THE STERLINGINSIDERT H E S T E R L I N G L I G H T I N G , L L C N E W S L E T T E R

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VOLUME XIVSPRING 2019

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY: PART 1uring the annual AOLP conference, I l luminate

2019, I had the opportunity to take to the stage alongside our company’s v ideographer, Bryan I l lguth, and speak about using photography and videography to grow your business. It was a great experience, but I wanted to take this chance to share the information we discussed at the conference with an even wider audience.

I have seen f irsthand how images and f i lm can help grow a business, and I ’m excited to share with you the benefits of photography and video, plus offer a few suggest ions for capturing your beautiful l ight ing designs on camera.

1. LOCAL BRAND ESTABLISHMENT

Do you want to stand out and make your brand known throughout the area? While a s logan or j ingle may be effect ive in other

industr ies , in the l ight ing industry, v isuals

wi l l win over customers every s ingle t ime.

D

CONT’D. PAGE 2

“I HAVE SEEN FIRSTHAND

HOW IMAGES AND FILM CAN HELP GROW A

BUSINESS.”

THE STERLING INSIDER VOLUME XIV | SPRING 20192

By creat ing a portfol io of projects you’ve designed and instal led, you’ l l be able to show homeowners how your designs stand out against the competit ion and provide them with beautiful images they can associate with your company.

2. INDUSTRY RECOGNITIONIn the l ight ing industry, there are a number of ways to win awards and gain recognit ion for capturing your creat ive l ight ing designs in a photograph. The AOLP has a number of categories (smal l residentia l , large residentia l , commercia l , etc . ) for which you can submit photos. Last year Enl ightened Lighting was honored to receive an award for commercia l l ight ing instal led at a Virginia winery, which Bryan photographed.

Besides l ight ing organizat ions, there are a lso a number of magazines both onl ine and in pr int that wi l l accept editor ia l photography submissions. It ’s a lways a boost to your company’s reputat ion when you can say to a prospect , “We were featured in this magazine recently!”

3. IMPROVE YOUR WEBSITEYour website is one of the biggest assets you have. Whether a potentia l customer hears about you from a fr iend, an advert isement, or a Google search, your website is one of the f i rst places they’ l l invest igate to see i f you’re a company they’re interested in hir ing.

Adding photography and video to your website is one of the best ways you can gain a prospect ’s attention. From the home page to the

continued from page 1

gal lery, having professional- looking visuals wi l l set you apart from other companies who have s imply uploaded phone-qual i ty pictures to their website or taken random pictures off the web.

4. SHOW YOUR CUSTOMERS WHAT YOU CAN DOLighting is , by i ts nature, something that we admire with our eyes. Consider for a moment: which would you rather do during a consultat ion? Try and descr ibe to a prospective customer what the end result wi l l look l ike, or take out your phone or tablet and show them, r ight then and there, pictures and videos of past designs you completed?

Another perk of having photos and videos on hand is that they’ve saved us from going out and doing demos in the evening. Instead of offer ing such a t ime-consuming service, we’re able to s imply show potentia l customers our past work to ensure them that their property wi l l be just as stunning—if not more so—once we’ve designed and instal led a l ight ing system for them. Although photography and videography is a big investment, the ROI can be enormous. However, you're probably wondering: so, what 's my next step? Watch out for our next newsletter where I ' l l cover the differences between hir ing and professional and going the DIY route.

-Patr ick Harders , Co-Owner

W W W . S T E R L I N G - L I G H T I N G . C O M Experience the Difference!3

Now Available to Order! The SL03 Down Light and SL05 Step Light

F eaturing our most innovative designs to date, the SL03 Down Light and SL05 Step

Light are now avai lable for purchase!

The SL03 Down Light

With s ix adjustable lumen sett ings and an innovative, tools-free locking system, the SL03 Down Light is the perfect f ixture for creat ing gorgeous moonl ight ing effects .

J anuary 31st - February 1st , our team f lew out to Scottsdale, Ar izona to attend

the AOLP’s annual conference and expo: I l luminate 2019. We had a wonderful t ime meeting with old fr iends and new, and we’re a lready looking forward to the conference next year!

If you weren’t able to attend this year, we shared main points from Patr ick and Bryan’s stage presentat ion on the secrets to capturing amazing photography and videography in this newsletter ’s cover story, which we hope you enjoy.

During the AOLP expo Patr ick a lso had the opportunity to s it on a panel to discuss marketing best pract ices. During that session he shared the direct mai l p iece that has generated more leads for Enl ightened Lighting than any other marketing campaign in the company’s history. (We encourage you to e-mai l or cal l our General Manager, J im Heim,

AOLP's Illuminate 2019 Recap

i f you want to see i t and get ideas to create your own!)

For a l l those who stopped by our booth or took the t ime to ta lk with us during the conference, we want to thank you for attending and spending some t ime learning more about our company and our f ixtures. We hope to see you next year!

The SL05 Step Light

One of our most versat i le f ixtures yet , the SL05 Step Light not only features four adjustable lumen sett ings, but a lso offers two color temperature sett ings: 2700K and 3000K. Al l in a s ingle, compact f ixture.

To learn more about these new f ixtures or to place an order, cal l our off ice today at 703-997-5514.

Patrick Harders presents his marketing catalog at the annual AOLP Conference and Expo.

W W W . S T E R L I N G - L I G H T I N G . C O M Experience the Difference! 703-997-5514

IN THIS ISSUE

1 | Photography and Videography: Part 12 | Cover Story Cont’d3 | Illuminate 2019 Recap Now Available to Order: The SL03 and SL05 4 | Turn Your Prospect Lists into Future Sales

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info@sllights.comEmail us 24/7, we are always eager to hear

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D o you have a l ist of prospects that ’s gathering dust on your desk or in the dark

reaches of your computer ’s hard dr ive? Don’t let i t go to waste. Here are three ways you can use your l ist to turn prospective customers into paying ones.

Send out an email blast

Whether you decide to send out an onl ine newsletter, a v ideo, or something else entirely, using a prospect l ist for emai l b lasts can help keep you in front of your prospective customers and give them the push they need to turn into new customers. Just be sure not to overwhelm them with too many emai ls in a short t imeframe or they may mark them as spam.

Target them on social media

Many socia l media s ites , l ike Facebook and Instagram, give you the option to upload prospect l ists and, using the information

provided, wi l l specif ical ly target those individuals with your ads. You can also use your prospect l ists to help bui ld a “ look-al ike” audience, which wi l l broaden your ad campaign’s reach.

Reach out to them personal ly

If the leads came from a home show or another venue where you were able to meet the prospect face-to-face, i t doesn’t hurt to have you or your sales team give them a cal l or send a personal ized emai l to check in and see i f they’ve put anymore thought into moving forward with their landscape l ight ing project .

You spent t ime and money to grow your prospect l ist , so don’t let those leads go to waste! Consider implementing one (or a l l ! ) of these suggest ions to turn your prospects into new customers.

Turn Your Prospect List into Future Sales