Let’s face it: social media is an essential part of doing business today. But if you don’t want to waste hours on Facebook and Twitter, scheduling social media messages in advance is a smart practice for staying active on social media channels. But if you’re trying to build real relationships with your audience of prospective clients, simply scheduling messages in advance isn’t enough. You’re not a robot after all and you’ll miss out on real time communication! Therefore, it’s also important to monitor your social channels for timely, relevant conversations. But monitoring social media doesn’t have to be a full-time job. Start by setting aside thirty minutes at the beginning and end of your work day to monitor and respond to social media conversations. You might
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How to Avoid Burning out on Photography
This is what the last 30 days have looked like for me. The collage above is representative of: • 4 weddings • 5 engagement sessions • 2 bridal fashion shows • 1 fashion/catalogue shoot • 6 museum exhibits photographed • 4 days photographing the Frieze New York Art Fair • Approximately 120 hours taking pictures • Approximately 8975 photos (after editing) Sure, it’s good to be busy. I’m not complaining about that. However, it’s a heavy workload, which made me think: it’s time to address the subject of ‘burnout.’ Being ‘burnt out’ can take many forms – feeling tired (physically and emotionally), lacking enthusiasm about your work, experiencing apathy, irritability, and frustration. None of those things are good for your pictures, your business, or your life! And you don’t have
How to Take the Pain out of Album Design
Album design is the one task that I absolutely dread. And when I say dread, I mean loathe. I bet many of you can relate. I avoid album design like the plague. Before we joined Pictage, I spent hours laying wedding photos out on blank pages, nudging them a little bit to the left or right, cropping a tad here or there. It was tedious; it was a massive time suck! I knew something had to change. Then, I heard about Pictage’s free album design service from a friend. I was intrigued, but skeptical. First I thought, “Is this for real? For $49 per month, I get unlimited album designs and access to purchase directly through national album companies?” Immediately, I thought, “No way!” But
How to Make Everyday Shoots Extraordinary
There I was with Beth and her family at Balboa Park in San Diego, their faces bursting with joy as they ran around being kids, playing games and laughing. But it wasn’t always this way; my early photos often showed people looking nervous, waiting for guidance on what pose to do next, with fake smiles. Then, I decided to make a change. By encouraging people to make every day a celebration, the “UPA” (Unique Photo Adventure) was born! By taking the time to connect with my clients as they connect with each other, I can create images as if I wasn’t even there. This is no traditional “portrait studio” appointment. Equipped with a variety of ideas, clients are inspired to make the experience all their
How to Use Keywords to Attract New Leads
Photo by Flickr User SuperBoreen In the online marketing world, everyone seems to be talking about keywords. But they’re missing something. Everyone is talking about search engines and the importance of SEO. And while it’s no secret that good SEO can go a long way in helping people find you, it’s not just about the search engines. It’s about the people who are searching. That’s where long tail keywords come in. Long tail keywords are very targeted search phrases that are usually easier to rank for and specifically focused on your niche audience. For example: “inbound marketing” = generic keyword “generate leads using inbound marketing” = long tail keyword If you can focus on long tail keywords that YOUR target audience is likely to be
Facebook Hashtags are Finally Clickable (and Useful)
Our feeds (and yours too) have been abuzz with news of recent Facebook updates. But of all of those updates, there’s one that we’re especially excited about. Facebook hashtags are clickable. Yep, they finally do more than just give me a headache. And all I can say is, “It’s about freaking time!” You can now: • Search for a specific hashtag from your search bar. For example, #wedding. • Click on hashtags that originate on other services, such as Instagram. • Compose posts directly from the hashtag feed and search results. Why are we so excited about this update? Facebook Hashtags have made it easier to bring strangers together because of a common interest, and not just a common connection. As a professional photographer who
5 Best Practices for Using Social Media to Attract Website Visitors
Hold on just one second. Before you skip to tips for attracting visitors to your website, it’s important to understand why attracting visitors to your website is valuable in the first place. The common misconception among businesses using social media is that being popular equates to making money. It canbe profitable, I guess, but only if your profitabiity is calculated using total number of friends, fans and likes. Chances are you haven’t figured out how to do that. (Let me know if you do!) Until then, we’ll have to accept the truth that being successful on social media means much more than simply showing up and being liked. If you’re trying to make money for your business using social media, then your goal should be to attract visitors to your
How to Show Clients the Value of Professional Photographic Prints
Are your clients getting their prints from the same place they get shampoo? Enjoying photographs on your iPad, phone, or computer is nice. However, it’s the final print that matters most. Making an image look great on screen is art. Making the same image look great in print is another kind of art. As a photographer, I often struggle with how to best showcase my work. After all, 90 percent of art lies in presentation. Fine-art printing, I’ve discovered, is a blend of art and science… not much different than photography itself. Why work with a Pro Lab? When it comes to printing, I tell myself: “Do what you do best, and delegate the rest.” I’m a photographer, not a master print technician. There are
4 Tips for Creating Blog Content that Generates Qualified Traffic
If you want to generate qualified leads, you’ve got to start driving qualified traffic to your website. After all, leads don’t just appear out of nowhere! (Although, that’d be nice.) How do you generate qualified website traffic? You guessed it…by consistently publishing content on your blog! To truly find success generating qualified traffic through blogging, it’s important to tailor content to your target market. This way, your blog articles are relevant, compelling AND come up in search engines when your target audience is searching. 1. Identify Specific Buyer Personas The first step to creating content that generates qualified traffic is understanding what qualified means to you. What is the “right” traffic? Create buyer personas to help you identify the traits that the right visitors have
How to Track New Client Inquiries with ShootQ
Managing leads in a studio can be difficult: multiple clients to track, responses to send, and information flying everywhere! Winning a wedding or portrait client’s business is a big deal – so what’s the best way to get them to sign on the (electronic) dotted-line? First you have to get their attention, and keep it! I’ve heard multiple times from brides that a quick response is greatly appreciated, and the smartest sales tool out there is the art of the follow-up! How can you get both? ShootQ Lead Workflows help you easily manage your leads, respond quickly with the click of a button, and maintain communication with your promising inquiries. ShootQ has the capability of managing your leads in a simple lead “bucket” system. I