Photo Marketing Mentor

One of my favorite quotes by Howard Thurman reads. “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” So I ask you, what makes you come alive?

Perhaps you loved children so you decided to shoot portraits of babies and families. Perhaps you love being out in nature so landscapes makes your heart dance, or the physical body holds fascination for you so you photograph fine art nudes.  Whatever your passion when it comes to turning that into a viable business often times we become stumped and sometimes over time we start to lose interest.

So in this article I want to share with you 3 ways to reawaken your heart felt passion that you’ve might have placed on the back burner.

1. Find groups that share your interest. You can do a search on the internet, there you will find scores of blogs and websites what bring communities of like minded people together.  When you locate these sources spend some time there, find out what the conversation is and chime in.  Not from the prospective of “I have photos, please buy from me”, but from the prospective of sharing your passion for the same subject.  In your signature you can post your web address and how people can contact you for more information.

2.  Meet  1-on-1. The internet is great for initial connections but where you really get benefit is if you can meet and connect with like minded people face-to-face. Locate groups, committees, organizations, clubs, schools etc where people get together to share their mutual passion for the subject you love to photograph.  An ideal group will allow or be open to member presentations.  This is great way to share your passion for the subject and do some potentially profitable networking.

3.  Locate print publications where you can contribute.  On way to do this is to make a visit to your neighborhood bookstore and scour the magazine section.  But don’t just look at the magazine and jump straight to the mast head, get intimate with the publication, read the articles, get a feel for the layout, the style of writing, the type of imagery.  Also don’t overlook at the ads in the back,  perhaps you could promote your services there. For example, perhaps a cooking magazine may be interested in your food images or if you have a blog featuring your food images to advertise it there, finally you could send a query to the editor and pitch a story.

Bonus Tip: Look for collaborators. In the case of a food photographer, look for food writers, food bloggers, food trade shows, you get the idea.  A food writer need images to match their stories, same with a blogger.  Trade shows feature vendors who need work shot of their product.  Bottom line.  Think outside of the box!

If you have trouble finding appropriate titles at your local newsstands or you desire to see a complete listing of all titles in your category you can visit your local library and ask for a copy of Standard Rate and Data.  SRD is a directory similar to the encyclopedia for commercial print publications as well as other media outlets like radio, tv/cable and newspapers.  There will you not only find the names of publications not typically carried on commercial newsstands but should you choose to advertise you will have the rates as well current contact info of the principals of the company.

Of course as with many print publications you can also access this information on the internet.  So if the library is not accessible you can access this information online.

You can do so by visiting the website at SRDS Media Solutions and clicking on the department that you want to research or database you wish to access.

My final recommendation is to get outside of your four walls and go out to get some fresh air, being cooped up at your computer all day isn’t good for anyone.  Sometimes merely being around people and talking about what you love will give you an idea or spark that could be turned into a new project that arouses new interest in your passion.

We all need a pick me up from time to time and remember from the quote: “the world needs is people who have come alive”.  Energy is contagious, go create some.

(c) Rodney Washington, The Photo Marketing Mentor, If you need help implementing new strategies into your business including locating and contacting new prospects contact me, I can be your Strategic Partner. For more specialized assistance visit my blog to learn more about my Done 4 You Marketing services program. Also visit my website @ Photo-Marketing-Mentor.com and sign up for my client attraction starter kit.  It’s FREE and will give you plenty of resources to steer you in the right direction.

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It is not uncommon to become overwhelmed especially in the current state of our society where we have more gadgets and commitments vying for our attention.

In today’s article I will share with you my 4 tips to help you get out of overwhelm and back to productivity. Remember, where productivity lives, profitability soon follows.
So lets get started with my 4 tips to take control back in your business.

1. Make a plan for where you want to go. Let’s say for example you want to get 3 new clients this week. Okay so let’s say to make that happen you need to have 20 points of contact to find those 3 new clients. I’m using 20 because it’s a nice round number you may need more, but let’s say it’s 20.

Okay, so the next question or series of questions becomes who, where and how am I going to contact 20 new people? Make a list, it can names with telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter addresses, Facebook profiles, Linked In profiles etc. Just get your list together of 20 points of contact and contact them. That’s your plan; okay this moves us on to tip #2.

2. Once you have your plan in place, follow it. I know this sounds obvious but I’ll tell you not following a plan is where most people trip up. Allow me to illustrate. Remember our 20 points of contact from tip #1? Okay, so you have your list and let’s say you get to about 10 of the names on your list but now you find that you’re not getting the results you hoped.

And to make matters worse you’re now distracted because the telephone rings with a non-business related call, or you get the sudden urge to go out for a latte (when you have coffee at home)? Or while twittering you get caught up in a lively debate about Tiger Woods character, do you get where I am going? So if you find yourself in this predicament how do you get control back? Simple, Focus!

Lack of focus is the bane of the self-employed. So once you make your plan, get into action immediately, and make a commitment to not do anything outside of the task you set for yourself (emergencies aside of course) Let’s move on to tip number #3.

3. Track your results. This is key and the reason why is because when you can see your results and track your progress in black and white you’re fueled to continue. This will motivate you when you get stuck or feel like giving up. Another benefit to tracking is it allows you to go back and look at what worked and what you should pass on in the future.

This exercise alone will save you scores of time while greatly increasing your productivity by 40 percent or more. Try it, it works. Okay let’s move on to tip #4.

4. Rinse and repeat, repeat, repeat. This is another area where you can become easily overwhelmed but you won’t experience this problem because you have tracking system in place from step #3, right? From this point moving forward with a results based workable plan in place there will be no need to reinvent the wheel. If it’s working just keep doing it until it doesn’t work anymore.

And there you have it, my four-point plan for over coming overwhelm and increasing productivity.

If you’re ready to delve even deeper into developing a customized marketing plan for your business that will help set clear goals and doable actions I believe I can be of help.

Visit my website today to learn more about my various programs designed for creative professionals.

Are you an entrepreneurial minded photographer? Would you like to learn how to Attract More Clients & GROW your business in the next 12 months? Guaranteed!

To find out how I’d like to offer you my Client Attraction Starter Kit that includes: a 5-part mini audio course, “5 Secrets To Attract More Clients & Grow Your Photography Business!” Plus a complimentary subscription to my bi-weekly ezine “Eye On Marketing”. You can claim your FREE Client Attraction Starter Kit by visiting:
Photo Marketing Mentor.com

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I was introduced to these neat little cards recently at a seminar I attended. It was given to me by a novice photographer who taken shots of his young daughter and family dog. I was so impressed with the quality and the cleverness of design that I immediately decided to order a set of my own (featured below). For about $30 dollars you’ll get 100 cards custom printed “mini cards” plus a stylish card holder/presenter.

The features that stand out most for me is the fact that you can display a variety of images from your portfolio; (This allows you to easy update your cards as your portfolio changes). For example, every 18 cards or so in the pack will feature a different image, (while the text on the opposite side remains the same).

Also I love the “mini” size (that in of itself makes the cards a great conversation piece) I guarantee you’ll receive a intrigued reaction at your next networking event.

When you visit the website make sure you order the card holder, there are several colors and styles to pick from.

Another benefit I appreciate about MooCards is that they don’t require a huge investment of time or money to print new cards. I received mine in less than a week after placing my order. To learn more about Moo and order a set of your own visit their website.

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Welcome to my new video training series for professional photographers who want to attract more clients and grow their photography business. I will be offering new video lessons (about 20 in all) on a weekly basis, but if you would like to receive them more frequently you can do so when you sign-up to receive my new Client Attraction Starter Package program.

The Client Attraction Starter Package includes:
- My 5-Part audio training on client attraction and online marketing
- Also includes a “never been released” training seminar on Building Your Photography Business w/Referrals
- Finally you’ll receive a subscription to my ezine “Eye On Marketing” that will provide you with even more tips and training to help you Attract More Clients & Grow Your Photography Business.

To enroll in this package visit my website at http://www.photo-marketing-mentor.com - or you enter your first name and email address in the fields provided on the upper right hand corner of this blog.  Once you confirm the first lesson will be rushed right out to you.

If you’re ready for even more laser focused 1-on-1 training, I highly recommend my Photo Marketing Biz Blueprint Strategy Program, where you and I will spend some very valuable concentrated one-on-one time discuss your specific marketing needs. Then we will laser focus on the areas where you may be feeling stuck or confused and need some additional support to help move you forward.

At the conclusion of our session you will walk away with a personalized marketing blueprint that you can hand off to an assistant and implement immediately.

To learn more about my program visit my website @ http://www.photo-marketing-mentor.com/blog/strategysession

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In today’s video I will begin to walk you through the overview of the Photo-Preneur Insider Marketing Blueprint. Take a look at the video and leave your comments.

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