Promoting stuff in Drogheda...

Hey all,

I realise this may be better suited to the business forum or marketing forum but I thought I'd stick it in here, as I'm more interested in Louth/Drogheda based thoughts on it.


Pretty much, I've been trying to run an offer with regards to photography. Without trying to make it look like a shameless plug, the info on it is here;

http://www.facebook.com/events/374671399221016/


It's pretty much a portraiture offer that includes a 30 minute session, 12x16 canvas print, 10 6x4 prints, disc of images and a Bru voucher, for the price of €99.

I think it's a pretty good deal, personally (or I wouldn't have bothered promoting it in the first place). I'm doing it in Bru (which has a pretty good reputation/image, and isn't too difficult to get to) and I'm doing it on a bank holiday (most people off school/work).


I've stuck it up on Facebook, done a bit of leafleting and have advertised it in the Drogheda Leader. Yet the response to it is minimal (I've a few bookings with it, but not as many as I'd have liked/hoped).


Just wondering if anyone has any insight into where I may be going wrong here? I can't figure it out. I think it's a really good offer at a really good price.


Weirdly, my communion packages (which include less and cost €100) are more in demand. I'd have assumed that most people would've cancelled my communion booking and opted for this, but since promoting this, I've had more communion bookings than bookings for this offer.


I can't get my head around it, at all. Anyone any idea where I'm going wrong with this? As I say, I've got a few bookings with it, so people know about it and those who have booked it said it's pretty good value, but if I'm completely honest, I did expect a bit more.

There's still a week to go, and there'll be a bit more leafleting done and another ad in the leader for it, so fingers crossed, but I just thought I'd stick it up here to see if any of ye have an opinion, or any thoughts on it at all?


Cheers

Scotty #

Deleted User wrote: »

I can't get my head around it, at all. Anyone any idea where I'm going wrong with this?

Welcome to the recession.

It's a luxury purchase. Luxury purchases take up a minimal amount of the budget for most families these days.

"portraiture" - does that mean one person or can it be a family photo? I'd imagine 'Professional family photo' would sell better than "portraiture"?

The 10x photos.... is that 10 different photos or 10 prints of the same one?

If it's 10x different photo's and family photo then €99 sounds like really good value, but I suspect, like myself, people just have more important things to spend €99 quid on at the moment.

Oceans12

Deleted User wrote: »

Hey all,

I realise this may be better suited to the business forum or marketing forum but I thought I'd stick it in here, as I'm more interested in Louth/Drogheda based thoughts on it.


Pretty much, I've been trying to run an offer with regards to photography. Without trying to make it look like a shameless plug, the info on it is here;

http://www.facebook.com/events/374671399221016/


It's pretty much a portraiture offer that includes a 30 minute session, 12x16 canvas print, 10 6x4 prints, disc of images and a Bru voucher, for the price of €99.

I think it's a pretty good deal, personally (or I wouldn't have bothered promoting it in the first place). I'm doing it in Bru (which has a pretty good reputation/image, and isn't too difficult to get to) and I'm doing it on a bank holiday (most people off school/work).


I've stuck it up on Facebook, done a bit of leafleting and have advertised it in the Drogheda Leader. Yet the response to it is minimal (I've a few bookings with it, but not as many as I'd have liked/hoped).


Just wondering if anyone has any insight into where I may be going wrong here? I can't figure it out. I think it's a really good offer at a really good price.


Weirdly, my communion packages (which include less and cost €100) are more in demand. I'd have assumed that most people would've cancelled my communion booking and opted for this, but since promoting this, I've had more communion bookings than bookings for this offer.


I can't get my head around it, at all. Anyone any idea where I'm going wrong with this? As I say, I've got a few bookings with it, so people know about it and those who have booked it said it's pretty good value, but if I'm completely honest, I did expect a bit more.

There's still a week to go, and there'll be a bit more leafleting done and another ad in the leader for it, so fingers crossed, but I just thought I'd stick it up here to see if any of ye have an opinion, or any thoughts on it at all?


Cheers

a lot of people with cameras are doing the same thing, trying to make money out of a hobby, and from what i can see, that market is flooded with people doing the same thing. supply and demand really.

Scotty #

Scotty # wrote: »

Welcome to the recession.

It's a luxury purchase. Luxury purchases take up a minimal amount of the budget for most families these days.

"portraiture" - does that mean one person or can it be a family photo? I'd imagine 'Professional family photo' would sell better than "portraiture"?

The 10x photos.... is that 10 different photos or 10 prints of the same one?

If it's 10x different photo's and family photo then €99 sounds like really good value, but I suspect, like myself, people just have more important things to spend €99 quid on at the moment.

I'd agree, it's definitely not an essential item, but I did expect a decent response for it. Thankfully it's picked up a bit and I've gotten a few bookings now, for it, but it's still a bit slow moving.


It is a family session (most bookings so far are 4 people). I'm trying to do both groups and individuals (so the person booking it gets 30 minutes to do what they want really. If you run a shop, you can book the package and bring up a few of your products to be photographed for all I care! Haha).

It's advertised in the leader as a family portrait session. This is the advert from this week's leader;



(note I used a family photo in the ad to try and push that aspect of it). I thought that maybe people with communions or such coming up may want to get something proper done near the time (but not on the day itself, when most photographers are fairly busy and rush things).


It's prints and a canvas - customer chooses what they want on them. Can do 11 different shots, or all the same, or different ones with doubles, etc. Really up to the person to choose. Doesn't cost me anything extra to print a different photograph, so I'm not too bothered about that.

I thought it was good value, myself. Especially with the Disc and Bru voucher (only €5 value, but €5 better than nothing) which is why I'm surprised at no real response (or at least initially, as I say it's picked up a bit, but still less than I'd hoped, if I'm completely honest).

Oceans12 wrote: »

a lot of people with cameras are doing the same thing, trying to make money out of a hobby, and from what i can see, that market is flooded with people doing the same thing. supply and demand really.

I'd agree. As with most creative lines of work, it's the amateurs that are killing the pros. That said, I do think there's a notable difference in the quality of work between most pros and amateurs (I stress most, because there are obviously some atrocious pros out there, and some amazing amateurs).

calex71

Nothing of value to contribute but hope it goes well for you KKV, I admire a sense of get up go.

I appreciate that, Calex, thank you.

Still a few days to go so I'm hoping that things will pick up a bit. I'll probably give it a second shot around Father's day or something (when people might actually have a want or reasoning for getting a family portrait done) and see if it can grow any legs.

tweety76

KKV its a really good deal, but I agree with the other posters, its a luxury item that people are not spending on at the moment. I'd like to get something like this done but it's on the long finger at the moment just have other priorities. Best of luck with it.

Cheers all. I'll return on Tuesday and let ye know how it went.

Well it didn't go too bad in the end, actually. Got a few bookings through it. Enough to turn a small profit and get a few canvas prints hung in people's houses (hopefully lead to a few "who did that" referrals).

There was one no-show on the day (and one family turning up that I hadn't expected, so it turned out the same in the end).

I've booked Bru again for Bank Holiday Monday, June 4th. I'm gonna see if I push it as a Father's day thing will it work out better (if i do it on the 4th of June, I should have everyone's canvas and stuff with well before the 17th).

Gonna change the package price/contents though. Anyone got any suggestions?

positron

€99 for 30 mins of your time, and a 16x12 canvas printed and mounted would be amazing value in itself, but you are also giving away all the photos in a CD and a Bru voucher?! Wow, this is seriously cheap, and I can not imagine how you break even with this! I really hope this takes off and works well for you with referrals and word of mouth etc.

positron

positron wrote: »

€99 for 30 mins of your time, and a 16x12 canvas printed and mounted would be amazing value in itself, but you are also giving away all the photos in a CD and a Bru voucher?! Wow, this is seriously cheap, and I can not imagine how you break even with this! I really hope this takes off and works well for you with referrals and word of mouth etc.

And 6x4 prints :P (though the Bru voucher is only to the value of €5, so it's not huge (though obviously much better than nothing at all, and a fairly useful thing to have all the same).


With this deal; It needs a certain amount of bookings before it turns any money, to be honest.

It's a like a groupon thing (except I take the risk of losing money on it).

I think it's the kind of thing that will take a couple of goes to get off the ground. At the moment I'm prepared to lose money on it to get the canvas prints out there (hopefully inspire a few "that's nice, who did that for you" type of conversations, which will, with any luck, turn into future bookings).


I'm gonna start promoting the next one (June 4th) next week, so, hopefully with the extra time to get ready for it (I only gave 2 weeks for this one) people who might want to do it will have a chance to get the money together, and hopefully with Father's day following shortly after it might get some people to book it as a gift idea.


Can only cross my fingers. Whatever will be, will be.

Atomic Pineapple

Do you have to limit the deal to a certain date? If you offer the deal as a voucher and then anyone who buys it can ring you to book a time and date that suits them then you will get a lot more interest I'd imagine, you'd also open up to the gift market too, no one is going to buy a voucher for someone that they have to use on a certain day. You also may get people buying the voucher and not using it at all or in time essentially making you some free money.

draffodx

draffodx wrote: »

Do you have to limit the deal to a certain date? If you offer the deal as a voucher and then anyone who buys it can ring you to book a time and date that suits them then you will get a lot more interest I'd imagine, you'd also open up to the gift market too, no one is going to buy a voucher for someone that they have to use on a certain day. You also may get people buying the voucher and not using it at all or in time essentially making you some free money.

I kinda have to do it on a certain date. If I move around from house to house, it starts to become much more labour-intensive, and petrol and assistant costs start to go through the roof to the stage where I lose money regardless of the amount of bookings I get.

Bru, on a specific date, is grand because I've an assistant for the day, I've only to set up and take down my gear once, and it's all in the same place which isn't too far away from me.

positron

Deleted User wrote: »

And 6x4 prints :P

Yes yes, are you printing everything yourself onsite too, or is it off-site online?

I am probably thinking of some UK Apprentice episode, I remember they got good business offering unique ideas like funny backgrounds and/or with celebrity look-a likes. But they were targeting the casual shoppers, not per-planned, per-booked sessions like you are,but just saying.

positron

positron wrote: »

Yes yes, are you printing everything yourself onsite too, or is it off-site online?

I am probably thinking of some UK Apprentice episode, I remember they got good business offering unique ideas like funny backgrounds and/or with celebrity look-a likes. But they were targeting the casual shoppers, not per-planned, per-booked sessions like you are,but just saying.

Everything gets edited, so you don't get anything on the day, unfortunately (well, except the Bru voucher). It usually takes a week or so before I get everything together for people (the photos going on canvas are edited first and ordered from an online crowd, then it takes about a week for those to arrive, which gives me time to edit the other photos and get them printed locally, to get them out to people at the same time).

I've seen the kinda thing you're talking about. There was actually a guy in the Laurence centre doing something similar last summer. He had a western looking stall/stand with cowboy stuff about the place. I guessed it was aiming for babies or such but he looked a bit lonely, if I'm honest (in the brief time I seen him - i was shooting a few photos for the Leader of a Special Olympics collection that was a going on in there at the time, so i wasn't there too long).


It looks like I'll be partnering up with Order of Malta to do something similar to benefit them at some point in future (whether anything will actually come of it or not is another thing, though). Extremely cheap portrait shots in a place with lots of footfall (email the photos to keep costs down) and Order of Malta get money out of it to keep them going.

That's still up in the air though. Nothing set in stone (so may never happen) but it seems a good idea to me (I'm not really going to making anything off it, but will hopefully get the name spread a bit more).