AS SEEN IN
AS SEEN IN
Image is a favorite from Flickr by maxw.
When you look at your business and make decisions on your goals and your marketing and promotional plans are you looking at it from the trenches? Are you making decisions based on what you are seeing when you work in your business? Letting your day-to-day experiences cloud your judgment? Reacting to whatever squeaky wheel that’s acting up today?
You work hard to build a strong brand, making sure that each and every customer interaction is perfect. You keep your social media pages and profiles consistent with your brand. Your marketing materials are top-notch because you invested in a graphic designer to give you a professional appearance.
It’s Monday. The day is half over. When was the last time you picked up the phone and called a client for no reason? To start your week off with a blast, what I want you to do right now is to go through your database and find a recent client. Call her and ask how her order was. Listen to what she is saying. Take notes and enter it into your database program. If there is anything you need to get, find or follow up with, do it IMMEDIATELY after you get off the phone.
While you may think the holidays are miles away, when it comes to marketing your small business, now is the time to start thinking about a creative holiday card. Each year, we spend months preparing for, shooting and designing our family (and business) holiday card. I started this card when my husband and I got married in 1997 and each year is one of a numbered series which creates excitement and anticipation for those who receive it each year.
In this week’s episode of the Small Business Marketing Ideas podcast, Sarah and I tackle the Groupon / Living Social / daily deal websites debate. As a small business owner, is it ever a good idea to sell your products or services using group buying?
This weekend I was shopping in a store I had not ever visited and witnessed an interesting phenomenon. Everyone on the sales staff dished out sincere compliments frequently throughout my shopping experience.
When something goes wrong in your small business, how do you deal with it? Do you have a plan for damage control? Or do you handle on a case-by-case basis as it occurs?
Just this week I was dining with a friend at her favorite NYC restaurant – an intimate walk up where she has dined alongside celebrities.
If you have a retail space or if your clients come to your home, it is important to SHOW them you have fresh and creative products and services as much as you tell them. I love to have fresh flowers and even grass inside my studio (and while clients typically don’t come to my home, it makes me so happy to have them there too). These activities are part of your marketing and branding because they form the perceptions of those who visit you and create value for your products and services.
I received this post card in the mail this week and it reminded me that all customers should not be treated equal. The closest clothing store to my house is JCPenneys and we are there often because (it seems like) we are always needing something. Because of this, I was able to find out about their upcoming sale BEFORE the general public. When it comes to small business marketing, it builds loyalty when you treat your current clients much better than your prospects.
Video gets a bad rap.I get it. I used to hate it, too. So using it to get photography clients was the LAST thing on my mind. Mostly, I think, because I was scared of it. I didn’t know how to edit video footage so I just opted out of dealing with it when considering...
Once upon a time, before I became a photographer, marketing was my J-O-B. First up was a marketing position at Coca-Cola Enterprises. And then as a marketing director gig at an advertising agency. So when I opened my first retail photography studio in 2001, I knew...
The grandparents just called and good news! They want to take your kids out for the afternoon. YESSSSS! You’ve been meaning to have some quiet time in your home photo studio to download the wedding you shot this weekend and to catch up on some retouching. You’ve tied...
The Photography Business Institute exists as an alternative to college or trade school to coach professional portrait photographers as they build sustainable businesses. Request more information to learn how the Photography Business Institute can transform your life and your business (all without missing a single family dinner)!