Anna and Jordan Rathkopf are a New York City-based photography duo who were ready to step up their marketing efforts when they began the Marketing Mentor program in November 2019. The first step is an hour-long phone call in which we went over the Rathkopf’s current branding, marketing strategy, and goals. They had already made an impact in the industry with a project documenting Anna’s battle with cancer and went on to develop a reputation for capturing real moments and telling intimate stories. Their business developed on its own, but when the Rathkopfs wanted to change the trajectory, they weren’t sure where to start.
As they put it, although they enjoyed and wanted to continue their editorial photography, they were also interested in “branching out into exploring commercial work for brands with a social mission and/or nonprofits”.
During our first few calls, we formulated a comprehensive strategy based around the Rathkopfs’ ability to document compelling stories and their desire to get more commercial work. Our initial plan was to create more brand narrative content and get it in front of the appropriate clients. In order to highlight their mission, we decided to focus on making sure their branding was cohesive on their website, switching up their galleries, and getting a tighter edit of their work. We also made some changes to their site’s About page to make it clear that Jordan and Anna are not only excellent photographers but also interesting, passionate people who are great to work with.
Jordan and Anna were already diligent about tracking their clients using a spreadsheet, so we worked up a process for finding the appropriate people to reach out to and they dove right in!
We appreciate her feedback and advice. She has helped us grow our prospect lists by thinking deeper about the kinds of clients we could work with. And she continues to provide essential advice on our brand and marketing strategies.
During the turbulent and sometimes paralyzing spring months in New York City this year, all the months of marketing done since November allowed them an opportunity to step back and re-evaluate. Since their branding was up to date and they knew how to find and connect with clients, we worked on a number of email templates to use when promoting their work.
This was also a good time to work on personal projects, and the Rothkopfs didn’t waste any time. Once they had put together two original shoots, they used our List Build service and the new email templates to share their work with the right people.
Their dedication to these marketing practices led them to work published in Health magazine and with the Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, a viral Instagram image, a new portfolio, and plenty of new industry contacts. Despite the considerable signs of the plan’s success, I’m excited to continue working with them and seeing what impressive accomplishment is next.
As for the Rathkopfs, they were pleased as well:
We love working with Nadia. She is easy to talk with, always has good ideas and is thinking about what is best for our company goals.
Looking for a mentor? Reach out to connect with Nadia or any of our marketing specialists!