Today's guest bloggers are Paul & Sylvia. They are Toronto, Canada-based wedding photographers. Find them on Facebook or Twitter. You are likely to see them guest blog here as a monthly contributors. Please welcome them on board!

I think it's safe to say that most of us, despite it all, got into wedding photography or any other photography business for the same reason.  To make money. I know, I know, we are artists and we are doing this because we love what we do. This is essential, no question. You need to keep the fire stoked and the wheels turning. So what's next?  Well we all know the importance of being a good salesman, for there are many brilliant, starving artists. But where do we go from here? Well, let me tell you a little story.

When Sylvia and I started out as wedding photographers and were hungry for clients, anyone willing to sign and pay our package price seemed like a great client to us. We thought, hey, we're getting paid, filling up our calendar and maybe we'll get some referrals. We would lower the price a little too quickly just to book a new wedding and began to find that everything would always come down to price. This is not the client base we were looking for. Our clients seemed happy, but the referrals just didn't come. What were we missing? Well it was at Mystic Seminars last year that the answer presented itself like a ray of sunshine through the clouds.

The answer came when one of the speakers introduced us to “The Golden Circle”. It is a simple model on how to inspire and it is the brainchild of visionary, Simon Sinek. Here is a link to TED talk presentation. It changed everything. The model itself is simple, picture three circles set inside one another. The outside ring is “What” the inner one is “How” and the centre is “Why”. A conventional company will state “What” they do, then “How” they do it, but most never make it to “Why”. This is the approach that most of us took when we started out and sadly, it's where a lot of businesses stay. There is no emotion involved in this and lets face it wedding photography and portrait photography are all about emotion. It's simply “This is what we do, here is how you can buy it”.  

Now picture your business using the opposite approach. When you start with “Why”, you have immediately attached emotion. When Sylvia and I started implementing this our results changed almost overnight. At every consultation we showed the couple how excited and happy we were to be apart of their day, how much we loved creating new relationships and the energy level would soar. By simply showing our potential clients how lucky we felt to be doing what we do, we created a connection.

Isn't this industry all about relationships? We started to find that everybody we booked our wedding photography service were like old friends. We started regularly receiving emails after a consultation telling us how much they enjoyed talking with us and how excited they are that they were able to book us for their wedding. Yes, there is the odd couple that we don't feel the connection with and funny, they don't book. We are okay with this. It wasn't meant to be. We have found that the “shopping around for the best price” couples don't even contact us anymore. The most amazing thing we found was the referrals. We had multiple referrals from several brides immediately after the booking, before experiencing the service or before they had seen the photos! The price also seems to be less and less of a concern with couples spending more than ever.

Now, don't misunderstand, we know that there is a lot more to this game. We offer amazing service, awesome products and a fantastic experience. But if we hadn't changed how we approach our potential clients in the first place, things would be very different. Think about how you do things, are you starting with “Why”?

What is YOUR “why”? Brave enough to share it with us? Comment below!

Good morning and a very Happy New Year to you all! Thank you for making 2012 such a special year for Tiffinbox. It's with your participation that we can make this site even better in 2013. I am truly excited to tell you that Angela Pointon, whose posts you have read here in the past, has agreed to come on board as a monthly contributor. Kicking that off is this very useful post for photographers who want to rock out their market in the new year. Read it, join us, comment!

A lot of photographers get confused by marketing. They consider it in the very beginning of their business, and those considerations typically include things they know they need, such as a website, business cards and a printed price list.

However, marketing is so fundamentally rooted when done well, that if you don't think about it properly, you'll end up spending a lot of money and wondering if it really made a difference in your business. Working on your own marketing is like being a doctor. If you don't truly understand the human body and how it functions, you cannot make it work better.

STEP 1:

Understand your target market deeply and fully. Often times, I find that business owners day dream about working with a certain target market, but find themselves consumed by working with another one. Thus, it creates an unfulfilling business and a bit of a feeling of quicksand that is difficult to get out of.

When you understand who you want to target, you take the first step toward landing more business from them.

STEP 2:

Understand what makes your business different. And remember, it has to be different in the eyes of your defined target audience… the people you want to be working with. I recently wrote an entire post about figuring out how to be a different, special and unique business in the eyes of your audience.

Read more about being different here.

STEP 3:

You have to define what financial bliss means for you. This is as unique as any other aspect of your business. Figure out how much you want to make and how many bookings you have to land in order to get there. Why is this important to marketing?

Your marketing should align with the goals of your business. If you do not define your monetary goal, how can you manage to market enough to obtain it? Oh, and one more thing about defining you financial bliss… it cannot limit you. Financial bliss is not a ceiling; it is just a target that you are shooting for. Exceeding it is highly possible and therefore, should be welcomed (assuming you're willing to work harder).

STEP 4:

Create the business goals you need to achieve in order to satisfy your financial bliss. These goals could include bookings, events you want to do or anything related to your business' success in 2013. I recommend including anywhere from 2-5 big goals.

STEP 5:

Take your big goals and break them down a bit. They should become a list of key steps you need to take in order to achieve the goals. As the days progress, your list of key steps will become daily tasks. I personally use Evernote, a free web-based tool and app, to keep track of the daily tasks I need to tackle in order to achieve my big goals. Goals become easier to obtain when they're broken down to small, easy-to-do daily tasks.

The One Page Marketing Plan

I recently launched a free webinar called the One Page Marketing Plan, where I went through the five steps listed above in greater detail and provided a free template for recording all of your thoughts and ideas. Download it here for free.

Photography Marketing Academy

On January 3rd, I am launching a new educational program called Photography Marketing Academy. This simple three-session program offers you access to up to five of your photographer peers and me. Together, we'll walk through your business goals for 2013, your current marketing, and you'll leave the sessions with clear, actionable steps you need to take in order to achieve a year of your dreams in 2013.

Learn more about Photography Marketing Academy and register. Space is limited and registration will likely close the morning of January 3rd.

Scott Wyden Kivowitz is a New Jersey Photographer and the Community & Blog Wrangler at Photocrati, NextGEN Gallery and the Photographers SEO Community, teaching other photographers on how to increase business with their website.

These days, websites are so important for photography businesses. They can be used as a marketing tools, a sales tool and even an accounting tool if so desired.

WordPress is the most popular website platform among the industry, and most industries for that matter. After picking from WordPress photography themes, many photographers are looking for advice on what to do or where to go next. With WordPress being such a flexible platform for websites, it is understandable that someone can be overwhelmed at first.

This is where a new eBook comes into the picture. (pun intended) 10 Tips To Supercharge Your Photography Website contains advice from ten photographers who have done the legwork of figuring out some secrets to website success.

For example, Jamie Swanson of The Modern Tog talks about local marketing and SEO by using a website. Justin Balog, of HOSSedia, talks about using your blog as an education resource to attract clients. Brian Matiash, of onOne Software, talks about using social media to further promote your work.

Photographers in the eBook:

• Jamie Swanson
• Andrew Funderburg
• Angela Pointon
• C.C. Chapman
• Zach Prez
• Brian Matiash
• Chris Frailey
• Justin Balog
• Rosh Sillars
• Jodi Friedman

Even with the three examples and the tips from seven photographers, Photocrati has added their own advice to the mix.

“Choosing a WordPress theme is very personal, even when choosing for a business. As photographers, we are visual people and tend to lean towards more visual themes, which completely makes sense. Of course, you can pick between free and premium (paid) themes, but premium themes provide a lot of advantages.”

So as you can see there is a lot to be learned in the ebook. Did I mention it's free?

Aaron Hockley is a photographer (and speaker) in Vancouver, Washington. He downloaded a copy of the photography website eBook and sent me an email saying:

“Great tips for photographers of all sorts – whether you shoot people, artwork, or landscapes, these website strategies will apply to your site.”

So with that, I urge you to visit the eBook page and download your free copy, because it's only a few clicks away.

Recall why you got into photography? It was more than likely … the photography. Nothing more.

Most of us have stories of seeing our first images come up in the fixer, or for those of you who have never shot and processed film, let's just go with the LCD on the back of your DSLR cameras.

Almost no one I have met says they serve people because the business excites them.

Fact is, you need to be able to do both. Like a well-oiled machine, you have to create images your clients will be thrilled with AND have a business system in place that brings in more clients. One feeds the other and on and on.

There does come a time, though, when you realize that you are better at one over the other. True, you can outsource some of the work, but the brunt of business development still rests on you.

Amber and Eric Langlois of RAW Photo Design, a company based in Danbury, Connecticut found themselves at a fork in the road. Their clients were thrilled with the images but dismayed at how slowly they responded to emails or phone calls. I know we have all been there. Life takes over and while we do our best to prioritize, some things start to slip through the cracks that are emerging.

Instead of abandoning ship (Eric writes in his blog about “throwing in the towel”, but I like the ship metaphor so stick with me on this one), the Danbury duo decided to connect with Carla Ten Eyck, a photographer and workshop leader in the Hartford area. While she gave them suggestions as they met on a weekly basis, Amber and Eric just felt like they were still dragging their feet.

The only obvious solution to Amber and Carla was to have Carla's studio take over the business aspects of RAW Photo Design. Imagine that! The Langlois' will retain creative control over their images – shooting and post-processing (which I imagine they should outsource too), but Carla's efficient studio will essentially run the business side of RAW Photo Design.

Here's my question for Carla – where do I sign up? This sounds like a win-win for the two studios, but also a huge win for Amber and Eric's clients.

Is this the future for over-worked one or two-person studios? Will this work for you? What concerns do you have about this new business model?

Read about this transition on Carla's blog here. Eric and Amber have also written about it here.

If you have questions about this new business relationship, please comment below.

Angela Pointon loves photographers and artists. She studied photography, but had a love affair with business and marketing. She decided to combine all three together when she started Steel Toe Images. She coaches and inspires photographers and other artists to kick major butt through her one-on-one sessions, blog, emails, workshops and her first book (coming soon), called “The Art Of A Photo Business: What Every Photographer Wished They Knew Before They Started”. Follow Angela on Twitter, Facebook or her blog.

I believe that what you do is amazing.

Every time you freeze an image, you give a gift to the world. I also believe you create a different experience, uniquely your own that no one else has the power to duplicate. Your business exudes a feeling that other businesses can try to copy, but ultimately fail at mimicking because their business is their business and yours is yours.

This is where marketing begins: at you.

The best photographers know what they're capable of bringing to the world, and they've worked hard to define that very thing in one or two succinct sentences. An amazing photographer isn't trying to copy another photographer; he or she knows that this effort is futile and, in fact, copying another photographer just robs the world of their own abilities, their talents and their uniqueness.

As photographers, we are challenged to identify what truly special difference we offer that no other photographer can. Yet, we all have this inside of us; it's just a matter of uncovering it.

The best photographers challenge themselves to constantly ensure they are articulating their amazingness using the right words that evoke mystery, intrigue, and fascination.

Know the people who will die to buy.

Have you ever been a raving fan of a brand, product or service? Have you ever talked to a friend about this brand, product or service with the same immense passion that one uses when speaking of their religious or political beliefs? Have you ever had a buying experience so amazing that it left you wanting to have it again? Have you ever bought something when competitive offerings were available solely because of the incredible buying experience?

That company knew your profile. They knew who their ideal customer was (ie people like you), and they built an experience to tantalize the very things that you would find unbelievably enjoyable. They matched the services to the person with the cash to spend.

Sometimes it's easier to start at the who. Who is the perfect buyer of your services? Who do you get along with, set off sparks with? Who do you cause the reaction of saying “that was amazing” at the end of their initial buying experience with you?

How will you attract more of them?

It's great if we've had a buyer or two who have been amazing. But how do we attract more? How do we work with fewer clients who are just okay and work with more who are unbelievable?

I've had success in my life finding people by hanging out where they're hanging. I have found that walking into a real room with a group of people can instantly feel right or wrong. The same is true of online places, too.

Plan Your 2013 Marketing To Capture More Souls

So if you want to define your brilliance, if you want to figure out who your ideal client is, and if you want to find more of those clients, then the One Page Marketing Plan is for you.

FREE Webinar: The One Page Marketing Plan

Wednesday, December 5th, 8:30pm eastern / 5:30pm pacific

There are some business owners that believe long drawn out business plans are the key to success. But if they are tirelessly drafted to only sit on a shelf, what good are they? I have put together a program to help you get your 2013 marketing mapped out on a single sheet of 8.5″ x 11″ paper. I'll walk you through how to effectively plan your marketing in order to get what you want out of business next year.

Together, we'll spend 60 minutes walking through my one page marketing plan template (a template will be emailed to you right before the webinar). I'll pose the thoughtful questions and provide the examples you'll need to get your wheels of creativity turning.

By the end of the webinar, you'll get your marketing mapped out, including:

the target market you'll go after in 2013:

– what makes your unique business different than the rest
– your financial bliss to obtain next year
– your business goals for 2013
– your essential marketing actions to get you to those goals

Register for the One Page Marketing Plan

PS – there will be an additional program starting in January for photographers who want more one-on-one, in-depth support with their marketing. By becoming a member of the Photography Marketing Academy, photographers have the opportunity to learn from me and from up to five of their peers as we work on your One Page Marketing Plan in more detail. This new program is $249 (normally valued at $1,200) and it includes 3 sessions, PLUS a free 30 minute session with only me to talk about anything. Only 5 photographers will be allowed into Photography Marketing Academy. Learn more here.