New Business Marketing

[Tempest]

At what point would be best to start marketing a new business?

Pre-start? After agreeing lease but still during refurb?

Is it best to do a full blitz to start and risk more bookings than you can handle or is it best to test the water and see the response?

Lets say the business is one of these new generation photographic studios relying on getting people in through the door on bookings for posh portraits.

 

[Dazzling Dazza]

Hi Vikki,

I would suggest marketing asap. It's never as straight forward as you think it will be and can take a fair amount of time and effort to win client loyalty.

Cheers,
Darrel

 

[Shaunyboy3383]

Vikki

I would agree marketing asap, but if you are marekting before you are ready to open you need to suggest this, for example we are now taking bookings for when we open in september.

I'd be very wary about how you market your new business, i think unless you are bringing something brand new and desperately needed to the market its unlikely that a company ends up with more bookings they can handle as soon as they open.

What type of marketing were you planning, if you want drop me a pm and will see if i can offer any advice, id be careful about spenidng a lot of money before you have any clients - its the quickest way to lose a lot of money!

Shaun

 

[simonr]

At the very least you should start with the website stuff before you're up and running because it takes a long time: not least you should allow for a couple of months to get out of the google sandbox so you stand a chance to get up the rankings.....

S

 

[DeveloperBloke]

hi there

there are differing types o marketing for different purposes

awareness advertising, such as radio, or other mass marketing in papers, advertising where once you start to target, people go, oh yes, your the one on the ....bus, leaflet, paper editorial, radio, whatever

then look to target market specific areas of prospects, building on your awareness stuff

get some pr in the local press, new business lalala etc, see if you can make a regular appearance for some reason, do a few snaps, or run a simple competition in your local press for a free shoot, for the most imaginative style, i dunno

get a good marketing book, i have loads, they are great, then just use your imagination, always remeber to try and track how well your marketing does, for instance, using codes customer squote, because marketing does cost money, so you dont really want to do bad marketing over and over

when building your website, get someone who know what they are doing, then always include your website in any materials, as people will always go there. (well most of th eime) andmake sure, your site sells your pics, make it sexy and make the pics make the subjects loook great, make the visitor feel like they want to be just like that, lol,

good luck

J

 

[Chris Kaday]

Start yesterday and start with a clear strategy/plan. If you do not know how to write one lots on the web. Will focus your marketing activities and save you a fortune Regards to all Chris Kaday

 

[spot]

plz start your marketing asap