If you're thinking of skipping this year's DIMA/PMA, reconsider. Come and attend every educational session you can, listen to speakers and attendees, sift through the ideas so you can maximize your own operations. The Digital Revolution is in full swing, some are prospering and others are sputtering. Bill McCurry will be helping people prosper at these DIMA/PMA sessions:
* Saturday, March 1 - 1:00 - #D53 - Digital Marketing for Retail in Tough Times or Super Effective Digital Marketing without a lot of cash
* Immediately following at 2:30 on Saturday - #D63 - Marketing Idea Exchange - bring an idea to share and take away a dozen more.
* Monday, March 3 - 7:00 - 9:50 - N5 Guerrilla Marketing Night School - Each attendee will receive a copy of the NEW Digital Guerrilla Marketing book - if you're serious about getting results from your marketing, you have to be at this session! 

Idea #1 - Another pricing perspective, determine your value and get it
Jack King - Camera World, Charlotte, NC - cworldnc@bellsouth.net

   Needless to say, establishing digital picture prices has been a learning curve for me. As usual, I often relied on the advice of mentor Brian Ainsworth. And like everything else in retailing, nothing is carved in stone, so what I am doing now may not work for me next month.
   We are not doing thousands of digital 4x6 pictures a day but most days we consistently do in the hundreds. We get 79 cents each, your choice matte or glossy, with or with out borders. I am a counter person so I keep a pretty good ear to pricing complaints from customers. And yes, I have heard some.
   One wedding photographer called me to tell me that we were 79 cents and Wal-Mart would give him the same 4x6 for 26 cents. "So, what's the problem?" I asked. "If low price is what you are looking for your Professional Wedding Pictures, then you have already found the lowest price..."
   He then said: "But, they print Wal-Mart on the back and I am a Professional and I can't have my customers thinking their pictures are the same price they pay at Wal-Mart..." Rather than holding firm with out further negotiation. I decided to ask more about his work. He said that he would bring me at least one CD a week and each one would have at least 200 wedding pictures. He would have done all the Photoshop work and everything would be color corrected and there would be no remakes.
   "OK, 59 cents each. Come in and ask for me and I will introduce you to our lab manager." (This made him feel like a VIP.) He consistently brings us at least 200 -250 4x6 wedding pictures a week and now orders ten to twenty 8x10's a week @ $10.99 each, which he never bothered to negotiate.
   What specialty retailers must not fall into, is letting store EMPLOYEES create a fear of getting a fair price for your services. One employee recently came to me and said: "Costco is getting $ 1.90 for 8x10's... What are YOU going to do about it??? "
   I said: "Nothing." Also, I strongly advise lab people not to be too quick to blurt out quantity pricing. A couple of days ago a gentleman approached me at the counter. "How much for an 8x10 from this thing?" (As he handed me a CD) Well, they are $10.99 each..." and before I could go further, He said: "GREAT! My home office was gonna charge me thirty bucks! I want FOURTY 8x10's of this picture, I want to pay you now and have my secretary pick them up on Friday." And then he said: "Thank you! You just made my life easier... now I can go out of town and not worry about having these pictures for our sales meeting."
   Bottom line... it ain't ALL about price when it comes to people's pictures. Just too often, we shoot our own selves in the foot or allow our employees to roll over for low price. Customers that are going to go to Wal-Mart are gonna go to Wal-Mart. The ones that come in your door are the ones that you want to WOW! 

Idea #2and #3 - Buying Advertising Cheap - Community Support
Chris Lydle, Chris' Camera Center, Aiken, SC (www.chriscamera.com)

   Tough times in the advertising industry can be opportunities for us. I'm getting prime location on billboards at $300/month/location, short-term (1 month minimum).
   If they don't sell the space for the following month I could end up having longer exposure with no payment. Here's where it pays not to be too greedy. If I negotiate for a prime placement board, it will be quickly resold and after a month, I'm gone. If I take a "B" or "C" location then that space could be unsold and I'm up there for months gaining additional repetitions at no further cost. It's a gamble but evaluate both sides before you determine your strategy.
   Picture of the billboard posted at: www.photoimagenews.com/billboard.htm

   Speaking of buying bargain basement advertising. . . . At a recent steeplechase, the Hospitality Group of Aiken (primarily restaurateurs) had a fund-raising silent auction. Many times at events like this local business leaders will want to show support for the community but not donate cash. They many times donate products from their company that might have very high value to the right buyer but a very limited number of bidders.
   I had the high bid - $250 - on a package that included $500 worth of cable TV ad time and 15 hours consulting time from an ace PR firm in town. It's the second time I've bought cable TV ad time for way below going rate at charity auctions. There just aren't that many bidders! Many times charity auctions will publish a list of available products to buy ahead of the event to encourage bids from people who are not able to attend. Check this out - it's good PR if you're listed as supporting the charity and it stretches your marketing budget, if the media is a good fit for you. 

In honor of the hectic Holiday season, the McCurry Marketing Idea Exchange will not publish between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. We'll still be collecting great ideas from subscribers - we just won't be sending out any issues until after the New Year. As new ideas hit you during this busy time, please take a second and send them into editor@mccurryassoc.com - Thanks!