Bev's Blog

“If all store owners watched a video tape of what every customer experiences in their store, any of three statistics might rise dramatically: murder, suicide or unemployment.” Ron Martin

This quote made me chuckle, but also reminded me of how important a good-no, great-no, incredible salesperson is to success (or failure.) Though we don’t run a retail business, certain core principles still apply when discussing sales, so I thought I would  go over what I consider foundational lessons we all need to learn to succeed.

First of all, sales is not a dirty word nor is it a low-skill job. Actually, I think it is harder to find an incredible salesperson than an incredible photographer! It takes a certain personality, determination and mind-set to excel in this area. A great salesperson can take a mediocre product and make it a success. A poor salesperson can take a great product and fail. Yet, we seldom see emphasis put on sales training and when we do, few photographers take advantage of it.

Selling is foundational not only to surviving, but thriving!

If you had to define selling, what would the first word be related to? Would it be a giving or a taking word? Those whose only goal is to take money from their client will never excel in sales-it is superficial and your client will know it. Sales is a giving profession. In the salesroom, I give myself to the client in how I act, my emotions, my words, my time, the information I impart, my ideas and so forth. When the client makes their decision on what to buy, they feel good about it and become evangelists for us! It is a win-win situation.

When money is the only object of a sale, pressure becomes the driving force. Pressure births stress, negative feelings, high anxiety, pushy behavior and failure!

Second, people buy you before they buy what you are selling. This means you MUST respect your clients, have an outgoing personality, be informative and friendly. When the client trusts you, they trust what you are selling. Build trust and friendship with your clients.It only takes a few seconds (some say 7 seconds) for a client to size you up and determine if they do or don’t like you. First impressions are critical, but so are second, third and so forth. We must generate the two R’s at our studio; RETURN AND REFERRALS. We have had some clients for thirty years and we need them to continue coming back (RETURN). We want them to feel so impressed with our business that they REFER others to us! The two R’s are the lifeblood of any business!

The third lesson is one I learned early in my photography career and that is no matter how I felt, when my client came through the door, I was on stage! It didn’t matter if I wasn’t in the mood or feeling down! Professionals do their job even when they don’t feel like it. Think about a professional basketball player or an actor on Broadway; the show must go on, no matter what! The amazing thing is I always felt much better after the appointment, but I had to make a quality decision about my behavior long before my client walked through the door!

Selling is like being on stage in a play; the moment the client shows up, you must be “on” no matter what you may feel like!

Though there is so much more to say on this topic, the final lesson I want to talk about today is that you must learn to communicate before you can make the sale. Much like a long distance runner, the most energy required is right at the beginning when the runner must push off of the blocks with great speed and a burst of energy, but after that, can shift into a slower pace, knowing he must get to the finish line. Sales are like that! The first moments require the greatest amount of skill and energy to meet and greet the client and bring down any walls they may have put up. It is vital that the client feels comfortable with you, but they often have their “poker face” on, not knowing what is going to happen in the sales appointment. Often, they have had a bad experience in the past and they may expect another one from you!  You must work to get the walls down, relax the client and then you can shift into a slower pace, allowing relationships to form as you are selling. This is why we schedule 90 minutes for our sales. We never want a client to feel rushed or pushed out for the next appointment.

“Don’t get out of order by trying to conclude the sale before you form relationships-people don’t care about what you know until they know you care about them”

Read this blog and make a list of things you need to work on in the sales room this week. Post it above your desk and think about how it applies to your situation.

Have a great week everyone!            Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com

Facebook: Walden’s Education for Photographers

The year was 1988! That was the year we took over from Tim’s dad who had started Walden’s House of Photography. We changed the name to Walden’s Photography and never looked back. Our vision was certainly different from Tim’s dad in that we decided to create a more specific style of photography instead of being all things to all people as he had done.

One of the first things on our minds was how to become better known in our community, especially since we were starting over with Tim at the helm now. Since this was before the age of social media, we had to rely on different methods of marketing and the first one we focused on was displays.

Displays…

Our main marketing plan (if you can call it that) was (free) displays, displays, displays! Where ever we could get them and not have to pay, we took them. This included children’s clothing stores, restaurants, doctor offices, veterinarians, and strip centers.

{A note about strip centers} 

Our approach was to ask if we could decorate their empty spots that were for lease and often, just had the windows papered over. This way, it looked nicer and we would leave the lease sign in the corner. If they agreed, we sent out our staff to clean the windows and put up drapes to hide the back of the empty space which was often a mess. We involved furniture stores at times, letting their interior decorator “spice” up the space and put a sign up as well. The great thing about using empty spaces in strip centers was the lighting-they always kept the lights on at night for us and didn’t charge us for it!

Our promise to them was two-fold. First, we told them we would never be a burden to them by asking them for anything. We would come get a key, clean, and take the key back afterwards. Second, we promised to move our exhibit out on a day’s notice if they rented the space and needed us out. This rarely happened, but we were ready to move quickly if we needed to.

As far as the rest of the exhibits listed above, we generally got them free of charge and it was our goal to keep them rotating so they didn’t get stale and keep literature stocked in those places. If an owner of a store or a doctor asked for family portraits or money in exchange for the exhibit, we always worked out a plan for them. We just didn’t offer it in the beginning until we knew that particular exhibit would be fruitful. Today, we call these businesses our partners and we are solid allies with them. We always go into a business where we want to create a partnership asking two questions. The first question is, “What can we do for you?” We want to build a relationship with these businesses and offering our services asking nothing in return at the beginning is a great way to start. It is an unselfish gesture that is very much appreciated. The second question we ask is, “What can we do with you?” This is where we sit down and plan strategies with them that benefit both sides. Some of the ideas include drawings, holding trunk shows in our studio, offering special gifts to their top clients such as Session Fee cards which gives their clients a free session with us and so on.

Let’s talk about the mall for a moment… 

Our mall was a different story with the main difference being money and lots of it! In Lexington, our mall is a regional mall and is very successful. We spent years on a kiosk which was not the best situation, but we never complained and always paid our bills. We could afford the mall because the results were amazing in the new business it brought us.

Once our display we approved, we took over the center of the mall where the children’s play area was with four separate units. For many years, this was the best way we had to access new clients. Remember, this was before social media and the technological advances we now take for granted. We put small paper pads with the exhibit for people to fill out for more information and collected them weekly. We gained many leads this way. We also tried putting a college student at our exhibit on the weekends, but felt they were not the right image we needed to stay high end.

Fast forward to today and you will see us in the same mall, although we took a year off to re-set ourselves and re-think how we wanted to appear. When the opportunity came again for us to exhibit in a smaller area for a bit less money, we decided to do it again in order to reach those who may not know who we are.

Auction items for private schools… 

These played a significant role in the past and still play a pivotal role in reaching the right clients. It’s not all about quantity, but quality of clients. In order to keep a high end reputation and attract the right clients, we give a gift that is valued very high in order to get into the “live auction.” Many times, the gift has to be in the thousands of dollars, but we have discovered that it is bid on by exactly the people we want walking through our doors!  This is a great source to attract business and has been for years. Once you build a relationship with the right people in the private schools, you can then work out other money-making ideas with them and they will be on board with you. This takes time!

Newsletters and direct mail…

Although direct mail has taken a hit with the social media that is now available and free, it was pivotal in the past to reach people with our message and name. We still use it in a very restricted way today with highly qualified leads such as high school seniors whose names have been given to us by our “models.” Newsletters are still effective for us, but we have changed how they are delivered. We do an electronic newsletter three times a year at the beginning of each season. The one that is printed and mailed is our Christmas edition which is actually mailed in late October.

{We find if they are short, easy to read and have emotional content with beautiful images, newsletters do very well.} 

Speaking to local businesses…

This was a great idea to get known and build a reputation as the expert! We asked if we could speak at our local bookstore and finally got the ok! They put bookmarks (we made and paid for) in every bag for a month to promote it and it was very successful. We also spoke at any women’s group we could which linked us with exactly the right clients. Speaking is free and has great results. In fact, we just did an invitation only evening event in our studio with 8 women (great clients who will be great evangelists for us) and we taught about taking better pictures, how to correctly save them, etc. It was a wonderful night!

You have to put yourself out there in order to create relationships, which, in the end, is really what marketing it is all about!

Turn the calendar back to the early 90′s and you will find two photographers plus an office manager running a business that was not making enough money to continue. After taking over Walden’s Photography from Tim’s father in the mid-80′s, we discovered that the business model he had built was an “all things to all people” photography studio. We did mainly color portraits, but also events, commercial work, industrial shoots, passports, copy and restoration, framing and so on. We didn’t require a planning session. It was always understood that whatever the client wanted, we would do. We had no definition in the marketplace. Another way to say it is we had no brand that a prospect could identify.

It’s been said that desperation is the mother of invention and this is true, at least for us. We decided, sitting in a dark room one day with no hope for the future unless something changed, that we would fire up the darkroom and go back to our roots (Tim’s, that is) and start a line of black and white artsy portraits called Relationship portraits that would celebrate relationships. We decided to put the emotion back into our work in a stronger way and this was the perfect vehicle for that. These portraits were structured more loosely and included hugs, kisses, snuggling, passion, closed eyes and anything we could think of to shout LOVE!

It is hard to imagine now how unique and daring this move was. During this same time frame, portraits were always in color and nobody printed their own; they were sent to a lab. We also decided to charge much more for these as “artist” pieces, limit the sizes and choices on mats and frames, only offer them square and limit their purchase of any of our 4 wall sizes to the initial sales appointment. After that, the negative was retired and not available for printing a wall size again.

Brave or dumb? We were about to find out!

We understood, or course, that everything takes time to flow into the marketplace. We kept on doing the variety we were doing, but we started marketing only the Relationship portraits, figuring the public knew the other things we did already. It took about three years to fully catch on and then we hit an exponential curve that even we couldn’t believe. Our Relationship portraits finally caught the eye of our market and for a decade of more, it was 80% or more what we did. Finances were in the black and we learned many lessons during this period in our history.

Lesson#1: Things take time-be patient and consistent in putting the message out.

We didn’t stop everything we were doing and wait for this to catch on. We let it take its course and replaced the things we didn’t enjoy doing or the things not making us money with the Relationship portraits as they consumed more of the calendar. We call this leveraging. Once the Relationship portraits created a positive cash flow that was steady, we could drop the other things, but not until we knew we had a sure financial foundation built. In order to make a huge change like this, you must be consistent in marketing the same message over and over.

Lesson #2: Emotion was pivotal in the success

“…the most memorable and enduring brands not only linger in people’s rational minds, but they also creep into their emotional cores. In this emotional core, consumers form their opinions and make their purchase decisions. This is the place where all brands should strive to be.”    Emotion Marketing, the Hallmark Way of Winning Customers for Life

When we first jumped into this, we didn’t understand the depth of this concept. It was only by experiencing this style of photography that we began to understand how emotion played such a pivotal role in its success. We encouraged emotion in the camera room through letting our walls down which allowed the clients to let their walls down.

Lesson #3: Once you capture emotion in your photography, you must learn to market it also.

Our first campaign to market Relationship photography was called “Images that Speak…behind every face, there is a story.” and we started writing the stories of our clients. Then we printed them on 5×7 cards along with the portrait to put in our mall exhibits for people to take home. This was super impacting! We also included stories and images in our newsletter. Adding stories to the images was like adding gasoline to fire-it burned bright and increased our business trememdously.

I’ll conclude with this quote, “Companies should remember to emotionally reach out to their customers-for those that focus solely on rewarding them will miss out on being rewarded by them. Customers have loyalty to give. Rewards may rent their loyalty temporarily, but emotion-based experiences will own it!”  Emotion Marketing, the Hallmark Way of Winning Customers for Life

Have a great week, everyone!  Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com

As we slug through economic times that are tough and trying, we must remember these 7 critical foundational truths in order to not only survive, but thrive. Being a 2nd-generation studio, we learned many early in our career and as we continue to nurture our business, we are still learning.

It is only when you STOP learning that you START to go backwards!

No. 1: You must create a great reputation and then guard it like a lion!

From the very beginning, when we bought into the business and became partners, it was expected that we ALWAYS act in a way that was reputable and deliver only the best goods and service available. Never was it ok to do anything underhanded! Over the years, we have carved out a reputation of honesty, integrity and value in our market. If anything we deliver is flawed, we replace it at no charge and quickly. Even if the client is wrong (and we can prove it) but brings something back, we replace it at no charge. Keeping our relationships intact with our clients is worth far more than the cost of a print, and even if we lose money every once in awhile, we still consider it worth it to build a good reputation.                          

No. 2: Be innovative to stay ahead of the curve.

Just when you get comfortable, change happens! It is expected that the most successful businesses are innovators and that draws clients through your doors. If the marketplace sees you as “traditional” or “old fashioned” then you have an uphill battle to win the hearts and minds of this young, hip generation and they are the very consumers you need to attract. We meet every Tuesday for 3-4-hours to discuss what’s new, what’s hot, what works for us and what doesn’t. We brainstorm on any and all ideas and plan our marketing accordingly. These meetings have been pivotal in planning our future moves. 

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there (and it may be full of potholes and detours)” 

No. 3: Integrity 

As we go into the third decade of running a successful business, this is one area where there has never been a compromise. When we hire a new employee, they are immersed in our thought process and one of the first things we share is what we expect of them concerning their integrity. We demand integrity in behavior, our products, our services, our staff and our finances.

No. 4: Service

Service is where a transaction turns into a relationship and that is what success is all about-relationships. Service says we love and care for our clients and we spend many hours contemplating how we can up the ante on serving our clients. Great service shows respect for your clients and they know it. Don’t ever let your guard down on providing great service-it is a lifeline to success.

No. 5: Great Design

Love this quote from the book “Lovemarks” which says it better than I could. “If you’re not aesthetically stimulating and functionally effective you just merge into the crowd. You have to be different, not just act different.” Create beauty in everything you do:-)

No. 6: Create value

Value is a perception; you can ask any price for a product, but it must be perceived as worth the price you are asking. Wrap your products (and your business) in an atmosphere that enhances the perception of great value. This is why it is important to be grand in all that you do! We take great care to provide an exceptional experience when a client walks through our doors; we know this builds on the perception of high value. From the refreshment offered to how we dress and furnish our environment, we are hyper aware that we are building a perception of a high end and high price business.

“Perception is more important than reality-the way people perceive you soon becomes your reality.”

No. 7: Consistency and Reliability

Now more than ever, your word needs to be reliable. Be consistent in what you say you will do; always follow through. Under promise and over deliver. Make sure any expectations you put out there are met and met exactly as you promised. Being reliable shows you respect your clients and being consistent keeps them coming back again and again, for they know exactly what to expect!

Have a great week, everyone!

Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com

Many people look at us when we say we are photographers and say how much fun we must have! After all, being a photographer means you simply take “pictures” all day, right? That must be great! What an easy way to make a living!

Those of us who have been in business for awhile know better; we know that to be succesessful, there is a business side we must pay attention to and we must have certain leadership qualities to be a successful business owner. The six traits listed here are the ones I consider the most critical, but  true leaders possesses many more.

Vision: The first trait, vision, is imperative to a successful business. Most people think about only one day at a time; true leaders look into the future and make long term plans, writing their goals down in order to accomplish them. Visionaries see through rose colored glasses! When a problem arises, they see a challenge, not a problem. It is never an option for the problem to overcome them or not be solved; they simply walk around the problem until the solution arises. It has been said that true visionary leaders can imagine themselves on a tightrope and see themselves reach the other side. Those who are not visionaries see themselves struggling not to fall off, never even looking up to see the other side. Practice being a visionary to be a successful business owner.

Big Thinker: This is critical to success in any business, whether big or small, new or old. I remember when our studio was comprised of only Tim and me and we had weekly staff and time management meetings. That may sound silly to some, but we were thinking big! IBM’s founder, Tom Watson, is said to have imagined IBM as a huge, mature business in the beginning when it wasn’t on anyone’s radar yet! If you don’t have big plans for your business, who will steer it in the right direction? It is up to you!

Excellence: From the beginning, our studio has been a place of excellence. Tim’s father had a no excuse policy and we have carried that forward to today. Now it is the culture of Walden’s and part of our DNA. Each time we have a new hire, the first thing we do when we start training is to pass our DNA of excellence along to them. We don’t ask them to meet any standard we haven’t met ourselves and it is up to us to continue our tradition of excellence and keep our staff motivated to be the best they can be. We believe it makes our staff feel proud  to be working in a place of excellence.

Inclusion: From the production manager to the associate photographer to the office staff, we include everyone in a weekly meeting where we go over marketing strategies for the upcoming week and month. We feel the different ages and backgrounds of our staff give us a broader viewpoint than we would have just between the two of us. Along with hearing their viewpoints, as we meet and discuss our strategies, we become a more cohesive business with everyone implementing the same message.

Decision maker: This is a critical trait if you run a business-making sound decisions is foundational. Our guiding principle has always been this, “More problems are caused by indecision than poor decision!” We are great decision-makers, but much thought goes into each. Having a history in this industry is a huge benefit as we have seen many trends come and go, but whether you are just beginning or a seasoned pro, being a strong decision-maker is a trait you must possess. When you are unsure about a major decision, reach out to someone you trust who has been in business awhile and ask for help. As you mature, you will be able to stand on your own, but if you need help, ask!

Communication: Understand that communication is a two-way street and failure to communicate clearly with your staff can lead to a team that is disjointed. Respect for each other is the base of effective communication at our studio-we never allow anyone to speak badly about other staff. Listen and then choose your words carefully when answering. Be specific and clarify what you want to communicate.

This week, print this out and practice these six traits of a strong leader and successful business owner. Have a great week, everyone.

Bev

Special Audio Message from Bev

Is your brand boring? Is your photography becoming stale and dated (normal)?  Do people ignore it because you’re out-of-tune? Do you want to make it come alive and have a personality of its own? You gotta think “weird!”

Being first to market is important. But it’s not the only thing. And it may not be the most important thing. As photography instructors, one of our strongest held beliefs is that each of us needs to be unique in our photography style and approach in the marketplace. Is your photography the run of the mill stuff your clients see every time they turn a corner? Or…are you the stand out in the crowd? Are you weird?

Let me define “weird” for the purpose of this blog. Simply put, the definition of “weird” for this blog is being different-marching to the beat of your heart; after all, photography is part art and part heart! Webster defines it this way: of strong and extraordinary character. In the marketplace and in a prospect’s mind, are you extraordinary? Is your product worth the investment you are asking people to make?  Seth Godin, in his book, The Purple Cow, made a statement I have never forgotten. He asks this question, “Are you remarkable or are you invisible?”

With so many new photographers flooding the market, this is a message that is sorely missing. In our early days, we wanted to become every photographer we went to see and failed miserably. We weren’t being ourselves. As we matured, we found our own style and although we are a tiny bit of everyone we have ever seen, when you look at our work today, it is distinctly ours. It is “weirdly Walden.”

Our greatest success was in the development of our Relationship Black and White portraits. When everyone was shooting color, we decided to shoot black and white. Weird! When everyone was sending their work to labs for printing, we set up our own darkroom. Weird! When everyone else was heavily propping portraits, we stripped all props away and used parents as props instead. Weird! When all teaching said to leave room above the subject’s head, we severely cropped into the top of the head. Weird! When everyone else was saying “cheese” to make a subject smile, we were asking for pensive expressions. Weird! Looking back, what made this such a success was that is was ground-breaking in style and approach. We didn’t offer many sizes which was very different and we restricted wall portraits to the initial sale, eliminating the problem of clients asking if they could order later! Mats only came in one color (white) and we used only one background for the entire session. Clients didn’t change clothes and dressed in black. Remember, this was in the mid 90′s, and everything we did to implement these portraits was “weird.”

When you create a style that is distinct, a prospect cannot go around the corner and buy it cheaper at another business. These Relationship portraits took us from near poverty to amazing success because, at least for us, normal wasn’t working! We stood out in the crowd and offered a significantly different product that our clients drove hours to get and paid the price we asked without complaining.

This week, take a look at your photography. Is it normal or weird? Normal makes you invisible in the marketplace. Wouldn’t you rather be weird? So come on…join us in our journey to be remarkable! You just gotta be weird…because normal isn’t working anymore!

Have a great week everyone!

Bev

Groups…families…do you dread it when you book a family session? Are your skills weak in this area? Although there are many aspects to learn about composition, I thought I would share FOUR tips and the items we absolutely cannot do without and that we use daily at our studio when we have two or more in a group.

Items we MUST have for group posing:  Be sure you have many items on hand to adjust heights and are easy to pose people on. This would include nesting stools, Hanson blocks, chairs, couches, small tables or a desk, pews, stools(adjustable or not) and hassocks to name just a few. Years ago, we kept thick books as an inexpensive item that we could sit someone on to lift them up or stand a small child on. Have these items out and handy to grab; with young children, you must work quickly. We have dark cloth on hand to cover light colored items to make them disappear in the photograph.

Tip#1: Watch where heads are positioned! Be wary of lining up heads in a horizontal line or creating a vertical line by positioning one head directly under another. Squint your eyes when you have your group posed to easily see the faces and make adjustments if you need to. They should be spaced much like music notes on a page, gently flowing up and down, left to right, each playing its own note in unison.

Tip#2: Create diagonal lines with arms, leaning bodies and head tilts. Diagonal lines in composition indicate energy and life and give extra punch to your groupings. We often pull a person’s arm out farther than they would naturally do, causing them to lean or we rest a hand on their hip just to create a diagonal line. People standing straight up or sitting without leaning will create a rigid feeling. In some cases, a circular composition is beautiful. We find this true with newborn babies and their families. Since newborns cannot see very far and enjoy looking at their mom and dad, we often position them to do just that with everyone else looking on. This creates a wonderful circular composition, perfect to portray the love a family has for their newest little member. Think of a triangle when posing a family. It should have a wide base and go up to a smaller top, just like a triangle. This composition is the most used when doing groupings.

Tip#3: Demonstrate the pose you want your subjects to do and then step back and let them copy what you did. This is much easier and quicker than verbally instructing them. Again, with small children, you must work quickly, and this method is much faster. Also, if you can do a pose, then you know you are not asking your subject to do something that is not possible!

Tip#4: Hand posing can be frustrating. Position hands where the broad, flat side is not towards the camera when possible. The side of the hand is much more slender and pulls the eye less than the broad side. If you don’t know what to do with a hand, simply hide it. Be careful with someone’s hands showing just the tips of the fingers around a waist or on a shoulder. When in doubt, less is better. NEVER have the hands out in front of the subject so much that they become distorted by distance. You don’t want a young lady’s hand looking like she plays for the NFL! Also, be careful with extending legs where the feet come towards the camera or you will have distorted and huge feet! I always try to keep the hands and feet in towards the body as much as possible or pulled out to the side to avoid distortion and problems with focus.

I know posing groups is challenging-I hope this quick primer helps!

Have a great week, everyone. Bev

For years, we wanted to publish virtual magazines to support our marketing efforts, but it was only recently that we found a company, issuu.com, that was reasonably priced and easy to use. Adding to that was the absolute beauty of their virtual renditions of our designs. With that in mind, I want to share the 4 main reasons we use e-magazines.

Reason #1: They add an extra layer of messaging to our printed pieces and add support

We will always have a printed booklet with timeless imagery and our core message, however, there are times when we want to show more current portraits along with more in-depth information. What we do with our Walden e-magazine is to layer our message with additional images and text that reinforces what we want to say to prospective clients. For high school seniors, having the most current seniors’ images is critical! They know when you use an old photograph and it makes them wonder if you have done any of their friends recently. E-magazines featuring seniors is a great way to stay current at very little cost.

Reason #2: We can send a more targeted piece to prospects who ask

For example, in our core printed booklet, we show a nice collection of our imagery, but if a prospect calls and wants to see a type of image that is not in the booklet, we now have a way to quickly send a beautifully designed e-magazine that can be in their hands within seconds. This allows us to laser focus and niche market with little cost. As we speak, we are developing e-magazines for every conceivable use including maternity, newborn, urban kids and so on that stay housed on issuu.com with a link we can provide to our potential clients. Our standard e-magazines that we designed first were the ones we send about Walden’s and Studio B, describing each, and then came Design Appointments, Selection Appointments, Senior Design and Selection Appointments and so forth.

Reason #3: They serve as our newsletter

We were sending a newsletter 4 times a year and found that they were getting too expensive to print and mail, so we decided to send only one printed newsletter each year at Christmas and do the other three virtually. This has worked beautifully for us, gets the information to our clients in a timely and beautiful manner and saves us money that we put to use marketing other ways.  As a side note, the printed newsletter and the e-newsletters look exactly the same; keeping a design fluency is critical so your clients immediately recognize your pieces whether in their email box or mail box!

Reason #4: They are a vital part of our partnerships with area businesses

We developed this idea after hearing a fellow photographer, David McKay, talk about using e-magazines to feature businesses and events in his community. Since our focus is children, we went to all of our partners who were  involved mainly with children and asked if they would like to be included in a virtual magazine that would be no cost to them and that they could send to their email client base-we named it Pitter Patter. All they were required to do was provide us with an article about children, a head shot, a bio and an ad. We would do all of the work and they would get the benefit! Of course, as the editors, we added photos throughout and wrote an article. Not only does this enhance your relationships with your partners, it increases your mailing list to include all of their clients. We didn’t ask for their clients’ emails, we simply provided the e-magazine link and set everything up for them to send out. Making it easy for them is a key to this idea working.

Here’s the scoop on how to do your own e-magazine:

First, design your pages in a program that you can export as a PDF. I design in Photoshop or Pages. You can make them any configuration or size such as 8×8 or 9×12, vertical or horizontal. As long as it can be exported to a PDF, that is what matters. Then check out issuu.com which is the company that takes your PDF and turns it into an e-magazine. We joined and pay a nominal price for the professional membership so that we can brand our page. Otherwise, it is free.

Your task this week: figure out where e-magazines fit into your marketing mix and start designing one (or have a designer do it for you and save it as a template) for the next issue. They are fun, effective and a low-cost way to get your message out!

Have a great week everyone!   Bev

PS-Check out my new and improved Book Loft  and please subscribe to this blog if you haven’t already. I am trying to build my readership up this year.

www.timandbevwalden.com    Facebook: Waldens Education For Photographers

Following up from last week, let’s look at four more marketing strategies that we consider successful for any business.

5. THREE WORDS need to stay in the front of your mind as you determine your marketing strategies. Those three words are: FIRST, BEST, ONLY. Are you FIRST in your category? The one that is first captures the minds of the consumers and it is very hard for competitors to find a way into your clients’ minds once you are there. Are you the BEST at what you do? This message needs to be spoken as well in all of your pieces. Always put your best foot forward, show your best work and keep getting education to become better and better. Third is ONLY; are you the only place to offer this or that. Are you the only one doing this or that? Use these words and concepts often in your messaging!

6. Developing awareness: Generally a potential customer will have to be exposed to you 5 to 15 times before they are likely to think of you when the need arises. You must stay in front of your clients consistently if they are going to remember your product when that need arises. That is why we continue to do a mall exhibit as well as multiple exhibits with area partners. We work diligently with our partners to make sure they refer us often. If not, we find ways to help them such as gift cards from us for session fees for their best clients and working with them on events. Develop many “streams” of exposure in your community to make sure your community is aware of you and your business. We offer an annual class for our clients who are amateur photographers to give them tips on how to improve their snapshots. We involve our local camera supplier to answer questions they might have about their cameras or equipment as well as offering our facility for any group that needs a place to meet. Of course, they will get a nice packet about Walden’s when they come in. Awareness…that is what we are after here.

7. Marketing Integrity: Consistency in your printed pieces and internet design (web,blog,Facebook) are critical for marketing success. This includes the message you deliver, the level of customer service, and the quality of the product. Being consistent is more important than having the “best” product.

8. Keep your message focused: Focus allows for more effective utilization of the scarce resources of time and money. If you promote a single product or idea to your defined target market and if you promote that same product or idea to that same target market over a continuous period of time, you will find more success than if you promote too many ideas or products in a scattered way. Pick one thing and promote that; then expand over time once that first idea is planted and has time to grow. Read this article, “The Tyranny of Choice” for a real eye opener!

Have a great week everyone!  Bev