How Can I Improve Our Marketing

Marketing a Photography School

The task of promoting a photography school has to receive the highest priority in your organization. But what marketing techniques and strategies are successful in the current economy?

Novice marketers are typically unprepared for the challenge of promoting brands and products in the competitive arena.

Strategic marketing tactics can help small photography schools stand toe-to-toe with the rest of the market. What small companies lack in resources, they can make up for in marketing intelligence and expertise.

Broadcast Advertising

In an entertainment on-demand universe, broadcast TV and radio have been the big losers. Broadcast advertising is down - but it's not out. Today's leading photography schools are leveraging broadcast media to perform specific aspects of their marketing strategies. Best practices for the use of broadcast advertising require businesses to evaluate their target audience's listening or viewing patterns and then tailor their media purchases to specific media outlets rather than blanketing the geography with brand messaging. When marketing photography schools, the target audience is almost always local or regional. For broader reach, you'll likely need to look beyond broadcast venues and explore other online and offline marketing vehicles.

Public Relations Strategies

Public relations is more subtle, but no less powerful than a full-blown marketing push. If you want to send unrestricted marketing messages to your audience, buy a mailing list and perform a direct mail campaign. But if your strategy calls for sophistication, media buy-in and thought leadership, hire a PR consultant. The art of storytelling is a core PR competency. Storylines need to be believable and objective while communicating your brand's strengths and value proposition.

Strategic Partnerships

When multiple interests join together in a strategic partnership, they gain photography schools avenues for combining the power of their marketing dollars and messaging with suppliers of complementary products. Joint ad campaigns, mailings and other marketing initiatives can be conducted on either a short- or long-term basis, as long as each partner is involved in the creation of messaging and has approval authority over the content that is released.

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