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
​
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. 

​by Skip Cohen

It's Marketing Monday. What better topic to write about than ways to expand your reach?

We're out of the usual spring/summer seasonality and into what I think of as business-as-usual mode. While there's a lot of business to be had over the summer, especially in bridal and family portraiture, this is also the time to prime the pump for activity in the fall and fourth quarter.

I'm hitting just two points this morning: there is no single vehicle to expand your reach and increase brand awareness. You need to weave a web around your target audience. But before you start a few different campaigns, it's critical to identify your target audience! Many of you shotgun the market, feeling that since you have the skills for almost everything, why not go after everyone? NOT! 

You understand focus confirmation with your camera. Well, it's the same with marketing, demographics, and your target audience. Start with the demographics of your core specialty and worry about the other things you like to photograph later--after you get a little momentum going with your primary business.

Think about how you're going to hit your target audience. Check out the illustration below - ALL of these vehicles, and this is only a partial list, will help you build top-of-mind awareness with your audience. At any given time, you should be generating activity in at least 3-4 categories...and over a year, all of them!

​Your goal, besides building more business, is brand awareness. Think about how much noise there is in your lives and how much you personally ignore every day. Your target consumer is the same! 

Remember the Rule of Seven: The Marketing Rule of 7 is a principle in marketing which suggests that a potential customer needs to be exposed to a brand's marketing messages at least seven times before they make a purchase decision. Google

I've heard so many photographers over the years in reference to many of the above activities, say, "I tried _____ once and didn't get anything!" The Rule of Seven isn't a myth. It's your blueprint to build traffic and awareness, founded on solid research and past performances by businesses all over the world. And with each category in the information above, there are spin-offs that allow you to drill deeper into your reach!

It's not rocket science, but it takes patience, consistency, and continuity in your message.

by Skip Cohen

Sometimes, the challenge of running a business is a real-life puzzle. Each piece is unique and often requires a slightly different skill to visualize and then put in its place. All along the way, it's like running an obstacle course with speed bumps that slow you down.

I've been working on an entirely new program for my upcoming keynote at ClickCon. I've done hundreds of programs over my career, but this one is special because I want it to be a retrospective about the people and events that have contributed to the industry's growth, as well as my own. Ever put so much thought into a project that you can rarely think of anything else?  

Well, I needed a break and decided to catch up on email. I found a message from a photographer asking my advice to jumpstart a business that's been slowing down. The company has had its ups and downs, but it's slowed down so much that how to build it back up has become critical. She wrote: ...Had some great years and terrible ones. We are ready to give up and close with nothing to fall back on and no retirement. 

There are so many of you who have experienced this kind of frustration. That old line of, if you build it, they well come, just isn't true. You built it, but they're not coming! Sound familiar?

Every business is unique, along with many of the challenges - but there are some common denominators. First is the level of frustration at simply not knowing what to do. Second is believing your situation is so unique that you think you're alone. Last but not least is that point where you just want to pull the blanket over your head and go back to sleep - you just want to give up.

We've all been through it. There isn't a business owner on the planet who hasn't experienced the challenge of not knowing how to fix something in their business or career. The challenge isn't in finding a solution; it's in recognizing all the ways you can pull out of the downward spiral and bring optimism back to the forefront.

Here's my point - just like "Who wants to be a Millionaire?" - it's time to phone a friend. Your frustration is amplified because we're all too close to our own business. You're not looking at the goldmine you're sitting on of past clients, your network, including associates and friends, the resources at your fingertips, or your skill set. You're trapped in a DIY mentality when all it takes is asking for help and a pair of fresh eyes to help you through the maze.

I fell in love with scuba diving in the 90s and the one rule NEVER compromised is that you ALWAYS dive with a buddy. You never hit the ocean alone. So, if you're frustrated because the business isn't growing as you had hoped - then step back. Pull yourself away from work for an hour, a day, whatever it takes to clear your head. Then, jump back in, but with a "buddy." 

Obviously, "buddy" is a metaphor for getting some help. Your "buddy" is everyone and everything you have to get the help you need. A buddy can be a friend or associate, a knucklehead like me, or a conference like ClickCon. Before you accuse me of twisting my point to turn this into an infomercial for a convention - attending every workshop and conference you can is how you build your network. It's how you can recharge your battery before you crash and burn! It's how you get new ideas because everyone has gone through so many of the same challenges.

Take a look at your "village." If you're stuck on a challenge and need a solution, bring in fresh eyes and get some new ideas on the changes you need. And don't forget: Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was your career. Not everything you implement will always work, but that's not the point. Success is about keeping your passion for the craft alive and growing as a business owner and artist.

Remember, as I've written in the past, you can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in it. Step back, hit the reset button, utilize your network, and then make the changes you need to grow. Stop thinking you're alone!

by Skip Cohen

Celebrating with the class of 2025 might seem like a long time away, but marketing for next year's graduation class needs to start now! In fact, in some communities, you might already be late.

Breaking into the senior market isn't easy. It takes consistency, solid technical skills, and even greater personal communication skills.  For many of next year's seniors, their portrait session may be their first time working with a professional photographer. But if you build the relationship right, there's a strong possibility you'll see your senior subject again: seniors grow up, get jobs, get married, and most start families. All along the way, there are opportunities for support from the imaging community.

In addition to capturing beautiful images, today's seniors give you an opportunity to capture their personalities. I'm so proud of what today's photographers are capturing. Unlike our (me and Sheila) graduation shots, where everybody was essentially dressed the same—guys with a jacket and tie, girls with a crew-neck sweater—there was only one photograph available—no personality captured, just a headshot.

The other significant change is in the marketing tools for the class of 2025! Nobody does it better than Marathon, and there's a program going on right now that brings together all the different aspects of marketing to next year's senior class in their Power of 3 program.

Whether you currently photograph seniors or you're considering a new extension of your business for the future, click on the banner below and, at the very least, learn about Marathon's program. Even better, give them a call and find out how to use Marathon's marketing expertise for you!

by Skip Cohen

​Last night I did an online program on Zoom for the Professional Photographers of Michigan. Asked to do a marketing business program, I pulled out all the stops and put together a presentation that lasted almost two hours. It's been a while since I did an online program, but it's like riding a bike - you get into the groove and then go with it. But there are a few random things I want to share:

Flying Solo: One of the points I wanted to make was to remind everyone they don't have to always fly solo. Sometimes, working alone is the quickest way to get something done, but there are so many opportunities to work together. And the supply of partners is so extensive, from vendors and retailers to other artists. Working together builds creativity, reduces costs, and increases reach.

If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together – African Proverb

Rocket Science? With the exception of understanding SEO and taking full advantage of ways to keep your message out there, nothing in business and marketing is rocket science. Successful marketing and running a business takes discipline, continuously analyzing each aspect of your operation, and then fine-tuning for more effectiveness.

Is Blogging Still Effective? I'm a huge fan of how blogging can help you build your business, and I have never stopped believing that a good blog is an asset and worth your time. Knowing that a lot of people feel blogging is dead, I went off in search of more data through Google. I found a lot of different articles in support, like the piece below from Lyon Content.

by Skip Cohen

Five years ago, I ran a series of weekly tips to help you run a more successful business. Wandering through my archives this morning, it hit me that this post from that series is even more relevant today. We live in a world that's become so polarized over virtually any topic, and the quote above, by Steve Jobs, is right on target.

Let's get rid of the "Negators" in our life. Just in case you don't understand how I'm using the word, it's my favorite word for all those people who tell us why we can't or shouldn't do something! They're the ultimate right-fighters, sure that their opinion is the only one with any accuracy. They seem to live for the opportunity to wait for you to fail so they can proclaim they saw it coming! 

I'm staying away from all the issues we face today outside of business and focusing on imaging.  Photography is an art form often misunderstood, especially by family members and friends. They don't understand your passion. They assume you're going to starve in the process. They may never have seen your work and question whether or not you're good enough. They don't understand why you can't just go out and get a "real job"!  Sound familiar?

On the old GoingPro podcasts, Scott Bourne and I talked a lot about surrounding yourself with people with positive attitudes. You need to block out the "Negators." It's not out of Greek mythology, but it should be. Negators are people who are so unhappy in their own lives; their only joy in life is screwing with yours!

The result is most often serious damage to your self-confidence. So, let's come up with a few things to help you stay focused, pun intended, and give you a little reinforcement. You know how to focus your camera, but do you know how to hold the focus on your career path?

• Look at old images. Go back and look at your very first images. It might have been a party you photographed, a landscape while on vacation, or maybe just a few shots of your kids. Now, compare them to where you are today. If you don't see a difference, you're in trouble, but most of you will see growth in how you compose and expose today. As you get more experienced, there should be some serious changes in lighting, composition, depth of field, and creativity.
• Roberto Valenzuela once suggested a terrific tool for practicing the craft on a GoingPro podcast. He suggested you go back to the last wedding you photographed and look at all the bad images.  "Look for what you missed and learn to understand why each image wasn't good!"
• Enter some images in print competition. This is a personal favorite. Whether you enter prints or not, at least attend the judging at the next convention, where it's open to the public. Listen to what the judges are saying about each print. Use their suggestions as guidance for your own work.
• Find yourself a supportive forum. There are so many social media groups within photography, and while you'll occasionally run across a troll who doesn't like the images you share, just remember, "Beauty is in the eyes of the checkbook holder!"
• Join your local chapter or guild of professional photographers. Sooner or later, everyone shares the same frustrations. A local chapter of other photographers becomes a support group and an essential part of your network. There's a lot of good comfort in knowing your peers share some of the same concerns and frustrations. 
• Surround yourself with positive people. Hopefully, the "Negators" in your life will come around sooner or later, but for now, those people who are throwing up the roadblocks need to be kept on the sidelines. The only thing they're contributing to your life is stress.
• Listen to your heart. It sounds hokey, but you know what you feel inside. You know what your gut instinct is saying about your passion for being a photographer.
• Don't respond to trolls! When you step out into the public forums and get shot at by a troll, don't let yourself get caught up in the battle. Don't respond. Your silence is far more effective at driving them mad!

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We're out of the "slow season," and Spring seasonality is just about over. You've got the best part of the year ahead of you. It's time to really dig into your journey. And if you need a little help from one of the industry's biggest cheerleaders - you know where to find me!

by Skip Cohen
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While we've all grown up with the lesson, don't judge a book by its cover; most of us still do when it comes to businesses. Whether a bricks-and-mortar establishment, website, or your social media real estate - it's what people see that most often creates that critical first impression.

It's Marketing Monday, and while I've missed a couple in the last few weeks, we're down to the wire regarding Spring seasonality. Father's Day is next weekend, and then we head into summer. Things slow down a little for many of the specialties, but that doesn't mean you should. Every day, you've got opportunities to fine-tune other aspects to grow brand awareness.

Most of us are familiar with magazines like Highlights for Children. Every issue always had an illustration or photograph with the question, "What's wrong with this picture?" I remember sitting with my kids and helping them look for the mistakes.

Well, I visit hundreds of photographers' websites every week, and so many don't seriously examine their branding—it's the adult version of "What's wrong in this picture?" Even their headshots don't match the professionalism they're trying to convey. Seriously, what does a bad headshot say about a portrait artist?

​So many times, I've looked at a site that's the equivalent of a patchwork quilt put together by somebody who's colorblind. Nothing matches!  Combine that with difficult navigation, unnecessary policy statements, and an abundance of mediocre images, and it's simply not a fun experience for people to visit the website.

A few years ago, when doing a supporting video for a magazine I was writing for on this same topic, I made sure nothing I was wearing matched. I don't know if it worked to make my point about continuity and design, but it sure had Sheila and laughing!

Think about the "golden arches" for a second - we know exactly what that logo represents and that it's McDonald's. You're competing for the same recognition, just in a smaller space. Your competitors are every company making noise to your target audience at the same time you're trying to reach them. That means your website, blog, social media "real estate," business cards, stationery, brochures, and anything I missed must have the same strong look and feel.

Continuity doesn't stop with the design of all these components but continues with your tone and text. For example, I'm a big fan of first-person About pages. Yet, so many of you talk about yourself in the third person and will often switch to the first person. Stay with the first person and write it like an artist's statement from your heart. Share your passion for the craft and working with people instead of describing yourself while having an out-of-body experience!

It's a really simple message today - take the time to review all the building blocks of your business, especially your site, social media real estate, YouTube channel if you have one and blog. Remember, for any of you in the wedding and portrait side of the business, women make 98% of the purchase decisions. That means your site needs to have appeal to the female shopper, especially MOM!

And if you want advice on how to always look sharp, no matter what the situation, I'm thinking about starting a business as a wardrobe stylist!

Family should be the place where you can be your most complete self.
Where you're accepted and appreciated, seen and valued, even in moments of disagreement.
It should be your soft place to fall, the place where you're reminded that no matter what happens to you,
in the face of your deepest challenges, you are loved.
Oprah

by Skip Cohen

In the hierarchy of why people hire a professional photographer, brides, babies, and pets are the top three based on studies done years ago by Kodak. I don't believe that's changed at all. Family photography and seniors come in at number four and five. My guess is that the two specialties swap places depending on the time of the year, but that doesn't change the potential to help professional artists grow their businesses.

In a post a few weeks back, I wrote about the Power of 3. Marathon Press offers a program that gives photographers a blueprint for marketing to seniors and families. The basic program is in three parts because you can't just hit your target audience one time and expect results.

Think about how much mail you throw out every day. Email, which most of us have access to via our phones, rarely survives long enough to even read if it's not a topic that we're interested in. And it's no different with "snail mail." But when we hit the mailbox, and something relevant catches our eye, we read it and log it in as something we might be interested in. In our house, something that's really interested winds up on the bulleting board in my home office or on a magnet near the fridge!

Marathon starts with helping you design the campaign, then implement it and follow up. The first mailing is your introduction to your audience. The second, allows families to look at your photography and recognize your studio as their best choice for their portraits. The third mailing is a solid reminder to book your session...NOW! And there's even a fourth mailing option for a "last chance" reminder.

Throughout the process, Marathon is driving the bus! Their team becomes your team and keeps the entire campaign on target. Plus, they offer protected exclusivity on a first-come, first-served basis within your zip code. I grabbed a screenshot of one of my favorite designs they offer with the program, but between text, fonts, colors, and layouts, every artist has an opportunity to create a piece that's an attention-grabber and unique.

Continuity Marketing: If you're a family photographer or interested in this genre, it's an ideal stepping stone for continuity marketing. Couples get married and start families. Kids grow up to become seniors and eventually brides and grooms and start their own families.  Along the way, there are opportunities for everything in portraiture, including headshots, commercial work and pet photography. 

Remember, relationship building is your best marketing tool. Family photography is all about the relationship you can establish with a family, and in turn, be there for all their imaging needs.

Looking to expand and grow your family photography business? All it takes is to click the link below to get started and put the Power of 3 to work for you. Now is the time to begin the process and planning for a strong campaign that will help you expand your business and brand awareness within your community.

by Skip Cohen

I found the quote above using Google, searching under Customer Service and shared it on Twitter six years ago. Shep Hyken retweeted my post. It's rare that the author of any quote I share retweets what I write, and here comes one of the amazing attributes of the Internet. I looked up Shep Hyken to find out more about him. Then, I called him to say thanks and learn about his role as a leader in the business community and his focus on Customer Service. He couldn't have been more accessible and immediately took my call.

A few months later, Shep joined Chamira Young and me on our podcast, and then I was a guest on his. A year or so later, we stepped out of cyberspace and grabbed breakfast together in St. Louis. That's how the friendship got started. But my respect for him, along with thousands of his fans is about his never-ending focus on customer service. Following him is fun, as he's always sharing concepts that can help build/strengthen so many different aspects of a successful business.

"Fun" is one of those words too often lost in business today. It gets buried under the stress of marketing, delivery, and follow-up. But when you're having fun, it becomes a work-hard-play-hard scenario. The more fun you're having the more room there is for your creative juices to flow.

Wandering through Shep Hyken's archives yesterday, this post caught my eye. It ties in so well to the role Customer Service plays in building your business. It's a perfect example of photographers who are recognized as "GREAT" in their communities rather than just being good. Being a great photographer, as opposed to just a good one, also opens the door to more fun in building your brand!

Years ago, I sat in on a Tim and Beverly Walden presentation. They talked about the fact that they sell the experience, NOT just finished prints. So many of you have worked your entire career to perfect your skill set. You've never slowed down in your quest to capture the ultimate image. That's admirable, but to Shep's point in his post below...your ability to be considered great goes beyond just creating beautiful images.

Shep's website is loaded with great material. He needs to be on your radar and is only a click away.

by Shep Hyken

​If you had to have surgery, would you rather go to the most skilled surgeon or the nicest surgeon?   
I was at a party the other night and someone I met shared his opinion of the difference between a good doctor and a great doctor. A good doctor makes you well. A great doctor makes you well and calls you the next day to see how you’re doing. 

I thought about that all weekend. My new friend was saying that good is doing what you are expected to do. If you’re a surgeon, you make people well. However, great is the addition of a better customer experience. In the case of the surgeon, it’s skill plus bedside manner.  

Here’s a “less critical” example. If you go to a restaurant that has the most delicious food, but the service is outright terrible, you wouldn’t refer to that as a great experience. The food could be the best, but if what surrounds it – the experience – is tainted with rude and angry employees, you would be reluctant to go back.  
So, back to my friend’s example. The doctor’s bedside manner, which included a phone call to check on the patient, is a metaphor for a good customer experience – or in this case, a patient experience.  

Sweetwater, an online retailer that sells music and audio equipment, is another excellent example of this. I bought a new microphone and mixing board from them last year, and they assigned a salesperson to my account. A week after I received the items, “my” salesperson called me to make sure they were working and confirm that I was happy with my purchase. A good experience would have been talking to a salesperson, ordering the equipment, and having it show up as expected in a day or two. What elevated it to a great experience was the less-than-one-minute phone call I received from “my guy.” 

Creating a great customer experience doesn’t mean going over the top. Occasionally, you have opportunities to do so, but if your typical experience includes a little something extra, like a phone call to check on a customer, you move beyond just being good. Our customer service research found that the top reason customers are most likely to come back is because employees are helpful and friendly.  

It is expected that a doctor has skill. If the doctor is also helpful and friendly, another way of saying the doctor has a good bedside manner, then by my friend’s definition, he or she is a great doctor.  

So, what’s your version of bedside manner? What little something can you add to the experience so that people will refer to you as great? Don’t answer me. Sit down with your team and answer these questions for yourself and your organization. Define your version of what would make you a great doctor, communicate it to your people, train them to deliver on it, and watch your customers’ reactions. They will reward you by saying, “I’ll be back!” 

Copyright © MMXXII, Shep Hyken – Used with Permission​