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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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