Professional Photographer - USA (2019-07)

28 PPMAG.COM

NAME YOUR HERO

ADVENTURES IN CONSUMERCENTRIC MARKETING

by Jeff Kent

BRIDGING THE GAPSUCCESS

uFor 30 years, Glynns Thomas built her

reputation as a marketing all-star while

working for some of the world’s best-known

advertising agencies. Her accounts included

Hilton Hotels, Princess Cruises, American

Airlines, In niti Motors, and Bank of Amer-

ica, to name a few. Today, she teaches her

favorite corporate advertising strategies to

small business owners while running her

own small business focused on headshot and

branding photography.

This dual experience has allowed Thomas

to distill lessons photographers can use to

market their businesses in a more consumer-

centric way.

ALWAYS BE MARKETING

Photographers need to make marketing a

part of their daily lives, says Thomas. If not

daily, then certainly weekly at a minimum.

“A lot of small business owners don’t see

marketing as part of daily business life,” she

observes. “They are just  nding out that they

are a business owner  rst and a photogra-

©GLYNNS THOMAS©GLYNNS THOMAS

Glynns Thomas

pher second.” Taking a business- rst philos-

ophy and committing to marketing are criti-

cal to success.

USE CUSTOMERFOCUSED LANGUAGE

Know your audience and speak to them on

their terms. Too often the messaging pho-

tographers disseminate on their website,

in social media, and in other promotions

touts how good they are and all that they

offer. Instead, be customer-focused in your

approach and less product-focused, sug-

gests Thomas. That shift can be as simple

as the difference between “I create award-

winning family portraits” and “Your family

deserves a portrait that can be enjoyed for

generations.”

Think about your ideal customers, and

then create products, communications, and

marketing around them. “Once I have that

strategy in place and written down, I can al-

ways refer to it,” she says. “That helps me

stay organized and make sure that I’m not

missing something.”

FIND YOUR HERO

Writing down a strategic marketing plan

sounds like a great idea, but where do you

start? To make the process relatable, Thom-

as likes to put it into the context of the he-

ro’s journey. You may remember the concept

from a long-ago literature class in school:

A hero goes on an adventure, faces a cri-

sis, wins a victory, and returns home trans-

formed. Use the hero’s journey to frame how

your ideal customer navigates your market-

ing process.

“When you’re thinking about your target

audience, who’s the hero of the story, and

what’s their problem?” asks Thomas. “Fig-

ure out the fundamental challenge that your

hero faces as it relates to your work. Then

overlay the purchase decision cycle on top of