Archive for sales – Page 2

A Swift Kick: Creating a Unique Photography Business

I think one of the most difficult things about being a visual artist is how “in your face” the competition can be at times. I don’t mean in an aggressive way. I mean in a literal, all-present way. They create amazing work; you feel defeated. They score an unbelievable opportunity; you feel jealous. They brand themselves beautifully; you feel lessened.

Sometimes it’s enough to make you feel like packing up your toys and going home. But despite all of this downtrodden negativity, I’ve got good news.

There is something that you were granted. There is something they absolutely cannot do better than you.

It sounds a bit hokey. Possibly even overplayed. But one thing that your competitors cannot do as well as you, is be you. We, as humans, are all made up of our own experiences. We all have our own abilities. We all have our own views of the world. So while you might appreciate the abilities of your competitors, you are required to build upon your own. You are required as a visual artist to be better than you were yesterday.

What do I mean?

Read More→

A Photographer’s Diary, Opening the Door

The last couple of weeks I have been working very hard with myself at removing my doubts and fears about picking up the phone and selling my courses. I had already done some work on this however now I’m speaking to bigger companies and at director level, as I’ve realised that this is where major decisions get made, and it’s brought up a few more anxieties.

And you know what it’s like when doubts start to creep in if you don’t catch them they come down in a deluge. So just today before doing the research and picking up the phone to speak to perspective clients I did some EFT tapping to remove my fears of not only them not wanting to speak to me but them not having the money to cover my fees.

Oh it’s been quite a morning! It has though helped me to pick the phone up with confidence and find the most helpful people possible on the other end of it. I am just starting to use LinkedIn as a search tool, though I just don’t have the time to dedicate to putting out lots of material through that medium. In fact from what I can gather, it’s quite frowned on to sell your wares. It has many draconian warnings like Facebook about not contacting people that you don’t know, though I have found that because its business people are quite laid back about accepting your request to connect. Read More→

Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Email Triggers

Firstly I’m hoping that you use database management software to organise all of your lovely clients. If not put it at the very top of your shopping list as it will make you more money than any lens, Photoshop action or whatever else has caught your eye at a trade show.

You might only have one client and think its not the right time to invest in software that you’ll not really be using that much for a while. In fact it’s the perfect time as you don’t have to waste hours inputting old data from a spreadsheet and you’ll have time to develop your system and processes.

If you can’t afford much then you can’t go far wrong than the free version of Studio Cloud to start you off. Although the email triggers are a paid upgrade ($30 per month) to the free service but it’s done as a monthly subscription which will certainly make things more affordable.

Marketing your business can be a tiresome affair so it’s a delightful relief when

  1. Things are automated
  2. You don’t have to look for new clients because you already have a database full of them.

One of the best things about photography is that it’s not a one off event. Weddings are arguably one offs but they’ll probably have kids and want pictures of them at some stage. The point is that just because you sold a £1000 wall art to someone last year doesn’t mean they’re not going to want another one this year.

Read More→

A Photographer’s Diary, What’s Your Block?

You know I have started putting into each week a slot with a video from a business coach and not only does it kick me out of procrastination, it is helping me to look at things afresh.

Moving on from last week taking five minutes each day to visualise how I want my life to go, I sat down and thought hard when in training with a business coach Jack Canfield he asked, ‘What you could you all day every day for a month that would move your business forward?’ The instant answer was get on the phones and speak to people.

When I was sending out invitations for the presentation I did a few weeks ago, I found that I got a better response from people who I rang and spoke to than those that I simply sent an email of introduction. As busy as we are we still do like that personal touch don’t we? A human rather than a machine. I also discovered that by speaking to people they would quite often say, oh have you thought about trying this person or this company. And I also found one person who did some of my marketing for me by passing on my information to many different departments and organisations.

For me it comes back to, what’s stopping me from picking up the phone and making calls? Am I rejecting myself, with reasons why the courses won’t suit a particular company, before I give them the chance to? And the majority of the time it’s a yes. Though not this week, motivated by a video I watched of Anthony Robbins on Friday which helps you to remove your blocks, (the link to it is at the bottom of the article), I have done his exercises and am inspired to call the list of people that I need to. Read More→

Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – The Pinterest Competition

There’s no denying that in regards to social media, 2012 is all about Pinterest. Everybody seems to be racking their brains to find a way to make it work for them as a marketing tool. There has also been a lot of talk about copyright and the Pinterest terms and conditions so before you sign up you might what to check this article published recently on Mashable –http://mashable.com/2012/03/21/pinterest-copyright-legal-issues/. It is also worth noting that Pinterest have since updated their T&C’s which will go into effect for all users on April 6, 2012

One simple idea that I’ve seen is a competition in which participants aim to create a board in order to win a prize.

The Competition
Create an inspirational Pinterest board (on your own account) that reflects the theme [insert theme]

The board must be named [Your competition title] and finished by [insert end date]

To enter your board share a link [via email/on your Facebook page/in the comments of a blog post]

We will choose the best board that reflects [insert theme] and the winner will receive [insert prize]

What you do
Follow all competition boards and creators.

Comment on pins you like that reflect your style (the theme for the competition should already reflect that anyway).

Share boards on other social media sites and your blog

Read More→

Marketing Campaigns for Photographers – Create a Competition for Charity

I’ve seen lots of different promotions from photographers who have run different competitions and many that do charity work but this marketing campaign is a little different.

The biggest difference is that you will be raising funds for charity but you’ll also be making some money for your own pocket too.

 

What you need

1. Friends
Not just any friends, but lots and lots of what my wife likes to call my “photo friends”. To be more specific, you need a network of photographers either locally or nationally that photograph the same sort of subject as you (babies, pets, seniors etc).

The next thing you have to do is convince them all that you have a wonderful idea for a marketing campaign and it’s not going to cost them too much time or money.

You will need to have all the photographers on board before you begin the promotion of the competition.

2. A Charity
It does help if you choose a charity which will help you with your marketing and promotion. Ideally your charity needs to reflect your area of expertise so if you are a pet photographer then work with animal shelter, if you’re a baby photographer then a children’s hospital might be your choice.

3. Judges
They don’t have to be celebrities but it’s certainly wouldn’t hurt if they were. Obviously they can’t be the photographers entering images but if you manage to sign up a couple of industry experts with judging experience all the better. Read More→