valuable.
The environment in her studio was also a problem – selling in one corner of the reception area was noisy and distracting, so she built a sales
room, to eliminate those distractions.
There were more ideas, but space is running short. After the lecture, she showed some nice photos of high school seniors, and mentioned she is doing more and more
B&W all the time.
Kalen's presentation was excellent, using computer generated visuals. Her sparkling personality and knowledge made the usually boring subject of business and marketing interesting.
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