Suzette Allen is back this week with an outstanding idea to keep building on the products and services you offer.

This year there are an estimated 3.5 million high school graduates, just in the United States alone. Even if you're not regularly a senior photographer, you've still got a small window to create some outstanding goodwill with your client base.  

Graduation offers an extensive list of potential products, from event photography to portraits and family to producing "Thank You Videos," like the two Suzette created below.  Are there any parents on the planet who wouldn't love a video like this? As a parent myself, I can't think of a more cherished video I wish I had from the past.

But, I want to take it one step further.

I went on a mining expedition in Google trying to find out how many children under 18 there are in the United States. The best I could come up with is around 74,000,000! I know that's all ages, but hear me out.

There are milestone moments and events all year long in a child's life. Then there are holidays, birthdays and anniversaries. Think about the potential goodwill you could be creating for a client with a surprise video of their kids, individually or as a group being able to say "thanks" to their parents or grandparents.

We're always talking about the importance of capturing memories, and the importance of updated family portraits as the kids grow older, and the family dynamics change. And, if you hate the idea of charging for the service, then why not just quietly throw it in with whatever portrait package "Mom" has selected?  It's the perfect gift idea, and it keeps on giving every time it's watched.

You've heard me talk about being the low-tech poster child of the industry. I like and need simplicity, and nobody makes it easier to produce a slide show than Photodex. It couldn't be easier for me to use ProShow Web together with my images and short video clips.  As I've said before - "If I can do it - then anybody can!" LOL

Don't let the year go by without expanding the services you offer to your clients. Think about how many different applications there are for kids to say "thanks," and then let your creative juices flow. Done right, this could be one of those perfect skill sets to separate yourself from your competitors!

You can't look at the competition and say you're going to do it better.
You have to look at the competition and say you're going to do it differently.
Steve Jobs

by Skip Cohen

In last week's post​I shared eight more ideas for blog content, bringing the total to sixteen so far. Well, here's another idea, not just for content, but for marketing and building your business.

​The "slow season," typically the first quarter for professional photographers ended on April first. With Spring has come a whole new series of summer sports. However, for most professional photographers, marketing always falls under the topic of "work in progress." My guess is very few of you have really thought through the potential of expanding your family photography beyond portrait sessions and special events.

So, here's something to think about:  First, for most of you, the target audience is Mom, because 98% of the decisions to hire a professional photographer in the portrait/social categories are made by women. Second, think about what Mom is most interested in, and almost every time it's going to be something involving her kids.

While most of you aren't sports photographers, you do have an opportunity to capture images regularly of kids involved in sports. From summer sports right into and through the fall and winter season next year, it's not too early to start thinking about how to make your client presentations SCREAM!

I love the demo video above because it takes you through a complete series of presentation ideas, literally sport by sport. It's not just demonstrating the potential for creating slide show elements to exceed client expectations, but a collection of creative ideas.

It might be May, but all the back-to-school sports are just four months away. For those of you in communities with lots of school spirit, summer football camp will be starting in 2-3 months. There are opportunities coming up for you to demonstrate what makes your work different and why you're the best in your community. 

In a post earlier this year "Kathy" from Photodex shared some great examples of presentation tools with her post, "Five Exciting FX for Your Sports Slideshows." All five examples are below, but even better is the complete family of special effects, each one built around a different specialty/application.

Photodex doesn't just help you build incredible presentations - they're helping you become habit-forming for your customers. Here's your chance to create slideshows that "wow" every client!

"Blogging is not rocket science. It's about being yourself, and putting what you have into it."
Anonymous

Photodex doesn't just build terrific software they're helping to build stronger presentations for every photographer. Their website and blog is loaded with great content, and their partnership with SCU is all about helping you raise the bar on your business and skill set. 

In March I shared a post, "Eight Great Post Ideas for Your Blog." Well, I'm back this morning with eight more, but before looking over the list, you need to understand why your blog is so important!

Your website is about what you sell, but your blog is about what's in your heart. Consistent blogging gives you a chance to share your personality and passion for the craft.

​I get that "passion" is one of those totally abused words by photographers, but it's the only one that fits. So, before you roll your eyes, think about what the consumer is looking for when hunting for a photographer!

First, more than likely the consumer is female. That's because women make 98% of the purchase decisions to hire a professional photographer in the portrait/social categories. That means most of the time "Mom" is your target. The exception is with wedding photography when the hunt is by the bride as well.

Second, your target audience is looking for somebody they can trust. They don't care what gear you use or the awards you might have won - they want to know why you're a photographer. A great blog gives you a chance to share those feelings in a way that's so soft-sell, it's hard-sell, but nobody is offended.

Third, a blog is an excellent way to show your very best images and talk a little about them, but in a way that's helpful to your readership. It lets you demonstrate certain aspects of your skill set that would be lost in a bunch of images in an online gallery.

Finally, a great blog gives your website credibility, much like the way publicity reinforces advertising. A blog gives you the ability to show you can "walk the talk." Everything with your target audience is about building trust and making yourself habit-forming.

Okay, let's give you eight more ideas for content for your blog:

How to Hire a Photographer: I love this one because it puts you in a position of being helpful, while at the same time you're making sure everything you suggest applies to you and your business.

Profile Your Favorite Charity: Like the old skit on Saturday Night Live, it gives you a chance to be a character like Subliminal Man. Talking about a charity, you believe in gives you the opportunity to show community involvement, while at the same time sharing a few images helps to demonstrate your skills as a photographer. And, if you're concerned about alienating other charities in the community, then launch the feature as a series, with a new charity being profiled each week.

Photo Tips for Kids: If we've learned nothing else from companies like Toys R Us, the best way to get to "Mom" is through her children. Start with some easy to understand tips just for kids. In fact, if you've got children of your own, talk them into doing a few guest posts. Now your blog becomes a family event and helps build even more trust with your target audience.

Contests: Once you've built a little readership, have some fun with a couple of seasonal contests. Whether for kids or adults, tie it back to photographs they have to submit and make the prizes your services. Spice it up a little by getting another vendor involved. For example, a wedding photographer with a blog, might bring in a prize from a local florist and then also include a post on flowers, etc.

Guest Posts: Your greatest marketing tool is relationship building. Look to get the opinion leaders in your community involved in your blog and include various vendors who have appeal to your readership.

Community Interest Posts: A good buddy, Jared Burns, was interested in getting more established with the community from India in the area he lives outside Seattle. So, he did a series of posts that tied in relevant topics. For example, he did a post about henna tattoos, an important part of the culture.

My Biggest Challenges: This is a series of techniques which allow you to demonstrate your expertise. They can cover everything from posing groups, lighting, kids that won't sit still, even sharing why as a pro you choose certain focal lengths in different situations.

Be Personal: Your target is "Mom", and most of the time she's pretty stressed, especially when it comes to time management. Don't be afraid to share some of the things that come up in your life that she can relate to. Great topics would be finding the balance between business and your family; fun things you've done with your spouse; the importance of "date night," etc.

Yes, you can survive without a blog, but I'm convinced a blog together with a good website will help you expand your reach and build brand awareness even faster. What good is working to build your skill set and capture stunning images if people don't know who you are? A blog, if done right, can be a key ingredient to building trust with your target audience.

"If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you they'll do business with you."
Zig Ziglar

Intro by Skip Cohen

Every time Suzette Allen joins us here at the ProShow Annex I write pretty much the same thing about bringing slideshows into your repertoire. It's  a no-brainer to expand what you offer your clients as well as how you market yourself.

Today though, rather just push the point about building a stronger business, Suzette gave me a whole supply of videos to share and I picked five different ones for you to view - all of them under a minute.

The fun of this concept is that they don't need to be full length feature films to have impact! Pay attention to the way Suzette has put these short films together, the techniques she's sharing, the music and the images. From family to maternity to seniors, watch each one of the five and think about your client base and the profile of your target audience.

We're into the second biggest stretch of seasonality in photography - the Spring! While many of you are too late to do something for Mother's Day, you've still got Father's Day and Graduation ahead. Don't let this season go by without exceeding client expectations with some perfectly timed delivery of slideshows for your customers!

One of my favorites this week was The Lutz Family. I love the way Suzette mixed video with still images and then the combination of the smaller color image together with a partial view of the same larger image in black and white, especially when the little girl reaches over to kiss Dad and then Mom. 

Slideshows need to be a part of your business and Photodex and Suzette are working together to make it so easy! 

So many of you are working so hard to build your skill set. Slideshows, especially hybrid with still images and video clips are such a great way to draw in more clients. They also demonstrate your ability to be the ultimate storyteller!

Click the banner to the right to find out more and how you can take ProShow out for a test drive. Don't let the year go by without expanding your business to include more than just prints and albums!

Here are a few tips to make the most of your efforts and get the best response:
​

1. My goal is to make short pieces under a minute long (or under 30 seconds is even better!) with a Wow beginning.  Use music too, but more than half will see it in silence, so make sure it is engaging without the music too.
2. For Facebook uploads, never link from YouTube or Instagram or even Photodex! That requires them to click on the link to go see the video. Facebook does not want viewers going to another site! So, what’s the key? Upload natively- which means directly load up the MP4 from your computer into FB. That DOES mean an extra step. That means when you are finished building your show with Pro Show Web, you need to go to the downloads tab and create a Video (I make HD, usually) and download it to your desktop first. BUT the payoff is that when they scroll through the feed, the video plays instantly, catching their attention and not requiring a click-thru! #totallyworththeeffort
3. For maximum impact on Instagram, crop it square if it looks good in that format! Bigger IS better! Unfortunately, you cannot crop a video in lightroom or in Photodex, so you will need to go to Photoshop to do this job, and export from there. #helpfulbutnotvital
4. Of course, you should add your logo and name at the end of every video and perhaps a link to your website as well! I just create a title slide (1920x1080 pixels, one black and one white) with my logo in the center and keep it handy to add to the end of every show I make.

I love using ProShowWeb to create these short promos because it makes it easy and fast to create them and allows me to add a link to my website at the end as well! It’s as easy as picking ten images, three videos of 5 sec or so, a title slide, a song and pressing “GO”.
 
I love the way Pro Show handles videos so well, but even if you are not shooting much video yet, you can still make a moving show with the stills that will capture the attention and leverage motion to your advantage! You can grow into your video skills with ProShow and look great all the while.
 
I've picked a few sample videos that feature engaging videos to grab your attention when it is whizzing by in a social media feed. Maximize your marketing dollars by leveraging social Media and take advantage of the season!
 
It’s nearing the end of the school year too, so senior grad cards with slide shows of stills or Hybrid “Reel Stories” as I call them, are the ideal product to create for seniors- either to connect to their grad cards with Live Portrait OR provide a cool show to feature at their grad parties! They don’t have to be long—just cool!