If you’re ready to stop making up your marketing each week or month as you go along, this episode is going to be your guide. It’s time to end the “spray and pray” marketing strategy you’ve been piecing together and focus on how you can consistently gain steady leads that turn into clients. In today’s episode, I’m sharing three ways to end the “spray and pray” marketing method, along with how to determine which platforms you should incorporate into your plan.
I work with photographers and creatives all the time who tell me their marketing feel slapped together. How would it feel to have a plan, and a strategy instead of flying by the seat of your pants?
Here are 3 ways to bring in more stead leads and clients through effective marketing.
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What is spray and pray marketing?
I first heard the term “spray and pray” when I first got started in my photography career—it defined when someone would hold down the trigger button and rapid fire dozens of photos just hoping that the photos would turn out.
In terms of marketing, it’s when you are jumping from strategy to strategy, not staying consistent, and just hoping that what you’re doing is working. A post here and a post there, but nothing is connected.
The other issue you might be facing is when you’re overwhelmed by so many tools and possibilities that you are stagnant and aren’t taking action, making you an avoidant marketer. The overwhelm is real! But I’ve got some solutions for ya!
3 Ways to End Spray & Pray Marketing
Spray and pray marketing isn’t serving you. You are spreading yourself too thin. Instead, you need to focus on creating a marketing strategy that actually generates leads in your business. Let’s transform your spray and pray marketing method into a steady, consistent method.
1. Set the Target
The first step to ending spray and pray marketing is to set the target and know the goal of who you’re trying to reach. This is the basis of marketing that often gets skipped, especially when we’ve experienced success.
This step is essential in determining the rest of your marketing strategy. Here are a few questions to answer in order to determine your target:
- Who am I trying to reach?
- What do I want to offer them?
- Do they have money to buy what I’m offering?
- What problems do I solve for them?
- What does my brand do uniquely well to solve this problem for them?
2. Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
The second step in ending spray and pray marketing is to know your strengths and weaknesses. If you know where you shine best and where you’re most effective in marketing, you’re able to take advantage of those areas for your business.
Maybe you don’t think you’re good at sales calls, yet you’re effective in converting customers—this is where knowing your effectiveness plays a huge role. When you do this, you’re more likely to choose marketing methods that feel aligned for you.
3. Think Campaign, Not Posts
My favorite tip and most important is to think about the campaign, not just one-off posts. You have to consider the bigger picture. A campaign is a set of carefully planned content pieces that work together with a clear goal, like an offer promotion, an audience building initiative, or brand awareness. With a campaign mindset, you will think your overall marketing strategy, versus just one post, one email blast, or one reel (that is spray and pray).
Zoom out and look at all of the pieces as a whole. A marketing campaign can be anywhere from one week to three months. Don’t forget that consumers take a little longer to come on board with your messaging. I personally believe you should go for a longer campaign and test out one platform for your campaign for at least 8 weeks.
You can then take that data and make better decisions about what to create next.
Which platforms should I use?
As you’re building out your marketing plan, you need to consider the platforms you want to use. I recommend one long-form and one short-form content platform at minimum (and sometimes at maximum). For long-form, consider a search based platform (like blogs or YouTube). For short-form, consider the most effective social media platform for yourself. Your long-form content will inform your short-form content.
If you’d like to get personal feedback on your marketing strategy and plan, this is exactly what I do for my private coaching clients. Book your free discovery call here or get started with 1 on 1 coaching!
If you’re enjoying the content we’re creating on the podcast and want to connect with others who are building a photography business, make sure you come join us in the Photoboss® Facebook Group!
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