Strictly Business Blog

Marketing has taken on a much broader meaning these days, mostly because of social media.  A few years ago, my marketing may have consisted of an ad in a source book, a mailer every other month and an emailer. I’ve pretty much cut back on any print marketing – meaning source book ads and postcard mailings.  I still send out an email promo every 4-6 weeks of so to a targeted audience that has “opted…

Anyone who’s ever been on either side of that line knows it’s a lie.  It’s never really ME, it’s always really YOU, right? Colleen Wainwright, aka The Communicatrix, has identified one arena where this hackneyed saw actually becomes the truth: marketing communications.  A former actress, copywriter and designer, Colleen has worked in pretty much every aspect of communications.  She now focuses on helping solo- and duo-preneurs define or refine their communications strategy. For years, we’ve…

Photographers are always are thinking about ways to get that extra edge. Sometimes it’s difficult to seal the deal especially during slower times. Think about the process you go through when a potential client contacts you. What can you do to get that edge and be remembered? How about setting up a face to face meeting with the client? In many cases we don’t get a chance to see the client early during the selection…

To get high email promo delivery rates, you have to consider many variables. You’re probably already aware that without doing your email marketing homework, you’re more susceptible falling back on the all-too-common, mass-blast strategy, nick-named “spray and pray” 😉 Do that, and you’re inadvertently adding to the delivery problem. If enough people persist in doing un-researched mailings, soon entire ad agencies will disappear off the roster names available on valid list providers such as Agency…

Do you shoot motion or have you already decided to define yourself only as a still photographer? If you aren’t doing motion, why aren’t you? Self-defining as still only, without even trying on the new medium, seems like stifling your creativity. It’s a new world and the technological barriers are dropping. You can shoot video with an iPhone now, and the “real” equipment is totally accessible. And targets are eating it up when still photographers…

If I had a dollar for everytime someone asked me what camera they should buy – I could retire. These days I get a lot of “what video camera should I buy?” That question is almost impossible to answer without more information. So I usually reply with my own onslaught of questions “What are you going to be shooting?”, “What editing software will you be using?,” “Are you concerned about getting natural sound” or will…