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Has certification helped with the marketing side of your business? FC/FMO poll

FMO/FC SURVEY: Has CERTIFICATION helped with the marketing side of your business?

  • Does not apply/no current certifications on staff

    Votes: 4 16.0%

  • YES it has helped

    Votes: 19 76.0%

  • NO it has not helped

    Votes: 2 8.0%
  • Total voters
    25
Mike Labbe

Mike Labbe

Forum Administrator
Forum Help Team
Messages
4,290
Loc
Lincoln, RI
Company
Get The Picture
This Poll and Discussion is taking place in conjunction with the current FMO (For Members Only).
Feedback is welcomed, and don't be surprised if you are quoted in an upcoming edition of FMO!
Thanks in advance for your participation and discussion.

Has CERTIFICATION helped with the marketing side of your business?

How has it helped?
How have you Marketed it?
Have you seen an increase in traffic because of certification/training credentials?​
 
I know a lot of framers talk about Certification as a "learning tool," which it is, but it is also one of the main marketing tools that has kep my business growing.
 
We radio advertised my MCPF status "One of only 80 [dunno exact number, so guessed high] Master Certified Picture Framers in the world." A surprising number of people came in wanting to meet the only Certified framer in the World or equally bizarre configurations of the statement. But the important thing is that they came in to see me. And they brought really precious things. Things they wouldn't trust to just any framer. That ad campaign ran a year ago, and we still see much more really special framing than we did before the ads.
 
The effect of certification was cumulative for me. I picked up a few high-end customers the first year. These were people who had moved into the area from larger markets and knew the meaning of certification. Over the next 24 months, 3 things happened. An entry won big at the chapter's PRINT competition, I established a relationship with a conservation studio that helped me promote the relationship, and we began offering digital restoration and printing. I promoted these as heavily as my budget would allow. (I use public radio and cable tv ads that are very inexpensive).

By 2010 I had developed a state-wide reputation for being the first stop for the valuable and precious. At a time when economic factors were hitting many small businesses hard, I was experiencing significant growth. In 2006, the number of customers with addresses more than 5 miles from me was not measurable. In 2012 it was about 15% of my business. A measurable number of customers are driving 2 hrs or more.

While the certification plays a part in this, I give more credit to the things I learned preparing for the exam, the many classes I have been able to take from PPFA, and the many members who have been my mentors along the way.
 
We regularly have folks that visit specifically because of the certification, and because they found us on the web. They will drive a couple states, and pass hundreds of framers on the way, because they are seeking the peace of mind that the framer has the framing education to properly preserve their item. (especially for sport jerseys and military items)

I'm not clear how they searched to seek out the shop, whether it was google or if it was from findapictureframer.com. But we certainly are thankful for the extra business! Just one of those extra jobs per year, pays for our annual dues.

Mike
 
PPFA certification has definitely helped shape our shop’s good reputation. More often clients are surprised and curious about the designation which opens the door for conversation about framing and what they might have that needs preservation. We use the designation on business cards, website, etc. but mostly one-on-one- either in the shop or out networking. We value continued education & inspiration offered through local chapter events and most especially the trade show/conference to keep us current.
 
This poll was featured in today's FMO publication, and the results and some of your comments may be in the second quarter edition.

Thanks for participation and discussion
 
Julie Gilmore said:
PPFA certification has definitely helped shape our shop’s good reputation. More often clients are surprised and curious about the designation which opens the door for conversation about framing and what they might have that needs preservation. We use the designation on business cards, website, etc. but mostly one-on-one- either in the shop or out networking. We value continued education & inspiration offered through local chapter events and most especially the trade show/conference to keep us current.
Click to expand...

Julie, I totally agree with everything you have said! We get people that will ask and we are able to educate them about the differences in how things are and can be framed. It definitely leads clients to realize we care about what they are framing and want to do the best job possible.
 
I am going to throw this out there; CPF and MCFP framers need to make recommendations and share their good experiences with having the credentials. There are plenty of nay sayers out there, this we know. This is benefit of the PPFA and it needs to be repackaged and reinvigorated from time to time.

Just like shops that have recommendations on their Facebook pages and highlighted customers on their web sites. The PPFA and Consumer Awareness Committee needs to promote the CPF to a greater degree on Find a Framer (maybe it's own page on the site?) and Social Networks. There are a lot of things the PPFA is doing right, it just need to be re-imagined!


This could be simply done by starting a thread on the FC in the public section (why not use it here too?), with the intended purpose declared, photos gathered later and then reformatted into whatever page or site the PPFA choose to promote it in.
 
Randy Parrish said:
I am going to throw this out there; CPF and MCFP framers need to make recommendations and share their good experiences with having the credentials. There are plenty of nay sayers out there, this we know. This is benefit of the PPFA and it needs to be repackaged and reinvigorated from time to time.

Just like shops that have recommendations on their Facebook pages and highlighted customers on their web sites. The PPFA and Consumer Awareness Committee needs to promote the CPF to a greater degree on Find a Framer (maybe it's own page on the site?) and Social Networks. There are a lot of things the PPFA is doing right, it just need to be re-imagined!


This could be simply done by starting a thread on the FC in the public section (why not use it here too?), with the intended purpose declared, photos gathered later and then reformatted into whatever page or site the PPFA choose to promote it in.
Click to expand...

Workin' on it.
 
Has it helped?

I have been a member of the PPFA for going on 36 years. It and the classes and other PPFA members have kept us in business. I love the annual PPFA stickers on the front door but we haven't received one in years? The news paper article is when I recertified for my MCPF, 2 papers ran the story. MCPF logo on our sign out front gets lots of attention. We have the MCPF Certificate framed in the middle of our corner wall. This is what puts the "
Professional" in Professional Picture Framers.

View attachment 389View attachment 388View attachment 390View attachment 391 The years of dues and the class fees have more than paid for themselves. Not being a member and not working for certification are a disservice to your profession and especially to your customer. The art and your customers deserve the best you can provide and the PPFA and its members continue to strive for that. Les
 
Due to all the activity and threads on the G about the PPFA, the CPF test, I am re-thinking my opinion.

I think the main problem is that most people (and I include myself here) don't really have enough samples of what the PPFA does. A common answer on 'why take the CPF test' is 'for yourself', 'recognision among peers' and those alone are just not doing it for me.

Although, I must admit, with people failing the test, I see it more as a challenge to take it...just to proof myself.

No, I'm not there yet, but will keep on reading on here and taking in all the comments.
 
Friday I emailed an official press release (yikes) to all the Milwaukee papers and magazines, and ezines announcing my MCPF certification.

I'll let you know how that goes in terms of marketing.

I have had a couple people come in because of my CPF; but I honestly didn't actively market that.
 
Ylva Callewaert said:
A common answer on 'why take the CPF test' is 'for yourself', 'recognision among peers' and those alone are just not doing it for me.
Click to expand...
Those are $1 answers to a $10 question. For most of us, the whole answer is more complicated than that. Over the years I have had the pleasure of talking to a lot of framers about why the CPF program appeals to them, or not. Perceptions vary widely, and so do framers' motivations.

About 60% of framers who decide to earn the CPF designation study seriously and succeed on their first try, but about 40% of first-time candidates fail. Those who then decide to study, learn sincerely, and come back for another try usually succeed. Unfortunately, some who fail become bitter and resentful detractors of the program.

Although, I must admit, with people failing the test, I see it more as a challenge to take it...just to proof myself.
Click to expand...
Personal validation can be a powerful motivator, but please understand that a lifetime of typical retail framing would teach very little about preservation, which is not intuitive, and that is mostly what the CPF exam tests. Those who only want to prove they already know enough about framing probably comprise most of the 40% noted above. They miss the point of the program, in my opinion.

Framers who embrace the notion of learning and progressing do well in the CPF exam, and increasing numbers are going for the MCPF, as well. They realize that the body of framing knowledge continues to expand infinitely, and that it is available to them. Education can become an endless quest for some, as the CPF and MCPF programs only open the door to ongoing programs. Learning is an infinite process, not a finite goal, and it has almost nothing to do with getting letters after one's name to impress others.

"The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder" was Ralph W. Sockman's way of saying that the more we learn, the more we thirst to learn more. Every answer brings up new questions.
 
Jim, your entire post talks about the very real learning aspects of certification.
The question at hand asks about the marketing aspects.

Although clearly not the only important part of branding your business, in can be a phenomenal marketing tool.

Yes, it's true that most consumers aren't looking for certification, yet, but if you tell them about it, it can make a very big impact on your revenue. When you explain certification to customers, it validates their decision to use you, which makes them much more likely to refer you to friends.

Can you succeed without it? Of course you can. Does it help? I think it helps a LOT!
 
Thank you Cliff, that to me (and that is to me personally) is one of the more valid reasons to even consider taking the exam and becoming more involved with the PPFA again. I enjoyed being at the meeting yesterday, and what did impress me in the open discussion is what will be in the future, with promoting the PPFA, with the 'findaframer' function and so on. That I can translate directly to my business. Taking the CPF exam in the future then becomes almost a 'given'. I would use it for marketing purposes as well.

Jim, I learn every day. I will never be done learning, be it in framing, be it in other areas. I know if I would take the exam, I would study. I realize you don't know me, or maybe you perceive me differently, but I feel you put words in my mouth that I never spoke.
And maybe I do the same to you now...sorry if I get your wrong.
 
Bumped as a reminder, for those just joining the forum. This is a combination Framer's Corner and FMO survey. Results and some comments will be posted in the next edition of FMO.

Mike
 
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