photowalk - featured image

Use a Photowalk to Captivate Your Target Audience

Featured image by Halfpoint

Have you ever participated in a photowalk? If you haven’t yet, you should give it a try. Better yet, organize a photowalk yourself. It will allow you to get to know some of your best customers on a personal level and encourage camaraderie among all of you. Later, you can use the best of the resulting images in marketing efforts for your business.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER LOYALTY FOR YOUR BRAND

A photowalk is a public event that occurs when a group of photography enthusiasts gather to walk together to take pictures around a common theme. Frequently, these events come about when people find each other on social media and decide to meet up in person. Other times, a camera club might do a photowalk together.

Sometimes, people say they enjoy a photowalk because they feel safer walking in a group. Others join in for the socializing and fun. Still other photowalks raise money for charity. Ethnic businesses have used photowalks to attract the attention of their audience and build up their customer base.

Could you organize a photowalk that benefits your business? Let’s explore that possibility here.

How Could Your Business Benefit from a Photowalk?

There is nothing new about photowalks. In fact, they have been around for more than a hundred years, ever since the invention of the Kodak Brownie camera.

But social media, in particular Instagram, has given photowalking a boost in popularity in recent years. In fact, photowalking is one of the most popular Instagram activities.

This activity could be great for a local business. For one thing, it invites customers to participate with the business. Further, it effectively expands the space the business occupies not only in customers’ minds but also, literally, in the local community. It gives local businesses a way to connect with their customers not only virtually but also physically.

What’s more, it gives businesses the opportunity to get creative and even artistic with their marketing efforts. While the COVID-19 pandemic kept everyone isolated and indoors for the most part, restrictions are easing in many areas. Therefore, people are beginning to look for ways to get out and about and reconnect with their neighbors. Photowalking events give them opportunities to do just that.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOW TO MARKET LIKE AN INSTAGRAM INFLUENCER

If you would like to plan a photowalk to benefit your business, here are some suggestions about how to make your event a great one.

Choose an Interesting Location for Your Photowalk

Naturally, you’ll want your photowalk to take place in an interesting location. But also try to find ways to incorporate a theme that is compatible with your business.

For example, a doughnut shop in a busy urban area could schedule a photowalk event near their shop, encouraging customers to photograph sights of the city they’re normally too busy to notice.

Albuquerque truck accident lawyers might encourage photowalkers to focus on walking paths near scenic roadways in the Albuquerque area. Afterward—with permission from participants, of course—they might use some of the photos from the photowalk in their marketing materials. Placed next to an appealing image that attracts consumers’ attention, clever marketing text could remind readers that the business has skilled lawyers who will come to the aid of people who have been injured in a truck accident.

Keep in mind that the better a location complements your business, the more effective your marketing approach will be.

Encourage Amateur Photographers to Come Along

Make it your goal to encourage even the novice photographers among your target audience to join in your photowalk.

Nonetheless, don’t neglect to invite a more experienced photographer along. The newbies in the crowd will appreciate some coaching from an expert. He or she can offer suggestions about how to frame certain shots. They can give advice about what constitutes a quality aesthetic in the eyes of the viewer.

A good way to select a professional photographer is by viewing and connecting with their body of work. Many of these professionals display their work on social media sites, so they are usually easy to find.

However, professional photographers sometimes charge a hefty fee for their services. Therefore, be sure to inquire in advance about their requirements. Then choose the photographer you can best afford whose work is the most compatible with your business.

Let Aesthetics Be Your Guide

If you plan to participate in the photowalk yourself, keep in mind that the best way to represent your ideas is through identifying with the subjects of your photographs. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, either. In other words, allow your personality to assert itself in the pictures you take.

There is a saying that “art is everywhere, and everywhere is art.” So why not use some homegrown art in your marketing materials? Organize a photowalk among your customers and see what happens.

RELATED ARTICLE: TIPS FOR CREATING A SUCCESSFUL BRAND CAMPAIGN