Agency Access is the only one stop promotional service that takes care of direct marketing for photographers, illustrators, artist reps and stock agencies. Get a free trial →
Got a question about marketing, creativity, or your business? Send it to us and we’ll have the right expert/s answer it for you on The Lab.
Current Articles | RSS Feed
March 12, 2013 @ 10 a.m. in The Marketing Lab by Christine Andrews | Agency Access View Comments
Lifestyle and travel photographer (and Agency Access member) Matt Dutile recently tweeted a photo of his newest direct mail promo:
Read More
January 17, 2012 @ 1 p.m. in The Business Lab by Ilise Benun | Marketing Mentor View Comments
As always, it depends.
What I’ve noticed, in the 25 years I’ve spent growing my business and helping creative professionals grow theirs, is that evolution is the hallmark of a successful business. And evolution, we have learned, is a series of small changes that takes the best and brings it into the future.
November 27, 2012 @ 11 a.m. in The Marketing Lab by Katherine Hennessy | kate & company View Comments
Trying to get considered for work that might fall into a different category then your “expected” style is often quite hard to do. This is especially challenging when a client knows you for “X” and you’re looking to branch into “Y.”
October 23, 2012 @ 9 a.m. in The Marketing Lab by Karen D'Silva | Karen DSilva Creative Services View Comments
Segment marketing, sometimes called “target marketing” or even “niche marketing,” is the most powerful, affordable and effective marketing tool we have to grow our business. Why do we need to segment our marketplace? Because clients respond differently to our work. Segment marketing gives us the opportunity to target groups of clients by their needs, regions or attitudes.
A one-size-fits-all marketing approach just doesn’t cut it in these economic times. Unless you see your work servicing one very specific type of client, mass marketing should not be your marketing strategy.
October 16, 2012 @ 9:30 a.m. in The Business Lab by Judy Herrmann | Herrmann + StarkeView Comments
To become a “valued business partner” you have to show that you’ll be a valuable business partner. Every sales and marketing touch, from mailers and portfolios to in-person meetings and phone calls, should be designed to showcase the value you bring to the table – value that goes above and beyond the imagery you produce.
October 9, 2012 @ 9:30 a.m. in The Business Lab by Paul H. Henning | Stock Answers View Comments
There is a simple but time-proven axiom in the picture business that applies to this question: Generalists strive while specialists thrive.
The competition in today’s tumultuous stock industry is too enormous for anything but an extremely narrow focus. So the first order of business, before you even consider how you’ll bring your images into the marketplace, is to figure out whether you have devoted yourself to one or more specific stock subject sectors – and created the best (as in, “most salable”) possible images within those sectors.
If you haven’t really drilled down within one or more subject areas, all the marketing in the world isn’t going to help you. Having more than one area of specialty is certainly an option, but remember: The more subject areas you embrace, the more likely you will dilute your efforts in any one of them, and tackling too many will almost certainly lead to failure.
October 3, 2012 @ 1 p.m. in The Marketing Lab by Katherine Hennessy | kate & company View Comments
Honestly, the feedback that I have received from people in the industry regarding the effectiveness of blogs rings very true: blogs are not regularly read.
That’s the bottom line. People have limited time and are normally in a rush, so don’t plan on blogs being your “main” marketing tool.
Now, are there things you can do to make your blog more effective? I think so, but be very aware that a blog needs to be only one part of your marketing program. It is just one arm of an effective overall strategy, which should also include e-mail and direct mail communications, in-person meetings, networking events, calls and social media.
September 18, 2012 @ 9:30 a.m. in The Marketing Lab by Simone Friend & Beth Johnson | Friend + Johnson View Comments
When you’re setting up meetings to present your work, you have to realize your portfolio is a reflection of you and how you work. You cannot waste anyone's time with work that’s not current or doesn’t pertain to their needs.
Septemeber 11, 2012 @ 10 a.m. in The Business Lab by Michael Thibeault | Art Rep NYC View Comments
Illustration is not going anywhere, but trends do shift and you must be educated and prepared to “shake things up” so you shift along with them and your work doesn’t look dated.
The best way to ease your concerns about the future of illustration is to keep current on styles, trends, mediums and technology. A bookstore is an excellent source for seeing how illustration is being used – there are books, magazines, music packaging, calendars and an entire children's section with endless illustrations. Of course, one very common trend now is incorporating illustration work into web projects, so if you’re interested in web design and have the time and resources to learn it, go for it.
September 6, 2012 @ 11 a.m. in The Business Lab by Suzanne Sease | Suzanne Sease Productions View Comments
“Slow and steady wins the race” is a good piece of age-old advice that, in marketing terms, means it often takes time to get noticed. I have some clients who start their marketing and have immediate success; for others, it takes over a year or two.
That means that sometimes, changing your direction is a mistake and a waste of all that you’ve already put into your marketing. You won’t always know if your marketing plan is working as well as it should. Of course, that doesn’t mean some things can’t change during the course of a marketing plan. This list of questions can help you determine whether you need to make changes to your marketing plans for greater success.