Building Blocks for the New Year - Part 5

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by Skip Cohen

Note: I don't usually post on a Friday evening.  At the same time, if you know me, then you know when I want to share something, especially if I think it'll help you with your business, I'm going to get it published. So, it was one of those days and I kept trying to get this finished and finally gave up until after dinner. Wishing everybody a great weekend!

As a small business owner, whether you're just getting started, rebuilding your business, or just trying to do a quick high-impact jumpstart, there's so much you can be doing right now. But it's a you-snooze-you-lose scenario if you choose to be complacent and kick back waiting for your ship to come in!

The pandemic has added more than its fair share of challenges, but it's also created some incredible opportunities to help you stand out and be a leader. None of this is rocket science, but it does take time, a love for whatever business you're in, and a certain amount of good old-fashioned aggressiveness.

Last week I shared tips for your website, blog, and partnerships. Today, let's hit relationship builders. It's your greatest marketing tool and as Scott Stratten wrote years ago in "UnMarketing" - Stop Marketing, Start Engaging!

So, let's hit on some dependable relationship builders, all perfect to use during the pandemic.

• Find Clients: Everyone is always talking about finding new customers. Sadly too many of you forget about your existing database, as well as your phone. Take your top 30-50 clients from the past, and starting ASAP, give them a call. You don't need to sell anything. Just call to check in on them. It's been a long stretch since the pandemic started.  Everyone has been hunkered down and light on communicating with people they care about. Your goal is simply to check in on them and see how they're doing. Just do a few each day.
• Own Your Zip Code: Pound the pavement and start knocking on doors in the business community. Put on a mask, maintain physical distancing, and get yourself out there for introductions. Again, you don't have to sell anything except your personality. And for those of you who are rolling your eyes and thinking it's lame to approach a realtor in town because you're a wedding/event photographer, how's this for the opener, "I just wanted to introduce myself. My specialty is weddings, but I've got a solid foundation in photography. So if there's anything you ever need help with, give me a shout." Just leave your business card behind.
• Community Involvement: People like buying products and services from companies they perceive as giving back to the community. Jay Conrad Levinson, the father of guerrilla marketing and who coined the expression, listed community involvement as one of his top things marketers need to do. The fun aspect of this is using your blog to help promote needs in your community. With so many fund-raisers being canceled, every non-profit is looking for support. Use your blog to help promote various activities in your community and get yourself involved and known for giving back.
• Start Your Own Online Classes: There are things you do every day as a photographer that you take for granted. So, start using Zoom or a facsimile and create your own mini-workshops for the community. Share ideas on storytelling, exposure, composition, lighting, and position yourself as the community expert.
• Get Involved With The School System: Education these days is a mess, as teachers struggle with a combination of live and online teaching. Track down a few teachers and look for opportunities where you might be able to be a guest on career day about being a business owner and photographer. 
• Be Active on Facebook: While there's a lot about FB we all hate, keeping in touch with clients through social media couldn't be easier, especially with birthdays and anniversaries when they're listed. 
• Coloring Book Pages: I've shared this a few times, but it's thanks to Steven Gotz in the very early months of the pandemic. For clients with young children at home, pull some of their past portraits, remove the color, and turn them into line art. Send them to clients for their kids as coloring book pages - it couldn't be easier or more appreciated with some of your clients.
• Zoom Lunches: I've referred to myself over the years as "the biggest lunch slut" in photography. That's because it's such a great way to get to know people and share ideas. So, set up Zoom and invite a couple of other photographers or business owners to join you and then kick back and be sociable. 
• Keep in Touch With Your Network: All of you have people who you've met over the years at various shows and conventions. Start by making a list of every product you use in your business. Then do your best to identify a key person at each vendor and start keeping in touch. The crew at your lab is one of your most important contacts, but don't forget other artists, your local retailer, and the sales reps for the products you use most.

This is the first time in history; every business worldwide has most of the same challenges. The pandemic has had an impact on EVERYBODY. But again, here's an opportunity for you to be a leader in your community and demonstrate why you're everyone's best choice for the services and products you provide.

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Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence
and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.
Sheryl Sandberg