19A – Idea Napkin No. 2
1. Who you are:
I'm an artist, even at a young age, I displayed a natural talent for drawing and art in general, combined with my love for the outdoors it wasn't long before I took interest in nature photography, running around with my dads old Nikon film camera, taking pictures of any animal I could find. Fast forward to the present, although my passion started so long ago I'd only consider calling myself a photographer for about the last 10 years, 3 of which I've worked professionally. 3 years ago I started working for a wedding and portrait studio, since then I've photographed close to 100 weddings, hundreds of family portraits, headshots, corporate events, products and much more. Along with the invaluable experience it gave me behind the lens, it also gave me real-world knowledge of how a studio functions, client interaction, order procession, marketing, and much more.
2. What are you offering to customers?:
I'm offering a general photography service as well as a special service. For example, general photo services include family portrait, wedding, special occasions, and resume photos. I want to provide a special photo service that makes my business stand out from the competition. I want to provide a mini photo session with affordable pricing to my customers. University students who want to capture a special moment of their life such as graduation photo or personalized resume photos for their portfolio can benefit from my service because a regular photo session starts with an hr shoot in the price range of $150 to $400. Thus, customers with a budget can use this service. A mini session lasts about 1/3 of regular sessions, so approximately 20 minutes, however, I can get a lot done in this time frame.
3. Who are you offering it to?:
As mentioned above, the special mini photo session is targeted for customers with a budget who wants access to quality photos. It is mainly targeted university student, however, it can also target families or anyone else with a budget as well. University students, especially the majority of female students who are graduating soon wishes to have graduation-themed photo prior to graduation day. Also, there was a demand for female and male students who want to have a resume photo that they can make a favorable impression. That's why I believe it's important to have social media pages to interact with potential customers. The presentation is everything in this business and social media is a casual and easy way for young-aged customers to review and assess my business.
4. Why do they care?:
The customers that I'm targeting are people who place value on capturing important moments in their life whether it's a wedding or a family portrait or graduation. They are people who know how much of a difference professional images can make. I have the equipment, I have the experience and I have the skill to meet and exceed their expectation. Also, I cannot ignore the importance of repeated customers. Based on the feedback I received, they are the ones who keep coming back to my business based on the relationship instead of searching for a new photographer every year, so if I create a strategy on these valued customers.
5. What's your core competency?:
The biggest asset that I have is obviously my skill for photography and image procession but another great strength of mine I hear clients mention time and time again is building a personal relationship with my them and putting them at ease during my photo shoots. Regular customers come back to any business with the expectation to receive the same quality service they received before or personalized service. With the interpersonal skills that build relationships with my customers, I hope to increase the number of repeat customers over time. I've noticed that now clients think of me first when it comes to any other photography needs. And of course the prices I will be offering along with the mini session.
I believe these elements I presented would fit together well because, in each section, I described my true self and I believe I have what it takes to become an exceptional photographer. With my technical and interpersonal skills and experience in the industry, I believe I can make my customers happy. However, running a business is very different than working as a photographer and those areas are the ones that I truly need to study and learn about the business aspect such as operating, managing and financing a photography company.
I received 2 feedbacks from my classmates. The first one suggests I create a social media site such as Instagram and Facebook to allow customers to visit and review the photo works. I thought that was a great idea so I will include this in my business plan where I create a dedicated active Instagram page for my company that posts beautiful pictures on a daily basis. The second critique I received was that I focus more on the customers who value my work. In the end, all businesses value and appreciate repeat customers. I will incorporate this suggestion as well by creating a plan to stay connected with the previous customers. I can think of creating a special discounted price for the customer's anniversary, birthdays and etc. Also, I can make follow-up calls to ensure the customers are satisfied with the final results.
I'm an artist, even at a young age, I displayed a natural talent for drawing and art in general, combined with my love for the outdoors it wasn't long before I took interest in nature photography, running around with my dads old Nikon film camera, taking pictures of any animal I could find. Fast forward to the present, although my passion started so long ago I'd only consider calling myself a photographer for about the last 10 years, 3 of which I've worked professionally. 3 years ago I started working for a wedding and portrait studio, since then I've photographed close to 100 weddings, hundreds of family portraits, headshots, corporate events, products and much more. Along with the invaluable experience it gave me behind the lens, it also gave me real-world knowledge of how a studio functions, client interaction, order procession, marketing, and much more.
2. What are you offering to customers?:
I'm offering a general photography service as well as a special service. For example, general photo services include family portrait, wedding, special occasions, and resume photos. I want to provide a special photo service that makes my business stand out from the competition. I want to provide a mini photo session with affordable pricing to my customers. University students who want to capture a special moment of their life such as graduation photo or personalized resume photos for their portfolio can benefit from my service because a regular photo session starts with an hr shoot in the price range of $150 to $400. Thus, customers with a budget can use this service. A mini session lasts about 1/3 of regular sessions, so approximately 20 minutes, however, I can get a lot done in this time frame.
3. Who are you offering it to?:
As mentioned above, the special mini photo session is targeted for customers with a budget who wants access to quality photos. It is mainly targeted university student, however, it can also target families or anyone else with a budget as well. University students, especially the majority of female students who are graduating soon wishes to have graduation-themed photo prior to graduation day. Also, there was a demand for female and male students who want to have a resume photo that they can make a favorable impression. That's why I believe it's important to have social media pages to interact with potential customers. The presentation is everything in this business and social media is a casual and easy way for young-aged customers to review and assess my business.
4. Why do they care?:
The customers that I'm targeting are people who place value on capturing important moments in their life whether it's a wedding or a family portrait or graduation. They are people who know how much of a difference professional images can make. I have the equipment, I have the experience and I have the skill to meet and exceed their expectation. Also, I cannot ignore the importance of repeated customers. Based on the feedback I received, they are the ones who keep coming back to my business based on the relationship instead of searching for a new photographer every year, so if I create a strategy on these valued customers.
5. What's your core competency?:
The biggest asset that I have is obviously my skill for photography and image procession but another great strength of mine I hear clients mention time and time again is building a personal relationship with my them and putting them at ease during my photo shoots. Regular customers come back to any business with the expectation to receive the same quality service they received before or personalized service. With the interpersonal skills that build relationships with my customers, I hope to increase the number of repeat customers over time. I've noticed that now clients think of me first when it comes to any other photography needs. And of course the prices I will be offering along with the mini session.
I believe these elements I presented would fit together well because, in each section, I described my true self and I believe I have what it takes to become an exceptional photographer. With my technical and interpersonal skills and experience in the industry, I believe I can make my customers happy. However, running a business is very different than working as a photographer and those areas are the ones that I truly need to study and learn about the business aspect such as operating, managing and financing a photography company.
I received 2 feedbacks from my classmates. The first one suggests I create a social media site such as Instagram and Facebook to allow customers to visit and review the photo works. I thought that was a great idea so I will include this in my business plan where I create a dedicated active Instagram page for my company that posts beautiful pictures on a daily basis. The second critique I received was that I focus more on the customers who value my work. In the end, all businesses value and appreciate repeat customers. I will incorporate this suggestion as well by creating a plan to stay connected with the previous customers. I can think of creating a special discounted price for the customer's anniversary, birthdays and etc. Also, I can make follow-up calls to ensure the customers are satisfied with the final results.
Hey Byung,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I completely agree with the feedback you received. An Instagram account is an easy and free way to put your business' name out there, and it has been proven that customers are more valuable over time. I would keep that feedback in mind when executing your business plan.
Hey Byung,
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! from reading your post, I can tell you spent a lot of time working on this and were very through rough. I thought you really nailed the 'why do they care' section. I know of some of my friends that have a hard time answering this for themselves with their own companies.
Byung,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! From reading your post, I can tell that you are extremely passionate photography and that is a huge plus. Unfortunately, there are people that enter a specific career because of the money it makes. When you display a huge amount of passion, others are able to see that with your positive attitude and are more likely to hire you for their photography services again!