Successful Marketing is Not About You, It’s About Them

[by Rosh Sillars]

The truth is your prospects really don’t care about your great photographs, your excellent service, or how long you have been in business.

They want your photography to make them look good. They want to  experience your excellent service. They want to see what exciting images you can create for them now.

Everything you do is marketing. Every element that involves the client has a marketing aspect to it: when you answer the phone, when you show your images, and when you deliver the final product. Let others talk  about your great service. Your photography assignments need to revolve around a great customer experience that makes each one feel like the center of their universe. hero.

When advertising your work, make sure it shows your audience what you can do for them. Design your Web site with clients’ needs in mind, not your own greatness.

Only a select few can get away with playing the role of the aloof, narcissistic or eccentric photographer.  There are too many choices in the market place. This might be hard to swallow for some photographers. If you are going to make a living in an over-supplied industry, you must be able to deliver more than a pretty picture.  Working with you must be an experience that focuses on them.

The Winning Path

[by Rosh Sillars]

People generally take the path of least resistance.  Opportunities arise all the time, but we don’t always follow through on them.

Think about the great opportunities you have missed.  What were your excuses? Did you have too much on your plate already? A scheduling conflict? You simply forgot? Most likely the root cause was that you didn’t have the information necessary to follow through quickly. Opportunity lost.

I’ll bet many of the opportunities you let slip away only required a few simple things. Maybe it was a biography, a photograph, pricing information or connections. You didn’t miss the opportunity for  business promotion or a unique job because you didn’t have these things. You lost the opportunity because they weren’t easily available.

Don’t let that happen again. Create a folder on your desktop.  Write three personal biographies.  One should be a quick paragraph, another should be about three paragraphs long and the last should be a full page of highlights about you and your career.

Next, make sure you have a current photograph.  Update it every few years.  It sounds funny to say that to a photographer, but you and I know the reality.

Place a least two lists in your folder. One list should contain your basic pricing for most expenses and every type of job you would accept.  This way you have a reference and will not procrastinate or delay trying to figure out where to start.  Most importantly, you don’t want to undervalue your work.

The other list should contain names and phone numbers of people you’ve met with specialized services that may be of benefit when a unique job becomes available.

Last, create a folder within your folder of images for both Web and print of your best photographs for promotion.  Make sure you have at least five to share.

Knowing you have this information will give you the confidence to act quickly. Now, when opportunities arise, you will be prepared to respond immediately.  Don’t give your prospects the chance to take the path of least resistance and call on someone else who is prepared.

Future Success

[by Rosh Sillars]

The last decade brought the standardization of digital photography, an increased interest in the craft and the commoditization of photographic images.

Many of the bread-and-butter jobs that once fed our families are now gone. Let it go and don’t look back.

Change is constant. Turn around and face the future. Technology, which has taken our opportunities, now offers new possibilities.

Photographers can be more creative than ever with higher quality image capture, unbelievable post processing and multimedia opportunities.

The Internet and social media have eliminated the barriers to sharing your vision with an international audience.  Photographers are connecting with people in cities, states and countries not even on the radar just a few years ago.

Over the next year we will hear more about real-time applications and augmented reality. People will become more connected, social and mobile.

In the future, photographers will need more creativity, communication and marketing skills to succeed.  One thing that will not change: people and relationships. They are and will continue to be the foundation of a photographer’s success.

Got Google Goggles?

[by Rosh Sillars]

For those still in doubt about the growing importance of social media, please consider the following ideas.

Approximately 80 percent of people with Internet access use search engines to find or review products and services. Google, the No. 1 search engine, recently announced that social media activity would be displayed along with the traditional site links in search results.

This means up-to-the-minute posts on blogs and popular social media platforms such as Twitter will be prominently displayed. This action, along with similar upgrades from the search engine Bing, will draw a larger audience to social media platforms and communities.

What about the offline world?

As smart phones continue to grow in popularity and applications become more powerful, social media will continue to impact traditionally offline businesses.

Smart phone applications such as Yelp allow users to photograph a row of businesses along a city street and within moments, obtain business names, social media ratings and reviews.

Google just released Google Goggles, a smart phone application that lets users photograph an object such as a book, logo, business card or landmark in order to obtain information about that object.

Additionally, Google Goggles can read easily accessible bar codes, which business owners can display in creative ways, such as placing them on street-side windows, packaging or marketing materials, to share additional information for smart phone users about their products or services.

People will continue to seek guidance and opinions from social media communities they trust. This includes searching for and hiring a photographer.

Good Data Supports Good Choices

[by Rosh Sillars]

Your opinion can cost you money.  The colors you choose for your Web site, the words you use, and the images you select all pay a role in the success of your site.  It is important to use good data to help you construct a Web site that attracts and retains your target market.

One of the most common methods of creating and tracking data is to install Google Analytics. Use Analytics to follow traffic sources to and bounce rates from your Web site. If you have not yet installed this, you are doing yourself a disservice.

There are additional services available on the Web that may answer questions you have not even thought to ask, such as:

How are your competitors doing? You can find the answer at www.compete.com.

What are the demographics of the people visiting your Web site? Are you attracting your target market? www.quantcast.com can help answer these questions.

If you are interested in one of the most current Internet analytic applications that offers a rich user interface and real-time data, you can sign up as a beta tester for www.woopra.com.

Be careful; don’t overwhelm yourself with useless data. Ask yourself questions first, then use the best tools available to gather quality data to help you make good decisions.

Routines Keep Me More Productive

[by Rosh Sillars]

If you are an independent photographer, routine may not be in your vocabulary.  I enjoy my freedom. To me, the word routine conjures up images of restrictive cubicles, repetitive tasks and stressful commutes.

But, in order to keep my life on target I employ what I call my mini-routine.  It contains specific action items I do every business day.  Each of these actions only takes 10-20 minutes. My goal is to accomplish these tasks in the morning.

Each day is different and I need to be flexible. My only personal mandate is that each item in my routine be completed by end of day.  My list contains the same six to eight things every day. Every few months I reevaluate the mini-routine and make adjustments where they are necessary.

What is on my routine list? Everything that I traditionally don’t like or let slip away as a best practice: exercise, accounting, sending thank you notes and home repairs.

The idea is to prevent small things from turning into big problems or projects. In the past I’ve left my accounting unreconciled for months. By spending just minutes each day on minimal tasks I stay on top of the game.

If you like exercise and find it to be a favorite pastime, then it doesn’t belong on your list. If you’re really good at keeping on top of your accounting — find something else to put in your routine.

I know that if I don’t eat a good breakfast each morning I’m not as productive during the day.  Sometimes I need to put eating in my routine just to keep on the right path.

What are five or six things you don’t like or avoid that affects your business success or quality of life? If you create a mini-routine you will find it ultimately relieves stress, improves productivity and life harmony.

First Day at PPE

[by Rosh Sillars]

Why am I so excited about Photo Plus Expo?

While I’ve photographed many trade shows in my professional career, I have never attended a major photographic industry show.

This is an opportunity to learn from some of the top people in our field and to see some of the latest equipment and technology, which will keep me on top of my game.

Based on experience, I also understand that one of the greatest benefits of a show like this exists outside of the exhibition hall and classrooms. The chance to meet new people in the hallways and at social events can lead to new information, education and opportunities.

If you are attending Photo Plus Expo, take the opportunity to say hello to as many people as possible. Ask questions. Remember, you can learn from people at all levels of photography.

Attracting Readers to Your Blog

[By Rosh Sillars]

Attracting new readers is a big part of the blogging game.

Many people keep blogs for their own satisfaction. It’s a place to share their thoughts or show off their creative efforts. But deep down inside most bloggers want more readers and subscribers. They want their blogs to be successful.

In order to be a successful blogger, you need a plan. You need to develop a theme and focus on the type of audience you want to attract. Here are a few suggestions that will help you grow your reader base:

First, comment on other blogs. Be authentic and engaging. Don’t make the comments all about you; develop a voice that will attract your audience.

Second, make sure your headlines and posts contain key words related to your blog and theme. We live in a key-word world. If you have a Twitter account, use the same key words on Twitter to help drive traffic to your blog. Don’t be afraid to share relevant older posts with your social media followers. In many cases, the posts are still new to them.

Third, create a group related to the theme of your blog. You can use Facebook, Linkedin, Yahoo, Google or Flickr to attract your target audience. In some cases, you should create a related forum under your blog domain or use a site such as Ning.com to develop a community.

Some people prefer to receive blog updates via e-mail. Make sure you have an easy-to-find RSS (Real Simple Syndication) subscription button and an e-mail subscription invite box. Do do this, you can use services such as FeedBurner.com or Feedblitz.com.

The most important action you can take is to reward and champion the followers who support you. These are the people who will help make your blog a success.

Developing a Social Media Plan

Social media does not replace what already works in your marketing plan. It’s an addition. The key word is planning.

Many people mistakenly approach social media like it’s direct marketing. They look for the ROI with every action. In the world of social media, ROI represents Return On Influence. It’s about becoming an expert and developing a community of people around you who admire your work and tell other people. It’s more like public relations.

If you’ve been in sales long enough, and we are all in sales, you understand the power of good people who refer your work. They can direct a lot of business your way. One of the foundations of social media for business is to attract, encourage, and champion your evangelists. Reach out to them and give them the ammunition they need to send more opportunities your way.

I like to think of the development of a social media plan as a solar system.

In the center of your solar system is your sun or your Web site. The Web site is your brochure. Nearby, your blog orbits like a moon. Your blog is designed as a center point for your community to gather and develop a deeper understanding of you and your work. Your Web site is where you sell.

Next are the inner planets. These are hybrid sites such as YouTube and Flickr. Share and connect ideas on these sites. Since they are hybrid sites, you can also blog, comment and share deeper insights into who you are as a photographer.

Finally, there are the outer planets. Sites such as Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn cultivate and develop your community. While all of your sites should attract new community members, your outer plants are your front line for engagement.

The goal is to use the outer planets to direct people to your inner planets, moon and sun. As people travel deeper within your solar system, they likely will become fans or evangelists of you and your work.

What Web sites do you develop and place within your solar system? The answer is it all depends on your target market. Many of the standard sites mentioned above are a good start, but look deeper for Web sites, communities and forums where your target market actually hangs out.

Talking shop with other photographers is the slow way to develop a community of new prospects and clients – unless your target market is photographers.

Develop a plan, earn trust, and grow your business through engagement with people who care about you in your personal solar system.

Free Isn’t New

Does the concept of free economy mean anything to you? What if we replaced the word free with low-risk? Is the concept of low-risk economy easier to understand?

One of the most powerful companies in the world, Google, offers its core services for free. There is no risk involved in Google. There is no risk when you click on the ads that feed their coffers. Software developers have been using the low-risk economy concept for years. The idea is to allow you to try the product for free or use a “lite” version in the hope that you see the value and want to purchase the full software package later.

Unfortunately, many companies have used this concept poorly. As a result, they have devalued their product or service. They failed to present the product’s value up front. The impression is that the service isn’t worth the price.

If you offer free services to attract clients, make sure the true value is stated or implied. Retail portrait photographers have used this technique for years by waiving the sitting fee in order to reap the value of their work through reprints.

When implemented properly, the Internet’s free economy works the same way. Offering free products or services can increase visibility, attracts fans and create buzz. Often, only a small percentage of new prospects may be willing to upgrade. But, if the product or service offers value, quality sales will result from the low-risk offer.

I Don’t Have Time For Social Media!

The belief that social media is a waste of time is one of the biggest objections I hear when talking to people about the subject.

Social media is a communication platform.  A cell-phone is also a communication tool.  I can assure you my teenager doesn’t use it very efficiently, but this doesn’t diminish the fact that it’s an important part of my business.

Social media Web sites are the training wheels for how we will be doing business in the future. Corporations are employing and implementing collaborative business models to support creativity, efficiency and improve their bottom line.  Social media platforms are the foundation of these new models. Photographers will need to know how to plug in.

As mass media continues to decline, word of mouth and referrals become more important to business. Social media offers the tools for a photographer to establish themselves as expert to a larger audience.

Social media networking allows photographers the ability to communicate effectively and develop deeper relationships with current clients. Even more impressive is the ability to earn new prospects, evangelists and clients well beyond the borders of your local community.

Who doesn’t have time for that?