{Marketing an easier way | Business}

April 07, 2017  •  Leave a Comment

When I was a graphic designer many years ago, I took a lot of pride in being able to design all of my marketing concepts for my business from scratch. 

So here I was shooting on the side and working full-time as a marketing designer. Made sense I should use my skills right? I was building my photography business and client base back then and wasn't shooting as often as I am now. So at that point in my life, it made sense since I had the design skills to design from scratch every single little marketing piece I had. 

Not today wear-all-the-hats-girl, not today. 

A while back, I purchased a template assortment on Etsy. My initial goal was to build a magazine I could print for my clients. I seriously considered building it from scratch - but the thought of it alone stressed me the heck out. A workshop I had attended suggested buying a pre-designed template on Etsy in order to save time and show brand consistency. But what I found after I ordered it is that I was able to use the different templates for ALL aspects of my marketing/branding. My pricing guides, my how to plan for your session guides, my wedding planner and even a workbook for a wedding workshop that I teach. By saving myself time, I was able to invest it into my brand better and more usefully - and sending clients this information is LIFE-CHANGING!

But shouldn't I be designing this all? I mean, it should be my design... shouldn't I just DO IT ALL?? {hand to forehead} 

This question: Shouldn't I just do it all?  LIES. Lies from the devil. Lol. NO, we don't have to do it all. Goodness, if you run a small business aren't you already doing enough!? Use your resources, farm out what you can, SIMPLIFY. 

Ugh, you guys... this went against every bit of my pride and belief system because of who I was for 14 years. Or who I thought I was.

"Hi, I'm Joanne, I'm a graphic designer/marketing designer."

Yeah, well I quit that girl back in 2010. Now it's, "Hi, I'm Joanne, a wedding and lifestyle photographer" ... that's right, my forte isn't design anymore. And that's OK. You know why? Because my start was in design, and because of that START, it led me here to where I am supposed to be. Life has a funny way of doing that doesn't it? 

So, long and the short of it is... put your pride aside if you think you need to design FROM SCRATCH every bit of your marketing materials. Could I design it all by scratch? Yes. But even if I couldn't, why wouldn't I save myself the time and headache of buying an amazing template?? {google photography marketing templates or search for them on etsy - go do it now, you'll thank yourself later} Get a template. Make it work. Save time. Look good.

I have to say I have used my templates on many different things, photos to prove it! Including my business card design which is so simple, yet it flows well with my marketing feel because it all goes together. That consistency makes my brand cohesive. And I like it. 

And let me just add that when you work from home, your co-workers {which happen to be my dogs} are quite often just as meddling and nosy as real-life co-workers. I tried to work, they tried to sway me with their cute faces and photo-bombing. Why not go with the flow and just add them in too. Part of my branding is clearly my dogs as they are part of me and what I love. <3

How could anyone not love this face?
Oh.. and also in lieu of saving time, I took these images with my cell phone vs. my camera. Sure they would be better with camera - and clients always get my camera, but for the message I am trying to get across, you get the point. <3 Happy weekend all.


Comments


Archive
January (1) February (1) March (2) April (1) May June July (1) August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December
January February March April May June July August September October November December