Postcard Mailing: How about a new promotional piece?  WHCC and Marathon Press both offer some terrific support in designing a postcard mailer.   This is such a simple thing to do, starting with selecting 2-3 outstanding images.  Copy on the back can be anything from a special offer for the next few months to just an announcement of you being available – new contact information, etc.    And the list of who to mail it to?  Try www.listservicedirect.com and pull demographics based on your target audience by zip code. 

Partnerships with non-competing companies: As an extension of a direct mail campaign, how about designing an over-sized postcard and include another company to share the cost.  A wedding photographer fits together with a florist.  A limo company is great with a portrait photographer targeting high school seniors and homecoming events.  A commercial shooter would work well with a local printer. 

Fall Promotions:  You have to plant the seed to get people thinking about photography, but the fall is perfect.  You’ve got all the best holidays in the back half of the year.  The kids are finally going back to school and Mom is ready for some time to herself.  Mom is also the decision maker when it comes to professional photography, but you have to get her thinking about the idea of a new family portrait as a holiday gift idea this season.

Special Offers:  Talk to your lab and see what makes sense in putting together a great offer.  Personally I hate discounts, but I love free goods.  Look for ways to add on value rather than just discount the pricing.  For example, it’s stronger in my opinion to give an additional 8×10 than it is to put out a 15% discount.  Better yet, many of the labs and album companies also offer framing opportunities or special albums and you should be able to actually create something unique.  And if you need help writing this stuff up, or for that matter with anything on your website, marketing support, etc. check out Ghostrighters!

Canvas Prints:  I’m a huge fan of canvas prints, but in my case they’re more fine art.  I have two 20 x 50 panoramics in my living room that were done by Simply Canvas.  What I love is people’s reactions, because most people outside our profession have no idea what they’re looking at.  Well, August is a good time to look at your entire fall selection of products and what you’re offering your clients this holiday season!  Does your own product line need a face lift?

Diversity:  Maybe it’s finally time you announced your ability to photograph kids as well as weddings.  It’s just one example, but if your skillset is solid is it time to let people know you’re ready to handle more of their photographic needs?

Workshops and Conventions:  Maybe August is just a great time to figure out what you need in new gear and decide what workshops, trade shows and conventions you’re going to attend in the next six months.  The clock is ticking on being able to attend Skip’s Summer School, but coming up you’ve got WPPI’s Road Show,PhotoPlus East in New York, Pictage’s Partner Con in New Orleans, Clay Blackmore’s new road show, Matthew Jordan Smith in Dallas, the Akron Photo Series and there’s a rumor thatJane Conner-ziser and Jack Davis  are about to hit the road for a command performance of their program in additional cities.

Getting extra help: August is a great time to consider all those photographers and instructors out there who also offer programs, DVDs, podcasts and webinars to help you grow your business.  Check out Dane Sanders and his Ask Dane resource, Sarah Petty, Kevin Kubota, Doug Gordon, Bambi Cantrell, Jerry Ghionis, Yervant, Mitche Graf, Ken Sklute, Jim Garner and for anybody I left out – cut me a little slack -  it’s 6:00 am as I’m writing this – email me with your link and I’ll add your program in tomorrow! 

Podcasts:  We’ve gotten great feedback on the podcasts we’ve been doing at GoingPro.  Here’s a chance to take advantage of the free downloads and just listen to suggestions from me and Scott Bourne on ideas related to building your business.  We’re now doing three a month on the 1st, 10th and 20th!  It’s FREE guys, but you have to hit the download button to be able to listen to our suggestions and we’re about to expand the series with a few surprise guests!  There’s also a ton of helpful information on Scott’s blog, PhotoFocus!

The point is, summer is coming to a close, but your business is about to potentially blossom with an opportunity to take advantage of fall and holiday seasonality, but you’re the only one who can make something happen!

But the best part of the story, a few people, so wrapped up in the celebrity world, might have missed.  Matthew talked about how he researches his clients.  In this case he found out that Aretha liked yellow roses.  He’d already been hired for the shoot, but the day before he sent her yellow roses!  She called him personally to thank him and the doors to her heart were open from that point on!

Now, apply Matthew’s philosophy to your own customers.  What if you sent them something special before you photographed their family?  What if you sent the bride’s mother flowers before the wedding?  What if you sent flowers, candy, etc. to any vendor who referred a customer to you?  It’s not what you send, but how it’s going to be interpreted, a stronger way of saying, “I appreciate your business!”

We all have so many choices in everything we do.  A customer making the decision to hire you had plenty of other photographers to choose from, but they chose you.  They’ve put their trust in you and here’s a great way to set the stage before you even walk through the door!

“It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.”  Zig Ziglar

Copyright Clay Blackmore – All Rights Reserved

Being back in Akron for over a year now, I’m so tired of seeing so much talent in our industry always going to NYC or Chicago, so often missing the Cleveland/Akron area.  Yet, we’re only a short drive from Pittsburgh, Detroit and Columbus, not to mention having two great airports, Cleveland Hopkins and Akron Canton!   So, here’s what we’re going to do, Skip’s Photo Network is launching Skip’s Akron Photo Series.

Following Clay, I’m working on bringing in a different industry icon to the Akron/Cleveland area each month, starting with the King of Lighting, Tony Corbell, here in November.  Then we’ll leave December and January alone, ramping back up in February.  We’re working on bringing to Akron:  Jerry Ghionis, Scott Bourne, Bambi Cantrell, Jasmine Star, Adobe’s Julieanne Kost, Photoshop Hall of Famer Eddie Tapp and Judy Host, just to name a few.   At least once a month, throughout most of the year, we’ll have another great instructor helping you to fine-tune your skill set. 

And here’s a fun aspect, near and dear to my heart – starting with Clay Blackmore, $6 of every registration fee will be donated to Akron Children’s Hospital!  In fact, every program in Skip’s Akron Photo Series will be giving back a percentage of the sales to Children’s. 

If you don’t know about Akron Children’s Hospital, it’s simply an amazing place, having been actively supporting children’s health for 120 years!   They serve half a million patients each year and they are one of only two pediatric hospitals in the country who operate a burn center for children and adults.   Here’s our chance to elevate photography and at the same time help to support a wonderful institution dedicated to helping kids and families.

Circle the date for October 10 and stay tuned for all the program specifics for Clay, as well as the full series, to be officially announced on August 2!

At just about any major convention you’ll find Bob and his wife, Holly, helping out with everything from registration to print competition.  They both believe in giving back and have done a lot to support our industry!

We were talking about my blog the other day and I mentioned Charity Fest and Aurora’s blog last year about Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, which lead to the following information about Emotion Media and NILMDTS.

There’s now an incredible service for photographers who are serving the community by photographing infant bereavement sessions through Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. (http://nilmdts.org)

Emotion Media (http://emotionmedia.com) is now providing slideshows set to music free of charge to NILMDTS photographers. All you need to do is go to the Emotion web site, sign up and you find slideshows with appropriate music templates designed specifically for these sessions. This service is extremely easy to use.

Save your session jpeg images in a folder. Download the Emotion Media desktop application, there’s a version for MAC or Windows systems.  Activate the app. Navigate to the Emotion NILMDTS templates, choose the one that’s right for your slideshow. Point the system to the folder of jpeg images. Finish filling out the information like the type of DVD artwork you would prefer and make sure to put NILMDTS in the coupon section and wait.

The images are automatically transmitted to Emotion and the slideshow is created within 6 to 24 hours. You receive an email notification that your download is ready. Back to the desktop  application to download the artwork and DVD slideshow. Burn the disk, print the artwork and you are done.  It’s an extra part of the NILMDTS service that I’ve found families treasure.  

To all of you involved with NILMDTS, thank you for performing this important work. If you don’t already photograph these sessions check it out, you’ll find the work challenging, but extremely rewarding.  Bob Coates, July 2010

“Every plant knows this:  It’s only when you get crap thrown on you that you really start to grow!”  Scott Sorrell

So now have some fun with that statement and think about everything you’ve done to become a photographer.  Think about all the time you’ve spent working on your skill set.  How about the people who doubted your dreams in the beginning?  How about the challenges today with the economy and trying to keep up with technology?  How about the work it took to control your nerves and stay focused on that first solo job you shot?

Seriously, no career path is easy, unless your Paris Hilton, and she’s just rich and not as happy as you are!  Along the way to every goal you’ve ever had has been hard work and just like that plant, a lot of crap!  So, I don’t know about you, but you should be standing just about 6′ 6″ right now and ready to take on the new challenges of the day.

For me I’ve got good buddy Matthew Jordan Smith coming in for the weekend before his program on Monday night and Tuesday.   We’re going to drag him around the Cleveland/Akron area and show him that there is life outside Los Angeles and New York! 

Make it a great weekend everybody!

Well, here we are a year later and while the government would like us to think we’re headed for recovery, it’s sure hard to see.  The challenges for families in the Gulf, unemployment, health care and home foreclosures all being at the forefront of topics in our lives on a daily basis. 

I’m not minimizing the challenges with the economy, but I do see light at the end of the tunnel and I’m seeing it because of photographers who are doing well, but let’s define the word well.   Well means they’re trying new things. It means they’re holding their own and still making a decent enough living to support their family.  Well means they’re exhausted, but in a great zone about how they feel about themselves and the future.  Lastly, it means they still wake up every morning smiling.

If you want a dose of optimism and new ideas check out any program Tony Corbell is doing, talking about his favorite topics, lighting and Nik.  Check out Jim Garner, Scott Bourne, Jerry Ghionis, Yervant, Doug Gordon, David Ziser, Kevin Kubota, Dawn Shields, Jasmine Star, Dane Sanders, Sandy Puc,  Becker, Kirk Voclain, Judy Host and Kay Eskridge, just to name a few.

(Call it a plug and shameless promoting, but most of these industry icons will be teaching at Summer School in a few weeks.  And if you’re not signed up you’re going to miss all of them sharing ideas and new answers to helping you grow your business.)

Kay’s in Phoenix and while traditional business has been slow she’s tested the water on Golden Age Seniors, Pets and Boudoir – all having an impact on her business.  Vicki Taufer, who did the first big pet promotion, at least the one everyone talks about, has added to her reputation.  She’s now considered one of the best known pet photographers in her area of Illinois.

Here’s what I’ve learned from these incredible photographers as the key to beating the media and ignoring the economy, at least enough to keep your business strong:

It all starts with your attitude.  Stay away from self-fulfilling prophecies.  There’s that old statement – If you define a situation as hopeless, then it will be!  You’ve got to stay focused on the importance of your contribution as a professional photographer.

Diversity in your skill set:  Okay, you’re a commercial photographer and you really hate shooting weddings, but do you at least know how to do it right if a client asks?  Or, you’re a wedding photographer and your brides from the last few years are all starting families – they loved your work the first time around.  So, are you going to contact them and do the first portrait of the new baby or sit back and give the work to another photographer? 

Listen to your vendors!  This one is critical, because every photographer I mentioned earlier is working closely with several vendors.  WHCC has a full line of great products Vicki Taufer sells to her clients, right down to custom made holiday cards.  Tony is doing some of the most beautiful work in his life utilizing Nik Software and ProPhoto Lighting.  Kevin Kubota is constantly fine-tuning his Image Tools to give you more creativity.  Judy Host is finding new ways to use Graphic Authority’s templates and turn her images into fine art.  Kirk Voclain is utilizing new programs from H&H Color Lab for his finished packages with the senior market.  Marathon Press, who everybody used to think of as a printing company, offers a full line of marketing initiatives to help you not only define your business better, but develop a stronger target strategy for growth and success.  Pictage is ramping up for another outstanding Partner Con in New Orleans in November.  

Come on – notice a pattern here?  The vendors are all putting their efforts into finding new tools for their clients to help find new business.  They’re investing time and money into ways to help you!  Is it philanthropic?  Of course not – but they know that if they can help you build your business you’re going to need their products and services and everybody wins as the economy within photography at least, starts to improve. 

Utilize your network!  Every single photographer I mentioned is involved in something outside their direct business. They’re blogging, guest blogging, shooting with other photographers, attending other workshops, reading every newsletter and article they can find and they’re never slowing down.  They’re involved in forums like DWF because they believe in working together to find more solutions.

When I ask anybody the question, “How’s business this year?”  Those who say they’re holding their own always finish with the same comment, “But I’ve never worked so hard in my life!”   Nobody said it was easy, but nobody is afraid of hard work either.

I’ve been accused a lot of being overly optimistic.  People have told me I’m too much of a cheerleader.  But here’s the view that I get to see, which you don’t – I’m talking to hundreds of photographers every week.  I have an advantage of a front row seat looking at the big picture.  I’m getting feedback on new ideas, the economy and technology.  I’m seeing guys like Clay Blackmore jumping into fusion technology and creating new products for his clients – it’s not about still images anymore, but about your creativity in telling the story.

If necessity is the mother of invention then all of our survival is based on the necessity to continue to be part of the industry we love so much and find new ways to make it stronger.  The media keeps telling us things are getting worse and from their perspective they are, but we’ve all got the opportunity to make changes and best of all as photographers, to make a difference!

Two great quotes from Zig Ziglar that really bring it all together:

You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.

It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.

Last week I talked about jump-starting a business that’s stalled, but it’s a completely different challenge if you’re just starting out.   Many of the components are the same, but it’s a little different approach, since your goal is going to be twofold – getting your business started, while at the same time building brand-awareness for you and your company. 

Keep in mind, just like jump-starting an established business I’m assuming you understand the skill set!  I’m taking it for granted you understand exposure, composition and already work with a great lab!  Seriously, don’t underestimate the importance of the skills to create great images – no amount of publicity, networking and marketing will help you get established if people don’t love the images they see!

The Community:

Personally, I absolutely believe this where it all starts.  You need to be involved and I’ve written a lot about it.  People like buying products and services from companies they perceive as giving something back.  You’re looking for the community to be good to you, so you’d better be sure you’re good to your community. 

There are lots of ways to get involved and most involve volunteer work – PTA, Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Rotary, Exchange Club, community events, local charities, even helping out at a specific event that might be a fund-raiser, Little League dinners, soccer events etc.   The key is just getting people to know who you are and while you might be the new kid in town, you want everybody to understand it’s your town too and you’re there to help.

Networking:

New business new community means building a new network.  You need to get to know every business in town, especially those that might be targeting the same consumers you are.  For example, a wedding photographer needs to get to know the florist, the limo company, bridal salon, wedding planners, venues etc.  A children’s photographer should get to know the local children’s shops, pediatricians, barbers and salons etc.  A commercial shooter should invest some time in getting to know any business that might be producing catalogs, brochures, annual reports etc.

I still love the Dawn Shields model.  Dawn is in Missouri and established a monthly networking luncheon of everybody associated with the wedding business.  Everyone pays ten dollars for lunch and they get together once a month to just network, talk about business etc.  In the process they all get to know each other.

When networking, this isn’t just about building awareness with non-competing companies – get to know your competitors.  The strongest photographers in our industry have a network of counterparts they refer business to as well.  They work together and often cross-promote each other.  Let’s face it, at some point you’ll have a conflict and won’t be able to take on a new assignment.  Or, maybe you won’t have the skill-set, but you’ll have a friend who does. 

An effective network isn’t just about the number of people you know, but how well they compliment each other as well as fill in the gaps for what you might personally be missing.  It’s all about having friends who cover your short suits, while you in turn can help them. 

Advertising and Publicity:

You need to advertise and get your name out there.  If you’re just starting out in the senior market, I still love the idea of photographing a half dozen seniors for free and letting them spread the word.  If you’re just starting out in weddings you need to let people know you’re there.   There are tons of publications, both in print and online that offer wedding photographers advertising opportunities.

It might be time to design a postcard and do a mailing, either by yourself or with a couple of those non-competing companies in your network.    Share the cost of the mailing and hit your target audience with some high impact promotional packages.  And when doing that postcard, don’t forget your own holiday cards.  I’ve written a ton about the importance of using your own images in your holiday cards and now is the time to plan for that early November mailing!

On the publicity side, there’s too much information to include here, so refer back to a blog I wrote previously.  There’s even a template for you to use, all ready to go and there’s information on GhostRighters.com as well.  Publicity in the local paper doesn’t happen by accident and nobody can do it as good as you can yourself!  The key to great publicity is to simply become a machine, sending out releases on a regular basis to the local paper, Chamber of Commerce, even some of the local associations you might belong to.

Social Media:

From your website to your blog to utilizing Twitter as a marketing tool, you need to have a presence.  No, you need more than a presence, you need a solid non-stop plan with consistent participation.  There’s so much to talk about in just this one area, that all I can do here is refer you to some great blogs for more detail.  My good buddy Scott Bourne has been cutting edge on social media since the two words got put in front of us.  Take the time to read his blogs on Twitter and using social media effectively.

Promotions:

I touched on it briefly in the section on advertising, but in any business today you need that “hook”, something that gets your target audience excited and brings them through your door.  Think about your own buying trends as a consumer and it can be anything you’ve ever bought.  How many times have you bought something after being stimulated by a special limited time offer?

Your business is no different and getting started in a new community as a professional photographer demands the same excitement.   As a new photographer though, at least from my perspective, it’s easier.  A promotion can be as simple as a an open house, inviting the community in to see what you’re doing.   If you don’t have a studio or a formal storefront, a gallery opening might just do the trick and you can tie it in with a local venue.  Even a coffee shop like Starbucks needs their walls decorated and might just give you the venue to present some great images.

Then there are formal promotions around holidays, purchases offers and buy-one-get-one campaigns.  Joining forces with another company, for example, teaming up with a limo company at Homecoming for a portrait tied together with the limo company’s services.  The list goes on and on.  Check out this blog on ideas for the Spring.  It’s also not too late for a pet promotion similar to Vicki Taufer’s or the one Kay Eskridge did.

And speaking of Vicki Taufer, when she first started as a children’s photographer she went to the local children’s store and photographed the owner’s kids and all the clerk’s kids.  Imagine the power she had with her images all over the store.  A customer would be at the register checking out and notice the pictures the clerk had of her kids on display.  You couldn’t ask for a stronger word-of-mouth promotion!

The list of things you can do to get your business literally goes on and on, but remember…

“If you wait until all the lights are green before you leave home, you’ll never get started on your trip to the top!”Zig Ziglar

I get some very funny emails from friends on a pretty regular basis, this one from yesterday really hit home.  The image is from 1956.   Give up on what it is?

It’s a hard disk drive with 5MB of storage and it weighed over a ton!  Now think about the 32 GB of storage in your iPhone!  Kind of leaves you wondering what we’ll be laughing about in another 20 years!

I ran across a quote that really hit home and posted it on Facebook:

“Don’t expect anything original from an echo.”   the author was anonymous.

I’m so tired of photographers working hard to copy another photographer’s style and along the way they lose their own identity.   I look at Clay Blackmore’s work and I’m so proud of what he’s accomplished.  He worked with Monte Zucker for years, but managed to take the best of what he learned from Monte and mix it with the very best of all the great contemporary masters at the time and then “seasoned” it with his own style, making him one of the very best today.

Anyway, my quote got some great feedback, so this morning, thanks to Cort Anderson,Terry Clark and Donna Keidel, here are some additional thoughts on photographers and the “echo process”!

From Cort Anderson:

“I have been thinking about this quite a bit lately as some friends are talking about going back to film and shooting with toy cameras and doing some very abstract work in Photoshop. Even though I have never shot with a toy camera I have a strong “Been there, done that” feeling about what they are doing.

So, the question for everyone is, what do you when your brain is simply blocked? 

For me it only took a little classic James Taylor and I was there.   But it did get me thinking about how photography is an art form, along with painting, music, writing and virtually any other activity that demands a little creativity.   Music especially enhances our lives and I’ve become so aware that my speakers in my office might well be the most important piece of equipment in my office, second only to my computer and www.pandora.com.

So, here’s to all those things that get our creative juices flowing and help us create everything from the ultimate image to a paragraph or two!  Make it a great Saturday!

“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night”.  Edgar Allan Poe