Procrastination is NOT a Strategy!

If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. 
And guess what they have planned for you? Not much!
Jim Rohn

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by Skip Cohen

It's Marketing Monday, and I saw the quote above and loved it. It makes the point about planning, although I'm going to scale it down a little.

It's April 1, and so many artists are still procrastinating about going after spring seasonality. Except for wedding photographers, most of you only have two major stretches of seasonality—the spring and the fall/winter holidays. There's so much you can be doing RIGHT NOW!
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• Graduation is right around the corner, and the class of 2024 has endured a lot to be graduating. From Covid, to the economy to the craziness of politics, school shootings, and even Mother Nature's wrath, they deserve to celebrate. You've got a chance to play a role in that celebration. Take a look at Marathon's BOGO going on now for grad cards.

 

• Mother's Day is the next opportunity.  Now is the time to plant the seed for unique ideas by combining the holiday with your skill set. To start, how about a partnership? It could be anything from a cross-promotion with a florist to a venue known for its Mother's Day brunch. Mother's Day is perfect for an updated family portrait or a session for children's portraiture.

 

• Father's Day might not be until June, but you need to plant the seed with Mom early on. And depending on Mom, you've got the opportunity for everything from boudoir to an updated portrait of her and the kids, or just the kids.

Regardless of which events seem to best fit your expertise, there are opportunities for joint mailings and sponsorship. The cost of a direct mail piece drops to 1/3 with just two partners. And remember, pet photography—it's number three in the hierarchy of why people hire a professional photographer! According to Forbes, 66% of US Households have a pet—that's approximately 87 million homes!

Here's my point today - procrastination is not a strategy, although we all know people who have made it a skill set! Stop pondering and start taking action. ​

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If you don't build your dream someone else will hire you to help build theirs.
Tony Gaskins