Companies all over the world right now are going to be looking at ways of marketing their products and services at a reduced cost as budgets are slashed in light of COVID-19. Here experts share five quick ways for venues, glampsites and event organisers to continue marketing at a reduced cost.
- “Take your own marketing photography”, says Jet Lendon, creative director of Jet Black Squares, a company that runs Smartphone Photography workshops for personal and corporate clients. You don’t need a ‘big’ camera at all – it is very easy to do it on your phone and the quality is just as good (remember the iPhone ‘Shot on iPhone’ advertising campaigns on billboards across the world?). Just don’t over-complicate it. Remember, you aren’t photographers or stylists so don’t put pressure on yourselves to get it perfect, just make sure your business is the focus. If it lends itself to lifestyle shots, then use family members or friends as your models and try and encourage them to be natural and interact with each other. Shots looking away, laughing, eating and drinking together all work well and do not look staged.
The most important thing is to look for the light. You want to avoid harsh sunlight, or deep shadows that are cast across the face or detracts from what you are trying to focus on. Edit every photo you post too and keep styles and filters consistent so it is on-brand. I recommend the free app ‘Snapseed’ which is very easy to use. - “Get your customers to do your marketing for you” continues Jet. Encourage your guests or customers to post images they have taken themselves while at one of your events or if they have stayed in your accommodation or used your venue. Choose a unique hash tag that they can attach to every image they post and make it known that this gives you permission to re-share their photo on your own social media platforms. You could even offer anyone who posts a photo that you use a voucher or complimentary drink (or equivalent) as a thank you – it’s a lot cheaper than paying for a photo shoot and you are using real customers to showcase your business. If your business is accommodation based you could offer to run a smartphone photography masterclass on the first welcome evening of their stay ensuring that the images they produce are of good standard – not only are you then giving an ‘added-value’, but the images customers post on their own social media will attract a better response, and you get a bank of fantastic photos you can use yourself. Win: Win!
- Vaishali Shah of graphic design and marketing consultancy, Creative-ID says, “Instead of printed brochures, have a well-designed online brochure, which you can email out to prospective clients. PDF brochures of your venue or outdoor business work well and will save on printing costs. Add this brochure to your website so that it can be easily downloaded. Not only are you saving costs but also you are helping the planet by cutting down on unnecessary use of paper.”
- “Know your customers so that you target the right people, rather than trying to market to everyone which is costly,” continues Shah. Nurture the enquiries and customers you already have. It is better to nurture what you have rather than wasting time and money on inactive prospects on your database.
- Creative-ID’s final marketing cost saving tip is to re-purpose older content. Rather than spending resources on looking for new blog and article topics, you can look at your existing content and update and promote it as new. If you have new images from your outdoor events last year, for example, these can be added to update your blog.
