“What would happen if you were prohibited from working more than five hours a day. What would you do? How would you use those five hours to become indispensable in a different way?”

First, I had to come up with a way to ‘prohibit’ myself from working more than 5 hours a day.  I imagine a scenario in which my cameras and lenses are dropped, one by one, from the top of a 100-story building as the minutes tick past.  That’s prohibiting, alright.

My answer to Seth’s question, which is inevitably different from your answer, involves a lot more outsourcing.  And more face-to-face marketing meetings with business owners.  More event planning.  More showing up.

Less graphic design.  Less copy writing.  (It’s good enough, already!  Good Lord!)  Less computer.  Less worrying about where my ideas are going to come from and more just letting them happen.  More film.  More time in the yard.  Less time driving.  More cooking healthy meals.  Less fast options.

That question can reframe your life, not just your work, if you let it.  (I dare you to let it.)  And next week?

Next week, I’m working for 5 hours per day.  Care to join me?

Want to read it on the blog? SETH GODIN HAS A POINT.

‘Expensive’ is a relative term.

For example.  You’re in Vegas.  You see a lovely lady.  Or man.  Or lady-man.  And you say, “Hey, how much does an hour with you cost?”  (It’s legal, there.)

Lady/man/lady-man says, “$300.”  Well, you don’t know what you’re getting, and your budget was $150, so lady-man-lady seems expensive.  You move on.

Lady-man-lady #2, whom you approach after deeming the first person too expensive, says:

“I’m going to *beep* your *beep,* then *beep* your *beep* and then roll you in *beep*sauce and *beep* you senseless.  That’ll be $300.”

Oh, lady-man-lady #2!  Budget no longer matters — you NEED your *beep* to be rolled in *beep* and then *beep*ed! You would never dream of calling lady-man-lady #2 expensive, because she-he showed you the VALUE of what you were getting.  They got you all excited for what would be happening to you, and you were beyond ready to hand over your dough.

The same thing goes for your customers!  Fill potential clients in on the glorious products you offer, the services you’re happy to give them, and the end result that will make their heart sing.

Price becomes less relevant as desire for the product increases.

Which is why you can’t afford to go back to Vegas anytime soon.

Want to read it on the blog? WHY YOU DON’T LEAD WITH PRICE.

You all know I’m a big fan of Naomi Dunford.  Marketing School and SEO School have been game changers for me, and they come at less than the cost of a pair of jeans at the Gap.  Naomi just released a series of new audio goodies, so I ponied up for How to Conquer Marketing and Make a Living With Your Art.  It’s $29 for a limited time, and then the price hits $49.

Get it while it’s $29 to enjoy Naomi’s sweet nothings whispered in your ear (or laptop) a little more.

(Photos above from the ‘images you can’t pay me to take’ collection: if you’re my college roomie and I adore you, I will shoot your sister’s wedding even though it makes me break out in hives.)

Naomi will help you find more eyeballs for viewing your art, help you find the marketing techniques that suit your personality, encourage you to move beyond apologizing for taking people’s money, introduce a revolutionary donation-based concept for the brave and entertaining among you, and tell you why most artists’ marketing sucks.  (And how to fix it, of course!)

If you listen to what Naomi has to say — and I mean listen-so-hard-you-take-notes listen, I bet you’ll have an a-ha moment.  Yup, I’m putting that Oprah cliche right out there and saying you’ll probably have one.  I did.  I paused the audio halfway through to rewrite some blog copy that’s been a pain to get just right.  Naomi made the lightbulb moment happen, and now it’s perfect.

How to Conquer Marketing and Make a Living With Your Art will give you a shot of confidence and marketing know-how.  (It costs as much as an entree in Vegas, so even if you’ve just gotten back from WPPI — the audio lasts longer than Wolfgang Puck’s gnocchi platter.)

Curious about my reviews of Naomi’s other products? Learn about Marketing School here.  Get the goods on SEO School here.

Want to read it on the blog? HOW TO CONQUER MARKETING – ITTYBIZ AUDIO REVIEW

If you provide hot girls and cold beer at reasonable prices, you’ve got a time-honored business model working in your favor.  Strip clubs should be profit MACHINES.  But  just because you have the prettiest, thinnest, hottest, _____est dancers doesn’t mean people will find you.

You’re nodding your head.  You’re like, ‘duh, Kristen, of COURSE people won’t find out about Crystal Delicious and her miraculous pole-dancing on their own!’

So why do you assume people will find out about your artwork on their own?

You’re talented, you have great photos, you have a website.  And no one cares.  You’re dancing for an empty auditorium.

How do we go about filling that auditorium?

Generate buzz.

If you owned a strip club, I would hope you would attempt to generate buzz locally.  Postcards, posters, and business cards shuffling from hand to hand help generate buzz.  That giant dude standing on the corner, passing out pink 4×6″ signs with Crystal Delicious on ‘em?  That dude is filling your auditorium.  As an artist, strive to have marketing materials circulating among customers, potential customers, and other businesses AT ALL TIMES.

Differentiate.

That giant dude also knows the power of differentiation.  You’re selling your club, yes, but you’re also pushing Crystal Delicious pretty hard.  No other club has Crystal!  Stand in awe of her upside-down-kerfuffle-lutz moves!  What would a giant dude wearing brass knuckles be pushing on the street corner if those postcards were about your business?  What will make you stand out like Crystal does?  (Need a dose of differentiation?  Try Marketing School.)

Reward your loyal fans.

George has sent twelve guys to your club in the past month.  Oh, and he’s urging his buddy to book his bachelor party with Crystal.  George needs to be rewarded for his loyalty!  The same goes for the bride who urges two other brides to book, or the Mom who hands out your business cards to her entire preschool!  Get those women some freebies, some special pricing, or a bottle of wine — never forget to reward the people who spread the word about your business to others.

Optimize your web assets. (Heh, I said assets.)

After hitting the local scene, I would hope you’d be a touch tech-savvy and optimize your strip club for search engine placement.  This is a slower build, and people might not find out about Crystal’s pole-dancing right away, but over time and with the right resources you’ll have clients making a trip to your joint as a destination!  SEO School has the tips you need to optimize your web assets for search engines.  Promise.

Outsource.

Finally, while you’re waiting for your strip club to hit it big, I would outsource wherever possible.  This doesn’t appear to make much sense, because your inclination is to do everything yourself.  But spending four hours cleaning the entire club means you wasted four hours that could have been spent on marketing.  Do you make more money by having clean toilets and no customers, or by having a small cleaning staff and a club packed with people?

Any other strip joint/photography buzz-generating tips for us?  Share ‘em!  And let me know what you think of today’s post, pretty please?

Want to read it on the blog? EVEN STRIP CLUBS GO OUT OF BUSINESS.

How do you minimize your marketing investment while maximizing your impact?

Make good use of graphic design.

Grab a marketing brochure template from Design Aglow or Sarah Q, then customize it a touch to include your branding elements.  Switching out a background and a font will go a long way toward helping your brand stand out without hurting your potential client’s eyes or insulting their design sensibilities.

Simplify your message.

If you’ve mastered Marketing School, use your brochure to outline your unique selling proposition and your company’s features and benefits. That’s it.  No pricing menu — too overwhelming.  No specials or time-sensitive promos — you’ll have to throw away brochures, for sure.

Find a vendor to produce reliable, cost-effective results.

Sure, 25 5×5″ metallic postcards from WHCC are stunning — but at over $1 each, they don’t provide enough information about the business for the cost.  I recently got 1,000 8-page brochures printed on recycled paper stock from Got Print for less than $500.  The same brochures from other vendors are twice as much, while old-school catalogs from BellaGraphica are about $4 each.

When it comes to displays, rely on collages to sell your work.

A single 20×30″ canvas featuring your favorite four to six images and logo will go a long way toward selling your work.  Buying 6 20×30″ canvases for a space is going to put you back $600-$800, a costly solution when you plan to change the images out every four to six months.

If canvas isn’t your thing, feature a large(ish) framed print.

Not a custom-framed print.  Just a 16×20″ print in a frame that costs less than $50.  Hit up a thrift store for an antique frame or spray paint one from your basement.  Troll the aisles of Target until the perfect frame pops into your cart.  Get creative without breaking the bank.

Potential clients passing by your work won’t be looking at the frame, they’ll be looking at the image.  Save the custom framed samples and corners for your studio or your in-home sales sessions.

Want to read it on the blog? MINIMIZE YOUR INVESTMENT.

Get out there and meet business owners with access to your target market.

Last week, I asked a lovely business owner to meet with me about marketing and cross-promoting one another’s businesses.  Turns out she had already picked a marketing meeting time and place with another local business owner, so she just invited me along.  Two hours and $12 worth of lattes later, I walked away with not one, not two, but THREE new displays for my photography.

I suggested putting displays in the dressing rooms of the boutique Liz owns, but she says no one would pay attention to those — why not put an album in her lounge area where those waiting for their friends to change often sit?

Brilliant!

I mentioned my pet promotion to raise money for Haiti, and Amanda piped up that she also owns a BMW dealership, and would I like to photograph her dog in a BMW or two?  How about a display in her other business, a gift boutique?

Brilliant x 2!

While we were talking, Liz recommended the salon across the street, and said the hairdresser is both amazing AND she’s a new Mom.  Guess where I made my appointment for this Saturday?  And guess where I’m aiming to get my next business display?

You guessed it.  The salon.

Think outside of the traditional display locations — children’s boutiques, wedding gown shops, etc — and make contact with business owners who have access to your target market.  Your next clients need to know about your business to buy anything from you – and it makes no difference if they find out about your work while buying pet food, pashminas, or posh cars.

Tips for finding the right businesses to partner with:

Brick and mortar store owners are more motivated than those with no overhead to cover.

The person who teaches yoga 2x a week at the YMCA to make an extra $50 is not as effective a business partner as the woman who has to cover $2,500 per month in rent and additional thousands to meet employee payroll.

Think locally.  Target locally.

I’m targeting businesses on the same block as my portrait loft — and then I’ll spread to a few blocks, and finally the whole zip code.  Legitimacy is established for your brand each time a consumer comes into contact with it — and if that’s three times while they’re walking the dog through the neighborhood, you’re going to be legitimate rather quickly in their brain.

Ask business owners what works best for their clients.

I had an idea for each business I was meeting with, but the business owners’ ideas for their respective stores were much better than my plans.  Listen to the people who know the business best.

Be willing to tell the truth. Expect the same in return.

Finding people who are willing to tell you whether business is up or down, whether they’re having trouble finding new clients or whether they love the local business association will do you a lot of good.  Honesty and good karma go a long way in business partnerships.

Walk away from those people who aren’t right for your business.

You have to be willing to throw up your hands and say it just isn’t going to work.  Whether a business owner is disrespecting your time, talking down to you, lying, or generally acting shady, walk when your guts tell you to.

Most importantly, make sure you outline the benefits of working with your business.

Agree to buy gift certificates for each referral a business gives, straight up pay cash as a finder’s fee, or provide free/reduced-cost services to the business owner in exchange for display privileges. Make sure the business owner can see the clear benefits of promoting your business.

Do a bit of work in the public relations department for the other business, too!  Hold an event that features the other business, blog about the business and its unique assets, or send an e-mail newsletter dedicated to touting the other business’ merchandise. Make it work!

Want to read it on the blog? THE SECRET

Why buy Marketing School?

• You already know the goodness that is Naomi Dunford, who brought us SEO School. If you enjoy this blog and are down with the combination of funny + learning, you will enjoy reading Marketing School.  (Can’t tell you how many business books I don’t read because I’m bored out of my mind in the first few chapters.)
• You will understand basic marketing concepts once and for all. Like features and benefits.  Unique selling propositions.  Sales cycles. SWOT analysis guidelines.  In fact, when making my latest promotion, Pets for Haiti, I actually made a list of features and benefits, then whittled them down to what’s easiest to understand for the most people.  That’s a pretty powerful change in behavior as a result of reading this book.
• You will be able to put good marketing practices into effect for your business. By knowing exactly who you’re aiming to hit with your marketing materials and web copy, you’ll find a remarkable boost in the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.  More effective marketing = less time spent marketing.
• You will be forced to take a good look at your business and to assess what’s working and what isn’t. January is pretty much the ideal month for analysis, planning, and growth.  This book fits right in.
• It’s only $49. Which is way cheaper than that marketing workshop, DVD, or seminar you’ve had your eye on.

Go forth.

Buy Marketing School.

And tune in tomorrow for my secrets to marketing locally.

Want to read it on the blog? MARKETING SCHOOL REVIEW

First, reader questions. These bad boys seem like blogging questions, but they’re really marketing questions that get to the heart of how you’d like to be perceived as a business blogger.

Jon noticed that one of the top mistakes famous photographers make was ‘no blog.’ Jon realized he didn’t have a blog. He has corrected the situation. But he has questions. His queries are shown in italics, and my answers are below each one.

1. How many pictures from a particular shoot should I display?

This is totally up to you.  Totally.  I like to leave some element of surprise for a portrait ordering appointment, so I don’t show 20 images at a time.  If, however, your client has already ordered, show off!  Some wedding bloggers show off 45 images at a time, while others blow me away with 2 or 3 carefully curated selections.  (See Kuperberg, Anna.)

The number of images to show is simply a reflection of whether you’re teasing clients with previews or showing off for the wider world of the internets.

2. Are the pictures too big?

Honey, that’s like asking if your penis is too big : “Of course not!”  Images can almost never be too big for blog display.  (Unless they suck.  But yours don’t.)

3. I of course do not have a lot of traffic to the site, since I am still creating it, but regarding comments, should I have them set to ‘not display’ if there aren’t any comments?

I err on the side of displaying comments, if only so that first comment leads to an additional 3 or 4.  Also, thank commenters with an e-mail, a Facebook message, or a tweet — some little something to let them know you appreciate the effort – and you’ll get more comments in no time.

Oh, and be sure to comment BACK if there’s a further question asked in the comments section.

Part of marketing your business is paying careful attention to your readers, making friends, and being accessible when they need you!

4. How many posts should I have on the page?

My only comment here is to avoid any blog design that involves having to click on a post to ‘read more.’  People are lazy and won’t click.  When they don’t click, they don’t read.  When they don’t read, they don’t comment, and you don’t get to make friends.

And then you’ll have flashbacks to being the lonely kid at the Kindergarten table singing to yourself while everyone else has snack time and chatters together.  Make yourself accessible.

5. Should I add a watermark to my images?

Um, hell yes.  Personally, I don’t care if you steal my cheesy Brand Camp graphics, so they’re not watermarked, but any images I put up on my blog are watermarked with my website address.

Why the website address?  Because if and when that image is stolen, those viewing it can still visit my website — or the thief will have to go through the extra trouble of cropping it out before posting. 

Also, on a purely photographic note, be sure to make sure your images are their very best by sharpening for web before posting anything to your blog.  (See Totally Rad Actions‘ A Better Web Sharpen.  It’ll change your life.)

6. Should I only post pictures related to the business?

Please don’t post snaps of you doing keg stands on the weekend, but be personal.  Show me your latest home improvement project, your obsession with Photojojo, your latest artsy work, or your new pet.

The more personal you are in your blog, the more connected your readers will feel with you.

Thanks for reading, peeps!  Please feel free to leave any of your photo biz/marketing related questions in the comments, and I’ll pick my favorites to answer later in the week!

Want to read it on the blog? BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS

So I bought the audio from a very well publicized call-in teleconference last week.  And, don’t get me wrong, a lot of it is excellent and I consider my money was well spent.

Would have liked to hear more people who have started a business in the last couple of years in a busy market.  Marketing for an unknown person is different from marketing for someone who has been around forever.  Plus, with the economy, it’s a whole new game.

My humble food for thought, for those who haven’t been in business for 10+ years? (Note: I actually do these things.  And I’m working on the patience thing.)

1.) Start a referral program.

Get off the computer and make friends. Real-life, in-person friends.  Service-based regional businesses like portrait photography are based largely on word-of-mouth.  You can advertise with Google AdWords for 6 years before getting your perfect client, or you can ask your previous perfect client to refer people to you and offer a sweet reward for doing so.

One client referring three clients = four clients, who refer three clients = seven clients!  You’re building a base!

2.) Make friends with a business owner.

Many of my clients come from, of all places, a display in an award-winning bakery.  Not a children’s boutique or a children’s spa — the natural businesses to align with mine — so think outside the box.  If you frequent a business and enjoy both the products it offers and the owner, why not ask if you can display with them?  Offer free artwork for their business, and use their services as often as possible.  Exchange links on your websites, and build one another up.

3.) Throw a pity party.

Allow yourself a brief pity party that goes something like, “I HATE IT AND WANT TO QUIT AND IT’S STUPID AND I DON’T WANT TO RETURN THAT CLIENT’S CALL OR BALANCE THE BOOKS OR UPDATE MY WEBSITE OR EDIT ONE MORE MOTHER ‘EFFIN PHOTO IN LIGHTROOM!!!  THIS!! IS!! HARD!!”

Truth be told, I do this once every three weeks.  Allow yourself to feel what you’re feeling.  Acknowledge that this business thing isn’t easy, then move on.  You can do this.

4.) I’m serious about items 1 and 2 — offline support for your product is utterly essential to your survival.  Go make friends!

Want to read it on the blog? WHAT ABOUT THE NEWBIES?

There are a number of ways to market yourself that cost a great deal of money.  Take out a full page ad in a magazine.  Put up a billboard. Send out a few thousand postcards.  (Be warned, though: if I receive 4 postcards a week from your company, I will actively seek out ways to STOP using your services.)

If you’d rather go with the free route, read on:

1.)  Go to the library, already.

You may not have set foot in a library since the 3rd grade during StoryTime with Mrs. Hossenfeffer.  That’s no excuse — get off your tushie, get your totally free library card, and check out three books about business and/or marketing.

2.) Read the library books.

Yes, I know you believe in The Secret to attract all that is good and awesome to you, but it’s much faster to just read your library books.  Take notes, bust out your highlighter, and get inspired.

3.) Make a plan.

You’ve read the books.  Now, get out your calendar.  (Or even a piece of paper with a grid on it.)  Make a 3-3-3 plan: three tasks you can complete this week, three tasks you’ll complete this month, and three tasks you’ll complete this year that will help to market your business.

From cross promotions with fabulous entrepreneurs to having coffee with former clients for feedback, making a plan and creating action items will keep you accountable for your DIY Marketing World Takeover.

4.) Update your blog.

Blogs are driven by relevant content that keeps your business fresh and alive to clients.  I don’t care if you’re writing about ways to pick a daycare provider or how to get grass stains out of your jeans — write. Show us pretty pictures, create a Top 10 List, let your secret talent loose on YouTube — but post regularly.  Please.

Again, it may help to create a schedule here.  (You can even be sneaky and schedule blog posts for when  you’re not around, thus banging out an entire month’s worth of content in one go!  Neat, huh?)

5.) Stalk Seth Godin.

Okay, maybe not stalk, but pay attention to him.  Read his blog posts, and consider how you can apply ‘em to your own circumstances.  When it comes to marketing, his ideas are fresh and relevant.

6.) Do good.

Find a way to link yourself with a cause you’re passionate about, whether by helping to plan an event or by creating a gangbusters-superfab promo designed to raise money for your cause.  Reading ‘Love is the Killer App‘ by Tim Sanders will lead to more of this behavior, I promise…

7.) Be generous.

Share your resources with others who are in the same boat — if your blog gets seven times the traffic of the Myspace page of that local songwriter you love, why not offer ‘em an interview and a plug for their latest gig?  You never know the ways this behavior could come back to reward you, and it’s an easy way to keep updating your blog.

8.) Facebook, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, Mashable, Squidoo, Tumblr..embrace some form of Web 2.0.

If you’re faced with free time, why not make the most of it?  The party’s online, and it’s free to join.  Explore the world of social media, and join the conversation.

Please note: I said conversation, not popping on to tweet about your business and then disappearing into greener pastures.  Meaningful relationships and events take time & effort, but can yield unexpectedly fabulous dividends.

9.) Launch a new product.

If no one’s paying attention to your old products, perhaps it’s time to launch a new one.  Maybe it’s a mixed media presentation of your work, a gallery show, a new iteration of a prior bestseller, or a bona fide product that comes in the mail.  Product excitement leads to more people exploring your online presence and quite possibly putting $ in your (no-longer-languishing) bank account.

10.) Don’t forget to return your library books.  Those late fees really add up.

Want to read it on the blog? DIY MARKETING.