10 Photographer Downturn Commandments

I was recently interviewed about steps photographers might consider for their marketing during this economic downturn. What can one do to save money–what marketing tools are more cost-effective, etc. Here’s what I think:

1. If you can avoid it, do NOT cut your marketing budget. Yes, there are some hard choices to make these days for lots of folks–if you are choosing between paying your mortgage and spending on marketing, pay the mortgage! If, however, you want to buy a new camera and so are thinking that you had better cut back on marketing to save some money, do not buy the camera (or computer, or whatever). Spending money on your marketing will have a better long-term payoff than any equipment purchase.
2. Do not try to save money by doing things yourself. One of the biggest mistakes I see is photographers “designing” their own mailers, sites, emailers, whatever. They look like crap to your buyers and make you look cheap.
3. Email promos are less expensive, but because of that more and more people will be using them. To break through the clutter you need to have them well designed (and programmed) and maybe even to offer up something more with them (links to helpful articles, etc.), where appropriate.
4. Now is NOT the time to play it safe. It never is, but now is the worst for that. Safe puts you in the muddy masses with all the other safe folks and you will not get noticed. Be yourself, as always, and if that means possibly offending someone then that is just their loss–the folks who share your sensibilities will love you for your guts. 
5. If your targets are slow, now is a great time to get personal meetings! Knock on some doors! Throw a cocktail hour (in your studio or a local joint). Reach out!
6. Keep shooting for yourself. Now is a great time for a personal project.
7. Now is also a great time for an interactive project where you try to get your targets involved. Run a contest–best killed project or worst client hell story–and offer a signed print (or tshirt or portrait session–be creative!) as a prize. Or make interactive art–offer an online image and ask for captions or retouching/manipulation or do a virtual exquisite corpse.
8. Keep working your marketing plan and stay consistent with whatever you are doing–and stay on-brand too. If you’ve done a VMS, stick to it. 
9. If you have to cut, really have to, make sure the places you cut first are passive like sourcebook ads (esp. print). Keep reaching out with active marketing tools as much as you can.
10. Remember that if you have to hit your savings, that is why you have your savings (and if you don’t have savings, remember to start saving asap for the next downturn). There are always downturns…and upturns. The phone will ring again. If you have to flip burgers or whatever in the short-term, that never means you have to give up on your dream. It just means you have a bump in the road. You’ll get past it if you really want to. It might not be easy, but you can make it through the hard times.