Photo Marketing Mentor

How Cool Is This?

One of the coolest sites on the internet for photographers of all levels is Photojojo.com. (read my previous profile on them)

I love them because they’re always adding awesome new products practically every week but this one (being a avid coffee drinker myself) I thought was one of the best.

Just make sure that the next time you ask your assistant for the EF 24 – 105 before you unscrew that lens cap.  Be sure it’s an actual lens cap and not a half cap no foam:-) Sorry I just couldn’t resist.

Actually I’m so taken with this company that I’m trying to arrange a visit of their offices while I’m in the bay area in a couple of weeks.  Stay tuned.

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Did you know that there are two ways photographers ‘tell stories’

The first way obviously is visually, meaning how you compose the shot, light it, and most importantly the subject you select are three elements that create the perfect visual story.

But the mistake many photographers make when it comes to marketing is the way they talk about themselves and how they serve clients. Saying “I’m just a photographer” doesn’t tell a prospect a story that entices them to work with you.

I believe that “why” you do what you do is just as important if not more so than “what” you do.

Photographers are natural born story tellers, learn the steps to leverage your story into powerful marketing messages that attracts clients and sells more of your images in a special FREE tele-class I’m giving tomorrow evening titled:
The Recession Proof Photographer: 5 Steps To Moving From Struggle And Confusion To Clarity & Profits.

Again it’s totally free to attend and it’s a topic that is rarely spoken about. The power of story and how it can transform your marketing.

To learn more and secure a seat please go here to register.

==> http://bit.ly/9AcgFh

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I had a conversation recently with a very talented photographer who contacted me to discuss designing a marketing strategy program for her business.

As with all of these conversations I generally start by asking the following questions: “What do you struggle with most?” “What do you want to achieve?” and finally, “What’s currently stopping you?”

I ask these three questions to help paint a clearer picture about what’s going on for the person I’m speaking with, first for me and then for the caller. You know the saying, ‘can’t see the forest for the trees?’ Well never is that statement truer than when you’re trying to run a business. Especially a photography business.

Think about it, it’s very challenging to run a business that not only requires that you do the marketing to find clients, but then you have to execute and the deliver the work that you’re hired for.

Essentially it’s the equivalent of operating 4 businesses at once; first as a marketing consultant, second as a creative director, and finally as a digitization technician and customer service representative. To say running a photography business is challenging is putting it mildly.

So anyway after our conversation it got me thinking, why do so many photographers and creative entrepreneurs in general struggle so much when comes to marketing? The following article is the result of that conversation and the three conclusions I drew from it.

“Struggle is generally about more than the thing we’re fighting for or against”

In terms of marketing the struggle is generally never about the “marketing tactic” it’s almost always about something deeper, much deeper. Listen you don’t need me to tell you that there is tons of information out there about marketing tactics and strategies, I know, I write a great deal of myself.

What I find in working with photographers is that lack of information is not the problem; if all it took to be a successful working photographer was a website and a Facebook fan page we’d all be wealthy and spending summers on the French Riviera right?

Common marketing advice tries to sell you on tactics as the ‘key’ to success, but the truth is no marketing technique is going to perform to your desired expectations if you don’t put ‘you’ into it. Let me explain:

Point Number #1 – Know Your Value:

You are the value your client receives and therefore you’re valuable, in other words what you think and most importantly how you ‘feel’ about yourself is how your client connects with you. Too many photographers mistakenly believe that their book, or their body of work is supposed to do the marketing for them. That’s wrong, your book doesn’t do the marketing, YOU do.

So what does this mean for the photographer struggling with marketing? It means that you have to know your true worth and then stand in that truth with complete conviction backed up with ACTION!

Sorry there are no shortcuts here. Action means picking up the phone and cold calling that gallery, that rep, that art director, that prospect that’s been sitting on the fence. Does it matter if they don’t respond in the way you hoped? Not as much as YOU taking the action in the first place.

So with that said this moves us on to what do you what to achieve?

Point Number #2 – Clarity Is Key:

You can’t get to where you want to go if you don’t know where ‘there’ is. So if your goal is to have a successful turnout for your next gallery exhibition, to be signed with a top advertising agency, to have a full calendar of private clients then that’s your goal.  Whatever it is decide now!

Now, you work backward to achieve this goal. How? By asking yourself “what actions do I need to take now (today), to achieve the result I desire tomorrow?” Tony Robbins was quoted as saying if you want better results you need ask better questions. Often we ask ourselves questions that don’t empower us, questions like, “Why is it such a struggle to find new clients? Why do I constantly attract prospects that challenge me on my fees? Etc. Etc.

These types of questions don’t empower you; instead they reinforce what you don’t want. Questions that empower you would be: Who needs what I have to offer? Who do I need to attract or how can I connect with the type of prospect truly needs what I offer and be willing and able to pay my rates? Do you see the difference?

Once you’re clear on what you want, and what you need to do, the final piece of the puzzle becomes “what’s stopping you?” This question goes all the back to point number one on knowing your value.

Point Number #3 – Know What’s Stopping You:

In my conversation with the young photographer we discussed at great length the internal stuff that was standing in her way. Not just the external marketing stuff. For example once we determined her target goal, we discussed what needed to happen both internally as well as externally to accomplish her goal .

Next we discussed what was going on internally that consistently presented road blocks, the road block in this case was, not standing in her truth, not acknowledging her value. When you know your value and what you bring to the table, the internal stuff doesn’t carry as much weight.

In other words, if marketing turns you off, it’s typically because you’ve been taught, (in my opinion) somewhere in your childhood to “remain silent”, to not speak up or out. In other words, don’t toot your own horn!  Ask yourself; did you shy away from activities where you excelled growing up? Were you encouraged, supported as a child to follow your creative impulses?

If not, this could be the key as to why “marketing” (which is nothing more than communication) feels alien to you.

Let me give a piece of homework, take a note pad and pen, grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea, or glass of wine if need necessary and sit down and really look into your past and ask yourself the following questions:

• Were my creative inclinations encouraged as a child?
• Was there anything that I excelled at that really made me feel good about myself?
• What was the mentality in the household around achievement, goals, creativity and encouragement?
• Did I feel validated?
• Do I currently have a support system?

You see these types of questions empower, they force you to think about the environment that you had growing up and with a little work you can begin to reconcile it.

Next, this exercise forces you to take a hard look at what you have in your life currently. Ever notice how we often recreate the same people in our adult life that mirror what we had growing up?

Even if it wasn’t supportive back then, you are in complete control of what’s going on now.

As I mentioned earlier in this article, marketing is nothing more than communication, yes, marketing strategy allows us to communicate with our target audience, but more importantly true marketing is how you communicate to yourself.

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Summer is typically a very busy time for wedding photographers, but what if you don’t photograph weddings?

Well, if you’re a portrait photographer you’re in luck because if you’re active on Facebook (or even considering it) boy do I have an opportunity for you!

Facebook is a brilliant platform for photographers of any genre but none better than those who shoot portraits.

With just a little ingenuity you can set up a very simple and affordable event offering Facebook Avatar portraits for your fans and friends on and off Facebook that can yield you a very nice return for a day’s work. Even if you aren’t currently active on Facebook (and why aren’t you?) setting up a presence on the popular social media platform is quite simple.

Once your account is active all you need to do is invite your colleagues, current and former clients and associates to join your fan page. Next, invite your associates to your studio or to a central location, I know of one photographer who recently held a Facebook Portrait day at a local furniture store.

You’re clients come in to have their portrait taken, of course you take more than one, and you deliver one freebie pre-formatted for their Facebook Avatar and of course they’ll want more and that’s where you’ll make money. The originator of this program made well over four figures for a day’s work hosting a Free Photos For Facebook Day.

These events are so easy to set up and run, that once you do it you’ll be hooked!

6 Benefits of Hosting a FREE Photos for Facebook Day:

1. You’ll be building good will within your community
2. Attract new potential long-term clients into your sales funnel
3. They’re a built in promotional opportunity that if done properly can actually pay for itself
4. Increase in cash flow, everybody needs a cash flow injection now more than ever
5. You’ll be providing a much needed service, (many local business leaders don’t even have one good photo let alone one for social media)
6. Some of your clients will definitely want to work you for a higher ticket 1-on-1 session

As I mentioned earlier these events are fast, fun and very affordable to set-up especially when you know the in and outs of how to do it. And speaking of that I have a wonderful product called FREE Photos For Facebook “Step-by-Step Quick Start Action System”. Last year I was introduced to the idea via the very talented portrait photographer Monica Sigmon.

Monica got the inspiration to host a free-photos for Facebook portrait session day at her studio in Williamsburg Virginia at a time when sales as well as the morale of her staff were down.

Sigmon took a look at her assets one of which was a growing presence on Facebook. The idea evolved when she made note of the “crappy” avatars of many of her fans and the light bulb went off. So she decided to invite her growing fan base to come into her studio to have their avatar’s updated.

Initially the idea to host the event was just a way to bring some energy into her studio. But once her clients begun arriving they got caught up in the excitement and that led to the success of the event. Of course as a photographer Monica provided many images to choose from and so as clients viewed their shots they wanted more than the promised freebie, much more. To tune of well over four figures!

The event was so successful that Monica and I got on the telephone where she revealed the entire process soup to nuts. I then took that audio recording and had it transcribed, we then added her templates that she actually used in customizable Photoshop PSD format, and I laid out the entire process visually using a process map.

Since then many portrait photographers have purchased this system and used it with similar stealer results. I’d love for you to get you’re hands on it and implement it in your business. Visit my page to get more information and to secure a copy.

For the ridiculously low price of $47 dollars this program is a steal. We wanted to keep the price low because we understand that times are still tight for photographers and didn’t want price to be a barrier.

Special Bonus: If you purchase the FREE Photos For Facebook Step-by-Step Quick Start Action System by Wednesday June 16th, I will throw in a personal 1-on-1, 30 minute telephone consult to answer any questions you may have. I generally charge $197 dollars for a strategy session so to get 30 minutes of personal time with me PLUS+ the course that can increase your income immediately you’re getting an unheard of opportunity at $47! So don’t wait. Act FAST…

Remember you have until Wednesday June 16th to get the private consultation with me plus a proven step-by-step system that will actually show you how to make money doing something you love while providing a much needed service to your clients all delivered via social media!

Order your copy TODAY!

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THIS TELESEMINAR HAS CONCLUDED, BUT YOU CAN STILL GET THE REPLAY AND A SPECIAL BONUS, REGISTER BELOW FOR DETAILS

Success Traits Of A Working Photographer: What You MUST Know Now In Order To Succeed In The New Economy

In today’s market place finding a job, any job has  become a full time job in and of itself.  But what if the struggle you are experiencing wasn’t so much about WHAT you’re doing, but HOW you’re doing it?

Selina Maitreya author of How To Succeed in Commercial Photography and the best selling audio program The View From Here will discuss how real world photographers are defying the odds and not only only finding work, but regaining a new sense of confidence in themselves and how they’re presenting to the market place.

In her experience working with commercial photographers there are certain qualities that all successful photographers possess that keeps their calendar full where others are scratching their heads wondering where the jobs have gone and where the next one is going to come from.

This teleseminar has concluded but you can still get the replay and special bonuses

Registration Details Below

On this very special call Selina discussed:

• What it takes in order to succeed in this down economy
• What successful photographers do that most AREN’T
• The habits of a successful photographer
• Why mindset is so critical at this time
• What separates a photographer whose constantly booked from one whose struggling
• Simple shifts that you can implement TODAY to change your results
• Selina’s going to share several examples from Real Photographers achieving Real Results!

On the call Selina is shared a great deal of meaty content that will literally shift the way you’re thinking, feeling and ultimately acting.  Action (or the lack thereof) is the key ingredient for any successful entrepreneur.

By the end of this call you’ll leave with a new found focus and renewed interest in how you approach your work.

Be sure to listen to the very end because Selina is going to reveal a solution so powerful that once you possess it you’ll wonder how you got along without it.

This teleseminar has concluded but you can still get the replay and special bonuses, just enter your first name and email address to receive the info

Submit your first name and email address below to receive details and call in info:

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I recently came across a photographer who used a video testimonial on his blog to attract new business and inspired to write today’s post.

It’s been said that the best source of new business is from your last customer. Referral marketing has taken on all whole new personality, now a days new prospects want proof that you’re good at what you do, social proof to be exact and nothing illustrates social proof better than video.

Today collecting on the spot reviews & testimonials of your work, your personality and your work ethic is as simple as whipping out a pocket size camera.  The best part is that you don’t need to hire a film crew, shooting high quality video using off the shelf consumer level pocket cameras like the Mino Flip and the new Kodak Zi8 for example makes it a snap. Even the new generation of digital still cameras have some form of video capture capability.

How to create the video and what makes a good testimonial is the focus of this post for example, all you need to do is ask your current client how they felt about their experience working with you and then record their reply. After you collect a sufficient amount of clips you can lace them together using another off the shelf product like iMovie for example if you’re on a Mac or Video Studio Pro X3 if you’re using a PC.

When you sit down to edit the video just add your contact information on the last frame and you’re done. The following 5 tips will help you create and distribute your new testimonial video for maximum impact.

1.) Ask Relevant Questions Of Your Interviewee’s: For example: What was it like to work with me? What stood out for you from the experience? (Ask them to name specifics) Would you recommend my services to others?

2. Keep Your Clips Short: If your interviewee rambles on just cut down to the gist of the conversation from about 1 minute to 45 seconds if you’re doing a montage of clips from different people. If the person speaking is key and the majority of their testimonial is relevant then consider giving them their own clip, preferably about 3 minutes and under.

3. Keep Your Video Camera With You At All Times: This is especially true when attending events, as you never know whom you might run into. Of course the person you approach must be someone who you have either a current or previous working relationship with; one word of caution (no fake or made up testimonials) this is will ruin your reputation not to mention get into serious hot water with the FCC if you’re ever exposed.

4. Select Audio With Caution: If you insist on adding music on your clips keep the sound level low and the style of music relevant to your audience. Obviously people are watching your clip to listen to the testimonials, not rock out to Pink Floyd (no offense to PF fans). In my opinion music is totally unnecessary but if you insist on it, add it to the opening -or- at the end of your video. Again choose your selection with caution and sensitivity to your audience.

5. Distribute Your Video Virally: First post your video on your blog (if you have one) second on your website. Third spread the video by posting on YouTube, Vimeo and Viddler are three video sharing sites I recommend. Next Tweet about it, tell your Facebook friends or fans if you a fan page (and you should).

Fourth, if you have an in-house email-mailing list (and you should) sends out announcement to your list. Finally ask the participants featured in your video to send out announcements to their network for you. This is a great way to get maximum mileage out of your testimonial.

Lastly I highly recommend using Animoto to distribute your video. Animoto offers a data collection feature called a “call to action button” that appears at the end your video allowing viewers to enter their name and email address. After the viewer enters their info they’re immediately directed to your blog or website.

Animoto charges a fee for this value added service, you can test it for $39 for a month, if works for you, you can upgrade to a year for $249 and release new videos every month. This is an excellent way establish and maintain communication with your growing fan base.

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Attention The View From Here Fans! – My friend and colleague Selina Maitreya creator of The View From Here (Best Selling) MP3 Training Program just sent me a notice announcing the launch of her new community fan page hosted on Facebook.

Current owners of  TVFH reported that they wanted more community and more involvement with Selina so in response she created a community fan page. You can join the community if you’re a current Facebook member, if not (and why aren’t you?) you need to get with the program because you are missing tons.

Anyway, here is the link to join TVFH community – http://tinyurl.com/3x3etvx

If you haven’t picked up one of the most revolutionary programs for professional photographers on the market to date you really should consider adding it to your library. The View From Here is a 9-part audio program in MP3 format, meaning you can download it instantly, load onto your iPod and you’re good to go. In addition Selina has provided a handy table of contents in PDF format and a FREE 30-minute tutorial.

Many photographers have reported that they are listening to Selina on their iPods as they work, play or hang out at Starbucks.  In addition Selina has offered my subscribers a generous 50% discount! To learn more, listen to a fantastic interview I did with her and view a complete outline of the program click here – http://tinyurl.com/2ecssza

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