2007 Photographer of The Year! What's next?
The moment is here, now. I’ve worked hard to achieve a goal. Others have sacrificed to help me on my way. A lifetime of education, and a year of competing against some of the finest photographers I know, to achieve a goal, to earn the title “Photographer of The Year”.
It may seem trivial to others, but to me, it’s a really big thing. It’s part of my personal definition of success.
But now that the moment is here, there is a danger. A danger of just soaking it in and letting the moment pass, when there is serious work to be done. It would be a shame to just sit back, and let the moment pass without taking full advantage of it.
Here are my plans…..
1) Contact every wedding planner in the city of Houston, and make sure that they have they are all aware who the 2007 Photographer of The Year is, and give them the opportunity to pass this information on to their perspective clients.
2) Contact all of the best wedding facilities in Houston, and make sure that they have they are all aware who the 2007 Photographer of The Year is, and give them the opportunity to pass this information on to their perspective clients.
3) Join a national organization of Wedding Planners, and make sure that they have they are all aware who the 2007 Photographer of The Year is, and give them the opportunity to pass this information on to their perspective clients.
4) Contact Nikon, my photo lab, the companies that sponsored the awards, and anyone else I can think of, and ask if they would like to create a link to my site. This more than likely will not happen, but I might have a better chance if I pre-write an article to submit for them to post on their sites.
5) Generate a new page on my site displaying the award.
6) Higher a company to submit a press release locally, and nationally.
7) Change my business cards.
8) Change all of my advertising.
9) Change the graphics of our booth for bridal shows.
10) Change the signature of my email, blog entries and The Weekly Escape.
11) Send out an announcement in The Weekly Escape.
Finally, if you have any ideas on how I can use this opportunity to further promote Solaris, then I would love to hear from you, either in a comment to this post on in an email.
Houston Wedding Photography - Aric C. Hoek, the Master of Shadows
2007 Photographer of The Year
713-524-3303
Show Your Support!
Subscribe to the blog
Receive The Weekly Escape
Read Customer Reviews
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: 2007 Photographer of The Year! What's next?.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.solarisstudios.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/70
My man, sincerest congratulations; you earned this one, no doubt. Since I caught up with you on TPF, I've admired your work and watched how you roll as a photographer and businessman, and you've developed yourself as much as you've helped those around you learn and develop themselves. Way to rock Houston, baby! Big honors there.
All good ideas you list here; milk it for all it's worth. Perhaps throw a nice party for all of your 2007 clients, 'without whom this award would not be possible,' and what not. RSVP, black tie, catered... What's profit for if not to make an a great impression immutable?
Regarding the press release idea, likely an assistant could easily do the job, perhaps better than a hired company. Just speaking from my experience at community newspapers, anything that smacks of editorialized press release BS is tossed quickly. A phone call to any paper's lifestyles editor, just to say "I'm this guy, I just won this award, maybe we could work together to put a good article in your paper for your readers?" will yield infinitely better results. At least on a local level: The Chronicle, and all of the niche and smaller, community papers that serve your area.
A PR firm could probably put out a good informative piece for the national news scene, though, and hopefully get a spark enough for them to write about you.
Don't forget to put a call in to the local TV stations, especially if you're throwing a soirée or doing some benefit for a local charity in connection. They'll eat it up.
Much love, Aric! Congratulations! I am way stoked for you!
Congratulations!!!
I just stumbled upon your blog by searching some of the search engine terms that display on my blog!
The Particular term was "Houson Wedding Blogs"
Anyways it's great to see other wedding bloggers here locally.
And keep taking great pictures...
Coincidentally, I just purchased a D50 Nikon for my own personal use...
Aric, a million zillion congratulations from both Joshua & me! Definitely write up a press release about your new title and get that bad boy circulating. I have a good chunk of contacts both from my real job & my volunteering. Drop me a line & I'll send them to you.