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Hi All,


ctm

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<p>Hello All,<br>

I am new to the photo.net forum. I must say my reasons for joining this forum are maybe not the best reasons I should have joined for, but overall I am hoping I can get some help... <br>

My name is Michael and I have been in the Wedding Photography industry for over 3 years. Now, I have changed my company name twice due to reasons I cannot speak of on a public forum. So I found a name and have worked really hard to get the site done and placed my pictures on the site and what not. <br>

My biggest issue I use PPC advertisement and FB etc. People are click on my ad and going to the site but I am not getting any emails or phone calls. I am starting to wonder if my photography work is NOT as good as everyone tells me it is. I studied very hard, read a whack of books and was a second shooter with a very well known company for 2 years before I offically started my own business. The Company and photographers I use to work with have all said my work is great. <br>

So I am very confused and wondering what I am missing?<br>

If anyone can help me that would be awesome. You can respond here and then I will post my website link if I am allowed.<br>

Thank you for reading this and hope that the Photo.net staff will understand my post. As its a intro but also needing help.</p>

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<p>Hi Michael,<br /> I have never been good with business stuff. <br /> With most of the couples i have shot for, they have loved me for my personality and how i treat them.<br /> I have tried, google adwords, facebook, wedding wire, 411.ca, wedding vibe, etc.<br /> my website is www.cherishingthemoments.com<br /> please click on each the engagement and wedding portfolios.</p>

<p>P.S> Looking forward to your response about my work as a photographer</p>

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<blockquote>

<p><em>"P.S> Looking forward to your response about my work as a photographer"</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Michael, your work as a photographer is just fine and your prices appear quite reasonable, so those are not necessarily the problem. </p>

<blockquote>

<p><em>"I have never been good with business stuff. "</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>I think this is where additional work is required. It will take nothing short of a thesis to go through a Q&A exchange, and superficial pointers isn't going to solve your overall problem in any meaningful way. Instead, let me send you a sample business plan and a marketing plan outline for your perusal. <br>

<br>

The contents of it will challenge you to confront the reality of what's required of you from a business standpoint and help you understand how to go about developing your business. <br>

</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>Michael,<br>

I am very thank you for your kind words about my work. I would like to say that first of all my prices are not based on me getting rich, thats not why I am a photographer. My Passion, Desire, Love, Life is all about Capturing moments for the couples I work with. I want to be looked at as a friend rather then a professional. <br>

I know this sound odd but its true, I hate using the word Client/s or referring to a couple as job. It's not a job its my life's purpose to capture amazing perfected moments between the couples.<br>

I would very much love to get your email with those doc's but please beware, I am from Ontario Canada and laws here maybe different from USA.<br>

As I am sure you can see I use photoshelter for web design, as I suck as a designer. I don't have a blog and I think they are worthless becomes what couple is going to spend hours reading blogs of me talking about photography and the past couples I have worked with. <br>

Maybe I am wrong, but it just seems point less.</p>

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<p>We're neighbors. I'm in Quebec. :-) </p>

<p>I think reading through the sample plans will make clear how you might want to redirect your effort while wearing a completely different hat from what you might be comfortable with or accustomed to, but to me, it's an essential part of the process. </p>

 

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<p>Michael, your location might be a factor working against you. Being a couple of hours away from where the action is probably has the effect of dissuading prospects from even making contact when there are many to choose from in their own locale. </p>

<p>Have you considered setting up an account with a proxy contact service in the GTA area? This will at least give customers in major centers the impression that you are closer providing they won't be penalized by the distance. </p>

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<p>Dear Michael, <br>

(1) I live in Rodney which is 45mins past London Ontario. <br />(2) I advertise all over because I am willing to travel, but I do not charge extra for driving to Toronto, Brampton or Mississauga. When I say travel rates I am talking more like Barrie, Oshawa, Ottawa, etc.<br>

(3) I am advertising in all areas local to me, London, St. Thomas, Windsor, Waterloo, Kitchener, etc.<br>

I told you I am not good with all the business side, I really do need the help from someone like yourself as you have more knowledge in Business Aspects.<br>

I am not saying I will not give it a good effort.</p>

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<p>Michael, when I visit your site, the impression I get is that you're located in an isolated location almost in the middle of nowhere (and I say that respectfully). </p>

<p>I did a quick search on Kijiji for wedding photography in the GTA area and it returned with some 1,441 service providers. That's an awful lot to choose from, and who would have thought to even look on Kijiji for a wedding photographer.<br>

<a href="http://www.kijiji.ca/b-gta-greater-toronto-area/wedding-photography/k0l1700272">http://www.kijiji.ca/b-gta-greater-toronto-area/wedding-photography/k0l1700272 </a></p>

<p>If I lived in Toronto (I have family in Markham), I'd be thoroughly frustrated and confused just having to sift through all the available photographers in order to narrow it down to a final choice.</p>

<p>It looks like one of the major challenges you're facing is how to standout from the others, and you're not alone. As an example, there are some 12,000 attorneys registered with the Quebec bar in the greater Montreal area, so the vast majority of lawyers face the same problem. <br>

<br>

Lots to think about. </p>

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<p>I think a lot of it has to do with intangibles, Michael. </p>

<p>Some photographers have strong community connections, extended families, and are very socially engaged; they will use these attributes as a springboard to launch a business thereby gaining an upfront advantage. If these photographers are at the same time people oriented, charismatic, well spoken, charming, and well liked, then they will enjoy a double advantage over photographers who do not.</p>

<p>I suspect most photographers fall somewhere in the middle, and in large part, a marketing and business plan addresses these issues and forces one without these advantages to confront them with an alternate solution. It takes time, but as usual, virtually all problems eventually get solved with enough perseverance. </p>

 

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<p>I suggest cutting those expenses immediately since they are not producing results; at least you won't be incurring costs which might well be bogus clicks to begin with. </p>

<p>If you're not currently attracting any leads, then brutal cost cutting is the first order of business followed by some careful thinking about the short term, say over the next 3 or 6 months if you're in a desperate situation in need of generating revenue.</p>

<p>Leave the long term plan for another day when the dust settles. <br>

</p>

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<p>Michael, you don't stop advertising; you look for alternative advertising channels that produce results and doesn't bleed the business in the process.</p>

<p>There are no quick and sure-fire answers, however, we do know that Kijiji is hosting 1,400 photographers in the GTA and it's free to advertise taking just a couple of hours to join and post an ad. It doesn't guarantee business, but it's one of the feasible alternatives in the interim until you develop a more robust advertising strategy. </p>

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