Have you ever felt like your photo booth business isn’t growing?
Are you doing way too much and not marketing enough?
Does it feel like there just isn’t enough time in one day to get it all done?
Do you have the mentality that if your always trying out new ideas, something will eventually stick!
This mindset certainly satisfies the inner A.D.D. to start new ideas but it doesn’t produce results!
Today, I’d like to explain WHY, as well as 5 steps to combat this faulty way of thinking.
Beating the Lottery Mentality
People who constantly purchase lottery tickets have this similar “wishful thinking” mentality.
They’re hopeful if they just keep buying tickets, eventually they might break through and win big!
Let’s face it, winning big is way more fun than putting in hard work and slowly growing your photo booth business over a long period of time.
It’s SO easy to get caught up in this way of thinking with our own business – “If I keep starting new ideas, eventually something will work!”
OR
You might feel the pressure that effective marketing means trying to manage many different outlets like – Instagram, The Knot, Wedding Wire, Thumbtack, Pinterest, Facebook, Yelp, Advertising, Blogging, YouTube, Google AdWords, Email Marketing, etc.
Well, I have good NEWS…
It’s a LIE. Your fabricating this belief in your mind by LOOKING at your competitors and COPYING their strategies without KNOWING the reason WHY your doing it in the first place.
Stop looking at what your competitors are doing and decide how you are going to be DIFFERENT.
In order to see growth, you have to dig down deep into ONE thing and do it over and over again. Beat it to death! Perfection will come little by little as you explore all the nuances of it.
It definitely isn’t fun and most of the time its plain boring. That’s why nobody does it. But that’s also why nobody is growing.
Growth is not about doing more. It’s about doing less and digging deeper into the right things and constantly learning from your mistakes.
So, how can you decide what the essential few things to do daily in your photo booth business?
Step 1: Understand Why
Ask yourself:
Why did I start a photo booth business?
Understanding your motives of why you got into this business in the first place will help you make better business decisions for the future.
Knowing WHY will help you to say NO to most things and YES to just a few things that really matter.
It might also force you to make some really hard decisions but you’ll be shaping your brand into the vision you really want and not just following after what your competitors are doing.
WARNING – If you plan on being truly HONEST about answering this question, it might send you down a different path. So if you need a place to sell your equipment, let me know! ?
Step 2: Create Vision
Ask yourself:
What do I want the future of my photo booth company to look like?
Go crazy with this one. Nothing is too big or too small.
Just begin painting a picture of what you want this thing to look like in 5 or 10 years.
Make a detailed description of the future. This is your vivid vision of what you want the future to be like so have fun with it.
Step 3: Define Strategy
Once you have a good idea WHY your doing this and where you’re going then you can start defining strategy.
Try to get very specific with your answers to the following questions:
What exactly am I selling with my photo booth business?
Who exactly am I selling my products or services to?
How can it be uniquely different from everyone else?
Understanding the needs and wants of your target audience will help you to position your product in a strategic way.
For instance, if you offer a custom high-end photo installation experience for luxury weddings then you might want to target high-end wedding planners in a wealthy city where lots of luxury weddings take place.
Knowing those specific details will help you determine what strategy to use in marketing your services to your ideal client and making your brand more focused.
For instance, if you went the high-end route, you probably won’t find much success trying to go after DIY brides through Google AdWords.
Instead you’ll want to be laser focused in your marketing efforts to find those luxury wedding planners and building relationships with them.
Step 4: Evaluate Ideas
Take the time to list and evaluate your top 3 marketing ideas to reach your ideal customer.
Spend time thinking through which ones would have the most potential for success.
Remember at first your not going to understand all the nuances of HOW to follow through on this new marketing idea.
So don’t let that be a determining factor. Right now you’re just looking for a high level idea to go after which will evolve over time.
From your list of the top 3 ideas choose only 1. The one you choose should be what your gut is telling you to do.
Try to choose one marketing idea that fits YOU. Don’t try going after an idea if it doesn’t fit your personality or natural strengths. Try to pick something you KNOW you could be good at.
For example – If your an introvert that hates talking to people, don’t try cold calling. Bad idea!
Step 5: Set Goals
“In a Harvard MBA study they found that after ten years the 3% who had written down goals were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97% of the class combined.” – Weekdone
Every time you choose a SMART goal go through the following questions:
Specific – Make sure your goal is clearly understood by everyone
Measurable – Make sure you can see results from your goal to measure how well you’re doing
Achievable – Make sure your goal can be accomplished and isn’t too impossible
Relevant – Make sure the goal is in line with everything else your business is trying to accomplish
Timed – Make sure your goal has a due date for when it should be complete.
Now, based on the one marketing idea you chose above, lets set a goal that you can accomplish in 1 month. Take some time to figure out what that goal is based on what your selling and who you are selling to.
For instance, if I chose to reach my target audience of brides via Instagram then my 1 month goal would be:
Specific – Research to find the best course to learn from to become an expert about Instagram marketing. Purchase that course and go through the it inside and out. Take notes and begin tinkering around with your own Instagram account.
Measurable – Finalized the course. Notes have been taken. Instagram account is active.
Achievable – This goal should only take about 20hrs to achieve and based on my current work/life schedule I can expect to accomplish this in 1 month from today.
Relevant – My ideal client lives and breathes on Instagram it is the only way I know how to reach them and my overall company goals.
Timed – This goal will be finished in 1 month from today.
Remember your 1 month goal should be in line with any long term goals you set (ie. 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years). But for the sake of just taking action on something TODAY – Set a 1mo. goal and stick to it!
Now Let’s Take Action and Get Some Results
When you invest the time doing this process and repeating your goal of photo booth marketing over and over, you’ll find results that other people don’t normally find.
That’s when you’re building a deeper, more meaningful business that’s reaching the goals you’ve set in a strategic way that no one else can replicate.
So if you’re serious about wanting your photo booth business to grow, clear out a 2hr block of time this week. Put it on your calendar right now and make it a priority. All you need is paper, pen and your mind in a quiet place to think.
Here are the steps again you’ll want to spend time answering:
1. WHY did you start this photo booth business?
2. What do I want the future of my business to look like?
3. What exactly am I selling?
4. Who exactly am I selling to?
5. How can it be uniquely different?
6. What is your one big marketing idea that will help you reach your ideal customer?
7. What is your one month marketing goal?
Comments
Thanks for the information