Micro Specialty
What’s Your Specialty?
After mentioning you are a photographer, the next thing to talk about is what your specialty is. Kids? Sports? Action? Think about being able to state what your specialty is. What if the above image was on your glossy stock business card. What’s your specialty? Flowers? botanicals? Exteriors? Christmas themes?
Your business card might hint at this, or your website or photo gallery might feature prominently images of your specialty as the first album or gallery folder. Get your marketing and networking plan underway for increased microstock visibility.
Having a specialty makes it easier to get freelance work thirdhand, because word can get passed around that you or someone that met you knows someone who takes pictures of [insert name of specialty here]. Dogs, cats, piranhas, equal opportunity photography should be taking place. Market your specialty so networking can multiply commissions and image sales.
In conversation, people enjoy being able to furnish answers. If someone is speaking about bad wedding pictures or difficulty getting decent class snapshots, or needing dramatic head shots or good realty images to sell their house, this would be a good time to have a business card with that specialty printed on it, with representative images of that subject prominently features.Â
The need for photography in private life is more unexpected, diverse and needfully efficient than ever before. Prep school kids need video for college football coaches, beauty pageant girls need magical runway clips, and there is always event and community affairs that need to get those memorable occasions on record.
Potential clients are looking to solve problems. If you have developed a special kind of picture, reveal this and show how it can be done for the candidate of their choice. Everybody wishes there were more flattering and special pictures of themselves or family members. But not everyone has the skill to put them together.
Get used to networking your photography skills. Let your website or photo gallery speak for itself. Work on mentioning you are “into” photography when meeting people. Its makes for a very easy conversational flow. They can ask questions or store what information you convey for later processing.
You never know when speaking to people what photography needs they have lying behind their agenda. They may sit down at the family dinner table and realize the grandson needs help getting video of the soap box derby race, skateboarding feats, or bicycling tricks they have been practicing.
Someone who doesn’t even know they need pictures of their car, home, office, or business, may realize it’s time to bring a professional photographer onto the scene. Making your professional skills accessible to new clients is the biggest challenge contractors face. Make it easy on your prospective new clients and feature your skills in a way they can tap into for their own business needs.
