Alright, let me paint the scene. It’s post-pandemic and you’re at a business networking event. You’re bouncing around the room making small talk and suddenly you get asked the dreaded question, “So, what do you do for work?”… and you internally panic. You rack your brain for a smooth elevator pitch, you know the one you always said you’d create for situations like this, but never did.
To cut the awkward tension, you utter, “Well, it’s complicated…”. Oof, you just lost them.
You see, the moment you told them what you do is complicated – their brain shut off. You just gave them a one-way ticket to tune out of this conversation because no one’s brain likes to break down anything past “it’s complicated”.
Can you relate? I can. Until I had enough of that mess.
Without further ado, let’s create an elevator pitch for your photography brand.
1. The Purpose of An Elevator Pitch
Marketing is an exercise in memorization. Everything our brand communicates to the world should help them remember who we are, what problem we solve for them, and the positive result they’ll experience once they engage our solution (aka hire us – woot, woot).
Therefore, we want to make it simple for our target market to memorize our brand, and an elevator pitch makes it super simple to do that.
Not only that, but it grabs people’s attention. For example, tell me which of these two answers you’re more interested in when asked the “what do you do question”:
a) I’m a brand photographer.
b) A lot of brands struggle to get high-quality photos of their products, which lowers their sales. I’m a brand photographer who specializes in…
B – the answer is B.
Now that’s an elevator pitch that roped you into a story and got you thinking. Can you imagine if the person you were talking to was a shop owner? They’d hire you in a heartbeat after rattling that elevator pitch off, and we didn’t even finish it.
Let’s get started!
2. Your 3-Part Elevator Pitch Formula
Part One: State the problem your client has.
Believe it or not, our clients buy solutions to problems. Therefore, opening your elevator pitch by stating a problem gets their attention.
What I want you to do is take a second and jot down all the possible problems your brand solves for your clients.
Let’s use the brand photography example from above.
Problem: A lot of brands struggle to get high-quality photos of their products, which lowers their sales.
Perfect. Remember, don’t overthink this.
Part Two: State your solution.
This is where you answer the “what do you do for work” question.
Solution: I’m a brand photographer who specializes in capturing product content.
Enter your solution here. This part might even help you hone in on who you really serve!
Part Three: What are the positive results they’ll experience from working with you?
We’re about to paint a picture of success, you ready?
Positive Result: So that they can attract customers and increase their sales again.
Ooh, la la. Okay, elevator pitch – I see you.
Alright, now let’s put it together.
Imagine you’re back at the networking event. The dreaded question is asked, but this time you’re excited because you have a bomb elevator pitch. Read this aloud and see just how powerful it feels!
Ready? Aaand, go:
A lot of brands struggle to get high-quality photos of their products, which lowers their sales. I’m a brand photographer who specializes in capturing product content so businesses can attract customers and increase their sales again.
*drops mic and casually pulls out a business card*
3. Where to Use Your Elevator Pitch
So, besides droppin’ mics at networking events, where else can we use this amazing elevator pitch of yours? I’m glad you asked.
Here are my favorite places to “place” my elevator pitch:
- On my business card
- In my email signature
- My Instagram bio
- Marketing materials
Now, remember, you can alter, shorten, or condense it for any of these purposes. The point is, having this baby ready to go makes you feel more confident, look more put together, and come off as a gal with a serious solution because you know how to work a problem (and a room, am I right?).
And, if marketing is an exercise in memorization – this is a great way to help people memorize what you do. The more places you put it, the better!
Questions? Send me a DM – better yet – send me your elevator pitch! ?
Wanna work with me 1:1 to get my eyes on your photography business, and help you fuse your faith into your biz?
You got it, friend! Click the link below to schedule a discovery call to see if we’d be a good fit to work together! I’ll start prepping your strategy in a Google doc now! ??
Looking for more helpful photography tips? Feel free to binge on these blog posts, or pin ’em on Pinterest for later! ??
If you’re short on time, follow me on Pinterest – and you’ll get these kinda tips delivered straight to your feed! You know… when you’re scrollin’ through Pinterest with coffee in hand, ready to take on the day… or, procrastinate.
Whatevs. Pinterest biz sesh, anybody!? ??
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