In my previous entry I pointed out that CPI Corp has filed bankruptcy. CPI Corp operated the portrait studios located inside Sears, Wal-Mart and Toys-R-Us in addition its wedding business. These studios operated under the names Sears Portrait Studios, Picture Me, Kiddie Kandids and Bella Pictures. All in all more than 2000 studios were closed.
The closing of these studios and the following bankruptcy has left a huge hole in the photography industry that is ripe for the small local studio to step up and fill.
I won’t spend a large amount of time addressing why and how CPI Corp got into this situation. If you are interested in these details Google and Bing are your friends. Suffice it to say, as with most of these types of situations this has been a long time coming and is not simply tied to one issue.
Here is the important information for you as a small business. Now is the time to step up and show the consumers who kept CPI Corp in business for more than 60 years why they should be working with a local studio. If you search the internet for information regarding these companies (Sears Portrait Studio, Picture Me and Kiddie Kandids) you will find story after story about customers left hanging. In some cases it is being reported that sessions and orders (with payment) were being taken right up to the day before the studios were closed. As photographers we know all to well how important portraits can be and we are seeing first hand what happens when the company behind the camera does not have this understanding or passion for photography. Below are two links to a story out of Las Vegas that show both the bad and good to come from this mess.
http://www.ktnv.com/youaskweinvestigate/206355851.html
http://www.ktnv.com/youaskweinvestigate/206686511.html
Robert Parker of Slick Click Photography did the right thing. He stepped up and helped out the Kiddie Kandids customers who were stuck without the portraits that they had paid for. This is a great outcome for both the customers and Slick Click Photography. The customers get portraits and Robert gets great publicity and hopefully a customer for life.
All of that being said here are the bullet points on what you should being doing to maximize this opportunity.
- First and foremost reach out to the media and let them know you are there to help.
- Update your website/blog/facebook/twitter/etc with information for these customers to contact you.
- Market yourself more than ever. Focusing on the benefits of choosing you, a local photographer.
- Be certain to followup with the media to tell the story of how you have helped the customers. Don’t let the story die after getting you name out there.
- Update your website/blog/facbook/twitter/etc with information about the customers you have helped.
- Be sure to gather contact info for everyone who gets in touch with you. It is crucial to follow up with them so that you are the first photographer that comes to mind when they need future portraits or information.
I can not stress enough that now is the time to put even more energy into marketing yourself as the photographer to choose. There are now a huge number of qualified customer out there with a history of paying for portraits and they no longer have a photographer. I realize that not every one of these customers is going to become your customer. Many will simply go to Target, JC Penny or one of Lifetouch’s other studios. With over 2000 studios closed there are more than enough customers to go around. Go get them and make them your customer.