by Skip Cohen
I've written a lot about starting a new business in photography. Even though some of the issues you need to address are the same, let's look at recharging an older business. We've got to start with the definition of "jump start" or at least figure out what we want to do. Let's look at jump starting a business that's already established and stalled. If we had twenty, fifty or even a hundred photographers in the room right now and they had all been in business for a few years, the room would be split right down the middle between people having a great year in 2012 and those referring to it as the year from hell! Based on their experiences both groups would be right in their perception, but are there things the half having the harder time could do to change the outcome for 2013? It all begins with getting focused on what it is you want to do. You've got to get yourself psyched up and be not only excited, but really motivated and proud of your career choice in photography. So, as simple as it sounds, it starts with your attitude. Photography is about your heart - and you can't create images that grab people's hearts if your own heart isn't in it. This is about recharging your battery and right off the bat I'm going to do a shameless plug for SCU's Summer Session in August. You need to get yourself out of the rut and get a good dose of optimism with lots of good ideas on how to change things. And if you can't make it to Summer Session then look for programs by some of the industry's leading icons to help get you pumped. Matthew Jordan Smith, Dane Sanders, Tamara Lackey, Michele Celentano, Zach and Jody Gray, Justin and Mary Marantz, Kevin Kubota and dozens I've missed, are all on the speaking tour from time to time and you need to tap into their energy. Then there are specific things to do like launch your own publicity campaign, getting involved in the community, creating buzz for your business. You've got be proactive and offense is always more fun to play than defense! For example, a children's photographer should launch a new promotional opportunity. We're just coming into summer and it's perfect for themed sessions around baseball, 4th of July, summer vacation etc. A wedding photographer needs to do a mailing to past clients about "expanding", new products e.g. albums etc. anything that creates a little noise. Maybe it's time for this same wedding photographer to expand and diversify into children's photography. How effective would it be to do a mailing to past brides who might be starting a new family and plant the idea for portraits of the new baby. Or let's say you're a commercial photographer and it might be a great time to remind your clients about the need for a good solid new business headshot! Something that goes beyond that old high school senior shot they've been using! Shoot wide angle and bring their business into the shot with an environmental portrait. And let's not forget the whole world of social media. Are you active in Twitter, Google+ and Facebook, using them as marketing tools? Do you have a blog? Are you consistent in maintaining a constant presence? Check out Shutter Magazine this month for my article on ways to make your blog more effective. The point is your business stalled for a reason. I'm not minimizing the challenges with the economy, but too often that's become the scapegoat. If you look at businesses with challenges you'll find there are always things that could be done to turn things around. Since this is a blog, I've only got so much room before the statistics say you'll lose interest and move on to reading something shorter. The issue is, no business is over until you give up and if you're worried and feel you need a jump start then get some help before you pull the plug. Remember... "It's not whether you get knocked down. It's whether you get up!" Vince Lombardi These are difficult times with the challenges of the economy and technology both playing a role, but here's the best part! You're not alone in dealing with the challenges and there are lots of us out here willing to give you a hand! Photo Credit: © Martin Green - Fotolia.com
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I wrote a post about this a few years ago, but it's one of those challenges that just doesn't change.
There’s a great anecdotal story and it's still so relevant today: A child is watching her mother make a roast beef and she cuts off 3 inches of it and throws it away. “Why do you cook a roast beef that way Mom?” she asked. “Because that’s the way my mother taught me!” answered her mother. So, she went to the grandmother and asked the same question. The grandmother smiled and simply said, “That’s the way my mother taught me.” That took her to her great grandmother, who smiled and holding her hands about 10 inches apart said, “Because I only had a pan this big!” How many times do you find yourself doing something, simply because it’s the way you’ve always done it? I’m willing to bet, like the majority of us, there’s at least something you’re managing by the exception. Something happened years ago and started you on a mission to avoid ever having the same problem again. Unfortunately with the economy and changes in technology all the paradigms have shifted. Nothing is the same, especially when it comes to your marketing plans. Times have changed, but have you? I remember watching an old episode of 60 Minutes and Andy Rooney was attacking the airlines and their policies. “Because one bad terrorist tried to smuggle a bomb in his shoes, millions of us have to take off our shoes to go through security!” And going through Tampa Airport two weeks ago I was stopped by TSA because my liquids were in a gallon freezer bag instead of a 2 quart bag! Management by the exception. As you embark on what's already starting to look like a great year for so many photographers, let's do a little house-cleaning. I'm not talking about your office or desk, but things in your head, bad habits. Let’s get rid of comments like, “We tried that already!” or anything close to “Been there done that!” Take a look at your workflow – is it all it really could be or better yet should be? Is your marketing plan and material hitting the target you really want or are there some new targets out there for you to consider? Do you have all the skills you need to be able to handle whatever assignments come through your door? And at the risk of being accused of plugging my own program, get yourself to SCU in August. The reason so many people refer to it as life-changing has nothing to do with me, but the quality of people involved from the instructors to the attendees. This is about being part of a community of people who are focused, who care and who help each other and watch each others backs. It's about new ideas, new skills and new techniques. Whether you can join us or not, most of important of all, let’s all stop looking back and making statements like “You know what I should have done?” In short, stop “shoulding” on yourself! Photo Credit: kikkerdirk - Fotolia.com by Skip Cohen
I'm often asked what makes Skip's Summer School or this year's Summer Session of SCU different from other programs? Why do I need to be there? Well here's one thing that makes any SCU program different - the people involved and the network you're going to build. In fact, check out Skip's Summer School, a page on Facebook, started not by me, but Brent Watkins, a professional photographer from Ohio, who set up the page last year. Today, it's supported by almost 300 photographers who all focus on helping each other. Another thing that makes SCU programs different - being a part of these live events puts several of us on your marketing team. For example, last year I reviewed approximately 150 websites, spending sixty to ninety minutes with each photographer on the phone and making suggestions to make their site stronger. I even wrote a number of new "About" sections for attendees. This is "Marketing Monday" at SCU and it starts with a terrific post, Marketing Basics for Photographers by my buddy Scott Bourne. Your website is one of the tools in that marketing toolbox Scott refers to, but sadly, so many of you have websites that are far from doing what you originally intended. Here are the six most common mistakes I've found in my website reviews to date: Galleries: Just too many images and often not enough with the "wow" factor. Your work has to be outstanding and you need to ask yourself with every image, "If this was the only image I could show, is it good enough that I'd hire me?" If the answer is "yes" then it's a keeper, but if not, don't put it on your site. About Sections: People hire you because of your passion and the why you're a photographer NOT because of what you do, your awards or your gear. Over and over again I read bios that simply weren't relevant. Nobody cares how you got started in photography. They don't care what gear you shoot with and they care even less about awards from associations they don't even know about. What they do care about is looking into your heart. They want to know they can trust you to understand the importance of your family and friends. They want to know you love people, capturing memories and being part of the human experience. Lack of Continuity: If you're target audience is bridal then show wedding images. If you're a children and family photographer then show images of children and family sittings. What I saw over and over again were too many photographers trying to be all things to all people. There's nothing wrong with your passion for landscape photography for example, but it doesn't belong in your galleries if your target is brides. Know Your Demographics: Women make 98% of the purchase decisions to hire a photographer in the portrait/social category. So, think about your target audience. So often I reviewed sites that were too masculine for the target audience. Or, they just lacked a little sex appeal. Pay attention to the graphic elements on your site. Functionality: Over and over again I reviewed sites that were difficult to navigate. I couldn't find some of the most important information about the photographer. I was buried in add-on clicks leading me to multiple steps when all I wanted was to look at images. You've got to focus on simplicity and make it easy for your target audience to find those things most important. Oops - What happened to the design of the site? If you were building the house or studio of your dreams, you'd pay attention to every detail. From colors, to window placement and even which wall light switches were going to be on, but so many photographers have thrown together their websites with a total disregard to design. They knew they needed a website so they got one and that's about it! Well, today your website is the equivalent of your storefront. It's your business - your place on Main St. USA with the potential to have thousands of people walking by every day, but instead of something inviting that draws people in, they're going elsewhere. Scott put it best - are you trying to attract the Motel 6 target or Ritz Carlton? This year, instead of reviewing attendee websites, I'm going to be doing a business review. I want to help as many attendees focus on what they need to be doing to build a stronger business model prior to even getting to Chicago. Then, when in Chicago, we'll find time to follow-up and look for ways to help each attend "Thrive - not just survive!" See you in August! Illustration Credit: © XtravaganT - Fotolia.com by Scott Bourne
Marketing is something many photographers do not enjoy, but which they must learn to do (or hire) if they plan on making a living. Creative types often shy away from marketing, but they shouldn’t. They SHOULD be good at it. It is after all a creative endeavor in and of itself. This post is a short primer in marketing. It's not a white paper or by any means intended to replace the serious study of marketing. It is intended to get you off to a good start. Let's begin at the beginning. Marketing is not advertising. It's an entire toolbox full of stuff that you can use to represent your company's message. Advertising is one tool, public relations, networking, branding, etc., are all part off your marketing mix. The most important thing to know about marketing is that it's NOT about you - it's about your prospective customer. Everyone listens to the same radio station… WIFM - What's In it For Me? If you can't tell the prospect what's in it for them, you're going to fail. Start with understanding your customer's beliefs, feelings and desires. They may be different from your own. Get over that. If you try to substitute yours for theirs - again you will fail. Focus on their needs, not yours. To begin building your marketing approach, you need to establish who is your target audience, what your branding should look like (from the perspective of that target audience) how you want to position yourself, and how you will execute a marketing plan once you have those things figured out. There are many tools available to you. Networking, direct mail, advertising, public relations, direct selling, business development, e-mail newsletters, webinars, etc. The online tools like blogging, podcasting, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, You Tube, etc. are also very important. You can't afford to neglect any of them. Why? Because your competition isn't neglecting them. To start building your plan, lay out your goals. Then perform a SWOT analysis (get free SWOT templates here - http://creately.com/blog/examples/swot-analysis-templates-creately/) Know who your perfect customer is. What they think and what they want is all you should be thinking about. Who are they? Where are they? What do they believe in? Answer these questions well and you're going to succeed. Know that marketing doesn't happen in a vacuum. You can ask for help from your vendors, employees, collaborators and even your competition. You can co-market with like-minded people. You can hire folks to consult on all these issues if you have the budget. You don't have to shoulder the entire burden here by yourself. When you're making a marketing plan, be sure to analyze the economy, your competition, any policies or regulations that could impact your business, technology influences and anything else that can help you make decisions about who you want to reach and how you want to reach them. You might have noticed that over and over in this post I've emphasized your target market. You are not important. They are. Describe them on a piece of paper. Think about how they can benefit from what you offer? How can you best service their needs without regard for your own? Now you're getting somewhere. At this point you need to make some decisions and be willing to live with them. Outline how your marketing plan will establish, service and protect your brand and your customer's interests. Develop customer-friendly policies. Decide on the scope of your services and how to price and position them in your target market - which may not be the same market where you live. I can't go to far into pricing other than to say most photographers suffer from under-pricing. Pricing should intersect with your target market. Are you trying to reach the Motel 6 customer or the Ritz-Carlton customer? Will you rely on discounts or will you sell exclusive service"? Only you can decide how you want to handle this. Remember to do all of this with the client's needs ahead of your own. They are all that matters. Show them the benefits, not the features of your product and they will respond. At all times be as honest and open with your customers as you can. Always disclose potential problems and conflicts. Treat each customer as if they were a member of your family and don't offer favors to one client over the other. It always comes back to haunt you. At the end of the day, all of this works best if you can relax, have fun, be yourself, and make sure you're serving the market you want with the product you believe in. I've tried it both ways and I can testify that this works best when you take this final advice. To thine own self be true. Get out there and start marketing today. Don't put it off. I'm rooting for you. Illustration Credit: © kbuntu - Fotolia.com by Skip Cohen Don't let it bother you that you're a photographer and this is a short video sponsored by ModelMuscleHQ. I found it on YouTube and loved it, because the concept of believing in yourself is universal! The point is the challenge in building your business is often more about your own mindset than the competition. I often hear new photographers talking about how much they're worried about what they don't know yet. They're so focused on what they don't know...the gear they don't have...the studio location they can't afford yet...the community who doesn't know them and the list goes on and on. And while I wish the challenge was exclusive to new photographers, I hear the same comments from more seasoned veterans about changing technology, shifting paradigms and a consumer landscape that's seems to be constantly changing. So often they just give up, giving in to the "you can't teach an old dog a new trick" philosophy. Instead of focusing on what you don't have, focus on what you do have - an unstoppable passion. Take advantage of every opportunity you can for workshops, webinars, videos and blog posts. Focus on expanding your skill set and one day, when you least expect it you'll look at one of your images or the success of a promotion, smile and say to yourself, "Damn, I'm good!" Wishing everybody a terrific Sunday and a day filled with more smiles than frowns, family, friends and lots of reminders of just how much potential you really have! by Skip Cohen
A month ago I did a post about my buddy Matthew Jordan Smith and his Future Presidents project. It was the day it all launched on Kickstarter and he was looking to raise $30,000 to fund the project. Well, he made it, but now with less than 30 hours left, we want to help him exceed the goal, but you need to understand why. Exceeding the goal on a project like this doesn't mean any profitability for the author. What it does mean is the project has a chance to expand its reach. Stronger funding means Matthew has the ability to reach more children, more families and create a stronger project. If you're not familiar with it, here's the press release that dropped a few weeks ago. So, this morning's post is a call to action and we're down to the wire. You can guess how many projects over the years I've been involved in, but none with the potential to inspire and involve so many children and families. Matthew's got until the end of the day Sunday - whatever you can do is going to be so appreciated and give you your own little piece of a project destined to be historical. Thanks for your support! "Don't expect anything original from an echo!" Anonymous At a time when technology is so clearly on the side of the artist, I'm so amazed when I see photographers working so hard to copy another photographer's style. I'm not talking about incorporating a technique or product like good buddy, Suzette Allen talks about with hybrid e-products and the GH3. (Check out Jenny's Hope if you haven't seen it yet.) I'm talking about photographer's who lose their identity because they just don't work to develop their own style.
Let's use the Voice or American Idol as an example. The judges talk all the time about contestants who take a song and make it their own. They're singing another artist's melody and lyrics, but they're doing their own interpretation, making it more interesting and showing off their personal style and abilities. I look at Clay Blackmore's work and I'm so proud of what he's accomplished. He worked with Monte Zucker for years, but managed to take the best of what he learned from Monte and mix it with the very best of all the great contemporary masters at the time and then "seasoned" it with his own style, making him one of the very best today. He learned from the very best and then incorporated his own techniques. Even more important is the fact that he's never stopped learning and looking for new ways to bring in today's technology. A long time ago I used the quote above in another post and it got some terrific feedback. Thanks to Cort Anderson, Terry Clark and Donna Keidel, here are some additional thoughts on photographers and the "echo process"! From Cort Anderson: I have been thinking about this quite a bit lately as some friends are talking about going back to film and shooting with toy cameras and doing some very abstract work in Photoshop. Even though I have never shot with a toy camera I have a strong "Been there, done that" feeling about what they are doing. They talk about the experience of shooting with the cameras and shooting film. If I want a film experience I can dig out a 128 mb card to shoot on and wait a week to look at the images. If I want the toy camera look I can slap on my Lens Baby or hit one of a gazillion different Filters/Actions in Photoshop. It feels like I am going against the trend by wanting to take what I do and get better at it. I want to be best at what I shoot and print. And from Terry Clark: While these folks are shooting some nice photographs, they look like all the other toy camera images you see and are not nearly as good/creative/unique as the work they do with a DSLR. I feel like they need an intervention or twelve step program to get them back to what they do best. Style is a way of seeing images, it comes from the heart, soul and eye of an artist. Technique is a way of image treatment. Can a technique alone become a photographer's style? A lot of people are "going back" to film, or in some cases, using film for the first time. The shear essence of film does not make a true style. A bad picture is still a bad picture no matter what medium is used or how many Photoshop actions you throw on top of it. And from Donna Keidel: Go Cort.... You can't get better if you don't keep investing in your own style. It's called artistic process for a reason. There are so many opportunities for you to develop your own style and signature, but it takes work and patience. The key is to learn as much as you possibly can about the craft. Build a strong network. Attend every workshop you possibly can. Watch every video, webinar and read what other photographers are doing. Last on this list, just look at pictures in magazines and on line in galleries. Terry says it best, "...it comes from the heart, soul and eye of an artist." You've got to be a "sponge" for ever technique and skill set you see. Out of all of that knowledge will come your style, a look and feel in your images that helps make you different and sets your work apart. by Skip Cohen Now is the time to start thinking about your holiday cards for next December. Yes, I know it's only May, but all I want to do is plant the seed for the idea. Plus, you should be using your own images for your stationery as well. There are few things worse than a photographer buying a box of Hallmark cards at holiday time! There is no better way to show your work than on your own cards and stationery. I've written a lot about this in blog posts and magazine articles and even included it in various workshops over the years. The bottom line is that it's not too early to start thinking about how your holiday card can impact your business. Think about it for a second. What better way to demonstrate your abilities and market your work than to use one of your own images on a card? It’s easy, it’s a soft sell and your logo and business information on the back of the card tells people a lot more than a CVS bar code. Plus, it shows you have pride in your work! Bleu Cotton and Allison Pierce have set the standard for great holiday cards and the entire family is included in the process. They've made their sense of humor an art form, some day to be declared national treasures! LOL In past years they've been featured in their card with Bleu as Santa, Allison as an elf and their son, Fisher, now upstages both of them! If Fisher plays his cards right and listens to everything Mom and Dad teach him about life and laughter, we'll see him doing standup on late night television in twenty years! Helping to reinforce your brand is one side of holiday cards, but let's look at another, one that contributes to your bottom line. Holiday cards, thank you notes and stationery are amazing products for your clients. It's the ideal extension of your product line and you've not only got the images, but the ability, with a few clicks of your mouse, to create their card or stationery. Again, it's the same old question - why would you want to send them to CVS for their holiday cards, when you've got the support from companies like SmugMug and the skill set?
So there’s one point here: It's May and you’ve got six months to get your act together and create an image for your own cards. Ongoing, there's a whole set of products here to incorporate with every client and plant the seed for holiday cards and stationery. Whether the economy is tough or not, the issue is always the same - it takes a constant effort to keep your name out there with the public. Most of you are sitting on a gold mine of your own images and barely take advantage of the real asset they could be as marketing tools! Then comes the access you've got to images of your clients. Show your confidence in your own work and when people turn the card over to look for the Hallmark label, how terrific it would it be if they saw your name instead? "You can be childlike without being childish. A child always wants to have fun. Ask yourself, 'Am I having fun?' " Christopher Meloni Years ago good buddy and SCU Faculty member, Jim Garner produced a series of hysterical videos. They were Jim's own interpretation of "The Office", but all about business as a photographer. Each one was brilliant and very funny. I remember thinking as I watched them, "This is great stuff, but it sure doesn't do much to attract clients!" The next time I saw Jim I asked him, besides being a kick for his peers to watch, what purpose did they serve? I still remember his answer, almost word for word, "Are you kidding me? Brides watch these things and they see how much fun I am. They want to hire me just because they know they'll have a good time working with me!" A few days ago I posted two videos by Ron Dawson, going back to the WPPI 2008 convention. It's Ron's brilliance combined with Joe Photo's sense of humor that makes them so much fun to watch. Once again, these were about marketing. Remember the target audience - professional photographers going to the convention that year. There were three episodes and they all ran leading up to the awards night and targeted attendees. This week I was sent the link to Tiffani and Mark Dhooge's new website. They've been regular attendees each year at our summer programs. They're passionate and very focused (no pun intended) on each client, but they also want to present a personality that's wonderfully human. I know that sounds so simplistic, but they pride themselves on just being who they are, a couple of fun people to hang out with. Just this banner ad for their new site conveys two photographers who are going to bring an aspect of "fun" to everything they do. And there it is...my favorite word, "fun" and a concept that's too often lost in business today. Not only are you allowed to have fun, but you're doomed without it!
All of us, me included, have days where "fun" is a lost concept, overshadowed by the stress of worrying about the challenges of business and life that get in the way. That brings me full circle to my point... It's not important whether or not your subjects give you the old stereotypical "smile" just before you click the shutter - it's important that YOU smile when you're working with every client. You can't smile if you're not having fun and if you're not having fun then kick back for a few hours, whatever time is necessary and figure out what you're missing. You'll never grow your business or be as happy as you'd like if you're not having fun in the process! Skip Cohen |
Our Partners"Why?"Check out "Why?" one of the most popular features on the SCU Blog. It's a very simple concept - one image, one artist and one short sound bite. Each artist shares what makes the image one of their most favorite. We're over 100 artists featured since the project started. Click on the link above and you can scroll through all of the episodes to date.
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