11 May 2010

Get noticed, get a reaction & get remembered



When you're at a networking event most people are dressed in a similar way, most people have similar ish business cards and promotional materials, so how exactly are you supposed to remember anyone, or more importantly how are you personally going to stand out from the crowd and get remembered?

For me two things are making a difference.

The hat.  It started off life as a purely practical thing, keeping the light out of my eyes etc, but it's evolved to the point where it gets me noticed, helps people find me in a crowd, and even gets me business.

However the thing that is making the real difference is my change from using 'boring' images on my business card and promo materials.  I was in a room full of business people, trying to get them to use me for commercial photography, so I had photos of that nature on my cards.  Although they were fairly well designed, printed on nice card stock they almost never got a reaction.

Things changed however when a few months ago I decided to put a photo of a moose on one side of my business card.  When I hand it to people I often say "here, have a moose".  I'm sure a few people think I'm a bit simple, but you know what, I don't care.  It gets a reaction, and more often than not people make a comment and a conversation starts that isn't business related.

All of this brings me neatly back to the photo at the top of the page of some of the staff from telephone answering company Frontline.  I met one of their company directors, David, at Business South a few months ago.  Within moments of him seeing the card we were talking about road trips around the American West.  Despite there being no talk of business, a few weeks later I got a call to come in and do some photography work for them, and this week I was back there doing a second stock photography shoot for them.  Would I have got the gig if I hadn't got noticed, got a reaction and then remembered?



Towards the end of the shoot I was asked do to a few group shots of some of their staff.  Now having spent a couple of afternoons there I knew Frontline although very professional at what they do, they like to have fun at the same time.

As we'd done plenty of 'safe' shots on the previous shoot I suggested that they write out the company name in big letters on A4 paper and then hold them up while standing outside their offices.

Silly?  Yup, a tad, but will you remember them?

That reminds me.  I'm running out of moose cards, I need to order some more.

No comments: