by Skip Cohen For close to fifteen years on three different blogs, I've been sharing ideas to help you build a stronger business. While technology has never slowed down, there's not a lot left that I haven't written about when it comes to marketing. Yet there are so many of you who act like procrastination is a strategy! 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 bit of planning, including the route, cities you wanted to visit, accommodations, etc., Yet you're attacking the new year without a roadmap. I'm bringing back an updated building block series because NOW is the time to lay the foundation to make 2024 your best year yet. Let's start with your website:
We're in a "you snooze - you lose" scenario. We might be in the slow season, but it shouldn't be slow for you as a business owner. Valentine's Day, Easter, prom season, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and graduation are all around the corner. This is the first Marketing Monday for this series - coming up we'll hit at least seven more topics to help you build a powerhouse business in the new year...but remember, even with great marketing, you still need an outstanding skill set when a camera is in your hands!
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by Skip Cohen
At the last minute yesterday, I decided to head to IUSA next weekend. I keep in touch with dozens of photographers weekly, and I felt free of the need to be in Louisville for the convention. But the closer it got to the show, the more I questioned my decision. So often, I forget to practice what I preach. In this case, I need to recharge my battery when it comes to imaging. With a home office and most interaction online, there is no replacement for being together with other photographers, vendors, and friends. My anticipation is almost overwhelming! Just the decision to be at IUSA has created some great energy. So, if you're like me and had decided not to attend, I was surprised that I could lock in decent flights and the hotel this late. Why IUSA? Well, it's the first big show of the new year for most of you. Next, you need to spend time building your network, and there's no better place than a great convention. With nearly 150 exhibitors, it's an opportunity to check out new products, services, and technology. Plus, PPA's educational platform this year is one of their best yet - it's a chance for you to fine-tune your skill set. Here are just a few reminders if you're heading to the show.
I'd love to catch up with any of you headed to the show - look for me at the Platypod booth 1226, Marathon booth 727 or just out and about on the trade show floor. by Skip Cohen We closed the door on 2023, and most of you would like to kick back for a few weeks and chill. I get it, and that's fine if it fits your goals for the new year. But there's an opportunity coming up that, with a little planning, can be your first step into building stronger revenue for 2024. Valentine's Day is a perfect time for boudoir and family portrait artists to ramp up a little business, and NOW is the time to spread the word. But it's also important to have something going on that gets your target audience excited...
Here's my point - it's great to kick back and chill, but if you've got the skillset, a Valentine's Day promotion is low-hanging fruit. It's perfect to get back in the swing of things and remind your audience what you do for a living...you help people create and capture memories! by Skip Cohen It's Marketing Monday, and for at least the last ten years, I've shared ideas on things you should be doing to build a stronger business. I've covered just about everything, but there's one more idea I want to hit this morning: the diversity of Marathon Press. My history working with Marathon goes back 30+ years. Yes, they sponsor SCU, but they didn't ask me to write about them today. As everyone looks for ideas to make 2024 a record-breaker, Marathon has so many ways to help you achieve your goals. Let's start with their diversity as an industry-supporting vendor, and this is only a part of the support they offer.
Here's my point this Marketing Monday - stop thinking you have to fly solo all the time. Most of you are small business owners and you don't have the staff, the time or the budget to create, build and launch exciting marketing programs - but Marathon has an amazing staff and products/services.
And they're just a click or phone call away...(800) 228.0629 or click on their logo below. by Skip Cohen In the "old days," there was always time to kick back and chill after the December holidays. January, especially, was considered the start of the slow season and convention time. And while winter is slow in most areas, that's only from a consumer perspective. As a small business owner in photography, it might be quiet, but you've got some planning you should be doing for the next wave of seasonality.
I get it - 2023 wasn't the easiest of years, and you'd like to hibernate for the winter. But here's my point: a little planning now sets things up for the whole year. And there are few things better than being a business owner with momentum going all year long! Whether you've put any formal time into planning the year ahead or you're still in vision mode trying to think through what you want to be when you grow up - everyone has goals. And while some are tougher to achieve and more long-range than others, nothing changes the importance of planning and turning wishes into reality. "If it weren't for change there'd be no butterflies!" Unknown Author by Skip Cohen It's January 8, and time is flying by faster than I'd like! While I know time never slows down, procrastination is a luxury. This time of year, we all go through the same process - We think about the previous year, set goals for the new year, and then work on what we need to do differently to make this year even better. Maybe everything in our skill set was right for last year, but now we need to expand to focus more on marketing to a broader audience and offer more diverse products/services. Or, perhaps the product line is fine, but we need to find more ways to reach more people. We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential. Ellen Goodman This is a short post on this first Marketing Monday of 2024. Its purpose is to plant a few seeds to think things through before you jump back into expanding and building in a new direction too rapidly. What if you change virtually NOTHING to start the year?
Here's my point - every year is a struggle to grow your business. Some years growth is faster than others, but overall it's the same process. Maybe you need to pat yourself on the back and take some time, without interruptions, to analyze how you really want to achieve your goals. If last week was the time to recharge, then this week is a prep week. Where are the best possibilities to find areas for growth through diversity and increased brand awareness? There's a great buzz in the industry this year, and there is lots of optimism for 2024. Two great conventions, IUSA and WPPI, are coming up with opportunities to spend time with your peers and so many of the key vendors and educators. At the same time, social media is exploding with opportunities, and even direct mail has the potential for targeting campaigns as you launch a new year in business. Don't rush to change things in your business just for the sake of mixing things up a little. Every business has a formula, and no two artists are the same. The key is to implement things that work best for you and, at the same time, help you expand your reach. What a year this is going to be! PS If you're stuck on ideas in the new year and need some help, you know where to find me. Just IM me on Facebook, and I'll get back to you. by Skip Cohen
This is that strange time of year when it's quiet from the consumer side of life and in limbo for many small business owners. It's the perfect time to hit the reset button and clear your head. But before you kick back it's also time to tie up loose ends from 2023 and do a little prep work for the new year. From loose ends to preparing for the year ahead, here are some quick ideas:
Here's my point - yes, we're at the start of the "slow season," but that doesn't mean it's slow for you as a business owner. This time of year is always a balance between things you need to do ASAP to wrap up last year and the need to kick back for a few days and clear your head. As I wrote recently, now is the time to do a little dreaming...with your eyes open. by Skip Cohen We're down to the wire on seasonality for 2023, but there's one last category there's still time for - thanking your clients, vendors, and people who have supported you throughout the year. While I've shared thoughts about this in the past - I want to expand on both concepts. 1. Thank You Promotions: The illustration below is from Adobe Stock, and while it's not worded how you might publish a special offer to all your past clients, it makes the point.
2. Saying "Thank You" to Your Support Team: It's another illustration, but we all know what a thank you note/card looks like. The target audience, though, is everybody who helped you in 2023.
And if you're stuck on design ideas or how to implement a promotional thank you program, at the risk of sounding like an infomercial - call Marathon! Their staff has worked with thousands of photographers and business owners on creating programs with impact. Call 1-800-228-0629 or click on their banner below. The year is quickly coming to a close, but there are still building blocks you can put in place for 2024, and they're all about relationship building - your strongest marketing tool. by Skip Cohen It's Marketing Monday, and I'm headed in a very different direction than usual. Besides, over the last month or two, I've covered virtually every topic you should be considering in marketing for a solid finish to the year. Today's post concerns recharging your battery mid-year, expanding your skillset, and picking up new ideas to make 2024 a great year. One of your greatest and most valuable resources is a great conference! Nothing beats a LIVE get-together with other artists, but it's no easy task to put something together. Remember my background - I was with WPPI for seven years with a fantastic team that took the convention to over 15,000 in 2009. Take my history one step further, and with Tony Corbell's help, we launched Hasselblad University. Now, add my time on the PPA Advisory Board, Akron Photo Series, and dozens of other regional/local conferences. I fully understand the challenges in putting together even the smallest workshop. Well, Sherry, Suzi and the ClickCon team had a new challenge to face for 2024...the Democratic National Convention is in Chicago, and the Republicans are in Milwaukee a little over an hour away, both in the timetable for ClickCon. That's an incredible challenge for hotel space for a small workshop, let alone the fastest-growing conference in imaging! They just announced Detroit, and DETROIT works! It's a great city for a convention and far enough away to be out of the craziness of the two political conventions. For those of you in the Midwest, check out the circle above and the stats below...most of the major markets are four hours or less driving time! Trains, Planes, and Automobiles isn't just the title for an old movie - it's the selection you've got to be at what's become one of the best conventions in photography. And they've even come up with packages that include your hotel stay! Here's the bottom line - I grew up east of Cleveland, and except for the PPO convention each year, there's not much to draw from when it comes to great conferences for photographers and videographers. To have an event of this caliber just 4 hours away is a real asset. Plus, if you drive like Sheila and I do, you can always shave off at least 1/4 of the Google estimate on travel time! What a kick! Put it on your calendar and take advantage of the early pricing discounts. Just click on the banner below. Intro by Skip Cohen
My good buddy Scott Bourne first shared this post on SCU ten years ago. While I've pulled it from the archives a couple of times over the years, it's too good not to share again. And if you're already a working pro, it's still a great read. You might be surprised how many points Scott made that so many of you have forgotten, especially #5! by Scott Bourne (While these mistakes also encompass other areas of the professional photography business, at their core, they are marketing mistakes. See if you are making any of these mistakes and what you can do to correct them.) 1. Don't think about selling your image to the masses. Think about selling to people who live in your own zip code. Trying to start out like you're Ansel Adams with big gallery sales all across the country isn't going to happen. Just own your own zip code and don't worry about your images going viral. 2. Don't spend money on a studio, lights, camera gear, backgrounds, etc. until you actually have a customer. You can rent all the stuff you need to do a shoot. In fact, the big shots mostly rent everything when they are shooting big jobs. Why should you aim to be any different? 3. Don't focus on launching until you can sell. Focus on sales. Spend your time selling. Learn everything you can about the sales process. Read every sales book you can get your hands on. Expect to spend way, way more time selling than shooting. If you're doing it the other way around you're going to end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard. 4. Don't worry about a business plan if you don't have a superb portfolio. Develop a killer portfolio before you worry about building a business plan. Make sure you have honed your craft. Make sure you know what you are doing. Don't worry about the big plan. Worry about being a great photographer with a great portfolio where every single image rocks your world. 5. Don't think you can run a photo business just because you are a great photographer. You need to be good at all the things that go with running a business, or get help doing those things. You need to have good bookkeeping, inventory control, accounting, legal, marketing, branding and sales on board before you even think about entering photography as a business. 6. Don't run your business with a negative mind. Too many photographers spend their time and money trying to build a wall around their photo business. Don't write 100 page contracts. Don't treat your customers or prospects as if they are out to cheat you. Just have a good attitude and move ahead. 7. Don't fake it until you make it. If you can't carry your weight, you'll ruin your reputation. So if a client says "can you do aerial photography?" and you've never even been in an airplane, don't say yes. You may want to partner with someone who can do that, you may want to refer the prospect to someone else, but don't claim you can do it if you can't because you will suffer from a bad reputation with that prospect and all their friends for all time. by Skip Cohen
It's almost 4:30 PM on Marketing Monday, and here I am just writing today's post. No excuses, but a light-hearted explanation. Ever had a day that went by so fast you feel like you missed it completely? The day started out with a battle with Comcast after we lost Internet service last night. Then came a few errands to do before the Thanksgiving rush, followed by editing an upcoming podcast for the December Tamron Recipes series. Throw in a few phone calls and like a cartoon character getting an idea with a lightbulb going off above my head, I realized I never posted. I'm hoping most of you are flat-out working on holiday orders for your clients. It's one thing for me to miss a post on my blog, but another entirely if you miss a customer order or challenge the trust a client has put in you to deliver as promised. Here's my point - First, slow down a little and do a check at the end of the day. Review everything you worked on. Second, if you did screw something up, don't hide it. Be upfront and always communicate with your client. Third, remember to take a break during the day - I didn't and went non-stop on the list I had in my head of what I wanted to accomplish. Last but not least, I love a check-off list...I'm old school and have a huge whiteboard on the wall above my desk. Putting stuff in my phone doesn't give me what I need, but writing it down manually stays top-of-mind. It's Marketing Monday, and if nothing else, my post might help a few of you remember things you want to wrap up before the Thanksgiving holiday. Or, if you're outside the US and this isn't a holiday week, you're still rushing to make the deadlines most important to your clients. Remember to slow things down enough to double check what you're working on. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. African Proverb by Skip Cohen Ten years ago, I was writing for Shutter Magazine. All the writers would include a short video with each month's article. I had a blast doing the videos, realizing early on that the more absurd my presentation, the more likely readers would remember my marketing point. In this video, going back ten years ago, I hit hard on partnerships, especially with promotions. I've just published posts on the same topic in the last few weeks. Partnerships allow you to share the cost while expanding your reach to each company's database. Plus, each company becomes an ambassador for the other partners. Stop thinking you have to do everything solo! Happy Throwback Thursday! by Skip Cohen From prints to albums to image boxes, there are so many different ways to help you market your skillset. But for many of you, image boxes represent an entirely new direction, especially as a marketing tool. Here are three ideas targeting different types of clients:
Image boxes come in all shapes and sizes, and you've got the creativity to develop promotional programs that are just as diverse. Click on any of the four well-respected companies above to help give you more ideas. There are hundreds of others. So, if you don't see anything you like here, call your lab or album company and find out what they offer. The key is to be different and make your promotional offers unique from what your competitors are doing. As my buddy Terry Clark said several years ago: "Look at what everybody else is going and then do something different!"
by Skip Cohen Last week, I held an online coaching workshop for VIP attendees from the Hair of the Dog Summit I spoke at a few months ago. We've all attended various workshops and taken tons of notes. The we return home, letting life get in the way and not following up on actionable ideas. The purpose of the follow-up program was to help these artists stay focused on things they could still be doing to contribute to this year's success in holiday sales. It's November 13, and there's still time for you to have an impact on making 2023 one of your very best years ever!
You'll miss out if you keep procrastinating and waiting for the business fairy to sprinkle magic dust on your doorstep! There are no unicorns when it comes to building your business, just hard work and your ability to create top-of-mind awareness with your target audience. No one blog post can cover all the ideas out there, but it's Marketing Monday, and there's still time for you to have an impact on this year's sales. I want to help you THRIVE, not just survive! by Skip Cohen
Last year, right about this same time, I was running a series called "Sound Advice." Looking back through my archives, I ran across this post on diversity in your skill set. It's only a four-minute sound bite, but it's relevant to so many of you. I'm hoping most of you are starting to fulfill holiday orders – but that doesn't mean you can't still think about your immediate future from a "what if?" perspective. When business is bad, life becomes a lifeboat drill. We examine all our costs, procedures, etc. Often, the things we change and cut back on are issues that should have been addressed long before the crisis. So, think back to the height of the pandemic – when events were all canceled, people were paranoid about virtually everything – and we all hunkered down. Now, think about your plans if another crisis were to happen, even the most local event that forced you to change your business model. Do you have the skill set to tackle something else, or are you strictly a one trick pony? What's your backup plan? It's a short sound bite from last year, and while references to 2022 aren't valid, the concept of diversity couldn't be more important and worth considering. With IUSA coming up in January and more conferences and workshops on the horizon, whether LIVE or online, what will you do to expand your skill set? by Skip Cohen If you wander through the SCU archives you'll find posts covering virtually every topic in marketing. Sadly, too many of you are still pondering the meaning of life and your business. I want to take a different approach this Marketing Monday and give you another resource to build a stronger strategy for your business. If you haven't checked out everything Marathon offers, you're overdue! Yes, Marathon is a client, but I was working with them for thirty years before they became one of my sponsors. In the 90s, they printed my first co-authored book, Don Blair's Guide to Lighting and Posting Body Parts. I've been to their plant, spent time in their booth at various conventions, and worked together with their staff. I've followed their growth and expansion into offering some of the very best printed products and marketing support in the industry. It all starts with a click on the red banner at the top of their home page. From there, click on any of the drop-down windows to identify each service/product they provide. And in terms of specific support for the holidays - their BOGO program is going on right now. NO PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULD EVER USE A STORE-BOUGHT HOLIDAY CARD! There's still time to create your own card featuring one of your images and, on the back of the card, your contact information. And for your clients, nobody can help them create their family card better than you! Plus, with Marathon's BOGO, you can pick up additional revenue because of the savings. It's all just a click away on the banner below. Here's the bottom line - from Bella Art Prints and Bella Albums to studio products, volume photo solutions, websites, their MAP marketing support to direct mail, and everything in between - they're ready to help. But even more impressive, and what I love most about Marathon is their ability to become your marketing department. They've got the expertise and the services/product lines to help you achieve a powerful finish to 2023 and, more importantly - set the stage to kick off the new year! And if I still need to convince you to check out everything they offer, then pick up the phone and call them yourself. You won't be disappointed! by Skip Cohen It's November 3, and you're down to the wire to have an impact on this year's holiday seasonality. If you have some things you're doing already, then you can stop reading. However, I'm betting many of you have a minimal amount going on and are waiting for the Marketing Fairy to sprinkle magical business dust on your doorstep. Sorry, I couldn't resist the image on the right. But if you want to meet the real Marketing Fairy, just look in the mirror. You're the only one who can find the magical fairy dust to create more excitement this holiday season. And if you're stash of ideas is running low, here are some places to start...
Last but not least, use social media to get the word out. Your blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), and even a great personalized-looking email blast have the potential to remind people of your expertise. MAKE SOME NOISE! There's still time to have an impact, but if you wait much longer, you'll be at the airport when your ship comes in! And if you're stuck for ideas, you know where to find me. by Skip Cohen For six years I wrote for Shutter Magazine. Each article was accompanied by a short video highlighting the topic. The fun of the video really was in the theme that always followed my article. And the more absurd I could be, the more likely readers would remember what I said. This particular video was for an article I wrote in 2014. It was all about your greatest marketing tool - building relationships. From pounding the pavement and knocking on doors, to partnerships and community involvement, Scott Stratten says it best, "Stop Marketing and Start Engaging!" While Unmarketing certainly isn't a new publication, it's an outstanding book. It's well worth a trip to Amazon to add it to you business library. Just click on the cover shot to the right. Meanwhile, think about every aspect of your business where you can touch a past or potential client. From how quickly you respond to questions on your website, to keeping in touch with past customers to working with other vendors, and being helpful on your blog - every contact is an opportunity to build a stronger relationship. Happy Throwback Thursday! If you want to catch more fish, use more hooks! George Allen by Skip Cohen Every year around this time I start a series of reminders of things you should be doing to capitalize on seasonality. Today's post is modified from the SCU archives, but the point is still the same. While business has great potential all year long, it's the November/December seasonality that offers you the most potential. This was originally the seventh post in my get-ready-for-seasonality series two years ago. However, the reality is there isn't any single key to success. But there is a winning combination of publicity, products, and promotion. As we head into the close of 2023, besides all the other aspects of marketing I've been writing about, you need to be creating awareness. What good is working so hard to create the best images of your life if nobody knows who you are? Too many of you think of publicity as awareness outside your control. It's time to kill the myth. Thanks to social media and communication technology - EVERY business can control and contribute to their own awareness.
Stop waiting for that knock at your door from a reporter who wants to do a feature profile story about you and your business. Those opportunities will come, but you have to build your own awareness first! The bottom line is simple: "use more hooks!" by Skip Cohen Hump Day thoughts are short ideas to help raise the bar on your success, especially during this upcoming holiday season. Most of you, at one time or another, have been involved in a brainstorming exercise. Most often for me, it happened in marketing meetings in my Polaroid days and later at Hasselblad USA. The whole idea is based on a small group of people doing a brain dump of ideas/solutions related to some aspect of business. There were no rules - just talking slow enough for somebody to write down the ideas - back then on a whiteboard. There was no such thing as a bad idea. The fun began once the ideas were compiled - how to enhance, combine, or boil them down into an actionable program. Here's my point - if you're stuck for promotional ideas for this holiday season or ways to kick off the new year, take the time and start writing down ideas. Don't think anything through initially - just write them down. Give yourself an hour or two in an environment without interruptions. And if you need a little help, bring in a family member, associate, or friend who knows a little about your business. You might be surprised by what comes out of a bit of brainstorming! All it takes is one idea to grow into something to impact your business. Two heads are definitely better than one and by brainstorming as a team and sourcing ideas from each other,
you have a better chance of coming up with a strategy that will allow your business to overcome a setback or challenge. Richard Branson |
Our Partners"Why?"Check out "Why?" one of the most popular features on the SCU Blog. It's a very simple concept - one image, one artist and one short sound bite. Each artist shares what makes the image one of their most favorite. We're over 100 artists featured since the project started. Click on the link above and you can scroll through all of the episodes to date.
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