It was 2008 and I had just wrapped up working at ESPN.com as a photo editor. I remember running into Zack Arias' advice to offer headshot or business portraits.

Zack taught us all how to light (see his One Light 2.0 tutorial) but the marketing was up to me. Back then, with little to no real business sense, I dove into Twitter and offered my services to the first 20 people to respond. Yes, I offered to photograph them for free.

Twenty eager and friendly people made appointments for their portraits to be made and I obliged them. I loved the experience so much that I launched Connecticut Headshots and have been serving business executives, realtors, lawyers and a few actors.

Would I do that again? Knowing what I know now, would I offer to photograph them for free? Probably not.

For me, it came down to feeling less than confident. I gave myself a goal of 20 people before venturing out and creating a business out of it. I am learning now that there is another way.

Molly Marie and Jamie Swanson have created Profitable Portfolio Builder just for photographers like you and me.

“Portfolio building for free is like shooting yourself in the foot. It is hurting your business from the very start, and you’ll be losing out on a huge opportunity to create a client base and make money right from the start.”

Could I have used the revenue from 20 paying clients? Heck yeah!

What I was missing back when I started was a guide like Profitable Portfolio Builder that would walk me through the following:

Why the Profitable Portfolio Builder method is a better way to build your portfolio

How to get people to book portfolio building sessions with you

Exactly how to respond to people who want to book a portfolio building sessions in order to maximize the opportunity to get sales and long-term clients from the session

What you need to know and do ahead of time to get results

How to get the sale

The secret to getting powerful testimonials that influence others to book with you

Profitable Portfolio Builder also includes customizable scripts (yes friends, for those of us who are easily tongue-tied this will come in handy) to help us make the transition offering one type of photography service to another.

The only caveat Molly and Jamie offer is this: “The Profitable Portfolio Builder is based on psychology and past experience, and if you leave anything out or modify a vital part of it, it may not work.”

Are you willing to give this a try? Are you open to shifting gears and seeing what other opportunities might exist for you? I know I am glad I made the jump to also offering business portraits in Connecticut.

Please read all the way through the Profitable Portfolio Builder page to see if your current or future choice in photography would benefit from this incredible resource. As Molly says, her advice is meant for a select (but large) group of photographers. Still, there are some, like wedding photographers that this resource will not be a good fit.

It's normally $129.99, but right now and through June 29th, it’s only $79.99 (save $50!).

My last post on Tiffinbox.org, titled “How Photographers Can Create a Well-Rounded Marketing Plan” was a huge success! It even made it into Seshu's top-5 articles of all time, which is a huge honour, so thank you for giving it all the love! Seshu has given me the opportunity to write here again, and so I wanted to take one of the ideas that I touched on in that last article and go deeper with it.

Display collaboratives (otherwise known as display advertising) is a co-marketing initiative where you hang your prints at a third-party location or business (target location), with the intent of creating brand awareness and community recognition for your work. What's great about display collaboratives is that it is an idea that is applicable to every genre of photography in every market. No matter what your specialty or target market, this is a great marketing program that you can use to grow your business.

Why display advertising?

If the benefits of display collaboratives aren't inherently obvious, then I'll take a moment here to explain. You are basically creating a win-win-win situation. Normally, a win-win would be good enough for me, so that extra “win” in there makes this that much better!

The target location wins because they get unique, custom art displayed in their space that is highly specialized. They get to support a local artist, and they'll also gain recognition, awareness and ultimately more business throughout the promotion of the display advertising. More to come on the promoting part later.

Your clients who are in the images being displayed wins because they get to be “famous” for a short period of time. They can brag to their friends and family that their family
portrait, wedding image or child's portrait is hanging in a prominent, popular place in town.

You win because you get be in front of a completely new audience, you get to re-enforce your brand in your community, you get to build a solid relationship with a local business and you gain access to their audience throughout the promotion of the display advertising.

How to set up a display advertising collaboration

Ultimately, you will want to have several displays up in a few different locations – the idea is to “be everywhere” and re-enforce your brand and your presence in your community. I recommend starting with one location at a time, and working your way up from there.

Throughout the whole process, remember to continually build value, be professional and continually show respect and appreciation for everyone involved. This is as much about the finished pieces on the wall and the exposure as it is about the relationships and impact you can make throughout the whole process. Throughout the process, promote and share on social media behind-the-scenes pictures, ideas and teasers to build excitement for the project that you're working on with the target location.

Here is a 5-step process to take you from idea to fulfillment for setting up a successful display collaborative campaign.

Step 1 – Determine the target location

First let me say that this is not a marketing initiative that is done well through “cold-calling” potential target locations. This is the kind of marketing program that you want to run collaboratively founded on existing relationships. I'm not suggesting that you have to be best friends with the target location, but instead what I'm saying is that display collaboratives are best executed when there is a pre-existing mutual trust and respect. Look at your “rolodex” of local contacts and discover some locations where your target client might frequents.

Here are a few examples of locations that might be a good fit:

• If you're a wedding photographer that targets the high-end bride, perhaps a wedding boutique on the main street in your quaint town would be a good fit.
• If you're a wedding photographer who specializes in the vintage style, then perhaps a good fit would be a local brewery or a new-age rustic flower shop.
• If you're a child photographer looking to photograph for families who are in the middle-to-upper professional working class, then maybe a good fit would be a higher-scale local dentist office.
• If you're a child photographer looking to photograph for more middle-class, DIY, stay-at-home Mom's who want to spend good money on great photography, then a good fit might be a local children's clothing boutique.

You can see how there are so many opportunities once you start choosing partners based on target market.

Golden nugget: If you want to really find out the best places to partner with, then simply ask your 5 best clients where else they shop during the week. Better yet – ask them where they go to buy Christmas presents around the holidays. This will show you what kind of consumer they are, where they shop, and what their spending habits are like.

As I mentioned earlier, it's best to have a pre-existing relationship before you start bringing up the idea of display advertising with a target location, so if you don't already have a relationship with the target location you're approaching, then you need to spend some time building and nurturing a relationship before you “jump into bed” together. Network, get to know each other, build up that mutual trust and respect, and then move on to the next step. If you already have a solid relationship, then move on forward.

Step 2 – Propose the idea of display advertising

It's simple to bring up the idea of doing a display collaboration with a target location. You want to propose the win-win-win situation to them, explain the benefits and minimize the objections. I recommend having this discussion in-person, and be sure to bring a sample print  similar to one that you would display so that they can see the value.

You must consider this a creative marketing expense, and so I recommend that you do not charge for the prints. This is an advertising opportunity for you, and much like you'd pay a magazine to be in front of their audience, you are covering the expenses here in exchange for being in front of this new audience. Discuss the idea of having your logo on the prints, or at the very least, ask to have business cards on display nearby.

Step 3 – Decide size, placement, duration and (optionally) rotation

Another benefit to having the discussion in-person is that you can start to brainstorm right away where and how big the prints might be able to be displayed. You are the expert here, remember; you are a professional photographer and a part of your job is to design wall art, so be generous with your recommendations, but remember that it is ultimately their space, so you need to also be respectful to their wishes.

Step 4 – Hang the prints yourself

Once you've decided on sizes, images and placement, be sure to get the prints made as quickly as possible. Bring the finished pieces into the space personally and hang them yourself at a mutually agreed upon time. Once again, show your professionalism. This is when you are presenting the “deliverable”, so the excitement should be at it's high. If you want to really make an impact, deliver a special surprise with the finished piece for all of those involved. Whether that means bringing a bouquet of flowers, a small gift or giving them a gift certificate for personal portraits themselves, do something at this point to exceed their expectations.

Step 5 – Promote it!

This is when the real work begins. You need to promote the display collaboration as much as possible. Help to deliver the target location's “win” part of the equation and get them more visibility. Tweet, Instagram, Facebook and Blog as much as you can. Share images, videos, stories of the whole process everywhere and anywhere you can. Get the local media involved and see if it would be something they'd be interested in running in the local paper or on the radio. Here's an idea – consider running some sort of contest to get buzz going. Be creative here!

Don't forget to reach out to those who are actually displayed in the portraits you have hanging on the wall and tell them that their images are up (they should have been aware ahead of time). Tell them that they should go check it out and to tell all of their friends and family about their “moment of fame”.

Think Outside the Box – Be Creative!

Display advertising as I've presented it thus far has been fairly straight forward – you hang some of your work in another space. There are so many more ways to “spin it” if you really think outside the box and get creative. I have written a “part 2” to this article where I share some specific ideas for getting creative with collaborative display advertising opportunities, in fact, one of my ideas will even generate you money – lots of money! If you're interested in getting the second part delivered right to your inbox, then head on over to this page on the Sprouting Photographer website, leave me your e-mail address and I'll send it to you right away, free of charge!

I posted the sales link to Salesographer on Facebook a few days ago and one photographer who took me up on it said this:

Hi Seshu, I followed your link to Salesographer. Bought it and really like his straight forward approach to pricing and sales!

You are probably wondering what Salesographer is all about. Fair question!

“Salesographer is a pricing and profit-boosting sales strategy for photographers lacking the cash flow mojo. You will learn pure, not-from-concentrate sales & pricing education that will take you step-by-step on how to price, present, and sell your photography, without feeling like a salesman.”

Yep, that's straight from the Salesographer website. I couldn't say it any more simply so I figured I would just quote from it.

This guide and set of step-by-step helpful videos were initially produced by Spencer Boerup (who went on to become the genius behind MagMod). Chris and Adrienne Scott, the folks behind the incredible Preveal iPad application bought Salesographer a few months ago from Spencer, as it complements their original mission to empower wedding and portrait photographers make a sustainable living through tools, applications and now resources.

One photographer asked me: “Have you used this Seshu? Did it change your business dramatically?”

Again, a fair question. Whether Salesographer is $74 (as it will be till April 28th, Monday evening) or $349, when it was first offered by Spencer, one absolutely needs to know whether a product, service or resource is going to help our bottom line.

So here is my response to that photographer:

“Yes, I have used it. I have adapted a great many of the steps included in this guide to make it my own process. In my experience, there is no cookie-cutter solution out there. One absolutely must adapt it one's unique business condition. What Salesographer does is give you a great foundation to begin to do just that. Also, I wouldn't be promoting it if I didn't believe strongly in this resource for photographers.”

My recommendation? Buy it before Monday and save some money. Read the guide. Watch the videos. Take notes. Put it all into action and then make a decision. If you are actively working as a photographer, you shouldn't have any trouble seeing whether this works for you or not. The Scotts are also offering a 30-day money back guarantee.

When you buy Salesographer now you'll receive:

90 minutes of video education

an e-book guide

access to a private community to discuss the teachings

a $50 gift card from ProDPI (the best printing lab I know)

a custom pricing sheet

a sales & order form that you can customize and use with your clients

a consultation form that you can customize and use with your clients

All this for $74? I think that's an incredible deal that you can't afford to pass up.

Give it a shot before April 28th because I know you are a savvy photographer who seizes opportunities like this to run your business.

If you have any questions, please holler below. I am happy to answer them to the best of my ability or ask Chris Scott to chime in. How does that sound to you?

I am excited to share how I made the decision to open my studio. It has been a positive experience for me and I am grateful for the response it is receiving from both new and existing clients.

I had run my business, Yellowhale Photography, for many years as an on-location photographer focused on high end, boutique portraiture. I was very proud of what I had accomplished and the growth that my business had made in that time, but as I approached my 10 year anniversary, I found myself considering the ways in which I wanted my business to grow.

I began making lists, evaluating what has worked for me in the past and what I wanted Yellowhale to become. I thought about what I needed to do to create the business I envisioned. It wasn’t long before I realized that having a physical studio space was key to achieving my goals. By concentrating my sessions to one locale, I could make them more accessible for a broader spectrum of clients and ultimately enhance the service for my existing clientele.

I was able to find a gorgeous space with lots of natural light on the main street in our city. I am so happy with it! Because I am in the center of town, I have greater opportunities to network with other local businesses. In addition to the reception and studio space, there is another room which I can use for meetings and workshops. I can even open it up to guest speakers for interesting cross promotional events. Having a physical space allows me to become a part of the community and invites passers by to come in and learn more about what I do.

One of the surprising benefits of the foot traffic is the local business people requesting sessions for a modern headshot. Between work and social media, everyone needs a presentable, image of themselves that they can feel confident in. Having a studio makes it convenient for these clients to come in and have their portrait taken during a quick break throughout the day.

The majority of my work, however, is focused upon family and newborn sessions. New parents have so much to adjust to in the first few weeks baby is home and having to clean the house in preparation for a photo session just adds to their stress. I am finding having a studio is a blessing for these clients. It benefits my young families as well. Let’s face it, families are busy! By having a studio for them to come to, they are able to enjoy their session with their children in a relaxed environment which ultimately results in beautiful images.

The reception area is filled with examples of my work displayed on huge canvases, in custom frames and wall galleries. Having the physical product on display for my clients is essential to selling. My motto is: seeing is believing, believing is buying.

An added bonus of the studio is that I now have the space to display the full range of albums from my other business, the Dream Album Co. . Our product line has expanded in recent years and having the space to have it all on display for my clients to view is exciting. We also now have the space to have a dedicated shipping and supply room which streamlines our businesses.

On a more personal note, one of the things I am most thrilled about is the ability the studio provides for me to explore creatively. I now have a space where I can play with various off-camera lighting options and with the way the natural light falls in our all-white space. I find myself consistently inspired to experiment here.

Making the decision to invest in a studio can be a difficult one. You are required to completely change the way you do business. However, for me, establishing a studio allowed Yellowhale Photography to grow in the ways I had envisioned and I am excited by all the unexpected opportunities it has created along the way. I am looking forward to celebrating our future anniversaries here!

If I could offer advice to anyone thinking about opening their own studio, the following five things would top my list:

1) Don’t rush the process. Take your time finding your perfect space. If you are uncertain if a studio is right for you, consider sharing studio space with a complimentary business. Another alternative is to establish a meeting space for your sales sessions. Having a smaller scale space allows you the time to grow your business and add to your confidence and security before establishing your studio.

2) Resist the temptation settle. Find a space that is right for you. Make sure the location, the light and the layout all work for your needs. Holding out allows you time to build your savings until you know you have found the perfect spot. Settling for a space to satisfy your desire to run a studio can easily cost you more in the long run.

3) Having a substantial savings is your safety net. Six months salary and operating costs are a minumum, but a year is so much. The moment you sign the lease, you are responsible for your rent & utilities whether you are ready to open your doors or waiting for the renovations to be complete. Having money in the bank also protects you in months where you may not be working due to unexpected illness or injury.

4) Create a support team to surround you. Figure out who/what you need to best support you in your business so you can create a consistent revenue stream. It may be in the form of a team of people (think of an editor, session co-ordinator, salespeople, or housekeeper as examples) or services (child care, a dog walker or grocery delivery to name a few). Having a solid support behind you will allow you the freedom and peace of mind to make your business a success and enjoy your time when you are home.

5) Create a beautiful space for yourself, but allow it room to evolve and grow with you. You will want everything to be perfect for your opening, but remember as you settle in to your space, you will be adding to it. Just as your home has evolved with you over the years, so will your studio.

Opening a studio is a commitment that can make or break your business. Grow into it rather than jumping into it. Before you even look for a studio, ensure you already have the consistent income to cover your daily operating expenses plus what you would need to pay for rent and insurance.

When you can afford to open the best studio, that is the time to open the studio. Do not open a studio and then hope for the best.

Blog post version 1: marketing for photographers

I wrote a draft of this blog post with some very generic information about marketing for photographers. Then I read it. And I didn’t like it! I didn’t think it was as valuable to you as it could be.

As I was reading it I was thinking “how many times have I read this kind of stuff before?” And the answer is too many times to count.

How much value to you is some generic information that is written by someone who doesn’t know your situation, doesn’t know who you are, what you love, what you hate, what your goals and dreams are? Someone who doesn’t know what type of photographer you are or who your clients are.

So it was back to the drawing board…

Blog post version 2: smart marketing for smart photographers

This second version of the blog post is completely different.

This blog post is not for everyone.

This blog post is not for you if you want some generic marketing strategies handed to you on a platter.

This blog post is for people who want to find the marketing strategies that are really effective at attracting more of the right kinds of clients – for YOU!

This blog post is for people who are willing to do some work!

So, are you up for the challenge?

You can reach your goals. And you can get all the clients you need. But it’s going to take some work. And the work starts now.

In this first of 5 blog posts we are going to work through some of the basics. These are things you should have clear in your head before you even think about building a SMART marketing plan.

They are:

Marketing basics

Your message

Your ideal client

Your philosophy/beliefs/values

About you, the photographer(s)

What do you have that is unique and worth talking about (remarkable)?

What have past clients loved and talked about?

What is the #1 reason why clients should/would choose you?

What other things do you offer that will make your ideal client sit up and take notice?

To help you on your way here’s an example:

Our message:

We photograph dogs and only dogs! We love our dogs – our furbabies – and know you love yours too. We are experts at capturing their quirky, unique and lovable personalities.

Our ideal client:

A couple, with no children, who are passionate about their dogs (they “are” their children). In their mid 40s, both working, with a disposable income and they can afford to invest in a photographic session with their beloved pet/s. They enjoy the stage of life they are at. They value their down time and love nothing more than to spend it with their dogs. They value (and can and will pay for) luxuries when it comes to their furbabies.

Our philosophy/beliefs/values:

Fun. Love. Laughter. We believe that life is too short not to have fun. We value love and laughter in both our personal lives and our business.

About you, the photographer(s):

We are L and P, husband and wife. Our passion is our furbabies many of whom have come to us as rescues having had difficult and traumatic pasts. For us though they are our children, we love them for all their quirks. We have been working together as a partnership in business since 1996. Out of this grew an interest in photography and we’ve discovered a way to blend the art that L loves so much with the technology that is P’s keen interest. We’ve decided life is too short to not enjoy what we do to earn a living so we’ve started our photography business and we love every minute of it.

What do you have that is unique?

Casual, relaxed atmosphere – we don’t mind getting down to their level and doing whatever it takes to get those great images. We love animals, this isn’t a job for us, it’s a passion – doggy kisses are ok!

What have others loved and talked about?

“They get to know our pets”
“They don’t rush, they’re happy to work with our pets and their moods”
“They are friendly and personable”
“They go the extra mile to get that perfect shot”

What is the #1 reason why clients would choose you?

We care! As two photographers, husband and wife, working intuitively together we know and love animals and will use that knowledge and passion to capture the uniqueness of your pets.

What other things will make your ideal client sit up and take notice?

We work to your pets’ timetable, not ours – it takes as long as it takes.
Working on location, in an environment your pet is happy in, allows for a relaxed, fun sitting and better photos.
We look for the quirky, unique and memorable moments.

Now, what’s next?

If you would like to send your marketing plan basics to me using this form, I will select one and use it as the case study for the next blog post: Your marketing mix. How's that? I'll basically be writing your marketing plan for you.

If you don’t wish to send it to me, no problem. Complete it, hold on to it and have it handy for the next blog post where we will take this information and work though the key marketing strategies that should make up your marketing mix.