When you work in marketing, part of your job is to keep an eye on trends. And these trends are everywhere, not limited to your own industry or even marketing. At which point do you decide that a trend is worth investing in? I don’t have a clear answer on this but I can tell you what sparked this post.
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If you’re thinking of outsourcing your photography work, this piece is for you. I’ve written about why I don’t think freelance marketplaces are great for creatives but I haven’t focused specifically on photography yet. I’m writing this with a dual perspective: as someone who advises on marketing and as a photographer.
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Have you been in business for a while? Then it’s very possible that you’ve gotten some press about your brand. Where do you store all this info? Maybe it’s a folder on your computer or an online text document. Why not put it all in one place with an opportunity to filter by sentiment, product, or type?
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If you need a refresher on the who, what, whys of a press kit, I covered it two weeks ago. In this part, I cover what you can do to expand your press kit. This is assuming you already have a press kit and/or you have additional time to beef it up.
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Press kits make marketers’ lives easier. There are a few different approaches to it and in this first part, I’m going to address the who, what, why questions and what you need in the most basic press kit. You could spend 15 minutes assembling it if you have all the needed items or days/weeks if you want a robust one and you still need to create the content.
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Today, we’re going to focus on COVID & your communication (or lack thereof) of it.
In the pandemic’s first few weeks, the news arrived loose and fast, often changing several times within a 24-hour span. It was difficult to keep track of as a business and I’m sure many things fell to the side. Depending on where you are, coffee businesses may be open with precautionary to extreme measures. I wrote about mental health and reopening back in June. Some of these tips still apply today.
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Usually, at the formation of a company, you write up a mission statement and identify your brand values. It’s a good idea to also reexamine these from time to time to see if anything has shifted in light of major events, like operating in a pandemic or the mainstream discourse on Black Lives Matter.
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Imagine that you had a friend who kept poking you with a stick. With every poke, a mark was left on your skin. Sometimes the mark disappears and other times, it remains present and scarred over. You tell them to stop. You ask why they’re poking. You say it hurts.
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There’s a weird partnership between perfectionism and marketing. You spend too much time thinking about how a campaign can go poorly and you miss an opportunity. But if you don’t think about enough, you might end up trending on Twitter in a bad way. How do you craft a plan that feels good but also stops you from becoming a nitpicking monster?
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It’s rough times. And the service industry is getting hit so hard. Marketing during a crisis always feels a little…off. Some business emails have looked more like virtue signaling. Like, bare minimum, I hope you’re treating your employees well.
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I'm a San Francisco-based writer & photographer. On the side, I munch on donuts & hang out with my dog Zoey.
You can reach me here or on Bluesky.
Life goal:
eat / drink coffee / write / travel
>>>> all in one.
about
Jenn is a San Francisco-based writer & photographer. On the side, she munches on fun flavored chips & hangs out with her dog Zoey. You can reach her via the contact page or on social media @thejennchen.
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