First, let me say that I wish I had the writing balls of Naomi Dunford.  Go there.  Read.  She says the stuff that’s in my head.  In all of our heads.

While reading her post entitled ‘Go Big or Suck: A Guide to Being Unforgettable,’ I realized that I’ve been sucking it up.  Blog posts here have been tame, timid, useful, ideal for search engine optimization, and downright helpful.  For the most part, they lack punch, pizazz, flare, and the fiery slew of obscenities that comes out of my mouth on any given day.

I am a fiery soul.  I am passionate about many things.  I form opinions quickly, and can argue fiercely.  Fiercely and often.  So why doesn’t my blog reflect that?  Why am I censoring myself on a business-to-business level?

What if my clients find out?  What if I’m discovered to be capable of dropping the f-bomb?  The f-bomb on the internet?  What would my mother say?

This scares the crap out of me, but here we go.  I’m going to be myself from here on in.  You may click unsubscribe faster than your mouse can fly, and that’s cool.  I’m down with it.  But you’re going to get a lot more fiery bits mixed in with the helpful bits. This will most likely result in the use of the word ‘douchebag.’  And ‘douchebaggery’ and creative wordsmithing that is witty and a touch snarky.  Okay?  Okay.

::whew::

Want to read it on the blog? YOU MAY HATE ME, AFTER THIS.

First, a tale of two ketchups.  (This is how the story was told to me, so ketchup it is.)  You are at the grocery store, and there are three ketchup choices that catch your eye.  One is $3, one is $5, and one is $7.  All of them are within your budget, and they all look pretty tasty.

Which one do you assume is the best?

…yah. The most expensive one.

Your brand suffers when it is too cheap — it will never attract the people who value ketchup (or photography, or artistry, or whatever it is you’re selling) most when it’s the least expensive choice available.

It may be silly, or weird, or totally unfair, but people instantly assume the best brand is the most expensive one.  (Have you ever done housework in a Gucci shirt?  How about a Target shirt?  They could be identically made, and yet you will value one more than the other because it cost thirty times more!)

Pricing is part of your brand. An integral part.  When I see ‘luxury’ photography touted and pricing starting at $15 per 8×10 print, I want to scream, “Luxury doesn’t cost less than a pair of Old Navy jeans!”  (Worse, it’s a tell-tale sign of a business that isn’t sustainable or profitable!)

This post isn’t designed to slam anyone — hey, I started out working in a lowend chain studio selling those very same cheap-o 8×10′s !  This post springs from my deep desire to help you to begin to perceive this industry and/or your work in a new way.  Cheap may make you a few hundred bucks here and now, but it is by no means a long-term business strategy — and Alicia’s guide helps to take you to where you need to be.

So — the winner?  Whose brand changes here and now?  Nikole Bordato.  (E-mail me, chica!)

And for the rest of you?  Promo code DAYCAMP149 saves $70 on the book + pantry combo for today only. So go buy it!

get on easy as pie’s e-mail list ya know ya wanna!

Want to read it on the blog? PRICING IS PART OF YOUR BRAND.

If you’ll be kind enough to e-mail kristen@essentialimagery.com with title ‘I’ll wait for branding, baby!’ I’ll keep you posted as to if and when any spots open up or when/if I take further clients.  Again, no promises!  (Or even vague yet seductive hints of promises!)

Thanks to those of you who contacted me, I’ll get back to you shortly.  Waaaahooo!

Want to read it on the blog? BRANDING ADVENTURES FULL!

I was wrong.  Really really, utterly utterly wrong.  We spent a great deal of time establishing that boutique studios charge a premium price for their products, and that they have a rather narrow focus.  Okay, got it, I expected some basic information to be covered.

Here’s where it gets absurd: we spent MORE THAN THREE HOURS looking at the marketing materials a handful of boutique studios produce.  We’re talking packaging, tags, belly bands, portrait folders, gift cards, referral cards, welcome packets, mailers, postcards, business cards, brochures, trifolds, blah blah blah blah blah…without talking about HOW or WHY these items make a difference.  Apparently, we were supposed to be OOHed and AAHed into simply copying these photographers’ materials without any sort of rationale.

The speaker THEN went on to discuss the plan for her SOON-TO-BE-LAUNCHED boutique studio.  She was going to tell us how to do it…right?

Well, she was sure as hell going to hand out a brochure that outlines her marketing materials and how I can get my very own versions from the sponsoring company!  Without providing ANY rationale for such products, she encouraged the audience members to get on board with the sponsor-company’s marketing materials program.

The total cost of all the crap in that brochure, suggested for the launch of a new business?  $8005.91.

Let me repeat: a pile of brochures, pretty papers, and otherwise disposable items for $8005.91.

I really hope no one believes hopping in feet first with a loan and a very large quantity of frou-frou packaging, bag tags, folders, envelopes, and letterhead will yield a successful business. YAR.

If you intend to launch a photographic business with $8005.91, you will need to do some soul-searching.  You will need to develop your photographic style and establish boundaries for your personal life as well as growth projections for your newest revenue stream.  You will need to create a business plan ($250) and identify your pricing strategy ($149).  You will most likely need to purchase, after much consideration and market research, a branding package, including a logo ($1200) and a website template. ($100 on sale from you-know-who) You will need to find a reliable and lovely printer, and will most likely need some stand-by templates for marketing materials that can double as birth announcements. ($130 for more template than you can handle.)  You’ll also need to buy a domain ($25), a kickass blog theme ($0), and some web hosting for the year. ($100)

Buy a  pro camera ($2700), a 50mm 1.4 lens ($400), a used lens of your choosing ($450), and six months’ worth of business insurance.  ($450)  Establish your business as a legal entity. ($300)  Pick up CF memory cards and a camera battery ($150).  You’ll also need a computer ($749 – you can’t afford a Mac yet, geez!), a full version of Photoshop ($699), the willingness to google anything you don’t understand, and a book of your choosing by Scott Kelby ($34.64).  Use the remaining $119.27 to order business cards and postcards with the files created in your original branding package.

Then: pat yourself on the back. Join Twitter. Join Facebook. Make a fan page.  Visit a coffeehouse regularly, and chat with the owners.  Smile at everyone you meet.  Post images to your blog regularly.  Edit your portfolio strenuously.  Treat every client with genuine enthusiasm, and respect your time enough to charge appropriately for your services.  I’d consider that $8005.91 well spent.

As for packaging?  WHCC offers premium packaging as an add-on, so you don’t have to have one blessed piece of froufrou paper on hand. 

Want to read it on the blog? ALL YOU NEED, APPARENTLY, IS $8005.91

Answers to these questions, and many more, will follow in the weeks to come.  Brand camp provides inspiration & motivation for helping artists define their place in the public’s eye.

Want to read it on the blog? ahoy and welcome