Michele Graves: Word Of Mouth Marketing & The Professional Photographer
Summary: "Michele Graves: Word Of Mouth Marketing & The Professional Photographer"
Word of mouth is recognized as one of the most powerful forms of marketing, but is sometimes incompletely understood by a lot of photographers. WOMM takes a variety of forms, both passive and active, so it's worth taking the time to master it. Listen in to this interview with Michele Graves, as we talk about the opportunities that word of mouth marketing presents to the photographer.
Today’s interview is with photographer Michele Graves, from Northwestern Arkansas, somewhere in between Eureka Springs and Branson, Missouri. Michele spent much of her working life as a high-school English teacher, which has given her some great insights and the ability to relate well to high-school seniors, one of her favorite subjects, along with babies, weddings, children & families.
As an interesting side-note Michele also shared with me the fact that she not only runs a full-time photography business, but a restaurant as well!
Not only that, but wait until you learn just how small her local town is! The answer was so shocking, I had to ask her again to make sure I had heard correctly the first time!
I don’t want to hear any photographer, ever again, tell me that their town is too small to run a photography business!
Word Of Mouth Marketing
The subject of this particular chat with Michele is the power of word of mouth in the marketing of her photography business. In fact, about 80% of her clients are repeat customers, so it’s well worth paying attention to everything Michele has to say in this great interview.
Some of the excellent ideas Michele shared with us include…
- Passive and active word of mouth marketing (WOMM)
- The viral power of WOMM through blogs & Facebook
- “Sneak Peeks” to build excitement
- Watermarking and logos as marketing
- Getting involved in the conversation
- Ways to relate to the client to create a positive experience
- The elements of a senior rep program that work
- The importance of blogging regularly
- Slideshow videos and WOMM
- Displaying work locally
- Keeping in touch with your clients
- Projecting a genuine business persona
- Marketing in a VERY small town!
- Testimonials
Listen To The Interview:
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What Are Your Thoughts and Reactions?
Do you have any word of marketing tactics or strategies not mentioned in this interview? If so, please head down to the comments section and share it with us!
About Our Speaker: Michele Graves
I started my photography career on the other side of the camera as a print model when I was much, much younger. Photography always fascinated me as a young child and as I was given my first Canon by my uncle (yes, a film camera – gasp!), a love affair began.
I taught high school English for 14 years which is what actually caused my hobby to grow into a business. I had students who couldn’t afford senior pictures, so I took a few for them.
Several years and a lot of experience and money later, Michele Graves Photography was formed. I saved and scrimped until I saved enough for my Canon 5D Mark II and my husband surprised me with this as a birthday gift.
I have been in business for approximately four years, but was just recently able to go “full time” when I quit my teaching job in May. I have seen my business grow rapidly over the past few months, which is still a bit overwhelming since I now fly across the country photography people and their important moments in their lives. It’s a journey and I never know where it’s going to take me.
I grow and learn with each session and am constantly reading, studying, and learning about the business, trends, and lighting techniques in hopes that my portraits will continue to make people smile.
You can find out more about Michele, and her photography, on her website at Michele Graves Photography.
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