Intro by Skip Cohen
Last Friday I announced a new menu in the SCU diner, and a different "cuisine" with more extensive "entrees" to help you build a stronger business. Fast Food Friday has received a lot of nice feedback, but it was time to start serving more sophisticated recipes. Well, little did I know that my co-host on "Mind Your Business" and "Beyond Technique," Chamira Young not only loved the concept of an open house, but has her own recipe for success going to back to her move to Port Huron, MI a few years back. ​As a new photographer in the area it was important to meet the community and at the same time have them get to know her. Part of the success of the event included a short video clip which she turned into a promotional piece on her website. Check out her guest post below and then think about your own needs in the community. Remember, success in any business, especially photography, is about relationship building and establishing trust. Hosting an open house, even when you don't have a "house" is one ingredient so many of you need to either kick off brand awareness in a new community or jumpstart an established business that needs to stand out more!
By Chamira Young
​Little did I know the decision to throw an Open House would revolutionize my struggling photography business. It's a big part of how I built my client list from virtually nothing after moving to a new town and having to essentially start my business from scratch. Was an Open House outside of my comfort zone? Yes. But was it worth it? Absolutely. A classy Open House event is a great way to build credibility, momentum within your community, and a solid contact list for you to keep in touch with in the future. At my event, I not only had a handful of folks sign up for headshots beforehand (which required them to register with their email address, phone number, make payment, etc), but the people who stopped by just to check things out also had to sign in with their basic info. I was ecstatic over how many of these "freebie" folks later signed up for a full photo session once they met me and had a chance to see me working in action at the event. That's why it's so important to greet every single person at your Open House. They need to get to know you and it's the first step to establishing trust and building relationships. Below is a short video, just over a minute. I created it after the event, which served as a great marketing tool for social media, future events, and even on my About Page on my website. Don't forget, if you're doing any kind marketing video keep it short.
I underestimated the impact this video would have on social media, especially with folks who were not able to attend but watched the video to get the "experience" of the Open House. Not only did I get comments ranging from "Amazing!" to "Congratulations!", I received emails and phone calls from folks who wanted to schedule a shoot because they got to see me work with clients through the video.
​Another surprise came in the form of a steady stream of questions from fellow photographers asking how I put it all together, which led me to create a podcast episode going into detail about it. ​While it takes some time and effort to throw an Open House together, it's definitely worth it!
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Since February, I've been sharing Fast Food Friday - posts about things photographers need to be doing to build a stronger business and help make 2018 an outstanding year. The SCU diner has served up twenty-five different "blue plate specials" covering your website, blog, marketing, networking, and demographics, just to name a few. This week the SCU diner is taking on a new cuisine, thanks to Excire Inc. Excire's Search Pro software helps photographers save time when it comes to searching for images through Lightroom Classic CC. For many of you it's going to be a huge time saver, helping you find important photos faster. Keeping with the theme of things that can save you time, I decided it would be fun to change our menu, and start giving you ideas to help you become more efficient in marketing. We're going to expand this series to focus on specific promotional ideas to help you grow your business. We're going to mix up the "fast food" with some bigger entrees! Fast Food Friday is going to give you bigger ideas on how to better utilize your time starting with this week's promotion: putting together an open house. Between part-time and full-time photographers there are thousands of you who don't have a studio. To that point - whether you have a bricks and mortar business address or work out of your home, these next couple of months are the perfect time for you to host an open house and introduce the community to your work. Hosting an Open House...When You Don't Have a StudioLet's start by getting rid of the stigma of not having a full-time business address. Obviously having your own studio gives you something more to talk about, but this is about showing off your work together with your personality. It's about getting your community to know who you are.
Whether you have a studio, full-time business address or not isn't important. What is important is getting people to know who you are and understand your love for the craft. Fast Food Fridays are brought to you by: Just click on the banner above to visit the Excire website. Take Excire Search Pro for Lightroom Classic CC for your own FREE 15 day test drive. And follow us on Facebook for the latest information on this exciting software and time-saver.
This series is all about paying attention to your business. Most of you see yourself as artists, right-brained creative types with a minimal interest in the operational side of the business. So, we set out with a goal of giving you a new topic each week to help you fine-tune your business and in turn help secure better results for 2018. Along the way, thoughts have come up that step outside components like your website, blog, social media, etc. Today's "blue plate" special is just one of those topics. Recently my co-host on the Photofocus "Mind Your Own Business" podcast, Chamria Young and I had a lengthy conversation with David Scruggs and Jill Smith, two passionate wedding photographers based in Atlanta. They recently had a wedding to photograph where later in the evening, long after the rehearsal dinner, the mother of the groom was killed in a random shooting. The last photograph of the groom with his mother, father and siblings was taken at the rehearsal dinner. (Note: the podcast airs on September 14, 2018.) The topic of this podcast focused on the importance of never compromising on the quality of an image, but afterward, I started thinking about how deep that really has to go. It's such an important part of calling yourself a professional that I wanted to share a series of ingredients so that as an artist, you NEVER compromise on the quality of an image. It goes well beyond technique and understanding the craft! What Makes a Professional PhotographerThis podcast brought to mind several things that define a photographer as a professional, so that you not only rarely miss those important moments in a subject's life, but never compromise on the quality of an image:
Missed any of the past Fast Food Friday lunch specials? There are now 25 in the complete series and they're all just a click away. Just like your favorite lunch spot, each one is still being "served" in the SCU diner. Each lunch special hits on another aspect of building a stronger business and helping to make 2018 your best year yet. And, if there's ever something you wish we'd add to the menu, just let us know! It's time for you to thrive, not just survive! Every time I think we've run out of creative ideas for Fast Food Friday blue plate specials in the SCU diner I find one more series of ingredients to whip something up! LOL Remember, this is a very special diner serving up things for you to think about to help make this one of your best years in business. Well, today's is a very special combination of ingredients and I'm betting EVERYBODY is going to find something they can relate to and enjoy. Here's a phenomenon that seems to be more unique to the photographic industry than most other career fields - people tend to help each other. Over and again I'm amazed at people who ask for help on a photographic or business challenge and find themselves buried in answers. We're coming up to what traditionally is the busiest time of the year. It's guaranteed that some time over the next four months you're going to hit the wall with a challenge you need help with. There are so many resources for you to get help - you're not alone! Don't be afraid to ask for help!
“The strong individual is the one who asks for help when he needs it. Whether he has an abscess on his knee or in his soul." Rona Barrett Missed any past Fast Food Friday specials? There are 24 in the series and the SCU diner is still serving! Each special hits on a different aspect of your business. As the clock clicks down what's left in 2018, you've still got time to fine-tune your business and make the fourth quarter your best ever! We want you to thrive, not just survive! If you're new to this series, Fast Food Friday has become a never-ending laundry list of things most of you need to work on. I started the series under the "fast food" umbrella because we're all used to the concept. Time is our most valuable commodity and grabbing a quick lunch is an all too common theme. So, even though I think we need to take as long a break at lunch as we need, I'm sticking with the concept. This is a series of relatively short posts to help you fine tune your business and make 2018 a stronger year. None of this is rocket science, but it does take a commitment, starting with never saying, "That's good enough!" NEVER compromise on the quality of anything in your business, or for that matter your life! I thought it would be fun and useful to hit on the topic of social media a little bit. Even though past "blue plate specials" have included blogging and communication, so many of you could be more effective in the way you're using social media. "Social Media" - two words that just a few years ago had absolutely no meaning to any of us. Today most of us have a love/hate relationship with it but done right the only "hate" you should feel is that you didn't get involved sooner! But, don't kid yourself, you've got to have a foundation for communication or at least a desire to maintain contact with people. Twelve Tips to Help You Thrive in Social MediaThere's isn't enough room in a post like this to talk about everything you should be doing, but let's hit on some great basics. Remember, I'm sharing ideas on tips for using social media for your business, not personal use.
Missed any of the past Fast Food Friday specials? There are 23 in the complete series and the SCU diner is still serving! Each special hits on a different aspect of your business. As the clock clicks down what's left in 2018, you've still got time to fine-tune your business and make the fourth quarter your best ever! We want you to thrive, not just survive! I started Fast Food Friday in February as a way to share ideas to help you fine-tune your business, including marketing, your website and blog and even relationship building and communication. All I'm trying to do is plant ideas on ways to make both you and your business stronger. When 2018 comes to a close I want to see you thriving, not just surviving. Today's "blue plate" special is another one that's a little different from past posts. At times it might sound more like a rant than an entree on the menu at the SCU diner! The topic is dealing with trolls or just negative people. I'm not really upset, just bored with the challenge. This past week there seemed to be a flurry of people on Facebook who never learned how to behave! Most of you, if you're following me and reading my posts, aren't the problem, you know how to talk to people and behave. The challenge for all of us are the people who don't read anything, but what they write themselves. They love to hear themselves talk and criticizing or even shattering somebody else's vision/dream is how they get their daily thrill. Sadly, many of them are very talented and have some amazing skill sets, but they haven't figured out yet that the greatest skill in building a business is investing in relationships. Let's Shut off Negative PeopleLet's start shutting down the Internet trolls in our lives. Remember, when you engage them in a public forum you're giving exactly the response they were hoping for. So, see if these tips make sense:
* Last, on the list - everybody had to start somewhere and as Michele Celentano once said to a group of aspiring professionals at Skip's Summer School, "Twenty years ago I was right where you are...wondering how long it was going to be before my pictures didn't suck!" I know for many of you, I'm preaching to the choir, but feel free to forward this post to anybody on the Internet who's behaved like a jackass lately. Maybe together we can slow down enough aspiring trolls to make a difference! Missed any of the previous Fast Food Friday specials? They're all just a click away and there are 22 entrees for you to choose from! Sometimes I feel like I'm trapped in an old Hollywood movie and the hands of the clock are spinning. Time is flying by and it's already August. Don't miss the opportunity to take a hard look at your business and tweak those areas that can make you stronger and build more brand awareness. I started this series as a way to help photographers with one of the unique hats they wear - being a small business owner. As creative artists, so many of you hate the operational things you need to do in business. It's understandable, but that doesn't mean you can ignore marketing, advertising, promotion and social media, just to name a few of the challenges. So Fast Food Friday is an ongoing way to help you isolate the things you need to fine-tune your business and make 2018 one of your best years yet. There have been twenty dishes here at the SCU Diner, and today is a more seasonal favorite. Just like finding pumpkin pie on the menu of a New Jersey dinner in October, it's the perfect time to start thinking about the seasonality that starts long before the November/December holidays. The fourth quarter is just around the corner - so today's "blue plate special" is hopefully going to get you thinking about the home stretch for the year! Filling Sept. - Dec. With More Than Just Holiday Orders
Here's the key to success during the last few months of the year - you've got to do some promotional planning, and you need to get those ideas out in front of your audience. Nobody can sell your skill set better than you - but it won't happen if you let the pages of the calendar blow away like a special-effect in a Hollywood movie. NOW is the time to be thinking about things you can start doing with the seasonality of kids going back to school. The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing. Walt Disney Missed any of the past twenty Fast Food Fridays? Take a scroll through through entire series. We started in February with ideas to help you clean up your online galleries. Well here we are at the end of July, twenty-one posts later and there's still plenty to talk about when it comes to fine-tuning your business and marketing. Fast Food Friday posts started as a way to help you isolate things you need to fine-tune your business and make 2018 one of your best years yet. We've covered a lot of different topics over the last 19 posts, but there are still a few more to go. Whether you're new to the business or a veteran working to expand your skill set; diversify into a new specialty or experimenting with a new approach - confidence is a key. Today's "blue-plate special" is the equivalent of the big buffet at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The entree is confidence with twenty-two sides to choose from. While everyone can look like they're confident, this is an industry where you'll never be successful trying to fake it 'til you make it. The more you know and understand the process, whether it's capturing an image or a customer, the more success you'll have at exceeding client expectations. This is an all-u-can-eat lunch today, so return to the buffet as many times as you need to! Twenty-Two Ways to Build Confidence"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." Eleanor Roosevelt While this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt might seem a little over the top, the truth is, not having confidence can be a "horror." So the best way to beat it is to know every aspect of your business, and when something comes along that slows you down your network is there to help you through the challenge.
One of the biggest challenges with a lack of confidence comes from fear. The more experience you get, the less there is to be afraid of. Don't let fear get in your way. Get to know your gear, the craft and listen to your clients. What you're afraid to do is a clear indication of the net thing need to do.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Almost five months ago I opened up the "SCU Diner" with a Friday special to get more photographers thinking about their business. There are so many more things you can be doing to help make 2018 your best year yet! However, knowing most of you are right-brain creative types and hate doing left-brain operational fine-tuning, I've made each "blue plate special" as direct and easy to implement as possible. Today's special is a little more complicated and isn't so much about specifics in fine-tuning a business but suggestions on building a stronger mindset. While my ideas aren't directed to everybody, we all know somebody who's always got an excuse for their disappointment. Today's Fast Food Friday special started with a quote. If you've followed me on Twitter for even the shortest time, you know every morning I share a quote I've found to be inspirational. While it's great content to share, I really do it as much for my own benefit as my followers. All of us get so caught up in the challenges of running a business it's often hard to put things in perspective. These quotes have become my daily "vitamin" before I start each day. Not too long ago I shared this quote from motivational speaker and author, Les Brown: “Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” That quote got me thinking about the number of photographers and business owners I've met who have made finding a scapegoat for the challenges they have into an art form! They've got one excuse after another for a slow business, poor quality images, lack of recognition, etc. The list of excuses is endless, but here are the top five I hear most often: "If I only had a bigger studio..." "I can't wait until I can afford that new lens..." "I"m already working a full time job. I just don't have the time to build my business..." "I wish I could attend that webcast, but I don't know what to do with the kids!" "I can't afford a second phone line. Besides, people are fine with an email address." Let's Kill Those Excuses!A bigger studio: Some of the best portraits I've ever had done were by my good buddy Don Blair in a trade show booth. Tony Corbell did my daughter's senior headshot in the Hasselblad warehouse - two lights and a backdrop. A studio, be it bigger or smaller, isn't going to change business by itself! Great portraits are about your skill set and your ability to interact with your subject. New gear: A new lens won't always make a difference. Vincent LaForet talked about it a few years ago in a program at Skip's Summer School. He didn't have a long lens when he started, so he moved in closer. Yes, he really did define the challenge as that simplistic. Plus, if you need a new lens, then look into renting one or get involved in building your network and maybe you'll find somebody who might share the cost with you or lend you theirs. No time: There's always time to build a new business, but blaming your day job is an excuse. I'm not saying it isn't tough to find the balance, but thousands of photographers do it every day. Remember, 50% of our industry, in the portrait/social categories, is made up of part-time photographers. Other obligations: This is one of my favorites because you can always find something to do with the kids. It takes planning, and it's like finding time to build your business. Again, there are thousands of photographers who have figured it out. Don't get me wrong; whether you're a Mom or a Dad, I know how hard it is to find that balance. Sometimes you'll have no choice but to miss an event, but the minute you start to believe everything is working against you, you're caught in a self-fulfilling prophecy! Email only: People are not okay with just an email contact! Give people a way to talk to you directly and seriously; if you can't afford a phone line for just your business, you shouldn't be in business! Think about your own reaction when you need to contact a company and can't find a phone number. Nobody can sell your skill set and the services you provide better than you. Give people other ways to contact you besides email! The bottom line is you're the only one who can build your business. You're the primary person who has to believe in yourself. And, you're the only one who can recognize when you need help. You don't need to do everything yourself, except take responsibility! And, if you know somebody who's always making excuses, feel free to pass this post on. It's time for everyone, including me now and then, to stop pointing the finger in any direction but the person in the mirror each morning. Missed a previous "blue plate special?" Just click on the menu to the right and check out all of the specials since February! And if we're missing something on the menu to help you build a stronger business, just let me know. if I don't have the recipe, I've got an amazing network of "chefs" to draw from! Fast Food Friday is all about ideas to help you fine-tune your business, including your website, blog, and marketing efforts. Just like a New Jersey diner, there's a "blue-plate special" every week. Most of the dishes are easy to eat - although now and then we meet somebody with a food allergy! Here's the challenge for so many of you. You're working hard to become an artist and focusing on your skill set, technology, and production. You're on a quest for the ultimate image. So, it's understandable that you don't have the time or want to make the time to look at operational issues in your business. Well, that's where I hope this series can help. We're serving up fast easy to eat ideas to help you raise the bar on your business. Think about it, what good is creating the most beautiful images of your life if you can't communicate with your target audience? And there is today's special - working on your written communication skills! A while back I visited a photographer’s site, and I had no idea what she was trying to say! I’m not talking about a typo here and there; I’m talking about trying to understand what her point was in her “about” section. Grammar, spelling mistakes and typos all contributed, and she just rambled. Here’s your challenge: I know you’re an artist. I know you understand the expression “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but that doesn’t mean you can own a business and sneak by without writing a little! So, before you publish anything in a blog, website, brochure, even a letter to a client. For those of you who used to English class...
And, remember... You don't write because you want to say something, You write because you have something to say. F. Scott Fitzgerald Missed any of the past sixteen Fast Food Friday specials? There's a lot of great content with each post covering another aspect of running a stronger business in photography. They're all just a click away. And, if there's a topic you'd like to see on the "menu," let me know in the comment section below and we'll turn it into a future special! Each week I've been sharing ideas on marketing and business in the hopes these topics will help you fine-tune those areas of your business needing a little attention. I called this series "Fast Food Friday" because most of you are right-brain dominant artists, and need reminders on building your business in the form of fast, easy to implement ideas. And, whether you believe in left vs. right brain theories, the point doesn't change. You're artists, and you'd rather capture and create great images than deal with the operational side of your business. This week summer officially kicked off. The busy season is back and in full swing, but that doesn't mean you can kick back and ignore marketing. Unlike a lot of past blue plate specials, today's topic is the equivalent of one of those big Las Vegas-style all you can eat buffets. The topic is brand-building and it's the big picture for every Fast Food Friday special to date. Building a strong brand and creating top of mind awareness for your business should always be your goal. It doesn't happen by accident, so I'm going to give you a fourteen things to think about and then fine-tune wherever you feel they're most appropriate. Remember you don't build your business and walk away - a strong brand is about continually fine-tuning and creating awareness. Fourteen Ingredients to a Stronger BrandOver the last several years I've written about virtually every aspect a photographer needs to pay attention to when it comes to building your brand. Brand awareness is all encompassing and about every aspect of your business. This is a reminder that you can't put all your eggs in one basket, or even two or three. For example, social media is essential, but just a Facebook page isn't enough. Building your brand and marketing is about weaving a web around your target audience. It's about being everywhere they are. It really is that simplistic, at least in terms of establishing stronger reach.
There are fourteen action items on this list, and within each, there are probably a dozen subcategories. Just remember, they won't do you a bit of good if you can't walk the talk! If your skill set isn't up to par, you'll create more problems that will weaken the components of the strong brand you want to build! Photography is one of those career fields where your education never stops. Keep working to raise the bar on your skill set and at the same time build your marketing strategy. They all go together! Missed any of the past Fast Food Friday specials? There's a lot of great content with each post covering another aspect of running a stronger business in photography. They're all just a click away. And, if there's a topic you'd like to see on the "menu," let me know in the comment section below and we'll turn it into a future special! Welcome back to Fast Food Friday. Just like a New Jersey diner we've got a special every week. I started this series to remind you of things you need to stay focused on when a camera isn't in your hands! It's summertime and the busy season is back and in full swing. But, while business is good, that doesn't mean you can kick back and ignore marketing. This weeks special is all about your blog! You've got two outstanding marketing tools at your fingertips, your website, and your blog, but there's a big difference between the two. Your website is about what you sell, but your blog is about what's in your heart. An excellent blog is your opportunity to be helpful and share why you're a photographer. It's like publicity giving credibility to advertising. By sharing your heart, you're giving credibility to your website, which has the same position today as a bricks and mortar storefront before the Internet. "But Skip, there's nothing going on to write about!Over and again people tell me nothing is going on in their community to write about. Well, there's always something to write about. Here's a list of topics to get you started. Tips on how to be a better photographer: Nobody is going to steal your business. Give your readership tips on how they can upgrade the quality of their family images. Talk about posing, lighting, composition - all things you deal with every day. Even tips on better holiday pictures will remind your readership you're the expert on photography. And, it doesn't matter what they're using to capture the images - even a mother doing grab shots of the family needs to be reminded to move in closer, how to use fill flash, etc. Great places in the community to photograph: You know the area, share some of those "secret" locations along with the best time of day, etc. Events coming up in your community: Whether it's a gallery opening, an exhibit, a workshop or a charity drive, make yourself the expert on keeping people in your community up to date. New products in photography: Talk about some of your favorites. Help consumers in your community understand they don't need a lot of megapixels to get great images. Every time I hear about an average consumer trading up to get the latest and greatest in pixel count, it reminds of the muscle cars of my generation when I was a kid. Don't get me wrong, I had one, but all it did was cost me gas money! LOL Things you can do with your images: Have some fun with this and talk to your lab. Here's an opportunity to talk about great gift ideas you can provide that are out of the norm. Profiles: Whether people in the community or even pets, doing profile stories, one each week, are a great way to show your skill set and at the same time remind people what you do for a living. Plus, everybody you feature in a post becomes an ambassador for you. Take a look at all the businesses in your community you frequently use, including your favorite restaurants. A post with an good environmental portrait of somebody at your favorite pizza place, for example, shows your ability and at the same times turns them into a fan because of a great image and a paragraph or two about the restaurant. Client shoots: Many of you have trapped yourself in what I call "riptide marketing." You started out posting images from every shoot, especially engagement shoots and now you can't break the trend. You're caught in the riptide! There's nothing wrong in showing images of clients, but use a select few to make a point about the technique used, lighting, the location, maybe the composition...you don't need to show every image of every client...just show a couple of the very best. Websites and blogs to visit: Pay attention to the demographics of your clients and offer them helpful URLs to visit which are aligned with their interests. Workshops and conventions you attend: Don't be afraid to toot your own horn when you've attended a great program to raise the bar on your skill set. Here's an opportunity to remind your clients why you love photography and new techniques you're bringing into the business. Tips on hiring a photographer: Help your readers with solid tips about checking out a photographer BEFORE they're hired. Obviously, make sure you have a positive answer for your own business on each tip. There you have it, ten topics all on one "plate." It's enough of a list to keep you in blog content for a year or more! Remember, you don't have to post something that's in almost real time. You can build a stash of posts in advance and then draw from them whenever you're short on time. Also, remember the most important rule...be consistent! My suggestion for photographers is always to post at least twice a week on the same days each time! Now go start writing! And if you're stuck and have a question, you know where to find me. Missed any of the past Fast Food Friday posts? There are now sixteen in the series and they're all just a click away. Each one identifies another aspect of business to help you make 2018 an outstanding year. There are so many different things you can be doing to build a stronger business, and most of them take so little time to add to your strategy! And, if there's an area we haven't talked about yet, just leave me a comment and we'll start the research for a future post. I started this series to give you small doses of things you can do to fine-tune your business and help make 2018 your best year in business yet! My Friday "specials" are in no particular order, but have been topics that popped into my head sometime during the week usually as a question from a photographer or thread in a Facebook forum. Whether your business is up or down this year, we're into the busy season, and it will continue through the end of the year. You have to pay attention to the trends, your audience and all the vehicles at your fingertips to help expand your reach. Thanks to social media, you have the same reach today that only small newspapers and magazines had a decade ago. This is number 15 in the series, and we're hitting on one of the most serious topics - pricing. There's no better place to start than with the Master himself, Sal Cincotta. This video is at least seven years old, but Sal's focus is entirely relevant, especially in today's competitive market. However, regarding building a stronger revenue stream, I expanded on the topic with more ideas to help you raise the bar on the products/services you're selling. Is it time to review your pricing strategy?One of the biggest challenges is being competitive WITHOUT discounting. It starts with the quality of your work and finishes with exceeding customer expectations. Your goal is to make yourself habit-forming and you can do it without getting into a pricing war in your market, which turns your work into a commodity! Find Alternatives to Discounting!Sal hits on it in the very beginning talking about nothing being more destructive to your business than lousy pricing and discounting is all part of that challenge. I know we live in a SALE driven society, but there are ways to add value to a promotion that doesn't require you to turn your business into a battle with your competitors.
Last but not least, you've got to do a better than average job of getting the client to understand what an album is, especially in the wedding category: A wedding album is the first family heirloom of a new family. It captures memories that years later are long forgotten and answers the question to an inquisitive granddaughter who asks, "Grandma, what did you look like when you and Papa got married?" Missed any of the past Fast Food Friday posts? They're all just a click away, and each one identifies another aspect of business to help you make 2018 an outstanding year. There are so many different things you can be doing to build a stronger business, and most of them take so little time to add to your strategy! And, if there's an area we haven't talked about yet, just leave me a comment and we'll start the research for a future post. Fast Food Friday is all about ideas to help you fine-tune your business. And, while most of the dishes served each week are about being a professional photographer, many of them are universal to ANY company. Business is changing all the time. You have to pay attention to the trends, your audience and all the vehicles at your fingertips to help expand your reach. Thanks to social media, you have the same reach today that only small newspapers and magazines had a decade ago. There are so many different things that require a little attention. Yet, many of you have chosen to ignore some of the easiest things to change. While some of the Friday specials are short easy things to fix, today's blue-plate special is a little more complicated and a topic that's ongoing all year long. This is number fourteen in this series, and I want to give you some ideas on target marketing. As a professional photographer, you have to know your audience! It's Time to Define Your Target Audience!Every day we get emails that aren't relevant. They go into our spam folders or if snail mail into the recycling bin. There are companies like Macy's who are constantly sending out discount cards, and I remember Levin Furniture when we lived in Akron with a new discount offer every month. As a consumer, we were buried in analysis paralysis trying to figure out what the best deal on their prices really was. They were caught in what I call riptide marketing - unable to break free or change without a potential loss in business. So, let's come up with some ideas to help you get more targeted with your promotions:
There’s no such thing as knowing too much about your target audience. There’s a great line I’ve used for years, thanks to Ed Foreman, a motivational speaker from Texas: “If I can see the world through my client’s eyes, then I can sell my client what my client buys.” You've got to see the world through your client's eyes and understand what they're looking for. I heard Jerry Ghionis once talk about the secret to creating incredible images. The key is to photograph your subjects as if you were looking through the eyes of one of their loved ones. Well, marketing is no different - you've got to know your client and see the world through their eyes! Missed any of the past blue-plate specials? There are now fourteen specials in the series and lots more coming. If you missed any of them, just click on the menu to the right and take a scroll through the complete series. Some of them are more time-consuming than others, but each one will help you develop a more effective approach to a different aspect of your business. Let's make 2018 your best year yet! We're all too close to our businesses. I compare it to being a parent - your kids are changing every day, but it's not until you're gone for a few days on a trip for example, that you notice how much they've grown! Well, your business is changing all the time, and there are so many different things that require a little attention, especially in the photography business. So many of you have chosen to ignore some of the easiest things to change. So, I started Fast Food Friday to share ideas on easy things to fix. Some take longer than others to implement, but none of them are rocket science. They take time and need your attention. You know how to focus your camera, but what about everything else? This is number thirteen in this "blue-plate special" series, but today isn't about fixing a component of your business, it's about adding to your strategy. As a professional photographer, you have an opportunity with every customer contact to remind your audience you're a photographer. One of the best ways is by using your images in your holiday cards, thank-you notes, and stationery. No photographer should ever be buying store-bought stationery! As an artist, why would you show somebody else's work?Now is the time to start thinking about your image for your 2018 holiday card and once you have the photograph, it's so easy.
Here are a few more from Bleu and Ali that I've shared over the years: And, using your images for thank you notes is exactly the same, but you won't include a preprinted message on the inside. Don't forget your business stationary which can be everything from your logo on some nice paper stock or one of your images lightly screened on the paper. I saved this card from my buddy Everardo Keeme in Phoenix. We met at one of the Skip's Summer School events, and he sent me the note following the program. He used a terrific image, left room inside for a hand-written message and has his logo on the back. The value of the card isn't just in the image used, but the strength of a written note together with the marking impact of the logo/info on the back. This is where you get to remind people what you do for a living. And, if you're having a hard time putting something together, pick up the phone and call Marathon Press. Yes, they're an SCU partner, but years before this blog, like thousands of photographers in this industry I worked with them on a long list of other projects! As long as I'm talking about cards and stationery, the card below was created by my good friend Carey Schumacher at Barefoot Memories in San Diego. She spent an afternoon photographing Molly and me in the dog park. Later she surprised me with a set of notecards. It's probably one of the most fun gifts I've ever received. Think about the impact cards like this would have on a client. Whether you're creating your own stationery or something for a client, holiday cards, and stationery should be an extension of your marketing as well as products/service you offer your clients. Over the years I've featured cards from so many different photographers. The challenge for you is to stop procrastinating and think about the what you're using now followed by what you're using this December! What are you going to be sending out? Missed any of the past Fast Food Friday Specials?They're all just a click away!
I started this series and called it "Fast Food Friday" because so many of you are focused on your creativity and don't pay enough attention to the operational and marketing side of your business. What good is working so hard to create the most beautiful images of your career if nobody's buying; they don't know who you are, or you've done nothing to grab their attention? So, I went off on a quest to find one thing every week you could focus on and start thinking about - relatively short, fast ideas often easy to implement. And, just like a great diner, some of the "blue plate specials" are light while others might take more time and a stronger commitment. This week's Fast Food special is all about getting involved in your community. Unlike many of the previous specials, this one takes a little more time, but it's also got one of the strongest paybacks! You're looking for the community to be good to you, so you better make sure you're good to your community. Stumped on Ways to Get More Involved in Your Community?So many of you over-think the process and find yourself in analysis paralysis! This is such a simple concept. It doesn't matter what you're doing, as long as you're giving back to your community, with or without a camera in your hands. From working the refreshment stand at a Friday night football game to helping kids on the yearbook capture better images - no matter where you live there's an opportunity to be more involved.
Here's another aspect to why being involved is so important. Years ago I heard Jay Conrad Levinson, the father of Guerrilla Marketing, speak. In his top one hundred things guerrilla marketers needed to do was be involved in their community. Why? Because people like buying products from companies they perceive as giving back. So, what are you waiting for? Missed any past Friday Fast Foods? They're all still being served!
The busy season is back and in full swing for many of you. And, while I understand time is at a minimum, that doesn't mean you can ignore the critical elements of building a stronger business. So, I've put together the Fast Food Friday series, and just like a good diner, there's a "blue plate special" almost every week. Here's my hope - we're all too close to our own business, and so often we can't see the forest through the trees. We do things out of habit; manage by the exception, and often focus on more significant projects and miss the small ones. Each Fast Food selection is meant to help you fine-tune another aspect of your business. This week's special, and number eleven the series is all about one of the saddest and easiest challenges to fix in your business - understating the value of what you offer. I accept you're all artists, but no excuse for you to ignore the use of adjectives when you're describing your services. It's time to stop understating your products!Most of you describe your products/services in a way that could put a rock to sleep! This is your business, and NOBODY can provide the magic you do - you help people stop time, capture priceless memories and see all the emotion around them they usually miss. So let's beef things up a little and go back to seventh grade English class - the one many of you cut! Here are some examples:
I know I'm using a lot of wedding descriptions, but it's the one specialty we all understand and easiest to share examples about. However, every service and product you offer, regardless of your core specialty has the potential to be more appealing in the description. Many of you also offer too many packages. I still believe you only need three, a low, mid-range and high-end. And, regarding consumer buying habits, just like buying a car, we all tend to migrate towards more "accessories." No car salesman has ever shown you the bottom of the line first! Personally, I like coverages that have a descriptive word that denotes value. An easy example is using Platinum, Gold and Silver. And, if the best word to describe your low end coverage is Aluminum - then it's time to hang up your camera! Here's an example of how spicing up the description might sound with a wedding photographer's top level package. Platinum Coverage Our Platinum Wedding Coverage has been created to make sure you don’t miss one single moment of your special day. It’s about capturing the love without the interruption! A romantic engagement session anywhere you’d like us to be. Two outstanding professional photographers on the day of your wedding. Coverage starts with the excitement and anticipation captured at the rehearsal dinner right through to the tear in Mom and Dad’s eyes as they watch the last dance. Online hosting of an unlimited number of stunning images, posted online before you’re back from the honeymoon. Two designer handcrafted all leather 50 page albums custom designed to share with your grandchildren years into the future. Two smaller family albums which are complete replicas of your final album, capturing all the memories of your special unique day. A complete set of deluxe first edition prints. The two sentences highlighted in purple are just added frosting on the cake. I wanted to bring a little emotion into the mix. Every bride's biggest fear is based on stories she's heard about photographers taking so long on the traditional bridal portraits the couple missed their reception. Most of the time it's an urban myth, but I thought I'd jump right in and address it. The second highlight hits on the emotion of the day. And if you hate what I just wrote, that's fine, but I've read so many descriptions from photographers who have entirely understated their services. I want you to put a little more thought into what you write in your brochures, websites, and blogs. Whether a wedding, an event, a family sitting or just a business headshot, nobody can provide the magic of a great professional photographer. As Tim and Beverly Walden have shared so many times in their workshops, you're not doing a portrait sitting, but creating an experience! And, to take it a step further, they don't create a portrait but a priceless family heirloom to be handed down to future generations. On a descriptive writing site for teachers I found the following: "The primary purpose of descriptive writing is to describe a person, place or thing in such a way that a picture is formed in the reader's mind. Capturing an event through descriptive writing involves paying close attention to the details by using all of your five senses." This is from a site helping teachers with their students. You don't have to go back to school, just think about the advice above and the next time you're trying to describe what your services are in writing, think about what you're trying to say. You know how to capture a picture in your camera, now how about paying attention to the one you're creating in your reader's mind! Missed Any of the Past Fast Food Fridays? We're still serving!This blog series is about fine-tuning your website, blog, and business. There are so many little things that require a little touchup. They're usually easy to fix, but they can have a significant impact on making your Internet properties a better experience. It's human nature to be too close to your own business and miss how some of the things you do might be perceived by your target audience. Fast Food Fridays focus on things to give you a stronger presence. You know how to focus your camera, but what about everything else? This is the tenth "blue-plate special" in the series. And, just like a diner, there's a new one every Friday. On the menu today is one of my favorite pet peeves which is so easily fixed - let's get your policies OFF your website. Policies are important, but they belong with your contract discussion, not in the spotlight the first time a potential client visits your site. Most of Your Polices Don't Belong on Your Website!There's an expression in business I learned years ago called "managing by the exception." It's most often used in reference to a company's policies when there's no extensive history behind a particular procedure, except a single incident that happened in the past.
Here's the perfect anecdotal story: A little girl is watching her mother cook a roast beef, and she cuts two inches off the roast and throws it away. She asks her mother, "Why?" Mom says, "Because that's the way my mother used to cook a roast beef." The little girl goes to the grandmother and asks, "Why do you cut two inches off a roast beef before you cook it?" The grandmother replied, "Because that's the way my mother taught me to cook a roast beef." The little girl has one more shot at understanding the mystery and asks her great-grandmother, "Why do you cut two inches off the roast beef before you cook it?" The great-grandmother held her hands about 8 inches apart and said, "Because I only had a pan this big!" So many of you have policies with little or no contemporary justification. For example, I see a lot of websites with policy statements about deposits and cancellations, apparently the result of somebody getting "burned" and making sure it never happens again. I'm not against policies and procedures, but they don't belong on your website.
Most important of all, wherever you do have text on your website, keep it short and to the point. Remember a picture is still worth a thousand words and the purpose of your site is to get people excited about your work. The best way to do that is to dazzle them with great images. The purpose of this series is to keep sharing easy to fix ideas to help you raise the bar on qualities related to being a professional. We're all so close to our own business that sometimes we miss the most obvious challenges. I started Fast Food Fridays to help you focus on things to give you a stronger presence. You know how to focus your camera, but what about everything else? So, just like a diner with a daily blue plate special, I'm breaking things down into small "plates." There's a new one every Friday, and this is the ninth in the series. On the menu for today are easy-to-implement tips to be more accessible for your customers. Why make it hard for your target audience to contact you? And, when they do find you, let's make it an experience they smile about as opposed to shaking their heads and contacting your competitor! Are You as Accessible as You Should Be?We live in a world of instant fulfillment and gratification, yet I'm amazed at how many photographers insist on making it hard for potential clients to contact you. You've bought in on the idea that an email contact form on your website trumps personal contact. That couldn't be further from the truth! Nobody can sell you like you! A successful professional photography business is all about relationship building. It's built on trust, personality, integrity, credibility, and COMMUNICATION! Yet, so many of you hide behind the anonymity of a contact form. It's time to get more personal...
Missed any of the past lunch specials? They're just a click away!Fast Food Fridays are all about specific things you need to do to make your business and presence stronger. Each week I'm sharing a new "brand-builder" to help you make 2018 your best year yet. I get that everybody is busy, but I also know that just working on your imaging skill set isn't enough to make your business a success. For the most part, you're "right-brain" artists with little interest in focusing on the operational side of your business. So, just like a diner with a daily blue plate special, I'm breaking the business down into small doses of fixable challenges. This is number seven in the series, hitting another easy to fix component of your business. On the menu for today is relationship building, not just with new clients, but your past customers. As you're strategizing on how to make your business stronger, don't forget those people who have already worked with you and know you. Your Past Clients Are Your Most Valuable ResourceI've heard so many of you talk about the need to find new clients when most of you are sitting on a gold mine and don't realize it - your previous customers. I'm not suggesting you shouldn't be looking for new clients, but let's take care of the best ambassadors you've got first! Assuming your past clients liked working with you and were happy with the results, they're the first place you need to start to reinforce the potential to grow your business. Spend the time to support your own database before you move into new territory!
One of the best books about marketing I've read to date is UnMarketing by Scott Stratten. There's a new revised/updated version now available co-authored with Alison Kramer, but the tagline on the original book still says it all - "Stop Marketing and Start Engaging." Of all the marketing tools at your fingertips, in a world that's impersonal with communication being driven by texts, emails and social media, NOTHING is stronger than relationship building! You've got to look for new clients wherever it makes sense, but this one group, your past clients, is so ignored. While most of what I suggested would go in a personal letter, don't forget about using the phone! It's another forgotten tool, too often over-shadowed by the craze of social media. There's very little that trumps a personal phone call to catch up with a past client. Your past clients are your most valuable resource - treat them right, build relationships with them and don't forget how powerful word-of-mouth can be as they share their experiences of working with you with their friends. "Loyal customers, they don't just come back, they don't just recommend you, they insist their friends do business with you." Chip Bell Missed any of the past lunch specials? They're just a click away! |
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