MARKETING TIPS YOU MAY NOT BE DOING yet…
Let’s get started here.
BRING IT 2021!
What is your top list of clients you’d love to work with?
And we’re back! Sounds like a sporting event, but we’re getting our heads back in the game. Here we go—it’s a new year, and we’re shaking off the cobwebs from last year. This might not be very rational, but let’s make a list of clients we want to work with. Let your ideas flow without editing them as you go. This exercise is about imagining and seeing what comes out. You might learn something about yourself and the direction you want to take.
Give yourself time to identify these clients. Browse through websites of other photographers, explore, and use pen and paper—go old-fashioned. Really take the time to do this. The first step is to get clear and set our sights. New year, bring it on!
If this new year can be anything, it can be our way of getting back on our own track.
Before we get started back up again in our busy lives, we have to reset our direction in the way that we want it to go. We often get so caught up in the search and the hunt for jobs and we get busier and busier and we’re not thinking where we want to take this. It becomes where are the jobs taking us. We can’t let that business take our focus away.
Successful businesses are open to growth. So much of our business doesn’t change when we can’t see outside of our own routine.
Happy holidays!
Happy holidays! In this really strange time, we don’t know what to expect or where we’ve been. It’s something we can’t control, so the best we can do is enjoy the holiday. Take a step back, break out of our usual patterns, and use this time to see things from a new perspective. Since so much of our business remains routine, a break from it can lead to new insights. Here’s to fresh thoughts and new possibilities. Happy holidays!
Treatments are the opportunity to share a sampling of the Director you will be set in a very well designed, well written PDF.
Reiterate what you heard on the Creative Call through a mood board of images and topics explaining your lighting, color and tone, location samples, talent, wardrobe styles, post work, etc.
Make it yours, who you are as a director and how you envision this project with all the specific areas that create the look + feel you will be creating.
Treatments are such a big topic. They are what will help you get the job or lose the job. The client wants to know that you understand from the mood board and their creative call what is their concern. What are some potential problems that you can solve. Listen to what the potential issues are on their side and what the challenges are and what you can bring to the table. Let them know you’re going to deliver a smooth shoot and get them what they need.
Website Top Tips
Overtime is tricky because even if you think the client will be expecting it, don’t take any chances. They hired you as the director, controlling the day, offering strategic steps to look out for their best interest. Bring it up before it’s too late.
We have to talk about overtime. If you’re on a job and you see yourself heading towards overtime, talk with the client. Check in with yourself at lunch time, or early in the day. Ask yourself, “Where are we?” Are you falling beyond or you’re not getting all the shots done in the 10 hours. Overtime was probably already discussed with the client in an email and it’s on your contract or even talked about on the phone, but don’t count on that. Talk to them or have your producer talk for you or your rep. The client has to know in advance because they might not have the budget and it’s your responsibility. Even if they’re trying to add shots and you’ve said ok. Also, the amount of overtime has to be approved, such as how many hours of overtime and for how many people. You don’t want any surprises and you never want to hand it to your client and say, “Surprise!” You have to protect yourself.
You are in the business of keeping it fresh for your clients, so keep your own company fresh.
People are keeping it fresh, and what I mean is that they’re trying new things. Producers, consultants, reps, and photographers. All of us are doing something new and trying to market ourselves in a new way. We have people we want to hire us to keep them fresh, why wouldn’t we keep it fresh? Brainstorm with people you work with, even if you say no to their ideas, it gets your brain working on new ideas. Try new things, new equipment or a new posting on Instagram. Try something new that you don’t know. Try the unknown and make it something you work on. We talk about testing all the time. Test, test, test. Push yourself to keep yourself fresh. Put it out there, whether it’s something you’re interested in, or sharing who you are, or something you’d be bringing to a job or shooting more motion. There’s so many things you can do to show that you’re a fresh thinker.
Zoom calls are our way to connect with clients through our visual presence by direct and confident eye contact.
We’re noticing how important it is to really give eye contact as if you’re in person, because you are, in a sense. You’re as in person as we’re going to be right now. Make sure you have good eye contact and sit up straight. It shows how you are as a person, how you feel about this job and your excitement level as well as your presence if they choose to work with you. Showing good eye contact and sitting up straight shows you’re able to connect with the person you’re having a meeting with. Showing emotion on your face, being a warm person and reiterating what they have said to you, but in your own words will help you connect to whomever you are having a Zoom meeting with. No matter what the point is on the Zoom calls. It’s important to connect with the person you’re meeting with.
We are all curious about ESTIMATES.
My top 5 tips for every estimate:
What do we need to include to help a photographer secure a job based on the estimate? Today, I’m going to share my top five points for creating an effective estimate:
These are my top five points, plus one extra on usage rights. See you next week for the “Navigating the Unknown” webinar, where we’ll discuss this further.
