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.

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

Great things in business are never done by one person.
They are done by a team of people.
Steve Jobs

by Skip Cohen
​
Over the last few years, I've written about partnerships and the advantages of not doing everything by yourself. Partnerships expand your reach, save you money, expand awareness and increase revenue. Yet, so many of you sit there and whine about how tough it is right now and don't do anything because cash flow is a mess. I get it, but I'm not going to let you fold when you're holding some great cards!

There''s one more challenge in our lives that makes the timing for a partnership such an advantage. With the pandemic, every business is dealing with the same frustrations! Business has disappeared, but you can pool your resources and establish stronger brand awareness in your community by working together.

Let's look at the kinds of opportunities first:
​

• Direct mail: Doing a postcard with two other partners reduces your cost to a third of what it would be if you flew solo. It expands your reach and awareness because all three partners combine their databases. Plus, each partner becomes an ambassador for the other two entities involved.
• Soft-sell cross-promoting products and services: All of you who are wedding photographers should be working together with a florist, for example. You should have a link to their site on your website, and they should have one to yours. Portrait photographers could do the same and also include a restaurant known for things like a Mother's Day brunch, especially as we get closer to Mother's Day.
• Hard-sell promotions: It's cross-promoting, but this time with discounts on each other's products and services. If you don't want to do a discount, add something of value, like an extra mini-album for Grandma, an oversized print, canvas wrap - something with perceived value.
• Contest sponsorship: Work together with other vendors in the community to put together your own unique events to raise awareness and support for something relevant in the community.
• Start a newsletter: They're so easy to do these days, but somebody has to take the lead. Create a newsletter with gift ideas that tie in photography, flowers, gift certificates to a local restaurant, frames, and other gifts. You've got to plant the seeds for the ideas to create sales.
• Other photographers: I know it's taboo to suggest you work together with another artist when there's barely enough business to keep you going, but together you can play off of each other's strengths and weaknesses. For example, if you're a wedding photographer and don't do maternity, babies, or pets, find yourself a partner who's skill set fills in the holes you have in yours. Then, design a campaign that promotes one-stop shopping.
• Major equipment purchases: Money is tight, but you want to get into large format printing, or there's an exotic lens you know will make your work different - buy what you need together with another artist. This isn't like the stigma of buying a boat with a friend, and it'll save you money.
• Share studio space: Tony Corbell is a perfect example - his studio space includes two other artists. They don't compete with each other, and they split the cost three ways. Granted, one of the artists is his wife Mandy, but this is about each business paying its fair share. Together they've got a terrific location and facility for everybody to benefit.​

Now, for those of you who are rolling your eyes and thinking there's nobody to partner with because your specialty is so limited, here's a list to work from, and I'm sure there are plenty I've missed, because these are all in the portrait/social categories. 
​

• Boudoir Photographers: Lingerie boutique, spa, makeup artist, salons.
• Pet Photographers: Pet food rep, animal shelters, pet boutiques, veterinarians, and doggy daycare facilities 
• Children's Photographers: Toy stores, summer camps, playgrounds, kids, clothing boutiques, restaurants, pediatrician, or pediatric dentist.
• Family Photographers: Family restaurants, decorators, parks, and special events 
• Wedding Photographers: Florists, wedding planners, bakeries, salons, bridal shops, limo companies, musicians, tux shops, travel agents, and venues

It's time to stop thinking you've got to do everything by yourself. Business has changed dramatically, but along with the frustrations, there are some unique opportunities for creative leadership. You don't need to jumpstart your business alone - think about the strategic alliances in your community to rebuild together!

Coming together is a beginning,
staying together is progress,
​and working together is success!
Henry Ford

by Skip Cohen

​No matter where you live, there's ALWAYS something to write about. Again, your blog is about what's in your heart, while your website is about what you sell. The two work together to help you establish brand awareness by being helpful and informative. I've already shared tips on ways to make your blog more effective, including a sampling of ideas about photography.

Let's take it a step further - no, let's take it twenty steps further:

• Challenges through the pandemic: Remember, for most of you, your target is "Mom." Don't be afraid to share some of your own frustrations and how you're getting through them.
• Pets of the community: In the hierarchy of why people hire a photographer, pets are in the top three. Share photographs of pets around the neighborhood while at the same time demonstrating your expertise as a photographer. You could easily share one pet portrait each week demonstrating your skills and at the same time having fun in the community while still being physically distant.
• How to hire a photographer: Share tips on what to look for when hiring a professional photographer. Obviously, make sure you score high on every tip.
• Community Calendar: Build a calendar of community events and then keep it updated. This puts you in a role of support for each event and groups/associations hosting them.
• Community events after they've taken place: Be there live or online to capture the event.
• Community relevant topics: For example, years ago, my good buddy Jared Burns ran a series about henna tattoos. He was interested in making the Indian community aware of his skills as an artist.
• Tips on presentations: framing, canvas wraps, slide shows
• Gift ideas using photography
• Places to photograph around the community
• Technology updates: Become a resource for your readers on new products involving imaging.
• Important camera gear
• Profile your favorite charity in the community
• Profiles of people/businesses in the community: Do an environmental portrait of people in the community. From your pharmacist to the chef at your favorite restaurant to a helpful manager at the local market, there's an almost unlimited supply of subjects. And
• Photo projects for kids: From coloring books pages made from family portraits and events to keeping a photo-journal help Mom and Dad with ideas to keep the kids busy during the pandemic
• Throwback Thursday: Sharing old images gives you a chance to remind clients it's time for a new family portrait
• Community photo contests: Invite your readers to participate with their images. You pick the topic; they share their pictures.
• Using photographs with stationery and holiday cards
• How to show your best side with online video (Skype, Google, Zoom, etc.)
• Cross-promotions with other vendors
• Growing your skill set: Share new things you're doing in your business as a result of workshops (on or offline) you've attended.

There are twenty ideas for blog posts and combined with yesterday's eleven photography tips, you've got a solid foundation to start building content so you can have some consistency with your blog. Remember, these give you content to share during those weeks that have are quiet. You've still got images to share with things like "365 Projects," client shoots and challenges, and events happening more real-time throughout the week.

Many years ago, I shared content from an article, "How to Write a (Better) Photography Blog Post." Andy Bondurant listed six areas every new and veteran blogger should focus on. The article is no longer active, but here's what I shared that was most helpful:

1. Blocks of Time: “Blogging done well needs a block of time devoted to it.”
2. Determination: “You must determine to write no matter what is happening that week. You must fight through apathy, writers block, fear or anything else thrown your way.”
3. Consistency: “You MUST update your blog. Ideally, this would be 2-3 times per week. At the least it should be 3-4 times per month. If you can’t commit to consistency…don’t start.”
4. System and Structure: “There are multiple different types of blog post structures you can create. I encourage you to choose one to be very good at, and occasionally add another in for spice.
   Here are 5 different post structures you can model: Story
, List
, Tutorial
, Opinion
, Big Thoughts"
5. Voice: “Your blog will be at its best when you allow your personality to shine. It starts with being open, authentic and honest (while being careful to not share too much). This is your writing voice. The more you refine and define your voice, the better your blog will be.”

Ed Foreman is a marketing and life-coach guru who spoke at a Polaroid meeting I attended 30+ years ago. He shared a concept I've never forgotten, and shared many times in posts and workshops:

It's not about putting yourself in their shoes, but about understanding what's important to your audience. What are they worried about? What are their goals? What's most important in their lives?  

A blog done well, gives you the ability to demonstrate how much you care and your ability to be helpful. It's a nonstop relationship builder with your readers!

by Skip Cohen
​
It's the slow season - made even more frustrating because of the pandemic. But "slow" is only about revenue and clients coming through the front door! There's no reason it should be slow for you. I'm continuing my quest to give you ideas to build a more substantial business in 2020. Everybody, at the very least, needs a jumpstart.

​Today and tomorrow's focus - YOUR BLOG!

​And for those of you who insist there's nothing worth blogging about in your community or your life - here's a sampling of ideas with another BIG batch coming tomorrow:

Become the Imaging Expert: As a photographer, you do things every day you take for granted. Let's help Mom, Dad, and the kids become better artists. They're not going to open up down the street and compete with you. So, whether they use a real camera or a cell phone - let's help them raise the bar on their images.
​

• ​Composition: Teach them the rule of thirds, leading lines, and subject placement. You do it automatically, but they don't think before clicking the shutter.
• Posing: Help them with group shots, and let's get rid of those firing squad poses. For example, teach them how to position subjects with triangle placement.
• Lighting: Spend some time talking about lighting and when to use the flash. Backlighting is always an issue, and they don't understand, especially in winter when their images outside are too dark, even though it was a bright snowy day.
• Have fun with in-camera special effects: Teach them to drag the shutter and panning.
• Storytelling: You're already the expert at storytelling and bringing in detail shots to tell the story. Help them think through their vision before clicking the shutter.
• Conversion from color to black and white - everyone can do it, but it's up to you to help them understand how an image can have more impact.
• Cropping: Roberto Valenzuela used to do an exercise in his classes where he took one image at a wedding and showed how many other shots there were in that same photograph. This is about you helping them see their pictures differently.
• Things to do with their images: From sharing in social media to printing, give them ideas of things to do with their pictures. Most professional labs have little interest in working with consumers, so you might have to resort to Shutterfly for some of your examples. However, this is also where you can plant the seed of why you're a professional with ideas about framing and presentations.
• Subject matter: Back in my Polaroid days, we used to remind consumers when they looked through the viewfinder, "What you see is what you get!" Remind them to move in close on those people shots.
• Post-production: Share tips on using products like Luminar. I love its user-friendly ease of use.
• Website display: Help your readers build their own galleries. This is where you can be so much help in the storytelling theme of their work. Years ago, the legendary Ernst Wildi at Hasselblad taught me the difference between a consumer and a professional - "consumers show you all of their shots!"

Here's the fun and advantage of the ideas above - each one allows you to share some of your images as examples of the right and wrong way to capture their memories. You're establishing yourself as the expert in imaging. 

And to take it a step further, some of you have the skills and ability to hold physical classes and photowalks to help your audience capture better memories. As their skills grow and you become more established as the expert in your community, you're opening the door for more advanced techniques. And at the same time you're developing top-of-mind awareness when they need a professional photographer.

​Coming up tomorrow - more blog topics for your stash! Combined with things going on in your life and the community around you, I'm going to make sure you don't run out of topics for 2021!

"It always seems impossible, until it's done!"
Nelson Mandela

by Skip Cohen

​While we've all shared many of the same frustrations over the last year, what things you need to do to get back on track is unique to each business owner. Too many of you are flying by the seat of your pants, being reactionary, with no planning or strategy for the new year. You wouldn't get in your car for a trip across the country without a little planning, including the route, cities you wanted to visit, accommodations, etc., Yet, you're attacking the new year without a roadmap. 

Social media has NEVER played a more significant role in our lives than right now! With physical distancing still an issue, social media and the phone are your two best sources of communication, followed by direct mail.
So, I went searching in Google to see how many people, worldwide, are anticipated to be online in 2021. It's expected there will be 2.14 billion buyers online this year. Here's the complete article from Statista.com. 

That means, your website and blog have never been more critical - or had more potential to create sales/revenue. You have the reach that just a few years ago, a small newspaper or magazine might have had. Your website is your storefront, and your blog should be the gateway via your heart to the products and services you offer.

I've shared dozens of posts in the past about your website and blog, so I'm just going to give you a limited check-off list. If you want more detail, read all the Fast Food Fridays I've shared.
​

• Does your website function the way you want it to? A visit to your website by a potential client should be an experience. So, it's up to you - is it a good experience like Nordstroms, or is it Walmart the day after Christmas?
• Don't assume everything is working the way you want it. Check your website every day on different platforms as well as desktop vs. mobile.
• Can consumers find what's most important to them, or do have they have to mine for what you'd like them to see first?
• Get rid of the clutter on your website. Hook clients with extraordinary images in your galleries, which should be the first tab. Next should come your "About" page and then everything else. Don't bury them in policies and procedures that would scare an IRS agent. Save the policies for the contract discussion when they hire you.
• Stop showing average images on your galleries. If it's not a "wow" print, then take it down. A"wow" print is an image so good; it's the only one you'd have to show to get hired.
• Add a marketing video to your About page along with an artist's statement. Write in the first person. Unless you won a Pulitzer, don't bother to talk about your awards. Scoring a 95 in WPPI Print Competition or hanging an image at IUSA means nothing to most clients. For most of you, your target is "Mom" - she wants to know why you're a photographer and whether or not she can trust you to capture the kind of images she wants. Your video doesn't have to win an Oscar, but it does need to convey your enthusiasm and love for the craft. 
• Be accessible! I'm tired of artists who have contact forms but only respond when there's a full moon! There's no such thing as too quick a response or much contact information! Give them your phone number and email address.  If you work out of your home and don't want to share the address, that's fine, but be set up to give instant fulfillment when they contact you.
• Stop putting rocks to sleep! Too many of you have been offering the same products and services since you started, and they've become boring, especially since many of your competitors offer the same things. It's time for something new. Start with a call to your lab and just ask, "What's new?" There's so much that's exciting under the presentation umbrella these days - labs are offering new products every day. And don't underestimate the appeal of some old standbys, like canvas prints. There are still thousands of people who aren't aware of all the ways you can display images. 
• Are you building brand awareness in the community? You've got to be involved in your community and relevant to your visitors/readers. Plant the seeds for ideas for updated family portraits and headshots, for example. Most important of all - BE HELPFUL!​

This is just the first post in a series this week. If I wrote about everything you should be doing in one post, it would take you too long to read it!

We're in a "you snooze - you lose" scenario. Things are getting better, and while the pandemic is hardly over, people are focused on trying to get back to some level of normalcy. There's an opportunity for you to be a leader in your community.

Most important of all, imaging through the pandemic has never been more important. Families and friends have been hunkered down for months without contact, but you're the magician with the power to help them stay together with photography.

We might be in the slow season, but Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and graduation are all around the corner. For example, there are few presents better suited for Grandma this year than a new family portrait. Now is the time to start planning!

Tomorrow we're going to zoom in on your blog and topic ideas, as well as how to get it all done if you hate to write!

by Skip Cohen

Business pretty much disappeared for so many artists and educators this year, but not their love for the craft. So many of you have taken classes at various conventions with one of the industry's favorite couples, Bobbi Lane and Lee Varis...or you've joined them on one of their photo adventures.

While it doesn't compare to their tentatively planned Iceland trip in September of 2021 and Venice, Italy in 2022, their backyard is New England with no shortage of clickable moments. I pulled three of my favorites from their "New England 2021 - Bobbi and Lee's Photo Adventures at Home" calendar.

I wanted to share the images in a post for three reasons:

• Putting together a calendar for your clients is a perfect way to remind them what you do for a living. Even with the pandemic, there are opportunities to utilize your images and then include community events on the calendar as well. 
• No matter what we go through as individuals or as members of the industry "family," Bobbi and Lee are prime examples of two artists who never give up. As ugly as 2020 was for everybody, it's so important to stay focused on your passion for the craft. The pandemic hasn't destroyed anyone's dreams of being a great artist, just changed the path for your journey!
• Last but not least, sign up for Bobbi and Lee's newsletter with a click right here. You'll find the newsletter signup at the bottom of the page. It's your best way to keep in touch with what they'll be doing in the year ahead!

The fun of this industry is all about the friendships we share, as well as our love for photography. The sunflowers and cranberry harvesst were captured by Bobbi, while the fall reflection in the river was Lee's.

But the wish for all of us to stay healthy and refocus for a great year in 2021 is from both of them!​

Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up!
Ann Bradford

by Skip Cohen

​It's my first business post of the new year, and I've been thinking a lot about it. On all sides, the imaging industry, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, and artists were hit hard by the pandemic. Restrictions and fear resulting from Corona have limited income for most photographers since March. As Sherry Hagerman, founder of ClickCon, wrote recently:

The new year will be a recovery year for most photographers and videographers and a time to catch up on accumulated debt from the 2020 losses.

Fully believing 2021 is a year to rebuild and jumpstart your business, let's start at the very beginning.

It's the first business day of the new year. Even with the optimism of the vaccine, the pandemic will not suddenly flip a switch and put us back into a state of normalcy. However, what it does mean is with a little hope on the horizon and positive actions, you've got an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in your craft and community.

Let's start right out of the blocks with your attitude and believing in yourself. Corona didn't destroy your dreams, just the roads you needed to travel to get there! And as simplistic as it all sounds, let's start by getting rid of the negative people in your life! Sound extreme? Damn right it is - you haven't got time to convince them you're on the right path. All your energy has to start with believing in yourself.

Next, let's shut down the "Negative Committee" in your head. Monica Sweeney, in her book, "Zen as F*CK" wrote, 

For every negative thought you have in your head about yourself, there's a positive one scrambling behind it vying for a chance to speak. Give those positive thoughts a f**king megaphone. What are they trying to tell you?"

But just wishing you were a better artist or marketing manager isn't enough. 

• Start by assessing your skillset: Be honest with yourself. You don't need an expert to review your portfolio to know if your images are good or bad. Make a list of your weaknesses and strengths when it comes to technique in capture and post-production.
• Assess your marketing skills: Not every artist has the tools to market themselves. Again, make that list after looking at your website, blog, and involvement in social media. Remember, your website is about what you sell, your blog is about what's in your heart ---and you need both!
• Filling in your weak spots: Once you've identified your weaknesses, let's get you some help. More than ever before, there's a ton of great online education available and even a few small group programs that show respect for physical distancing. From Sarah Petty's business and marketing programs to ClickCon Nation, IUSA this month, Kelby Media's Travel Photography Conference, Tamron's weekly programs and dozens more - they're designed to help you make the most of cyberspace to boost your skill set.
• Assess your marketing reach: Reach is about your community. What tools do you have or don't have to get your name out in front of your target audience? 
• Do people know who you are? What does your name mean in the community? What good does it do working hard to create the finest images of your life if nobody knows who you are?
• How's your curb appeal? Okay, it's a term used in real estate, but what do people think when they look at your website, galleries, and blog? Do you need to clean things up a little? Are you offering people the products/services they want and need? It might be as simple as a call to your lab and asking the question, "So, what's new?" 

Over the next couple of weeks, we're going to break your business down goal by goal and piece by piece. It all starts with you taking the first giant step - committing to not letting anything stand in the way of getting your business back on track in 2021.

Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right.
Henry Ford

by Skip Cohen

It's the last Marketing Monday post of 2020, and what a challenging year it's been...okay, let's call it like it is - horrible, frustrating, depressing, complicated, confusing, and lonely. And while "lonely" isn't a word typically used in business and marketing, we're all in some form of isolation. "Lonely" is the word that best describes those times when contact with other photographers and business owners was precisely what you needed most but didn't have.

However, there are plenty of other words describing the past year - inspirational, creative, ground-breaking, and support building. I've shared so many posts with ideas of things you can be doing. Worldwide artists are working to recapture some of the lost business over the past nine months.

Here are a dozen of my favorites. They're all active links and a click away!

• JP Elario with his Facetime Portaits.
• Steven Gotz with coloring book pages for clients.
• Outdoor metal prints to capture new clients 
• Staying positive through teaching online
• Updating your headshot on your About page
• Expanding your skill set with macro
• Looking good on camera in online meetings
• Re-writing Your Bio/About page
• Maintaining brand awareness through the pandemic
• Building a stronger Customer Presence - during the pandemic when it counts the most!
• Growth outside your comfort zone
• Getting the most out of your phone

​From podcasts to guest posts to YouTube and original posts, there are thousands of tips in the SCU archives. Each one is a building block to more success and steps to getting business back on track. Click on Fast Food Friday, for example, and you'll find dozens of ideas to work on establishing a more substantial presence!

But here's my suggestion for the next week...kick back and stop worrying about business. Note: I said to stop worrying about it - not stop thinking about it or strategizing. The pandemic changed everything, and very few artists took the time to change paths and recognize what overnight became the new normal. And while it's not over yet, there is hope, faith, and a trend of people adapting. Photography and memories haven't been lost over the last nine months, just more challenging to capture and express.

​So, take the next week and use it to clear your head. Think through how you want to kick off the "slow season," and recognize there's help out here if you need it. Don't think outside the box - think like there is no box.

And if you're stuck and need help - you know where to find me!

Welcome to the 2020 Circus
"Stay positive, Test Negative"
Ali, Bleu and Fisher

by Skip Cohen
 
It's Throwback Thursday, Christmas Eve, and a year we'd all like to forget is quickly coming to a close. So, I'm covering all bases with today's post, starting with my annual favorite holiday card for at least the last decade! Ali, Bleu, and Fisher Cotton do it up big every year.

I've shared so many of their past holiday extravaganzas! It wouldn't feel like the holidays without their creativity! 

This is one part Throwback with a few of their past cards and another part, a marketing reminder. Doing your own holiday card is one of the best marketing tools you have. It doesn't matter if it's one of your images or a staged family portrait like the Cottons do every year! And if you missed this season, then think about something to send out to clients and friends in the first quarter - you'll stand out even more!

​Next on my "Borgasmord" of content is to wish all of you a terrific holiday season. Whatever you celebrate, be it Christmas tomorrow, Chanukah, which ended on the 17th, Kwanzaa on Saturday, or any other holiday, Sheila and I want to wish you the very best. It's been a tough year and an especially difficult holiday season as family and friends are more than six feet out of reach. But, the year is almost to a close, and there are certainly more positives than negatives in the air right now for 2021.

We couldn't get our act together to do a family card this year. It's the first time we've missed it in a whole lot of years. However, that doesn't change our appreciation for all of you, the fact that we feel blessed to be together, and how grateful we are for your support and friendship.

And last on the list because it really is Throwback Thursday, and there aren't enough of you who remember the Underwood commercial with Mason Reese from the '70s or my use of the word "Borgasmord."

On that note, and hopefully a smile on your face, I'm wrapping up today's post. Happy Holidays and thank you for all your support, feedback and encouragement over the toughest year any of us will hopefully ever face! It's really true - "I get by with a little help from my friends!"

by Skip Cohen

​This could just as easily fit on Throwback Thursday since it goes back to WPPI 2011, but it's Marketing Monday, and Scott Bourne's wisdom in this "Photographers Ignite" video is perfect for the challenges we're all facing these days.

Kevin Kubota's series was the annual opening program for a few years in a row at WPPI, with at least five hundred people in the audience each time. Kevin's idea set a new standard, yet to be repeated, for great presentations and sharing information.

​Here's the concept: Each speaker had twenty slides to show in five minutes, and they automatically changed every 15 seconds. The challenge was to get your message out there, and Scott did a terrific job. He's sharing five minutes of pure inspiration.

It's been one of my favorite presentations for years because there's so much in it. I find myself hitting the pause button repeatedly and thinking about the point Scott's making at the time. And these days, with the pandemic's challenges and the need for so many photographers to rebuild and jumpstart their businesses, Scott's sharing the building blocks for success in every slide!

Grab a cup of coffee and take five minutes...oh, and in the intro, Kevin mentions Scott's 90,000 followers on Twitter - that's 209,000 today.

"People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it!"
Scott Bourne

by Skip Cohen
 
Two more great podcasts in the pipeline, thanks to Platypod and Photofocus. And both are with guests who offer outstanding insight to help you through the challenges you're dealing with right now. Take the time to click on the two banners below, grab a cup of coffee and then just kick back and listen!

Levi Sim:  In 2009 I launched a summer program called Skip's Summer School. Levi Sim was one of the attendees and was just getting started in his career. Over the years, he's become one of the most recognized personalities in photography. He's an ambassador of goodwill and support for the professional photographic community. Over the last ten years, he's the guy with the bow tie and brown fedora at any convention. He's a photographer, writer, educator, podcaster and has spent most of his career in imaging, asking other photographers and manufacturers, "How can I help?"

A few months ago, Levi made a considerable change in his career - staying with his love for imaging, he joined Utah State University as their lead photographer. So working for a full-time employee is a significant change from freelance. In this new podcast, Levi shared a lot of great insight into the challenges and benefits of giving up being a freelance artist and moving into the academic world.

Here are few of the topics we talked about in this podcast:

• The importance of being helpful and having a thick skin as you build your photography business
• The other elements of running a business besides taking photos
• How Levi is using Platypod’s Ultra Twin Pack
• The most important lessons Levi has learned over his career
• The role of relationship building
• Advice for photographers just getting started

Click on any of Levi's images above to listen to the podcast!​

The Beyond Technique podcast is brought to you thanks to Platypod. They've got some incredible savings going on right now, but only while supplies last. For example, there are only twenty of the Ultra Essentials Kits left for holiday savings. Click on any of the holiday bundles below for more information.

A BIG thanks to the team at Photofocus.com for their never-ending support of the photographic community. Check out all of their podcasts and an incredible archive of great content growing more and more every day! Just click on the banner below and check out one of the very best resources for photographic information!

by Skip Cohen

​A few weeks back, I shared a post about the importance of having a great headshot on your bio page. And as is so typical lately, a few people needed to argue with me about my suggestions. They missed my point. So, I'm making it again!

Meet Bev Walden - I've been friends with Bev and Tim Walden for easily twenty years, catching up at various industry events, but these days it's once a week with Bev's email blast of Tuesday Tidbits. She's a remarkable photographer and artist, and when I got one of her recent business/marketing emails, I noticed the headshot above, and grabbed a screenshot. 

It's the perfect environmental portrait of an artist. And like the headshot I shared of Kay Eskridge that started this topic, it captures Bev's love for the craft. It's inviting and put together with the work she shares on the Walden's Photography website; it delivers a message of passion for the craft, trust, and expertise.

As photographers and artists, all of you have something you've never had before - an excess of TIME! Use the downtime to update your bio and, along with it, your headshot. Let's get rid of cheesy selfies and portraits that look like you asked one of your kids to capture the image!

​by Skip Cohen

I started the Food Friday Series over two years ago, hoping a weekly short post covering one aspect of marketing would help many of you stay focused on the importance of building a more substantial business. From the SCU Diner, with help from an occasional guest "chef," we shared a lot of great ideas.

Well, nine months into the pandemic, with many areas of the country going back into lockdown, it's time to bring a few of the critical topics back to the table!

Here's my point: Social media has become your number one vehicle to keep in touch with your target audience. That means your blog is more important than ever. It's your best way to maintain brand awareness, but it needs to be done right!

You've got something you've never had before, too - TIME! 

I'm sharing tips from my experience as well as my good buddy, Scott Bourne's. Obviously, you need to stay healthy and safe, but there's simply no excuse for hunkering down from your business! 

1. "Mom" Appeal: For most of you, your target audience is "Mom." Women make 98% of the purchase decisions to hire a professional photographer in the portrait/social categories. That means your content needs to have appeal to Mom, but so does the look and feel of your blog. Your content needs to be relatable to your readership.
2. Gift Ideas: It's the holiday season, so share ideas on things to do with photographs. From frames to albums to canvas and prints, technology has made the choices to suggest virtually unlimited. I've written this before - photography is the perfect gift idea in the pandemic! A family portrait is an ideal gift for grandma this year because it's her family she misses most!
3. Making Your Audience Better Artists: There are things you do every day as a photographer that you take for granted. Help your audience do a better job of capturing images of their family - even if it's just with a cell phone. Share ideas on composition, lighting, fill-flash, and storytelling and help your readers get better results.
4. Throwback Thursday: Use your throwback images to remind your audience how fast the kids are growing up, and their family is changing. It's like the old "Subliminal Man" on Saturday Night Live - you've got to plant the seed for an updated family portrait this holiday season.
5. Be Consistent: Consistency is crucial in building readership, and if you find yourself blogging every full moon, you're better off to shut off the blog entirely and come back when you can make the commitment it deserves.
6. Build a Stash: Every post doesn't have to be done in real-time. If you look back at a previous Fast Food Friday special on blog ideas, they can be written in advance. Build a stash of posts you can use, and then don't relaunch your blog until you've got 12-15 posts ready to go and in the pipeline. Then alternate between posts in your stash and something fresh each week. 
7. Guest Posts: Sharing and exchanging content with other blogs helps you build stronger awareness. Look for partnerships where you swap material with other photographers and groups within your community.
8. Support Your Community: Writing about upcoming community events gives you more traction in terms of giving back. It also helps define your role better as somebody who's helpful. You're likely to find the sponsoring associations for each event you help publicize, sharing your information and helping you build more awareness. And just because we're in a pandemic and live events aren't happening very often doesn't mean your local nonprofits don't still need help!

In today's post, including five tips from Scott Bourne below, you've got 13 ideas with a minimal overlap. Your blog has never been more important than today when live interaction is so limited with your clients and target audience.

Can you survive without a blog? Maybe, but here's why it's so important. Your website is about what you sell. Your blog is about what's in your heart. The two work together, just like publicity and advertising to help you establish a stronger brand.

Blogging isn't about publishing as much as you can.
​It's about publishing as smart as you can!
Jon Morrow

by Skip Cohen

​Everyone is familiar with the 7:1 ratio when comparing a dog's life to a human's. Well, I'm starting to think something similar applies to "pandemic months." So, while this group shot was from July 2015 and only 5 1/2 years ago, it feels like twenty! 

Here's the short backstory - for many years, Marathon did their MAP Getaway, a three-day program for members of the Marathon Advantage Program. It was one of the best workshops I've ever attended with a fundamental concept for its foundation - sharing new ideas in marketing, business, and even technical skills.  

It was a great program and one of those events where everyone left with new friends and ideas on attacking the challenges in running a stronger business. While the MAP Getaway is no longer an annual event, Marathon's support is still available.

"Along with discounted prices, you have the ability to get your marketing help when you need it. You can ask any of our knowledgeable staff basic marketing questions and if you need a little extra help, our experienced Marketing Advantage Program Director and Educator is available via email and appointment."

Here's one of the most significant benefits: Most of you are small business owners. You don't have a big staff or a lot of depth in the support you need to keep growing your business. Even in the pandemic, there are so many things you can be doing to maintain a strong presence in your community. Marathon has the ability to expand your marketing presence. 

Need a little more information? Just click on the MAP thumbnail. 

And whether you decide to learn more about the program or not - it's Throwback Thursday! Take the time to find some of those old photographs from great times in the past. At the very least, they'll make you smile.

by Skip Cohen
  
​Many of you are going to feel it's too late for this idea to have an impact on sales this holiday season. Well, hear me out - because it's NOT!

Here's the background - going back to my Polaroid days, when the Spectra was introduced, the buzz words were continuity marketing. The Spectra was the first Polaroid to be introduced with a full line of accessories. And, just like the gear you own today, each piece of equipment you've added over the years has enhanced your loyalty and feelings about the brand you chose.

Well, here's an idea to build continuity marketing into your business - an 8x10 print box. It's over twenty years since Bambi Cantrell started the concept of an Image Box, then an Art Leather product. She'd use it to enhance a wedding album by taking blank mattes with her and having select members of the bride and groom's families and friends write something on them. She'd add the photographs later, making the collection of photographs incredibly special. 

The idea hasn't lost its effectiveness and today has even more potential. Here are a couple of examples: First, I went to make an appointment for the annual shots for our two pups.  My vet didn't have any appointments until January. "Because of the pandemic, everybody's getting new pets, and we're booked solid!"

Remember, the hierarchy of why people hire a professional photographer - brides, babies, and pets are the top three, and with so many weddings being postponed, I'm betting pets might be in the number one spot! Puppies and kittens grow up and, right from the beginning, are a vital part of their family. Perfect for filling a print box.

Second, what's the one thing that Grandma misses most this holiday season? HER FAMILY! The pandemic has kept everyone apart for almost nine months! Putting together a print box of images, both old and new, makes this one of those gifts that becomes a treasure. Looking through your list of past clients and new ones, a print box becomes a truly unique gift this holiday season.

​Here are more ideas about adding a print box to your product line with blank mattes included in the box:

• We're getting down to the wire on the concept for this holiday season. Still, there's time to put together an image box of recent portraits you might have captured for a client, and then include a few blank mattes, each with a certificates to fill in the open space with a photograph.
• Most brides and grooms within a certain age group will start a family within 2-3 years of their wedding. Include those same blank mattes I mentioned above in the box together with some of their images. Each matte is a certificate for something different:  an anniversary sitting, followed by the arrival of the first baby, new home, etc. Be creative and think about those special moments in a couple's new life together and create exciting offers to bring them back in front of your camera.
• Children's photography is perfect for a print box marketing program. Parents of a new baby are perfect for their images together with a few additional blank mattes, again for all of the extraordinary firsts in a baby's life. Younger children could be included in a "first day of school" portrait, Halloween portraits, holiday sittings, etc. 
• Third-Party Gifts - I've shared this idea many times since my buddy Doug Box first introduced me to the concept years ago. For example, third-party promoting involves the photographer giving a real estate agent a print box that could be given to select clients for a portrait sitting, along with other special events in their new home. The brilliance of a program like this is the photographer is insulated from looking like he/she is discounting their work. The box would be filled with blank mattes and promotions for various images for milestone events in the buyer's new home and life.

Here's my point to today's Marketing Monday post - the pandemic has created opportunities for so many of you to be leaders in your marketing. This is a holiday season where we're all looking back as well as to the future. Those memories you're capturing for clients now and from the past are more valuable than ever before!

Note: The images above are thanks to Queensberry: The Queensberry Matted Print Boxes are designed to be different. As well as the range of print options, you have over 40 cover materials to choose from. It's simple to customize the mats with the easy to use software, to suit each photograph and create unique designs. Queensberry will deliver to your studio for free, or direct to your clients with our free drop-shipping service!

For more information, just click on any of the images above.

by Skip Cohen
 
I've written so many posts lately that start out the same - the pandemic has changed so much in our lives...​

Here's something the pandemic has changed for the better - it's given you time, the one element in your life you've NEVER had enough of. And if you're not taking full advantage of the time to clean up some essential elements of your business, then it's a you-snooze-you-lose scenario.

​Almost three years ago, I started the Fast Food Friday series: Ideas to help you build a better business and all served each week at the SCU Diner. Well, It's time to bring a few of them back and tie them to the importance of reaching an even bigger target audience today!
​
I'm convinced photographic gifts will top the list of great ideas this holiday season, which means more potential traffic to your website. Your galleries should be your first tab, but once you've hooked a visitor on the quality of your work, then comes the second tab, your "About" page.

Yesterday I shared a post about the importance of a better headshot with your "About" page.  While a handful of photographers missed my point, nothing beats an environmental portrait of you as an artist to help reinforce your brand. But your headshot is only one of the key ingredients - the other part is what you write about yourself. 
​
Today your Internet presence is the equivalent of a bricks and mortar business just a few years ago. And because of the pandemic, it's even stronger than a physical location! Your website is your storefront and it's essential to make each visit a memorable experience.  ​

by Skip Cohen

​I was saving this topic for "Fast Food Friday" tomorrow, but it's too good not to share today. And in all honesty, ideas to help you raise the bar on your marketing should be happening EVERY day, not just on Fridays.

Earlier this week, Kay Eskridge shared her headshot  and these comments:

Years ago my Mom gave me the ultimate compliment ... she said I am good at what I do because I use my heart before I see with my eyes. I KNOW!! Way to go Mom!

I also think that the older I get I also use my soul somewhere in the mix... I guess that's why I'm always smiling when I'm behind the camera. Thx Howard...this is one of my favs!

Here's why this is so important - so many of you have terrible or irrelevant headshots on your websites and social media pages. From bad selfies to portraits that suggest you handed one of your kids the camera and even stunning portraits of you staring down the lens barrel - very few of them show your love for the craft, or at the very least, you in action...as a PHOTOGRAPHER and ARTIST.

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, your subject. Use your headshot to convey a great message of what you do for a living. Even great portraits don't demonstrate what you do for a living.

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

Now, think about your bio 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 you clients don't 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 Kay's, and you can even add an image of two of you working with a client!

(Also on the list to include is a self-promotional video about you - but we'll save that for another post.)

And to Howard Rosenberg who captured Kay - nicely done! You definitely caught her love for the craft and that signature Eskridge smile. What a kick!

by Skip Cohen
​
It's Sunday morning, and I'm definitely not in my usual mode of being off the topic of photography.  

The pandemic has changed everything in our lives and not for the better. But it's also created some unique leadership opportunities in creativity and support to your clients and community. I know it's been an ugly year for virtually every business, but I also know there are ideas out there to help you get back on track and jumpstart your business.

ClickCon Nation kicks off today with an all-star cast, but more important than the educators/speakers is the timing and the topics. For example, I'm doing a program at 10:15 CST called "My Business Has Disappeared, Now What?" In one hour, I'm going to pack in 2-3 hours of material - one after another of things photographers can be doing RIGHT NOW to capture the seasonality in business. 

​And check out the company I'm with below.

The program is FREE - all you have to do is download the ClickCon Nation app, and you're in. I know this doesn't apply to everybody, but there are too many of you who have been crying the blues over the decline in business and not doing anything about it.

Remember that line of "God helps those who help themselves?"  Well, regardless of what you believe spiritually, there's so much help in this industry. But you've got to make the first move - open your mind and join us!

Wishing everybody a day filled with ideas and opportunities to be a leader in creativity and business. The year isn't over yet. As I've written so many times in the last nine months - hunkering down is about your health - NOT about your business.

by Skip Cohen

​For over a year, I shared a series of business and marketing tips called "Fast Food Friday." The concept started as short, easy to implement ideas, and grew into some great building blocks for success as a photographer and small business owner.

Well, as much as the pandemic has changed so many things in our lives, the key ingredients to building brand awareness haven't changed. You still need to get your name out there, and even more important, we're into fourth-quarter seasonality, and people still need help capturing and sharing their memories!

Remember why I started this series - to give you ideas to build a stronger business, no matter what the challenges were! Most of you are right-brain creative types with too little focus on growing your business. Many of you don't think of yourselves as small business owners. Even if you're working for another studio, imaging is a career choice that lends itself to freelance assignments, and you're ALWAYS building your brand.

With or without Covid - it's not who YOU know, but WHO knows you! Here's a list to help you keep your name out there in the spotlight. Your goal is top-of-mind awareness so anytime somebody is thinking about photography, your name comes up first.
​

• Stay in touch with your past clients: I love an idea Steven Gotz shared at the beginning of the pandemic. Here's the link. In summary, he took portraits of clients and pulled the color, converted them to line-art, and sent them to clients with young children as coloring book pages. It's a brilliant way to help lift the spirits of your clients and, at the same time, remind them you're there.
• Community Involvement: People like buying products/services from companies they perceive as giving back. What's great about being involved in your community is it can start at any time. And it doesn't have to include a camera in your hands. The pandemic and health distancing has changed many events, but every community has challenges in getting the word out, especially on fundraisers. Use your blog and help them spread the word - be an ambassador!
• Own Your Zip Code: Draw a circle around where you're based and start knocking on doors! Wear a mask and respect physical distancing. Introduce yourself to the other businesses in the community...and IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR SPECIALTY IS! My favorite example is a wedding photographer walking into a real estate office. Once you've introduced yourself, all you need to say is, "My specialty is wedding photography, but I've got an incredible network. If you ever need any help with anything photo-related, give me a call. If I can't help you directly, I'm sure I know somebody who can."  
• Use Your Blog: Your website is about what you sell, and your blog is about what's in your heart. Post at least twice a week, same days, same times. Share stories/ideas relatable to your readership. Remember, you're building a community. Talk about the diversity of your skill set. Share tips on photography, especially posing, lighting, and composition. Help your clients get through the limitations of the holidays and needing to still hunker-down.
• Teach a Class: Just about all of you, unless you started yesterday, have enough expertise to help the community raise the bar on better photographs, even if they're only shooting with a cell phone. Share tips on composition, lighting, fill flash, posing, exposure, and storytelling. For most of you, your target audience is "Mom," so help make her a better photographer. And here's a new topic - teach a class on using Zoom, Skype, etc. Everyone is dealing with more interaction online, but so few consumers know what they're doing and spend their time sharing poorly lit nostril shots on their phones.
• Partnerships: You don't have to fly solo all the time! Look for opportunities to cross-promote with other vendors. A postcard mailer, for example, with two other partners, brings your cost down to a third. Best of all, all three partners become ambassadors for each other. And during the pandemic and holiday time, here's your chance to cross-promote on discounts and each other's products as gift ideas.
• Social Media: In the portrait/social categories of photography, that means being primarily involved on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. But remember, there are no erasers on the Internet. Stay relevant to your audience. Don't engage trolls! And stay focused on your passion for people and your art. You know how to hold focus on your subjects with your camera - so maintain focus on your audience's needs. Use Facebook's birthday and anniversary features to keep track of key dates with your clients. The pandemic hasn't slowed anything down in social media.
• Pick up the Phone: When in doubt, call a past client. You don't need to be selling anything. The call's purpose is to let them know you're thinking about them and just want to know how everybody is. My suggestion is to make at least two calls a day to past clients. This is purely social, but all about keeping in touch.
• Show Your Work: Years ago, Bambi Cantrell displayed her images in a local Starbucks. Helen Yancy, a past president of PPA, started out showing her work in a local diner. Offer to decorate your doctor's office. Think about it - almost every doctor's office is the same - BORING! Let's get some good photographs on the wall, and all you're asking is to leave a stack of your business cards on the magazine table. 
• Put Together a Networking Luncheon/Event: You don't have to meet for lunch physically. In fact, I was invited to a happy hour cocktail party recently of a board I'm active on here in Sarasota. It was all done on Zoom. Lori Nordstrom talked about this early on in the pandemic when she was getting together with a group of businesswomen in the community on Zoom. You're getting together to talk about the business, trends, and anything that comes up. 
• Career Day at ANY School: If we've learned nothing else from the toy manufacturers - the way to get to Mom and Dad is through their kids. Every school needs help with special programming, and most of them are dealing with online education. Offer to do a career day presentation online and talk about what it's like being a photographer. Don't be boring and just talk - show photographs, special techniques, and things they can do with their cell phones!  Here's your chance to make online education more fun.
• Build a Community Calendar: Everyone is always looking for new blog content. So, keep a calendar on your blog of upcoming community events, mostly non-profit fundraisers. And with each event, you personally attend, share the story with a paragraph or two and photographs. It's a great way to build up your reputation as a supporter of the community and be more recognized.
• Join Community Groups: From PPA affiliates to photography guilds to organizations like Kiwanis, Exchange Club, Rotary, and business networking groups, be involved. You're building a network of relationships and right now getting together online is the next best thing to being there!

Too many of you think there's nothing you can do to build your brand until the pandemic is history. It's not going away tomorrow, but the new norm doesn't need to leave you helpless. Relationship building is your most vital marketing tool - so, set up a time every week to be building your foundation of awareness - beyond your skill set.

Tony Corbell, one of the most recognized photographers in the industry, once told a story about when he first got started. "I might not have been the best photographer in town, but I was determined to be the nicest!" Tony's never strayed from that practice!

​And where's Tony today? Because travel for all of us is limited, he's online and spending just as much time teaching and supporting his audience as he always has - but in cyberspace!

by Skip Cohen
 
In all my years in this industry, I've never seen a more difficult time for photographers to maintain a business. At the same time, I've never seen/heard so many remarkable stories about artists taking a leadership role in their communities. These are business owners, fighting to rebuild what the pandemic has taken away.

This Sunday, five of us share ideas and ways to expand your skill set and work to get things started on the way back. But we can't help if you're not there with us! 

My program, "My Business Has Disappeared! Now What?" is about opportunities to rebuild your business and stand out from your competition. This program changes and grows every week, as I hear more great ideas to share from artists around the world who simply refuse to give up! I'll be sharing dozens of ideas to help you rebuild and jumpstart your business. I've got one hour to fill your head with new ideas, and even a few old ones. So, it'll be fast-paced right from the start.

Click on the banner above to connect to the complete schedule of events. Then to attend for FREE, just download the 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐂𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐩𝐩 from your app store, log in and create your password.  

​Don't let complacency get the best of you! Join us on Sunday to recharge your battery and get your business back on track for a strong fourth quarter in 2020!