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Getting a Picture of the Market
It’s difficult to precisely determine how many professional photographers are in the United States because many of them don’t register their businesses. Also, there’s the question of what makes a professional photographer. If it’s anyone who makes money from photography, then the number is much higher than if the definition is restricted to those who make a full-time living from photography. However, we do know by looking at the subscriber files of magazines written for professional photographers that the median age of professional photographers is 40, and they tend to be educated and affluent. According to Nancy Spielmann, senior account executive at Statlistics Management Group, which manages the Photo Techniques magazine file, 90 percent of photographers who subscribe to Photo Techniques are college-educated, and their average income is $102,580.
Professional photographers can work in a variety of categories—such as editorial, sports and events—but the most popular categories are wedding photography, portraiture and commercial work. Fifty-three percent of the respondents in Professional Photographer magazine’s latest reader survey, conducted in late 2006, are classified as full-time professional studio photographers, and 16 percent are professional freelance photographers. “It’s a tough profession to get into,” says Jeffrey Roberts, vice president and publisher of the Hachette Photo Group, which publishes American Photo and Popular Photography & Imaging magazines. “There’s a cachet, and people coming out of schools are trying to get into the business.”
The fact that photographers tend to think of themselves as creatives, not businesspeople, makes getting into the business even more difficult, because it means that they may have trouble marketing themselves and building relationships with clients.
Where They Spend Their Money
According to the Professional Photographer survey, 85 percent of respondents approve or authorize purchases for their organizations. But what do they buy?
Of course, they buy photography equipment and supplies such as cameras, lenses, props, studio rentals, frames, matting, albums and backdrops. However, while they also used to buy developing materials, these days—when 67 percent of the survey respondents capture all of their files digitally—they’re buying software, printers and ink instead. “With digital photography surpassing standard photography, the IT needs at these studios have changed dramatically,” says Keely Vazquez, managing partner at TriMax Direct, which manages the Professional Photographer magazine file. “There’s a whole new set of needs. Photographers need a good Web site, and they need the capabilities for the client to view and choose the pictures online instead of having proofs in a book.”
Since many professional photographers also are small-business owners, they frequently buy office equipment and office supplies. “Catalogers that sell shipping supplies and office supplies are large users of the Professional Photographer file,” says Vazquez.
Professional photographers, being creative and educated, also have a natural interest in art, museums, cultural fundraising, public broadcasting and travel, according to Spielmann. One cruise line even offered a cruise just for photographers. “A mistake many marketers make is to say, ‘That’s a photographers’ list, we can’t use it,’” says Spielmann. “Really, they’re very upscale and educated people in home office situations, and they’re willing to receive mail if they have an affinity for the product.”
Getting in Their Sights
Professional photographers get information on new products and services from a variety of sources. Sixty-one percent of the Professional Photographer survey respondents rely on ads in the magazine, 58 percent flip through product catalogs, 77 percent go to the vendor’s Web site, 11 percent read direct mail, and 69 percent get information through word of mouth. (Respondents were allowed to choose multiple answers.) Many photographers also indicated they get product information through online photography forums and Usenet groups.
According to Vazquez, direct mail, catalogs and inserts are all good ways to market to this group. Dana Groves, director of marketing and communications for Professional Photographers of America, which publishes Professional Photographer magazine, says e-mail may be another good way to reach professional photographers since so many of them are becoming more and more tech-savvy. “About five years ago, approximately half of our members had e-mail addresses on record with us,” says Groves. “Now about 95 percent of our nearly 18,000 members have active e-mail addresses in their records. It’s a given that they’re all online, and e-mail has been a tremendous tool in reaching them.”
Professional photographers tend to congregate online in forums and blogs, so advertising on these sites or approaching the site owners about co-op marketing also can help attract this group’s attention to your product or service.
Developing Your Message
When you’re targeting photographers, you need—what else?—images, because Groves says that photographers don’t like to read big blocks of copy. But to resonate with this market, you have to use the preferred lexicon. “In your message, definitely use the word ‘images’ and not ‘photos’ or ‘pictures,’” advises Groves. “They think of those words as the amateur market.”
Another piece of advice from the pros is to focus your message on how it can improve the reader’s business. “In a lot of cases, people talk about how the product can make the photographers’ business easier, make their workflow more streamlined, and give them time to create, rather than dealing with the technology behind it,” says Roberts. Adds Groves, “Anything that a company has that can help a photographer be more profitable and establish good, quality relationships with their customers is something that will get their attention. Keep thinking of what’s in it for them, and point out the benefits.”
At the same time, you don’t want to ignore the technological side of your offering, if there is one. “Digital is really high-quality devices, so the messaging should be ‘high-end equipment,’” says Vazquez.
Tailor your message to professional photographers’ business needs, get a grip on industry lingo, and be sure not to discount this group for out-of-category products and services, and the result will be picture-perfect—or is that “image-perfect”?—profits.
Linda Formichelli is a freelance writer. She can be reached at linda-eric@lserv.com
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