What does 2011 look like for you?

Reality check. The year is half over. Hard to believe, isn’t it? So shake the sand off your toes and start thinking about those Holiday greeting cards and New Year’s Eve weddings.

What’s your game plan? People always want more and this is the year they might just be ready to spend more. So what does that mean for your plan? What new products will you introduce? How will you take business to a new level?

If you haven’t presented Wavy Metal to your client base, now’s the time! This product is taking the photography world by storm. It’s not only the latest trend, it’s beautiful and archival! Use it for sports, seniors, even weddings. It adds a whole new dimension to your packages.

Press Products are the fuel that keeps your studio’s engine purring. There is something for everyone in our extensive catalog of press offerings. Start thinking now about what new sizes and styles you need to have on hand for the upcoming season. We’ve included some great ideas in the newsletter to kick-start your marketing with press products.

Make sure you’ve got the latest information on Photoshop and Designer Press Books by registering for one of our workshops. In fact consider adding workshops into your plan of action and learn how to increase business every month!

Whatever you need, we’re here to help with great information, great products and great advice.

Facebook is a phenomenon. It has changed the way we communicate, the way we promote and the way we market. According to Chris Treadaway, author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day, Facebook has over 400 million worldwide users.

“Taken down to the local level, though, this means that Facebook might just already have more reach in the community than any other media outlet,” Treadaway said. “Facebook is trying to become the first place people visit when logging into their computers every morning. The site that leads this battle carries the most online leverage.”

On April 21st, Facebook announced a web-wide “like” button that shares a user’s activity with a single click. It’s easy to see Facebook gaining even more ground with the new sharing and recommendation functionality.

What does this mean for the photography industry? It means if you are not using Facebook for marketing, you’re missing a huge potential client base.

Where do we get business? Networking, pure and simple. Word of mouth in the photography industry is everything. Bridal photographers know that one bride can lead to twenty more. The unmarried members of the bridal party are potential clients, but so are all of the other guests! They will all refer you; they will “network” you, and you’ll stay busy! Whatever your specialty, the majority of business is derived from networking. Think of Facebook as one big bridal party, one big sporting event or one big graduation ceremony. Everyone is talking. You want them to be talking about your photographs!

Facebook has to be the easiest marketing tool ever invented. It’s simple to create a fan page for your business. Upload a brief paragraph about your studio, then add beautiful photos, client testimonials and a link to your website. You’ll want to update Facebook more frequently than your blog. Don’t worry; updates take a lot less time than blogs! You can update daily or a couple of times a day. The great thing about using Facebook  as a marketing tool is  that you will receive an email every time someone comments on your page. Facebook basically reminds you to log in and comment back!
Facebook offers a readymade audience, and they are your local targeted demographic. Clients are already looking for you there, and they need to find you there.

If you haven’t started a fan page for your studio yet, do it today. The impact and reach of Facebook is impossible to ignore.

Brandi Nellis makes you smile. She also might make you jump, swing, dance, run, hang upside down or stand on your head, but you’ll be smiling the whole time.

This Austin based photographer has been shooting pictures since she was a kid and started her first professional studio eleven years ago.

She has a way of looking at the world with a different eye, a definite attitude and a dash of genius!

POUNDS: What inspired you to become a photographer?
BRANDI: Like a lot of photographers, photography has been a hobby and a passion since I was a little girl.  I knew from an early age that I wanted to own my own company and work for myself. Bottom line, what really inspired me to become a photographer was that I wanted to make money doing a job that I absolutely love.

POUNDS: What’s the best thing about it?
BRANDI: The best thing about being a photographer is that exact moment when you know you just got “the money shot.” I can call the shot every time.

POUNDS: How has your idea of “being a photographer” changed since you’ve been in business?
BRANDI: To be “a photographer” sounds so easy and fun. “Let’s go take some photos!”  However, I learned quickly that I had to be a marketing director, an accountant, a Photoshop and social media guru, a delivery and pickup driver, a video maker and oh we can’t forget, a comedian during the shoots. Yes, my idea of “being a photographer” has TOTALLY changed since I’ve been in business!

POUNDS: Has being a mom changed your way of shooting?
BRANDI: Yes, being a mom has helped me to relate to kids so much better and easier.

POUNDS: Tell us about your branding strategy.
BRANDI: I wish I had a great answer or 12 step program for this but I don’t.  I get ideas in the most random places and times…in the middle of the night, driving in my car, the shower and most recently watching the weatherman! Most of all, I really just want my photography business to be different and offer some fresh ideas.

POUNDS: Do you have a sort of “mission statement” about your photography business that makes you want to leap out of bed each day?
BRANDI: First of all, I NEVER leap out of bed.  I am not a morning mama! I don’t have an official mission statement but if I had to give one off the cuff I’d say I want to give clients happy, colorful & quirky imagery that they can cherish for life.

POUNDS: Where do you hope to be in ten years (yeah, we know, the beach!)
BRANDI: The beach is right! I guess 10 years from now I’d love to own a jazzy little studio with a really fun team of employees.

POUNDS: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given about business?
BRANDI: One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was that you don’t have to go out and spend thousands of dollars on new equipment to be a good photographer.  A good photographer can build a business on average equipment. I know because I have!

POUNDS: What do you tell young people today who come to you and say, “Gee I want to do what you do?”
BRANDI: Follow your dreams.  You can be anything you want to be.

Photography is a highly competitive industry. Marketing has changed drastically over the past few years. We’ve shifted from the traditional marketing model of sending out printed promotional pieces, buying ads in magazines and advertising on radio or television. The old promotional avenues are cost prohibitive and really no one is paying attention to them anymore.

Think about it. Today everyone has DVR, so they don’t have to view commercials. The advent of iPods has turned people away from the radio. No one has time to read the newspaper anymore so ads there are not going to bring you customers.  Traditional avenues of reaching potential clients have dried up.

What has replaced those avenues is a whole new series of marketing channels.

Every professional now has a website. That is your calling card; the place people turn to make sure you are legitimate. A website is the most vital piece of your marketing puzzle.  What else do you need?

BLOG IT
Create a blog. A blog is essentially your voice. You can educate your clients, post new photos and include links to great information. More importantly, a blog creates an instant feeling of friendship. It draws people to you and your business. Creating content for your blog is another way to be found on the web. People will pass your posts on to their friends creating a deeper and wider visibility for your company. A recent webinar on HubSpot, a web based company specializing in inbound marketing software, revealed that companies who blog have 55% more visitors to their websites. You don’t have to post every day. Post once a week, even once a month, but develop that presence. Have a look at WordPress or Blogspot and get started!

FACEBOOK IT
Facebook is a phenomenon. Never before has anything captured such universal, global attention. If you don’t have an account, get one. It’s important and it’s easy. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/2u5yd6 for the complete lowdown.

TWITTER IT
Social media is the new buzz term. It includes Facebook, Linked In, and a host of other outlets. One of the most influential of these is Twitter. Think about Twitter as the Readers Digest version of Facebook, without the quizzes! Short, sweet and to the point. Type in the keywords for your industry. Look at “wedding photographers in Dallas” (or your particular area) or “sports photographers in Houston”. If you are not showing up on the first page, then you need to Twitter! There is already a conversation about your industry going on. Join that conversation.

LINK IT IN!
Linked In is probably the most seriously regarded of the social media. This is definitely a business resource. There are 48 million users. Executives from all the Fortune 500 companies are on Linked In. You can find and be introduced to the professionals you need to work with to accomplish your goals. It’s a terrific avenue to drive business back to your website. Take a look at this link, which includes a step-by-step video: http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/

Don’t let any of these new tools overwhelm you. The best news is that they are free. Decide how much time you can devote to social network marketing each week. It shouldn’t take up more than 10% of your time. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and get started!