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Brilliant Business Advice from a Yogipreneur

June 1, 2017 by Kayla Ferguson 1 Comment

Brilliant Business Advice from a Yogipreneur

Very rarely does the entrepreneurial path—or any path—take us in the direction we expect. Frustrating setbacks, unexpected breakthroughs and unanticipated turns and opportunities mark the success of every entrepreneur. Mary Haberski, an LA-based corporate and private yoga instructor, is no exception.

female creatives

A 15-year yoga practitioner, Mary moved to Los Angeles from Chicago with the intention of pursuing yoga as a full-time career. In 2013, she began to more fully develop the spiritual side of her yoga practice after completing a yoga teacher-training course in India. It was upon returning to Los Angeles after her time in India that she began to see how her yoga practice and business was going to develop.

“I moved out to California with the intention to be a yoga instructor, but to be honest I had a picture of it being a certain way; me traveling internationally, doing retreats…but it’s kind of taken a life form of its own,” Mary said about moving West. “I’m just trying to keep up with where it’s taking me.”

female creatives

Mary offers both public and private yoga instruction, working with the Los Angeles Unified School District, private schools and private clients in varying capacities. And while this is a market with a lot of potential and a place she fits very well, it wasn’t how she originally saw herself working in the Los Angeles yoga community.

“I never planned to work with children, but up until now I’ve worked with thousands of children teaching yoga and meditation,” Mary said specifically about her work with LAUSD and private schools. “I thought I would be a powerflow vinyasa teacher, and now I work with children and sometimes elderly people. My heart is a little more geared towards people who don’t believe yoga is available to them…It’s not what I had envisioned for myself but it’s been going in that direction.”

The Los Angeles yoga market is highly saturated, something that Mary says can be a roadblock to making a consistent living. In some ways though, this has worked in Mary’s favor and has allowed her to find the places that most benefit from what she has to offer as a teacher.

“What I have come to find is that I’m not a studio teacher,” Mary explained. “I prefer working with smaller groups and individuals because I can physically touch people and part of my teaching is to be in more detailed alignment and use my gifts as a healer with hands-on healing through massage and pressure points.”

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And, aside from the closer relationships she is able to develop with her clients as a non-studio instructor, she appreciates the sincerity of the clients that don’t “fit in” with the mainstream LA yoga scene. “I feel that when I’m working with kids and the elderly, while there can be resistance, there isn’t as much of an ego behind it,” Mary explained.

Since 2013, Mary has been able to create a yoga business away from the yoga studios and suggested the saturation of the LA yoga industry as an unlikely asset in defining what she has to offer.

“As a teacher no one can offer what you have to offer,” Mary explained. “Spirit moves through each of us in a unique way, especially those of us who are teachers and healers….I don’t believe that we can ever have too many teachers. People just need to start branching out into other communities and other places.”

Yoga by nature is a splendid teacher, reminding us to be patient, flexible and accepting of what comes. Yoga as a practice and a lifestyle embodies that of the entrepreneurial spirit, cultivating awareness, acceptance and an ever-changing balance of giving and receiving.

female entrepenuers

In both her business and in her life, Mary has embodied the essence of both yoga and entrepreneurship in a way that other aspiring entrepreneurs should seek to emulate. When asked what advice she would offer aspiring entrepreneurs, Mary offered some very down to Earth guidance.

“Until you are comfortable on the financial aspect solely from doing your work, don’t quit your day job. It will add more pressure, more stress and in reality stifle your creativity,” Mary said emphatically. “Don’t think you are deterring from your dreams because you are doing something else (for income). It’s actually the opposite. The universe responds to your action with more for you.”

Despite the spiritual nature of Mary’s work and lifestyle, she notes some very definite and down-to-earth lessons for aspiring female entrepreneurs.

“As women, we have to fight harder for more money and more of our value to remind ourselves that we are valuable and we are worthy of a higher price point,” said Mary, a sentiment felt by women at every professional level. “We need to expect more from ourselves. Because nobody is going to offer that to you if you don’t ask. You have to be able to ask for what you know you are worth.”

Mary admitted that this was a difficult lesson to learn, but she has benefited noticeably since putting it into practice. “Whatever it is that you are doing, nobody will do it like you do it,” she continued. “You will have doubt and worry and you will want to quit. That’s normal. You have to be patient with yourself. Go easy on yourself (and) don’t get caught up in the unicorn story. It’s rare that someone is an instant success….More than likely you will have to do a lot of work to get to where you want to go so you can become the person you need to be.”

Filed Under: Boost Profits, Featured1, HUSTLE, INSPIRE, WELLNESS Tagged With: female entrepreneurs, kayla ferguson, los angeles, wellness, yoga, yoga business

Where to Find Stunning Stock Photos for Absolutely Free

February 2, 2017 by Ty Merkel 5 Comments

Where to Find Stunning Stock Photos for Absolutely Free

Ah, stock photos. When done right, they can really spice up your work, while also saving you some major time and energy. Good stock photos give visual power to the stories you need to tell. They allow you spend less time creating content for your blog posts and more time creating a beautiful product for your client. But that’s only if those stock shots are visually captivating.

Obviously, there are some brilliant creatives out there (you might be one of them!) that create stunning stock photos and if you can, you should turn to these photographers for your stock needs. But if you can’t for whatever reason, free stock photo banks are a helpful tool for upstart photographers looking to enhance their blogs and social media game.

Read on to learn how you can find your own high-resolution stock photos for free.

Licensing Legalities

First, the legal stuff (sorry, I’ll try to keep this interesting). The free photographs available on the sites listed below fall into two categories: CC0, and CC.

CC0: Creative Commons zero license means that you can use the photos in any way you’d like—copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Take care to remember that these photos can be used for personal and commercial purposes but cannot be sold or redistributed (aka trying to pass off the photo as your own intellectual property).

CC Attribution: Creative Commons with attribution means that you can use the photo in any way you want, as long as you credit the creator of the photo. Attribution is simple: next to the aformentioned stock photograph, write ‘Photo by x’ with a link back to their website or their profile on the licensing site.

It’s usually all as simple as that, but this small legal blurb compels me to say this: I’m a photog not a lawyer, so triple-check the licensing before you click that download button.

1. Pexels

Where to find free stock photos

Pexels is one of the first places I go to find incredible free stock photos. All of its more than 25,000 images are not only free for you to use in any way you choose, but they’re all tagged and searchable. I can’t tell you how hugely convenient this is when you need to find exactly the right photo that conveys just the right mood for your project or landing page. Amazingly, some 3,000 images are added each and every month to its database. Pexels is essentially becoming the Google of free, beautiful stock photography. It even has a growing library of free videos.

Licence Type: CC0

2. Unsplash

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Unsplash offers a massive, searchable collection of jaw-dropping, high-resolution photos with everything from whimsical work spaces to NatGeo-style photographs of foxes. If you subscribe to its email list, then you get 10 of its best snaps delivered hot and fresh straight to your inbox every 10 days. You can also make a personalized home feed that highlights photos you’re interested in. The site also has a handy feature that displays curated collections of images such as “Women At Work” or “Fashion Startups.” Attribution is preferred but not required. Next to Pexels, this is one of my all-time favorites.

Licence Type: CC0

3. Death to Stock 

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Death to Stock photographs are insanely gorgeous. Join their mailing list and a pack of 10 photos within a certain category (categories like “mountains,” and “coffee shop”) will be delivered to your inbox each month.

Death to Stock also offers a paid plan where you get an extra 10 photos each month. At the end of the day, Death to Stock excels because their quality in photo style and usability is the best in the biz. But they have their own licensing agreement which you can read more about here.

License Type: Photograph End User License

4. Life of Pix 

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Life of Pix is a photo service created by the LEEROY creative agency and it is chock-full of free, high-resolution images for any project. Also, if you are interested in donating a few shots for some exposure, there’s a chance that the Life of Pix site will highlight you as a “Photographer of the Week” and if so, they will plug your work on their social media outlets and website (for free).

Licence Type: CC0

5. Tookapic

tookapics

Tookapic is a curated collection that offers both paid and free stock photographs. It is characterized by its moody, hyper-stylized, people-centered snapshots. You can filter by free photos which can be used for personal and commercial projects, although you must attribute the photo to the artist and link back to Tookapic website.

Licence Type: CC w/ attribution

6. Pixabay

PIXABAY

Pixabay is stock marketplace that offers over 850,000 photographs, illustrations, vectors, graphics, and videos, all free of charge. A large portion of their photos could be classified as art pieces, and are as glossy and attention-grabbing as any magazine cover page.

Licence Type: CC0

7. Kaboom Pics

kaboompics.com_Working in the group

Kaboom Pics is a collection of super high quality, editorial-style photographs that covers everything from fashion to food. It’s easy to browse since you can search via keywords and hashtags. Even though Kaboom is a CC0, the site’s owner does love it when you throw some attribution their way.

Licence Type: CC0

8. FreeStocks.org 

free stocks

FreeStocks offers a wide range of shots for personal and commercial projects. You can browse narrow categories (everything from iphone on desk to girl drinking smoothie), and you can search trending hashtags, which is nifty.

Licence Type: CC0

9. Negative Space

negative space shot

Negative Space releases 20 new photos every week loaded with plenty of street and workflow scenes. Their collections are searchable by category, color and copy space. Here attribution isn’t required.

Licence Type: CC0

10. Epicantus

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Epicantus contains Pinterest-perfect photography by Daria, visual & UX designer extraordinaire. These minimalist images with a french blogger edge were specifically created for landing pages, blog posts and the like. All of Daria’s original shots are free and up for grabs for commercial and personal use.

Licence Type: CC0

11. Jay Mantri 

jaymantri

Jay Mantri offers a stunning collection of simple, minimalistic images. These lovingly crafted images showcase stunning architecture, rich landscapes, and his beloved oxford kicks. He releases seven new photos every Thursday. You can search and filter the images by date and hashtags. 

Licence Type: CC0

Thus concludes our tour of sites with jaw-dropping, free stock photos. When you’re in a pinch, or looking to optimize the heck out of your workflow, turn to these stock photo gods. 

And remember: Enjoy, and attribute responsibly!

Filed Under: Boost Profits, Featured1, ORGANISE, SHOOT, Starting Out, TIPS & TRICKS, Ty Merkel, Uncategorized

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Photography Business With Instagram

January 19, 2017 by Ty Merkel Leave a Comment

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Photography Business With Instagram

Everyone is on Instagram—reality tv stars, startup coffee shops, Taco Bell, landscape photogs, and flower crown designers. With more than 400 million active users, the app is changing the way people advertise their businesses. High visibility as an “influencer” on Instagram is becoming a coveted status that can quickly transform a fledgling photography business into a money making machine.

However, many photographers are just discovering the app, and you might be wondering if you missed the window when it was easy to amass thousands of followers.

I’m here to tell you it’s not too late, and with a little direction and structure, you can hop on the social media gravy train and drive tons of benefits for your business.

Hold up though—you might be wondering how Instagram can grow your business. The answer is this: Instagram allows you to curate a journey, a story populated with your professional work. It can help you lift the veil between your photography business and clients, and convince followers that they shouldn’t just hire you for your photography skills but also for your unique perspective and personality. Then on the practical end, it increases visibility, adds credibility to your business, and makes you more SEO-friendly. 

Best of all, Instagram allows you to do this all for free, which makes it one of the most effective marketing devices…well, ever.

So yes, you should be on Instagram, if you aren’t already. Here are 10 tips to help you whip your gram’ into shape.

1. Only Showcase Your Best Work

While posting regularly is key to developing your Instagram folllowing, make sure you are posting only cream of the crop images—the kind of photos that incite an automatic wow. Create an Instagram persona that strikes the balance between formal and carefree, and keep your followers hooked by mixing up the sort of images you post. But always share shots that fit distinctly into your brand. India Earl, a wedding and elopement photographer based in Utah, has curated a beautiful Instagram that speaks volumes about her personal style.


#1 Only Showcase Your Best Work@indiaearl

2. Decide your niche ASAP

From the get-go, you must position yourself as an authority within a specific field, because you can’t be a jack-of-all-trades photographer. If you try to specialize in everything, you’re really specializing in nothing. The more narrow your niche (like babies in fairy costumes or enchanting elopements) the better, because it will help you stand out from the rest of the Insta crowd. Additionally, you never want users to be confused about your forte. My advice is to make it so glaringly apparent that a random follower only needs a millisecond glance at your Instagram page to know exactly what your expertise is.

3. Tell Good Stories

When someone decides to follow you on Instagram, they become avid consumers of your work. Your job, then, is to keep them addicted.  Even though you want to represent your brand accurately, don’t be afraid to be funny or too whimsical. Your followers obviously admire your work, but they tune in to connect with you as an artist with an authentic personality. At the same time, don’t feel pressured to spin life changing stories or reveal universal truth. Just be yourself. Like what happened at your last shoot? Did it start to rain during the marriage ceremony? Or did you make goofy faces at a toddler just to grab one good photo of them? I know you possess a unique perspective and stories that only you can tell. So go ahead and narrate them! I promise your followers will fawn over your candor.

3. Tell Good Stories@tecpetaja


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4. Use Hashtags and Geotags Effectively

Hashtags and geotags increase your post’s reach across the app. While it might be tempting to use a hundred tags to promote a post (I’ve been there), a tactful approach will help you so much more. First off, an effective hashtag is searched but not overused. Your post is probably going to be lost in any hashtag with over 500,000 entries.

Also, avoid common tags such as #sunset, #fun, #dog, and the like, since they are overloaded and the engagement from these tags is quite spammy. If you tag all willy nilly you might attract bots or aimless likes that won’t convert into followers (let alone clients). You want to cultivate an intentional, active and caring following.

In terms of placement, don’t substitute real words in your caption with hashtags. Example A:  “#Sunsets in #Iceland are insanely #beautiful”. Avoid this cardinal Insta sin at all costs. It is just a tad grating to read, and the human attention span is shorter than a goldfish’s while scrolling the Gram, so keep your captions clean and legible to keep your audience captivated.

Instead, put your hashtags at the end of your post or in a comment below, and please try to limit yourself to 20, which is a classy amount. Don’t bombard your poor followers with 50+ hashtags.

Here’s a starter template for deciding what hashtags to use:

  •  Always, always geotag the location of the photo, and if you can, indicate the specific name of the park, building or event (some examples are #losangeles #lacmalights #dodgersgame). Followers invariably want to know where a photo was snapped, and it makes your photo pop up if someone searches that location.
  •  Indicate the type of photography (eg. #newbornshoot, #seniorportraits).
  •  Tag the equipment you used (eg. #canon5ds #35mmsigmalense). 
  •  Pair up your location and expertise (#losangelesweddingphotographer #chicagosportsphotographer). 
  • Tag the details of your shoot (#newbornclothes #weddingdress). 
  • Lastly, use Instagram’s Explore feature to discover trending hashtags such as #newyearseve2016 and #earthday and integrate those trending combos which are relevant to your post.

4. Use Hashtags and Geotags Effectively@kathvphotography

5. Apply For Shoutouts

Besides hashtags, geotags, and interaction, shoutouts remain the single best way to gain followers. But how do you court a feature account, you ask? Here’s how you do it—follow an account that is analogous to your niche, authentically engage with their posts often (aka more than the thumbs up sign), and tag photos that would fit right into their feed. It’s that easy. If you are consistent, the moderators will eventually notice you. Then, when you finally nab a feature, make sure to flex that ethos and issue a heartfelt thanks so they feel compelled to feature you again, because everyone likes doing favors for grateful folks— am I right?

6. Ask Questions In Captions

An effective way to spark engagement is through posts that ask a question. Queries are irresistible because they ask for opinions, and everyone loves to give their two cents.

I have even found breathtaking adventure spots just by asking my followers for suggestions. Get creative. Ask what life-changing book they read this year. Or what is their favorite national park? What kind of cat do they want to be? (Like I said. Don’t be afraid to be whimsical). Ask anything, because your followers will appreciate the fact you care about their thoughts and interests and that following you means a reciprocal show of affection.

6. Ask Questions In Captions@indiaearl

7. Forge Authentic Community

If you feel intimidated by other influencers with a million followers, don’t sweat it. Followers aren’t necessarily fans—and popularity doesn’t denote profitability. Because at the end of the day, you don’t want a successful Instagram, you want a successful business. Back when I was working for a wedding photography company, our Instagram only had 1,200 followers. But half of our business came from the app! Yes, HALF.

While the dreamy goal is to gain a massive following to increase the exposure for your business, you want to first focus on treating your current followers well. Follow them back, like their photos, show them sincere appreciation beyond a nonspecific “thanks.” Always aim to start conversations with followers that prove you care about their support. Because the more you talk to each of them, the more they will not only feel compelled to follow you, but also to support your business financially, and champion you in a myriad of other ways. Also, reach out to current and past clients and flatter them with tags. Puff them up, tell your followers why you had a stellar time working with this client, and just be genuine.

7. Forge Authentic Community@elizabethmessina

This is a bit taboo, but you should also reach out to your competition. Yeah, I said it! Why not convert them into friends instead of foes? Trade marketing secrets, observe each other’s client conversion tactics, and maybe even partner up for a fancy project. This is just another way to increase visibility and become deeply involved with your Insta niche. You could even cross-promote one another, and you just might win over a few of their fans. At the end of the day, only use Instagram to build bridges, never burn them.

8.  Host Giveaways And Advertise Discounts

Giveaways are huge on Instagram. Whereas contests and free prizes on the general internet off the social media grid are always viewed with skepticism, Instagram is a rare exception. Although, in the midst of all the Insta-revelry, remember that the goal is to have users advocate for your brand while pursuing your prize. Here’s how you host one in five steps: 

  • Choose a theme based on your specialty (eg. babies, family portraits, dogs in cool hats).
  • Decide the prize: whether that be free headshots or five canvas prints.
  • Determine how users can enter the contest. They can like a photo, follow your page, share your post, tag their friends and or comment or perform a combo of all the above.
  • Choose an entry deadline. If you are giving away seven separate prizes you might want to give it a week. Or if it is just one prize, 24 hours might suffice. Just make sure to give people enough time to enter and allow the contest to gain traction.
  • Promote your contest. Because who’s gonna enter the contest if they don’t even know it’s happening right? Send out polished emails to past clients, post it on all social media mediums, tell your aunt who likes every single one of your posts. Just get the word out!

Additionally, Instagram is an effective megaphone for advertising discounts sans content. For example, you could announce a 25% discount on a newborn photo session if you book within the next 48 hours. Sometimes a small savings is all it takes for a client to take the plunge and book a session with you.

8. Host Giveaways And Advertise Discounts@kateholsteinphoto

9. Post Behind-the-Scenes Images and Videos

Instagram’s stories are basically a copycat of Snapchat that lets you create photo sequences that expire after a day. It is where you get to be a real human and not just a profit-obsessed robot who happens to take stunning photos. Deposit content into this feature that wouldn’t work in a traditional post—like behind-the-scenes shots, selfies with clients, snaps of your perpetually messy work desk, or you wading into a frigid lake in the middle of freaking winter to get that perfect shot. Since this content only last 24 hours, the stakes are much lower and it won’t affect the aesthetic of your home page.

10. Make Sure Your Linked Page From Instagram Is Sales-Centric

That link in your Instagram bio should lead directly to a “Book Your Session” page instead of more examples of your work, because at this point your Instagram is your portfolio as far as your prospective customer is concerned. Make it painfully easy for followers to arrange a photoshoot so they don’t get cold feet while exploring your site.

The final word:

Obviously, Instagram won’t replace your portfolio or traditional networking. Who knows, it could become the next Vine and die abruptly tomorrow. But for now, 30% of the internet is on Instagram. If potential clients are logging onto the app, you need to get on there and catch em’. Don’t be afraid to get reach out, be inspired, tell good stories, and most of all, have fun! It can only help your business. So log on, post those gorgeous photos of yours, and start meeting your 400 million new besties.

Filed Under: Boost Profits, Featured4, MOTIVATE, SHOOT, SOCIAL, Starting Out, TIPS & TRICKS, Ty Merkel

12 Ways to Make More Money With Your Photography Business in 2017

January 9, 2017 by Ty Merkel 4 Comments

12 Ways to Make More Money With Your Photography Business in 2017

Author pictured above.

This is the year that your photography business is really going to take off. How do I know? Because if you follow many of the tips I’m going to offer below, you’ll be well on your way to a successful 2017.

Do you want to make more money this year? I’m going to guess the answer is “heck, yes!”

Where do you even start? Raising your prices? Starting a referral program? Offering freebies? (wait, that sounds wrong… but it actually works!)

Read on to learn some solid strategies to attract more clients, increase your visibility and grow your brand, and at the end of the day — and year — pad your profits.

1. Offer a Freebie

Offering your services for free may seem counter-intuitive. After all, you’re trying to make more money, not less. Still, if you’re relatively new to the photography biz, one of your most important assets is word-of-mouth advertising. So get out there and work it! You want to generate buzz, and get as many people familiar with your brand as possible. Say you give out freebies to 10 people, and “only” two of these clients decide to purchase a larger package. That’s a 20 percent “conversion rate,” which is actually a fantastic return on investment — and you now have two customers you didn’t have before.

Whatever you offer, whether it’s free canvas prints, free headshots, or free retouching,  just make sure to offer something that is valuable since everything you produce (even for free) is reflective of your brand’s quality. Still, make sure those nifty free goodies are quick to produce and not too expensive  — no sense going into debt for freebies.

2. Book Mini Sessions

Mini sessions are an excellent way to entice commitment-phobic clients. For example, a $50 session might only take you 15 minutes and your client walks away with five finished images. That’s a very satisfied client who’s likely to rave about you to other prospects.

Keep in mind that mini sessions are not a full session at a discount. Gently remind clients that they are scoring a deal, so make sure to streamline these sessions to make it worth your time. One location, 15-20 minutes tops. Don’t offer these quick jobs expecting an immediate payday. Just like freebies, mini sessions are an investment in networking and converting clients into loyal customers.

3. Streamline Your Editing

Using your time efficiently is one way to generate more income. Time saved is money earned. This was actually my first mistake while starting out: I spent way, way too much time in post-production. I would devote three extra hours a day trying to get my color balance and white highlights just right. Avoid my mistake by using Lightroom presets and Photoshop actions. You can automate these programs to overlay filters and customizable edits onto your imports, create your own presets and actions, or (in the true spirit of time saving) you can just purchase preset packages (No shame, here. I’ve always opted for pre-made filters. Hey, it works for those influencers on Instagram!).

4. Partner with an Influencer

Speaking of… social media influencers attract a massive following because they have captured some sort of zeitgeist. There are many reasons to work with influencers: They will help you tailor your message with their insider experience.They are typically cheaper than a proper advertising campaign. And they’ve already established trust with their cult fans. With their quasi-celebrity stamp of approval, they help make your brand more effective and trustworthy. If all goes well, their fans will be tempted, and artfully encouraged to become your fans.

5. Offer Word-of-Mouth Incentives

In the world of creative services like photography and graphic design, referrals are king. They provide “social proof,” or evidence of your value based on someone else’s opinion. Some people who totally ignored my business suddenly came calling after their cousin, or teacher,  or sorority sister put their stamp of approval on my work. So don’t be shy, and openly encourage your clients to vouch for your business. But remember to reward them accordingly with a discount or free prints. Even if you can’t offer an incentive, give them a shout out on good ol’ social media. Public flattery is always a good idea; it’s free, and takes just a few hot seconds.

gal-photog

6. Update Your Website

For the majority of customers, your website is their first impression of your business. It is the online equivalent of a storefront and customers will decide your value and trustworthiness within seconds. Your website needs to communicate your capabilities, your personality, your brand, availability, and some ballpark of your fees. Always make sure it is painfully easy to locate that golden “book me” button. Also, invite friends and clients alike to test the usability on your website, whether they get lost navigating around your portfolio, or whether certain wording is a major turnoff. Then make the appropriate alterations. If you aren’t a software developer in your free time (I am most definitely not; numbers and HTML scare me), then it would be best to start with a WordPress or Squarespace template. You can put up a professional-looking site in mere hours with these services; no coding required. If you can afford one, it’s worth hiring a website designer to customize your online portfolio.

7. Improve Your Marketing Automation

Automation tools are gifts from the tech gods. With of these tools, you won’t waste your time sending emails and texts with every new submission or booking. Establish automated responses and then fill in the gaps with personalized content when necessary. Schedule your blog posts, newsletters, social media updates to go out when your audience is online. For instance, if each task takes just one minute, at my current rate of over 7,000 tasks per year, that’s about 14 working days back in my pocket for more shooting, post-production, Netflix binges, whatever!

gal-photog2

8. Spread Your Content

Having multiple points of contact with your brand is vital. It increases brand awareness and adds another layer of trust to your product. It is the Web equivalent of leaving breadcrumbs for customers to follow back to your booking site. You need to scatter your work across all platforms—Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ (if only to improve your SEO), magazines, and blogs like this one! (There are some tips to get published in your dream magazines.) You don’t just want views, you want attention from people who are interested in your service. Compose a content calendar to help yourself brainstorm what promotions, content and platforms you are posting on for a given day or week. Also, remember to set up specific, measurable goals to help yourself determine if your efforts are successful or need adjustment in the future.

9. List on Deal Sites

Sometimes folks aren’t brand-loyal, they are deal-loyal. Thus, coupons are a way to introduce them to your business. Listing photo discounts on sites like Groupon is a simple way to expand your clientele and dip into that frenzied coupon crazed market. Fair warning though: Set up an enticing deal, but not one that’s so cheap it devalues your brand or isn’t worth your time.

10. Advertise on Social Media

When it comes to advertising, it’s a given that you’ll turn to social media platforms like Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. Why? Because their image-driven formats are perfect vehicles to showcase photography businesses, and because your target audience is already on these networks, waiting to be wowed. And because it’s almost impossible these days to stand out with “organic” traffic alone. You need to boost your presence with paid advertising. Make sure to target your ads to specific audience groups so your photos are landing in front of qualified leads, so you don’t waste money  marketing to people who have no business learning about your business.


If you’re new to Facebook advertising, our Facebook Ads Academy for Photographers is the guide you need to transform your business!

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11. Bundle Together Package Deals

Rather than book one shoot – book two, three, five! Aim high, because the worst someone can say is “Eh, no.” Use a discount to peak their interest. For example, you could offer a newborn shoot that is paired with a photoshoot for the child’s first birthday, or you could book engagement snaps along with wedding photos. In the end, bundling several shoots into one package is really just a photographer’s version of a short-term subscription service. Less courting and more commitment and money from your clients. Sounds dreamy, right? Also, your clients will love the simplicity and discount you’ll give them for upgrading to a package.

12. Shoot for a Cause

Shooting for a charity or nonprofit is a brilliant way to increase exposure while messaging to clients that your brand has heart. Back when I was starting out, I routinely offered free photography and videography to a nonprofit that helps the homeless population in downtown San Francisco. Why? Because it was a cause I cared about and I had a valuable skill that could contribute to their marketing. In turn, I was able to count the organization as a bona fide client and showcase my work.

Most people get stuck on trying to drum up fast money-making schemes. The secret is that your greatest chance for success is routinely implementing a series of small changes, like these strategies, over a long period. So test, try and explore. Have any of these tips worked for you? Did I leave out any illuminating advice? Let me know in the comments below!

Filed Under: Boost Profits, Featured2, HUSTLE, MOTIVATE, TIPS & TRICKS, Ty Merkel

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