Today's post is out of the SCU archives. I'm sharing it, not because I didn't want to write something new today, but because the topic seems even more relevant. As the industry changes, it's taking more and more creativity to make your work stand out. Yet the basics for success NEVER change.
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by Skip Cohen
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A few times over the years, I've referred to myself as one of the luckiest guys in the industry. One example is having the privilege of working with all four of the icons above. Don Blair and I wrote our first book together. I have dozens of Monte stories from so many different workshops and programs. Avedon made me lunch once in the flat above his studio, and Scavullo's dog tried to take a piece out of my leg on a couple of different visits.

I chose these four because I had the privilege of spending time with them, and there are so many of you who never got to see them in action. There are so many other artists for each of us to remember, along with contemporary icons active in the industry right now.  The common denominators between all of them are the traits below.

Kicking off the last quarter of the year, it's the perfect time for all of us to remember the ingredients that made those four above iconic, along with the traits of so many younger contemporary artists we admire today.

Image Quality:  They NEVER compromise on the quality of an image. Exposure, composition, expression and impact are as consistent as the sun coming up every morning. 

Lifestyle Quality:  They maintain a lifestyle of giving back and a strong sense of family and friendships. They have integrity, they have poise and they follow through on their promises.  They also surround themselves with people with similar commitments.

Loyalty:  Whether it's to the vendors they work with or their friends, their loyalty is rarely questioned.  Everyone watches each others backs and the mutual respect and admiration, at least from my perspective, is pretty much unmatched in comparison to most other industries.

Humor:  They don't take themselves too seriously. Think about any program you've attended that you loved and learned something - I'm willing to bet you laughed...a lot.  Today's photography icons are comfortable with admitting when they do something stupid, have fun with a client or completely screw up a job and live to tell about it.

Humility: Not everyone has it, but even those few we might consider a little arrogant - if they knew how they were being perceived they'd be upset and ready to work on a different persona.  So, I'm not sure if the quality I'm trying to describe is humility or a willingness to listen, but they've got it.

Confidence:  They believe in their abilities, their willingness to learn new skills and they understand their camera gear and photography cold - there's no second guessing and no "chimping."  Even when they talk about a new idea or technology, you'll pick up a unique tone in their voice, almost as if they've been shooting that way for years.

Diverse Skills: It goes with confidence, but there's nothing they can't shoot.  We might know them as a portrait photographer and then we'll see work that's fine art, landscape or architectural - they refuse to be type-cast into any one skill set. They may have a signature specialty, but none of them are one-trick ponies. They're always experimenting with new technologies and growing their skillset. 

Passion: It's the last word on the list, but it drives everything they do!  It's not just about photography, but about life in general - they simply never stop loving the craft, their lives, their friends, families - you name it and passion is what drives them to succeed.

Here's the bottom line - how do you stack up against the ingredients? Or more importantly, how do your customers feel you stack up?

Happy Hump Day!

by Skip Cohen

It's Marketing Monday, and I thought it would be helpful to create a checklist of things you should be doing or, at the very least, planning.

1. Your Holiday Card: No professional photographer should ever send a store-bought card. Use your holiday card to show your work and remind your audience what you do for a living. 
2. Blog and Social Media Messages: Now is the time for SNL's "Subliminal Man" to crank up the volume. Use your social media and blog to create content with reminders about photography as a holiday gift. It's a simple, direct approach: "So, what are you getting for grandma this holiday season?" Use photography with examples of great gift ideas.
3. Client Holiday Cards: Whether a printed direct mail card or holiday video, both need to be in your offerings for the holiday season. And keep an eye on Marathon Press because they always have a BOGO program on holiday cards! 
4. Client/Vendor Thanks: Throughout the year, a few people have helped you beyond normal referrals. Whether it's with a gift basket, flowers, or taking a vendor to lunch, make it a point to reach out and let them know you appreciate their support.
5. Partnerships: With any project, having partners reduces your cost. Whether a direct mail holiday promotion or sharing the cost for a holiday party in the community with a partner or two, each of you becomes an ambassador for the concept, and you increase your reach.
6. Your Client Archives: Most of you are sitting on a gold mine and don't know it. Those archived images from the last year or two have value to each client. But you have to plant the seed of what to do with them. How about a personal letter with a printing special on canvas or whatever new technology you think your audience will find exciting? 
7. Holiday Portrait Sitting: Dean Collins used to contact the senior executives at companies he had worked with earlier in the year. He did a free holiday family sitting as his way of saying thank you. And David Ziser would contact past bridal clients for a free holiday/anniversary sitting. Imagine the excitement of a bride a year after her wedding when she gets a call from her photographer for a free holiday sitting! 
8. Who's Photographing this Year's Kiwanis Holiday Party? Every community has multiple associations, such as Kiwanis, Rotary, Exchange Club, etc. Now is the time to check in with each organization to see how you can be more involved.
9. Teach a Class: How about launching a campaign to clean up your community by upgrading the quality of the photographs everyone is trying to capture this holiday season? From posing tips to composition and lighting, there are so many things you have the skills to pass on to your audience. Doing a live program at a church or community center focused on better holiday images is a perfect way to create top-of-mind awareness of your skills and the services you can provide.
10. Community Calendar: Use your blog, website, and social media outlets to share events in your community. Each event you promote makes you an ambassador for that organization, again creating more brand awareness.​

No blog post could include everything you should be doing, but it's a start. Stop procrastinating and start doing!

"If you wait for all the lights to turn green, you'll never get started on your journey!"
Zig Ziglar

Marketing is about brand building. It requires a huge commitment and establishing and never-ending stream of awareness with your target audience. Professional photography isn't just about capturing great images, but creating an experience with each client. It's about exceeding their expectations and, as I've written so many times, making yourself habit-forming.

Too many artists focus on pricing and promotional packages, putting less emphasis on everything else in their business. Building a strong brand needs to obviously include a technical skill set for capturing stunning images and telling a client's story, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. Trust, integrity, communication, and accessibility are all key components—all of which go beyond your logo, website design, etc.

​I chose the quotes in today's post because each one hits on a different aspect of building brand awareness. Take a few minutes to think about your brand.

How can you make yourself stand out from your competitors? What can you be doing to make sure people recognize your business as their very best choice? What are people saying about you when you're not around? What are they thinking when they see your name or hear about you from another consumer?

by Skip Cohen

Great Customer Service is one of the best tools for building your business—when it's done right. That means quick response time, solutions that make sense to the customer, and an attitude that shows your sincerity, passion for the craft, and respect for the customer.

But done wrong, like Buick is currently doing with me, it undermines everything a company does. Here's the short backstory:

I took my car in for service. The check engine light was on, and it turned out to need a new turbo. It's only got 30,000 miles on it and has not been driven hard. It's a warranty repair, but the car shouldn't be driven for long distances. Buick has no idea when they'll be getting the part, and the dealer forecasted the end of September—maybe! So, I contacted General Motors.

At 8:15 pm last night, I got a call from General Motors. This was the third time I was told a call that was supposed to come to me earlier hadn't happened because they had technical phone problems! In addition, the rep from corporate told me they still have no idea when they'll have the part but promised to keep me informed!

Meanwhile, I had already heard from the dealer a couple of days ago. They found the part at one of the GM plants, and it's already been shipped. Buick at the corporate level had no idea what they're doing! 

But this saga is not without a bit of humor - the General Motors Facebook page just sent me this notification since I've been actively complaining about the terrible service. Rising fan? NOT!

Buick's corporate approach is an excellent example of  what NOT to do...but here are a few tips that are important to building your business:

• Response Time: Do you check your email and phone messages multiple times each day? You need to respond quickly to set yourself apart from your competitors.
• Get Your Facts Right: You'll accomplish nothing if you don't take the time to listen and understand the customer's problem. 
• Finding Solutions: Whether it's you or a member of your team, work to find solutions to challenges quickly. And when there is a problem, NEVER hide from an angry/frustrated customer.
• Don't Over Delegate: I'm on my third "advisor" from General Motors. This new person is from another group, the Part Delay Department. Apparently, I'm supposed to feel good that my complaint has been escalated up a level of importance. What good is escalating it if nobody takes responsibility and is always pointing the finger at somebody else?
• Exceeding Expectations: Every customer interaction is an opportunity. From the quality of the products and services you offer to each inquiry and interaction with the public - never walk away saying, "That's good enough!" 
• Simplicity: Too many of you have policies and disclaimers on your website that would scare an IRS auditor. Keep things simple in your policies. For example, I still don't understand the purpose of Buick having Customer Service at the corporate level if nobody has any power to do anything!

Here's my point in today's post: Customer Service should be one of your greatest assets—make your word mean something. Don't "buick" people (yes, I did just make it a verb!). When there's a problem, confront it quickly and contact the customer with solutions, not excuses. ​

Customer service is the experience we deliver to our customer.
​It's the promise we keep to the customer.
It's how we follow through for the customer.
It's how we make them feel when they do business with us.
Shep Hyken

by Skip Cohen

​While truly great food photographers have always been hard to find, the demand for their services ramped up dramatically during the pandemic. Dine-in restaurants took a huge hit and had to offer carryout service to survive, but very few of them had photographs of the dishes on their menu.

There was also a secondary challenge - carryout wasn't the only demand. Outdoor seating became a necessity. Thousands of restaurants set up makeshift outdoor dining areas never anticipated for hosting guests - alleys, parking lots, sidewalks, and driveways became "patio" dining rooms, often with all the mood of a truck stop garage. An opportunity for exterior decorating using large photographs started to grow.

We've all eaten in those pop-up outdoor cafes - they always need improvements in ambiance. Often, just a few large prints placed on easels would brighten up the "room." They don't need to be of food, and could be of areas in the community like parks, buildings, and various events, for example.

How many restaurants are there? Asking that question, Google took me to a great website loaded with statistical data starting with an estimated 750,000 restaurants in the United States.

Webstaurantstore.com was loaded with great information. I was able to dig a lot deeper into the potential demand for photography. For example, in the U.S. survey data showed that 77% of consumers check out a restaurant's website before ordering online, and 82% of American restaurants use social media marketing.

Need a little support to build your skills in food photography? I pulled links for two great books on food photography by two artists who I deeply respect, Andrew Scrivani and Joe Glyda. Plus, there are forty-three articles on the Playpod blog about food photography. One of them by my good pal Bob Coates. Just click any of the thumbnails below for more information.

by Skip Cohen

​It's September, and business is ramping up as we approach the strongest stretch of seasonality in imaging. There is so much you should be doing RIGHT NOW. Make sure the seasonality of the holidays doesn't slip by because of your complacency, which has become typical for those of you who think procrastination is a strategy.  

1. Holiday Cards: Too many of you still miss the opportunity to send out a holiday card featuring your photography.  There are two different audiences to consider. First is your personal card to friends, clients, and associates. This is one of the easiest marketing opportunities in business—it has one of your photographs on the front, a message from you on the inside and on the back, your logo, and contact information.

Second is holiday cards for your clients. Whether a printed card or a video card you produce, nothing happens if you don't plant the seeds of ideas with your audience.

2. Gifts for Key Vendors and Clients: Consider who's helped you the most over the past year. Now is the time to recognize that wedding planner, florist, etc., who sent you some great referrals.  A simple basket of goodies or bottle of wine to acknowledge your appreciation might be just the thing to say "Thanks!" 

3. Is it time for your own marketing video? You don't have to wait until January to start a new year. How about reaching more clients NOW? I'm a big fan of marketing videos showing a photographer's work with images and short video clips put to music and shared on your website and About page. Think about the narrative for a short video - the concept is about you sharing your personality and love for the craft.

4. New Products for Your Audience: All it takes is a call to your lab and one question, "What's new?"  Also, just because products like canvas prints are old to us doesn't mean a beautiful canvas print isn't going to be cherished by a client. Then there's everything else your lab can do today with new materials, and your target audience knows very little about what's available!

5. Partnerships: Every business faces the same challenges in funding promotional efforts. But, a photographer teaming up with a florist and a venue, for example, means your cost to promote your business is reduced to a third of what it would be if you flew solo. Another great thing about partnerships is how each partner becomes an ambassador for the other companies involved. Look for ways to share the cost of delivering a message and, at the same time, cross-promote products within the partnership.

6. Content for Your Blog: Develop content about gift ideas using photography this holiday season. It's like "Subliminal Man" on the old SNL show. It's up to you to get your audience thinking about the perfect gifts, especially for the more senior family members - nothing beats a new family portrait for Grandma!

If you're not posting on your blog at least twice a week, shut it down! It's not doing enough to help you build a consistent awareness with your readership. Build a stash of posts you can use for content over the months ahead - short 200-300 word posts that help your readers become better photographers, for example. 

7. Community Involvement: Community events are everywhere! Here's another opportunity for you to be involved. If you want your community to be good to you, well, you've got to be good to your community. Look for ways to help spread the word about events in your community. Everyone needs all the help they can get, and your blog is just the vehicle to provide additional support.
 
We still have a couple of months for you to get through the noise and spark some ideas with your target audience. There are so many opportunities for a strong finish to 2024, but getting the word out is all up to you.
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You snooze, you lose!

by Skip Cohen

​The statistics on consumer recognition for direct mail and advertising are all over the place. However, the one thing all analysts agree on is that you have to hit a consumer multiple times for any reasonable brand recognition. That's what I love about Marathon's "Power of 3" concept in both family marketing and high school seniors.

While this is obviously an infomercial for a company I've worked with for over thirty years, that longevity came out of my respect for their expertise. From my first book with Don Blair, which Marathon printed, to a long list of brochures, business cards, and special projects, over the years, I've learned there's pretty much nothing their team can't do.

But I want to hit on an "upgrade" of the concept of family portraiture - A Day in the Life shoot. Rather than just a typical family portrait sitting, how about spending a slug of time with a family? It doesn't have to be a full day, but imagine the potential for storytelling if you were on location with a family for several hours.

Nobody can tell their story better than you! You're there to document the love and interaction between all family members, including pets. And the potential for a small album gives you a chance to create something memorable that becomes their unique story. It also allows you to demonstrate your skill set beyond just individual portraits.

Plus, the one good thing to come out of the pandemic was a renewed sense of family. Hunkered down all that time elevated the meaning of family back to what it was in the 1950s. What did Grandma miss the most? Her family! And as we roll into the seasonality of the fourth quarter, capturing and creating a Day in the Life album is destined to be one of the most appreciated holiday gifts. (Check out Marathon's Bella Albums for more ideas on great presentations.)

​Marathon makes it so easy, including exclusivity on mailing lists within zip code ranges. The available design for this 3-part mailing is limited to only one studio per marketing area—call (800) 228.0629 to reserve your preferred ZIP Codes. ZIP Codes are protected on a first-come, first-serve basis.

There are three mailings, with an opportunity for a fourth. All of them are timed releases that create awareness, with the focus always on family portraiture and building your business. All it takes is a phone call to Marathon.

If you rolled your eyes at this being an infomercial, you missed my point. Everyone is looking for ways to make their work different and, at the same time, build sales. The Power of 3 does all that, plus building relationships is your greatest marketing tool. Here's a concept that helps you build a relationship with each client and create top-of-mind awareness with more customers.

What a kick!

by Skip Cohen
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We're a week out from Labor Day, which pretty much marks the end of summer and kicks off the ramp-up for holiday seasonality in imaging. This isn't a new topic for me to write about, but my theme lately has been the importance of prepping for the uptick in business.

Sadly, too many of you are creating unnecessary roadblocks to your success in wrapping up 2024. Many of you had no idea if you made money last year until you did your taxes. What things could you be doing now that would set the stage for better accountability, increased brand awareness, and a stronger foundation for your business?

Check out these suggestions before you're into the height of the season, and business kicks into high gear.

1. ​It's time to analyze your time! Grab a coffee, sit down for an hour, and consider everything that takes up time during your day. My points below are more specific to activities in building a stronger business, but everything starts with how you use your time, and what people/projects cut into your availability. Once you've figured out where the biggest time draws are - it's time to delegate, cut back, or scratch the activity off your list. The key point is determining the relevance of the activity to your business and sanity.
2. Pricing: Nothing can destroy your business faster than not pricing your products the right way. You need to consider EVERYTHING in your costs. One of the saddest situations I see regularly are artists excited because the lab only charges $1.00 for a 5x7, and they charge the client $10! Look at ALL your costs, including your education, insurance, gear, software, hardware, etc. Everything you're doing to run your business needs to be included.
3. ​"That's good enough." Never compromise on quality. Not only do you owe your clients the very best, but you also owe yourself and your brand a never-ending stream of overachievement! There are so many stories from photographers who sadly learned that the portrait they took of a client was the last photograph ever taken of them. 
4. Buying gear: Before buying anything, make sure you really need it. There's no need to tie up cash flow over a piece of equipment you haven't tested yet. Look at rental programs and definitely consider leasing. Leasing lets you utilize somebody else's assets without depleting yours. Even better, if it's not the basics to get the job done, check with friends in your network. Often, somebody has a particularly exotic lens you want to check out, and if you've been friends, it's a great option to test before you make the investment. Also, I've heard a lot of stories over the years of photographers sharing the cost of expensive gear that isn't being used all the time.  And don't forget the benefits of sharing studio space!
5. Are you regularly checking your website? At least a half-dozen times over the last few years, I've checked out a photographer's website and had it freeze up. And when using the email template to let them know, there was no response! You should be checking your site every morning and on several different browsers. Make sure everything is loading the way it should. Then, get in the habit of checking your email responses from your contact page too - at least three times a day!
6. "I don't have time for another workshop:" Now and then, you're going to run out of time. I get it, but artists often throw in the towel for the wrong reasons. LIVE and online workshops are popping up all over, along with great conferences. If there's a workshop coming your way and it has the content you need to raise the bar on your skills as an artist/business owner, you can't afford NOT to be there.
7. Stop wasting time: It's the granddaddy of them all – I've seen photographers waste hours of their time and everybody else's, most often in Facebook forums! They get caught up in a social media riptide and refuse to let go of the principle of some moot point nobody honestly cares about. Remember, beauty is in the eyes of the checkbook holder - stop worrying about a troll's opinion in that forum you belong to!​

One of my favorite quotes is thanks to Shakespeare: "To thine own self be true." Nobody knows your capabilities better than you. And when you come up short on various skills, don't be afraid to ask for help from your network - that's why you have it!

Wealth isn’t always measured in dollar signs. We each have time, talent, and creativity,
all of which can be powerful forces for positive change.
Share your blessings in whatever form they come and to whatever level you have been blessed.
Jon M. Huntsman

​by Skip Cohen

Labor Day is just a week away, and with it, the soft side of seasonality starts to ramp up. Opportunities abound for additional business as homecoming and holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Chanukah come up on the calendar. It's also a time to crank up the volume if you're marketing targets are seniors and family portraiture.

But there's one more aspect of seasonality that's important for your involvement: now is the time to get your name out there by being involved in your community. To start, with kids back in school, Mom's got more time online, and she's starting to think about holiday gifts and events. The timing is perfect for you to be more active in supporting nonprofits in your area, and using social media to help spread the word.

Here are a few ideas, just in case you're wrestling with how to get more involved:

• Get involved with a local fund-raiser. Whether it involves your camera or not doesn't matter. You need to be involved, and your community needs to know you're not just another retailer or service provider, but an active supporter.
• Look for local events: For example, what's coming up in your community that's a fund-raising event?  
• Get to know the president of the PTA for any of the schools. How about portraits instead of a bake sale to raise money this year? What events are they sponsoring that might need to be documented?
• Every high school sports team, band, yearbook, and chorus are looking for new ways to raise money, and you've got the gear and the know-how.  How about working with them to create a new idea for fund-raising beyond hot dog sales at the games?
• Not every show of support needs to involve photography. Even if you're just helping the Boosters Club at a refreshment stand selling hotdogs, the key is to be out there in the community.
• Visit your local Chamber of Commerce and find out what's going on in the community. There's always a United Way Campaign in the fall, but what other events occur as we head into the winter months?
• Sometimes, helping to raise money directly is about using your skill set as a photojournalist to boost awareness. Document various events in the community, and then provide the management of those events, the local paper and websites with your images. Remember, nobody can do it better than you!
• Use your social media role to help raise awareness for various nonprofit events. As I've written in the past, share images you capture at the events. It's great content and helps to demonstrate your commitment. Whether you blog or, for example, post on a Facebook page, by sharing information about various nonprofits, you're becoming an ambassador for that organization.
• Publish an event calendar. Here's an opportunity for you to become a community clearing house for nonprofits in the area, and it's so easy to do. Plus, again it shows your commitment.
  

None of this is a new topic for me to share here on the SCU blog. You're looking for the community to be good to you, so you've got to be good to your community! Best of all, no act of support is too small—the key is being involved and giving back.

by Skip Cohen

I wanted to expand the concept from my headshot topic in yesterday's post.

​Kristen Jensen: I first met Kristen when I was working with Panasonic's LUMIX Ambassadors many years ago. While her key focus as a photographer has been image capture over the years, she's expanded her expertise to help professionals build their brand strategy. There's no doubt in my mind that she's one of the very best at assisting people to define and then build their brand.

​​​Going through Kristen's website, I wanted to share how portraits have helped build her own brand.  She's included a photograph of herself relevant to each topic on her website as she wears each "hat" important to her business. And under the heading of each specialty, are thumbnails of her work with clients.

Her three main points of focus in working with a client are as a photographer, videographer, and brand strategist. She's also included a photograph of herself related to blogging, and on her contact page, she's made it a point to be on the phone with her monitor loaded with images in the background, again reminding her viewers she's a photographer.

Terry Clark and Environmental Portraits: In his section, which is tied to his own workshops, Terry made it a point to share images that show him teaching.

When you look at many of Terry's portraits over the years, you see he's a master at environmental portraiture for his corporate clients. A portrait really does tell a story when it pulls in the environment of the subject—something so many of you need to do when considering your own headshot.

Over the years, I've shared a lot of Terry's work on this blog. He's a talented artist with an infectious passion for the craft. When you look at his images, it's very easy to not only understand what the subject does but also notice how their expressions are always relaxed—a testimonial to their interaction with their photographer.

I pulled a few screen shots of some of my favorites of Terry's, just to help make the point about how your own headshot might look, if you brought in the environment.

​Kristen and Terry are helping me make a point in today's post - take the time to get some headshots demonstrating who you are as a professional photographer. Let's clean up all the bad selfies, grab shots, and even pictures artists used of them when they were kids! Make your headshot one more example of your skills as a professional - not somebody's Uncle Harry!

Kay Eskridge is another artist who should be on your radar. I shared this image of Kay at least 4-5 years ago, but it makes another point. Use a headshot that shows you in action...AS A PHOTOGRAPHER. 

​My suggestion has always been a side shot of you with a camera in your hands and in the background, just beyond the depth of field, is your subject. Use your headshot to convey a great message about what you do as an artist. A great portrait alone doesn't demonstrate what you do for a living.

This image of Kay might not have her subject in view, but what a kick for a client to see how much she loves the craft. Personally, I love the fact that it's black and white—it pushes the point of diversity in her creativity a little more.

Neither of these two headshots are being used currently, and that makes another point - KEEP IT FRESH. Mix things up now and then, and even use a collage of three images - an environmental portrait, a shot of you working with a client and even a grab shot that relates to your work, for example, you editing an album.

Your "About" page: Your target audience doesn't care what awards you've won, what gear you shoot with, or even how long you studied to be a photographer. They want to know WHY you love being a photographer, and for "Mom," she's looking to see if you can be trusted to capture images of her family the way she sees them.  It doesn't matter how many awards you've gotten in print competition through WPPI or PPA - most of your clients don't even know what those associations are!

So, stop writing long, boring bios about your awards, how many cameras you own, or how you got started in this business—cut to the chase and talk about your love for photography and helping clients capture great memories. Then, back it all up with a headshot like Beverly's or Kay's or a collage of several images that tell your story. 

Remember, you're message to convey being a professional photographer - that means a portrait better than Uncle Harry would capture!

by Skip Cohen

Heading into one of the last weekends of the summer, even though kids are already back in school, I found myself thinking that we're only days away from Labor Day, and weeks from Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the December holidays.  That old expression of time flies when you're having a good time couldn't be more accurate - except that time flies no matter what you're doing!

This past week's posts shared a common theme—the upcoming seasonality and the potential for artists to be proactive in building business over the last quarter of the year. But you can't do it if you wind up in a tailspin of procrastination. Success isn't just about effective promotions; it's also about your attitude. 

With the weekend coming up - take an hour and think through how you want the year to end for your business. Pick one thing to do differently from last year.

I'm a big fan of partnerships with other companies/businesses in your community. I've shared this before, but EVERY specialty in imaging has a list of potential vendors to work with, and it's a great concept to think about over the weekend, remembering you don't have to do everything as a solo act!

Here's the bottom line - the days of business just landing on your doorstep are long gone. People have so many choices and competition is fierce. You've got to earn the trust and respect of the community, as well as have the best skillset. Bringing in partners allows you to increase your reach to your target audience. Each partner becomes an ambassador for the other partners as well as their own business. While you share the cost in a mailing, for example, you also share the creative spirit with new ideas and often a level of enthusiasm you couldn't get as a solo act.

Hey, it's the weekend - give it some thought.

​Happy Friday!

by Skip Cohen

It's Hump Day and perfect for a quick topic about the potential to grow your business and revenue, taking full advantage of the upcoming seasonality. Sadly, while your heart's in the right place for many of you, your brain is still in summertime mode...you'll ponder, procrastinate, and miss so many opportunities over the rest of 2024.

Years ago, I worked for a man who, no matter how hard we tried to express the urgency to act on something, would ponder all the potential results of taking action. As a result, we missed a lot of great business opportunities. There's nothing wrong with pondering and analyzing an upcoming decision. But when it takes days or even weeks, it becomes destructive because you lose momentum. And if there are other team members involved, they lose their enthusiasm.

So, as I wrote in a recent post, what are your plans for the fourth quarter? Or, more critically, when are you going to start putting things together so you've got a solid timeline of everything you need to turn short-range dreams into reality?

Happy Hump Day!

A dream written down with a date becomes a goal.
A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan.
A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.
Greg S. Reid

​by Skip Cohen

We're halfway through August, and although technically it's still summertime, the countdown to seasonality has started! In this area, kids are back in school this week. If nothing else, seeing school buses on the road again should remind every photographer that fall/holiday seasonality is right around the corner.

From the obvious holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Chanukah to events like homecoming, the changing seasons, and community fundraisers, opportunities are everywhere for you to build your business. But so many of you will watch the clock and the calendar with a mañana attitude--"No big deal, I've got plenty of time!"

• What are you planning for the last quarter of the year?
• Are there other vendors you can partner with to reduce costs?
• Have you called your lab to look into new products you could offer?
• How are you going to get the word out to your target audience?
• Have you made a list of all the local events that typically happen in the Fall and into the December holidays?
• What are you doing for your own holiday card this year? NO PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULD EVER SEND OUT A STORE-BOUGHT CARD! Use one of your own photographs.
• Have you made a timeline of actions to promote your business? In other words - what's the timing of each step in the process, and what's the date for your goal to announce and launch whatever promotion you've designed?

​
It's Marketing Monday, and no single post can cover everything. I've got one goal this morning - to get more of you thinking about what you can do to create a solid finish for 2024. It's right around the corner, and while I hate the expression, nothing could be more truthful. You snooze, and you lose.

And if you're stuck for ideas, you know where to find me.

by Skip Cohen

On July 28, we headed to Detroit for ClickCon. We loved being there, catching up with many old friends, and making a few new ones. From there, on the first, we headed to Ohio to catch up with family and friends, with the plan to head home on Monday, August 5...NOT!

United boarded us, then ten minutes later canceled the flight, letting us know there was nothing available until Thursday! The challenge was the hurricane in Florida. So, we rerouted the trip home by way of Orlando but still had to wait until Wednesday for seats. It all seemed like a workable plan, but a tornado touched down on Tuesday in Cleveland, knocking out power in the area and leaving us in the Marriott without AC, electricity, hot water, and any place nearby for a meal! Our flight to Orlando left almost on time on Wednesday, and our son picked us up and got us back to our side of the state. But our car was still another hour south in Fort Myers. We picked it up yesterday, and I finally feel like I'm home - but what a horrible trip. 

Here's my point - sometimes, it's simply hard to crank up the creativity. When that happens, you just have to go with the flow. It's also a great time to recognize the impact stress has on your abilities. I actually sat down a few minutes ago to write a post about marketing and simply hit the wall! Could I have pulled it together? Absolutely, but it would have been mediocre at best - so I'm attempting to take my own advice and just chill my way through the weekend!

While I know many of you have a story that can top ours, especially with the global computer crash three weeks ago, the difficulty of getting back in the groove is still the same. So here I am, wishing all of you a terrific weekend and anticipating being back in full swing next week.

It's okay to fall down and lose the spark!
Just make sure when you get back up, you rise as the whole damn fire!
Colette Werden

by. Skip Cohen

One of the greatest benefits of attending any conference or convention is building your network and recharging your battery. While there were some early hands-on shoots yesterday, for me and most of the attendees, the event started with my keynote program last night.

If you haven't experienced the excitement of a conference, it's hard to explain. There's an electricity in the air fueled by anticipation, passion for the craft, creativity and the simplicity of people getting together who have many of the same goals. 

For me, it's been a special trip...catching up with old friends and making new ones. Kevin Gilligan came in from California, Matthew Jordan Smith came from Japan, and Chamira Young came from Michigan.  All three of them have been instrumental in helping me build my career over the years, and being together made the trip that much more special. It really was a reunion - Matthew lives in Japan, and we haven't caught up LIVE since before the pandemic. Kevin and I have been friends for ten years, yet this was only the second time we've been together in the same location. Chamira and I have done 150+ podcasts, yet we only met briefly at WPPI many years ago.

This was also my last official presentation, and I wanted to make it one of my best. For years, I've used the quote by Alfred Lord Tennyson, "I am a part of all that I have me!" My point was easy to understand - The average person meets 80,000 people in their lifetime (resourced from Google). Each person contributes to our life, and combined with events, creates the infrastructure of who we are, not much different than an architect's design for a building.

In my presentation, rather than just talking about marketing ideas, I wanted to share the back stories and the people/companies who blazed a trail in imaging based on creativity, technique, and marketing. We're all made up of stories. So, when focusing on ideas to help photographers grow their business, the presentation became one of the most fun I've ever shared at a convention.

Today was the first full day of programming, and as usual, ClickCon did not disappoint. The trade show was busy; the models, makeup artists, and hair stylists were all going almost nonstop, and the attendees were everywhere! At a moment mid-afternoon, when things had slowed down a little, I wandered into the models' room. With a dozen "stations," the stylists and makeup artists were ready for every request!

If you weren't able to make it to ClickCon, check out the next imaging conference coming your way. Nothing beats the energy of being with other artists, educators, business owners, and vendors. It's that energy that gives birth to new ideas and unlimited creativity!

Plus - one of the best ways to recharge your battery!

“We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories.
There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.” 
Jimmy Neil Smith

by Skip Cohen

Whether it's your stories, a family member's, or a client's - creating a book is an incredible product. Think about it for a second - you're a storyteller with an outstanding skill set in photography. A book allows you to capture the best of both worlds: photography and storytelling.

Now, think about the impact a unique book would have on a client.  Everyone is looking for new products and services to offer their audience. Yet, so often, you forget about some of the tools you have right at your fingertips, just a click of your mouse away.

While an album of images is a great way to tell a story, a book allows you to tell the story with text and in any size or shape you want. If you don't want to start offering it as a regular part of your business, then start by just creating a book about your family. Just do a draft of the story and then drop in photographs that fit with the theme.

I've done at least three books over the years; the first was about the start of the relationship with my wife, Sheila; the second was the story of the Honor Flight trip with WWII veterans I took my Dad on; and the third, the story of where we've lived over the years. All three told the stories in ways that just photographs alone could never do.

I can only imagine the reaction of a client receiving a book that was their story and told in a way that only you, as their photographer, could tell.  Part of the fun of a project like this is pulling together the images for the story. With a book, you've got the ability to combine your best photos with grab-shots and then the appropriate copy. Since a picture's worth a thousand words, you don't have to write a lot. Because it's all from your heart, you'll be surprised at how it all flows together, as well as how easy it can be.

While today's post is an infomercial for Marathon Press, the concept couldn't be more sound. You want your work to be different. You want your clients talking about working with you and your skill set. What better way than with a book that sits on their coffee table you produced?

In their 50,000 square ft. warehouse, the Marathon team is ready to tackle your project, and their staff is available to help all along the way! For more information, click on the banner above or call 1-800-228-0629.