Jonathon Kambouris
IG: @the_mrjk
Who printed them?
Smart Press. I came across them randomly a year or two ago and found their prices to be very reasonable and the quality I felt was really great!
Who designed them?
I designed the mailer books myself. Being a photographer, I always want the mailers to be really focused on quality imagery and minimalist design. So, I kept the images big and let them speak for themselves.
Tell me about the images?
The majority of my work is focused on the beauty and cosmetic world. It is what I love to shoot the most and also what the majority of my work is. Twice a year I send out a “best of” beauty book and this body of work was from my Fall’19 book. Additionally, I sent out my first conceptual printed mailer. I constructed it in the same way as my beauty books and plan to send this out twice a year as well to build new connections with different clients and potential clients outside of the beauty and cosmetic world.
How many did you make?
I made 250, sent out around 200 and kept the remaining for leave-behinds at meetings and for my agency.
How many times a year do you send out promos?
I consistently send out a beauty/cosmetics book twice a year, in Spring and Fall. I have been doing this for a few years now and it is a great way to show clients and potential clients what I have been up to. Since I am mailing out just twice a year, I feel like it is really important to send out something that is more substantial than a single card of just an image or two. It needs to be something just a bit more special than that. Also, it is a great leave behind after meetings with an art director/creative. A sort of a “best of” portfolio that they get to keep after getting your larger portfolio reviewed. I think it is really important to keep up with a consistent schedule of how/when mailers are sent out to clients and potential clients as it is an effective way to keep new and fresh work out there and in front of the creatives looking to hire photographers.
Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
Short answer yes, but more importantly; I strongly feel that to be successful at marketing one needs to use many different platforms to get their work seen. Printed mailers are just one way of marketing that connects to create a complete marketing platform that needs to be balanced with other marketing methods and tools. Every client is different and will react differently, some love digital posts, instagram and email newsletters while others love receiving a physical piece in the mail. Often it is near impossible to know who will react to what method, but keeping a consistent schedule for marketing is key to making sure your new work as an artist and photographer is getting seen by as many people as possible. Often it is really about timing and catching the right person at that right time. It is all about consistency, keeping up with producing quality work, consistently marketing on several different platforms/methods and keeping up with it year after year.
