In February, fashion and beauty photographer Demetrius Fordham came to us for help with his marketing. Demetrius is currently living in Sydney but spends much of the year in New York. As an already established photographer, he specifically wanted to be able to work with higher-level international editorial clients. Secondly, he wanted to make more connections with agencies based specifically in Australia. We enrolled him in our Marketing Partner service and I was excited to take him on as one of my photographers.
From the start, I enjoyed working with Demetrius. I admired the elegance, subtlety, and at the same time, naturalness of his editorial work. I also wanted to find out more about how he was living and working in two counties that were so far apart – and how it influenced his photography and business. While he spends most of his time in Australia, Demetrius wanted to open up his client base and target international publications in New York, Europe, and Australia.
As a consultant, I love working with people who exude positive energy. Demetrius is one of those people and our interactions always felt very easy. Whenever we met to discuss results or plans for future campaigns, nothing felt forced, but rather our conversations were very enjoyable. I believe that for a process like Marketing Partner, feeling comfortable in the relationship allows us to achieve a true partnership and see the best results.
Demetrius has a great track record and an extensive portfolio of happy clients. However, he needed help reaching the next level – working with high-profile publications and brands that support the social ethic he fervently believes in. While he’s already an established photographer who has worked with many great brands and publications, he wanted to expand his business and connect with socially conscious clients who were more aligned with his beliefs: inclusivity, anti-racism, and equality.
In the first month of working together, we achieved an open rate of 74% from the clients we contacted and a 21% response rate. Bloomberg Business Week was interested; their photo editor, Amanda Saviñón, established communication with Demetrius immediately.
After the success of the first month, we eagerly started work on the next month’s campaign. In the second month, we achieved an open rate of 72% and 43% click-through rate with one interested response that stood out in particular. This time it was Wawwa, an apparel/fashion brand from Manchester, UK that expressed a keen interest in Demetrius. During their initial call, they expressed that their budget is limited as they are still a growing business. However, Demetrius was delighted that they were interested in their work as they are a brand that shares his passion for inclusivity and representation.
During the fifth month, our objective was to contact prominent, international news publications. Demetrius was excited about my selection which included El País Semanal Magazine, The Guardian, The New Yorker, and The Financial Times. We included a number of attachments with our email campaign, showcasing Demetrius’ editorial work, and created a layout that highlighted a single image that would make an impact and impress this set of contacts.
When working on Marketing Partner, I insist that the photographers make a LinkedIn connection with every contact we reach out to each month. With Demetrius, we developed a way to track this and the general interest of each contact in a spreadsheet. We used columns to indicate whether a contact had opened an email, clicked the link, and accepted the LinkedIn connection. It’s a great way to track the health of your connections and know who to follow up with.
What I admire most about Demetrius is his kindness, and its reflection in his work. I believe in photographers who, in addition to extraordinary technique, seek beauty in the content of their subjects. The soul of his projects can be seen in the beauty of Demetrius’ photographs. It is always a pleasure to work with photographers like Demetrius, not only because I feel part of his work but also because it is pure and mutual learning.
Further Reading
Specialty: Fashion Photography
Expert Advice: LinkedIn for Photographers
Expert Advice: Emailer Design for Photographers
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