Hello all,

My name is Klaus Dahl, and I am living in Denmark, Scandinavia.

Would you please be so kind to help me?

I have a background in both photography and Internet-marketing. And I find both worlds very intriguing.

I am considering to launch a new fee-based newsletter on how to market and sell your photographies and your photographic service on the Internet.

The newsletter does NOT exist yet, so this is NOT a salesletter. It's just an open-hearted question.

And right now I just want to test the idea to make sure that there actually is a real market for this idea - before I move on.

My question is then, Would you in principle be interested in subscribing to such a newsletter if it contains a lot of practical marketing advice that will double or triple your, links to sites where you can promote your photographs for free or almost no cost, links to companies and websites that wants to buy photographies, important but little-known websites on photography etc.

Again, please be so kind to trust me when I say that this is NOT a salesletter! I am just interested in detecting whether there is a market for this kind of newsletter.

I would be very grateful to hear from you!

Thank you very much in advance!

Sincerely,

Klaus Dahl

-- Klaus Dahl (klausdahl2001@yahoo.com), August 23, 2000

Answers

Klaus: I am a former marketing consultant. To guage a market, don't ask if people are interested "in principle". Ask if they in practicality will pay money for a product or service. And, in practicality, I don't think you have a market.

1. The Web is crowded with sites and "rings" on photography. 2. Photographers don't make much money from their photography, and therefore won't spend money they don't have or can't justify in a business with very narrow profit margins. 3. While most photography Web sites try selling business-to-consumer (B-to-C), you are commended for thinking in terms of business-to-business (B-to-B). B-to-B is where the real growth of internet commerce is taking place. B-to-C, with some notable exceptions, is where all the business failures are and will be taking place. 4. Try thinking in terms of B-to-B services or products that already exist, and will grow if put online. This way,, you won't have to start from point zero by having to create a market from the ground up.

-- Jeff Polaski (polaski@acm.org), August 23, 2000.

Hello Jeff,

Thank you very much for your helpful answer!

You're right, I should have omitted the words, "in principle".

The reason I included these words, was that I didn't want my post to sound like a disguised salesmessage.

But you're right, Jeff, I would have gotten a clearer picture, if I had omitted those words.

Ad. 1:

Yes, I know that the photography-market is rather crowded (with a lot of magazines etc.), but so far as I can see, what I am suggesting is rather unique. Or am I wrong? And the fact that the market is crowded shows that there is a strong interest in photography.

Ad. 2:

Yes, I know that photographers (or rather: SOME photographers) don't make much money from their photography. But that's precisely what I can help them to do: Make more money from their photographies. Besides, I know some photographers who make very, very good money on their photographies.

Ad. 3:

Thank you for commending me for trying to sell business-to-business! Yes, I think that this is often a better idea than just limiting oneself to selling business-to-consumer.

Ad. 4:

Thank you so much for your good advice! Yes, that's definitely a good idea, trying to sell products online that already sell well offline. I will definitely consider this, Jeff.

Thank you very much for your comments, Jeff!

And I would definitely still be grateful to hear from others!

Sincerely,

Klaus Dahl

-- Klaus Dahl (klausdahl2001@yahoo.com), August 24, 2000.

Klaus, you might want to look at the book and marketing operation that Rohn Engh has. He used to - or perhaps still does - have a photo marketing angle like you propose.

Also, be aware of web sites like Bullhorn, FreeAgent, and Portfolio.com that do for free, or for a percentage, what you are proposing to do, and I don't think they are selling many photos.

Don't forget all the stock photo business and photographers out there on line. It seems to me that the photo marketing business is well formed and entrenched, and unless you have great connections or know of an angle that nobody has thought of, you are blowing in the wind!

Cheers!

chris

Sell & Re-Sell Your Photos : How to Sell Your Pictures to a World of Markets a Mailbox Away (4th Ed) by Rohn Engh (Paperback - May 1997)

-- Christian Harkness (chris.harkness@eudoramail.com), August 24, 2000.

Hello Chris,

Thank you VERY much for your good advice and for the resources you point me to!

Sincerely,

Klaus

-- Klaus Dahl (klausdahl2001@yahoo.com), August 28, 2000.

And don't forget the ever popular book Photographers Market Place...

-- Scott Walton (scotlynn@shore.net), September 03, 2000.

Thank you very much, Scott!

Sincerely,

Klaus

-- Klaus Dahl (klausdahl2001@yahoo.com), September 05, 2000.