Tips For Photographers Who Want Increase...

By Scott Bourne No matter what business you are in, you should always be looking for ways to increase sales. Photography is no different. While many photographers are uncomfortable learning good sales technique, it’s something they should work hard to overcome. Good sales skills can make the difference between surviving and thriving in the photography business. So here are some tips to get you started. 1. Always offer the client two choices (or sometimes three) but never more or less. Offering one price is fine. But offering a second price for comparison always...

10 More Marketing Ideas for Photographer...

By Scott Bourne Here’s a quick idea starter for you. See if there are any of these ideas that you haven’t tried. If there are, add them to your marketing mix. Who knows, it might be just the jumpstart you need. 1. Offer your current customers an incentive for referrals. Offer them a free 11×14 print from their last shoot for every new customer they refer to you. 2. Start a leads group. Gather together with some local small businesses once a month at breakfast and share leads. For instance, if you are a wedding photographer who photographs an engagement...

GoingPro Podcast Episode #14...

Announcing the GoingPro podcast. You can subscribe to the show free of charge in the iTunes store here. You can direct-download the MP3 at Podomatic. Here’s the NON-iTunes RSS Feed. NOTE: If you subscribe to the podcast in iTunes you’ll always get it before we announce it here on the blog. It’s our way of saying thanks for subscribing free at iTunes. ____ This post sponsored by WHCC – White House Custom Colour – Get Five Free 8×10 Prints From WHCC and by Pictage – Thinking About Going Pro? Don’t Do It Alone –...

Educating Clients – It’s a F...

Guest Post & Photo by Joe Farace – Follow Joe on Twitter There are many Farace’s Laws but one of the most important is that your clients don’t care if you go out of business. A reader once e-mailed me: “How can I make my clients love me?” My answer was simple: “Cut your rates in half.” They will love you but you will go out of business and they will love you as they search for another photographer to do the work you used to perform. Because like it or not, the work is going to be done, the only question that remains is by whom? It...

So You Got Your First Troll – Cong...

Post by Scott Bourne It’s going to happen to every professional photographer who builds a website, a blog, a Facebook account or a Twitter account. If you fall into that group you are going to encounter a troll or two or 300. But don’t worry. This is no big deal. In fact, it’s good news. I’ll explain that in a minute. But first, let’s discuss what happened, what you should do about it and the way that you can ruin the trolls’ day. First, what happened was this — you did something worthy. You made a difference. You did something...

What Constitutes the Ultimate Photograph...

By Skip Cohen There’s a lot of discussion on and off over photographers and their quest to create/capture the ultimate image.  But I need help, what is the ultimate image? So often we think of it being that one shot nobody else saw.  The image that nobody got but you.  It’s a spectacular sunset with the eagle flying across the frame.  It’s a sports figure’s homerun breaking his season record.  It’s that image that makes all of us go “wow”.   But what if that isn’t really what the ultimate image should be? From my...

Giving Up Control of Your Images...

By Scott Bourne NOTE: This will be cross – posted at Photofocus.com Do you actually read the Terms of Service Agreements and EULAs that you sign or click “OK” on? I bet you don’t – but you should. Especially if you are a photographer who worries about people taking your images and profiting by them without your permission or without sharing those profits with you. By posting images to some of the “sharing” sites —– you’re sharing all right —– you’re sharing a free license that allows most of...

Are You Fungible?...

By Scott Bourne Last week, there were fewer traditional CD sales than there were record sales in the 1960s. Tower Records is gone. The record industry is gone. Put a fork in it. That industry turned out to be fungible. Why? When their customers decided they wanted new ways to consume the product, the record companies ignored them and sued their own customers. People still buy lots of music, but they don’t buy records or CDs. They buy digital downloads, and they buy them from someone OTHER than the record companies. Could that happen to us in photography? As they say...

Never Be Without a Camera! A Business Ca...

By Skip Cohen One of the components of my marketing program is helping photographers think about becoming their own publicity machine.  Scott Bourne even talked about it in a recent post.  The truth is, you’re the only one who is going to consistently watch out for you and your business.  Publicity doesn’t happen by accident. The fall and winter convention and trade show season is coming up, so here’s a quick and easy tip…have a 10-12 megapixel point and shoot in your pocket all the time.  And here’s how to take full advantage of it:  get a...

The Value of Paid Public Relations...

By Scott Bourne Here’s a GoingPro listener question I thought would make a good blog topic. “I know of your knack for getting local media out to events such as a studio openings and was wondering if you’ve ever considered paid press releases a good value in the short or even long term.” Thanks! Doug of Edmonton Alberta Canada Doug I have used (and still use) paid press releases. Skip and I have a great PR firm. Our pal Steven I. Rosenbaum from S.I.R. Marketing Communications, Inc. represents us and the GoingPro project. We’ve paid Steven to...