I need some input

[john_bocook]

<p>I'm writing a quick read and wanted some input from my photography friends. Let me know what you think. Does anything need changed or added, do you find use out of any tips? Any input you give will be cited in the article.<br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>

<br />Photography Business on the Cheap.< /p><br>

Step one: Get a phone number< /p><br>

Getting a phone number is step one because you'll need this information when you build your website, busin ess cards and any marketing we talk about. If we save this for the last step you would have to go back and start again to add this.< /p><br>

-Go to voice.google.com and get your free phone number. This phone number will forward any incoming calls to any other phone number you decide to use. It will separate your professional and personal life and give limitati ons and boundaries to your work days. Read more about Google Voice for Photographers here.<br /> -Onc e you have established a phone number from Google, Talk a female friend into creating a general "Out of the of fice" message for your new voicemail. Female voices have been proven to increase mood and the likelihood your prospective client will actually leave a message in both Male and Female sexes .<br>

-Once finished determine whether you want to actually answer your new phone or decide to have every c aller leave a voicemail. (I do this) and change your voice.google.com settings to match .<br>

New Phone number? Chec k<br>

Step Two: Get a website<br>

I want you to think long and hard about this. Please do not use a MySpace/Facebook/twitter page as your actual webpage. They are wonderful tools but you don't want your first interaction with a new client make you look cheap and point to leave (new post about ads)<br>

- Head to GoDaddy and pick up yourbusinessname.com for $9.99. This is the most important and che apest decision you will make. By buying your own .com you now stand out as more of a professional than 80% o f the competition photographers in your area. <br /><br />-Now that you own your name, you need a site. Photographers are visual people and to levy, I suggest using wix.com for your website. If this isn't what you’re looking for you can head to wordpress.com and build a blog for free.<br>

-Forward your new .com from GoDaddy to your new website. To do this: (screenshots and text to be added)<br>

<br />Step 3: Time for a new emai l account<br>

-Gmail is the best email service the internet has to off er. Create <a href="mailto:yourbusinessname@gmail.com">yourbusinessname@gmail.com</a> and you'll be done wi th this task. You can use yahoo or any other service just make sure it's separate from your personal email. You ne ed boundaries in your business.<br>

Step 4: Facebook Page Time<br>

Facebook is one of the hottest marketing tools on the internet and most of what you need to lan d clients, is free.<br>

- Create a Facebook page (not group) based around your new photography business. Keep your in formation and posts prof essional.<br>

-Once created, upload watermarked images of past clients and tag those clients in thos e images.<br>

Step 5: Credit Card Payments (iPhone, iPad, iTouch and Android Only)<br>

The faster out technology advances the better it is for mobile photographers (You). Taking credit cards used to be a pretty daunting task and cost oodles of cash to do.<br />Now it doesn't.<br>

-Go to <a href="http://www.squareup.com/">www.squareup.com</a> and sign up for a FREE acc ount. They will ship you the included FREE credit card reader.<br>

-While waiting for your reader, setup your bank account. Once verified you can now rece ive payments by punching in the card number on the phone until your reader arrives.<br>

Step 5 (Version 2) Credit Card Payments (everyone else)<br>

Not as cool or mobile as Square, you can setup a Paypal.com account. Inside PayPal make sure you setup a "Business Account". This will allow you to accept credit card payments through the PayPal web site as well as send invoices to clients. If you wish to process the payments yourself you can do that inside the PayPal Console once logged in.<br>

Step 6: Marketing!<br>

Word of mouth is the best marketing tip you will ever hear. Your reputation is all you will need to land clients now that you have a pretty low overhead business running. Do your best for every person you meet, e ven if they are not a paying client.<br>

-Tell everyone you know - You are now a photographer - If you can focus your career on thi s, when someone says "I really need to get new pictures of Madison", your cousin/friend/neighbor of a friend will say "I know someone!" People love to be helpful and feel they offer value.<br>

-Create Walking Ambassadors. You need people talking about you that are truly invested in seeing you succeed. To do this is simple. Do what you say you will do. You wouldn't believe how many failed promises people receive in a single day. If you’re going photograph Jill's family photos at 4:00pm on Friday - Arrive at 3:45pm. If you told Jill you'll have her proof's back to her by Saturday, give them to her on Friday. Best advise anyone will give you "Undersell and Over Deliver!"<br>

-Read Create walking ambassadors again!<br>

Ste p 7: Craigslist<br>

-Craigslist is a headache, but it's free. People are very flaky but there can be some great connections made. Create a simple flyer with 3-4 shots of your best work. Upload your flyer to craigslist Monday's and Thursdays for a month. Recreate the flyer every month and repeat.<br>

Step 8: Do what you Love<br>

-You love photography, that's why you do it. Donate your services to any cause you see fi t. Want to get your name out there? Donate your time to the local animal shelters or animal hospitals and offer to cre ate a calendar they can hand out to clients. Charge them cost on the calendars and place your name on the bottom of each page. You will gain more targeted exposure than the yellow pages.<br>

Step 9: Keep at it!<br />Don't get frustrated. Don't get overwhelmed. Don't give up. The successful know the key to success is perseverance. Keep at it, build your marketing list and you to will be a professional.</p>

[karen_lippowiths]

<p>John:</p>

<p>I just spent the last year developing a huge 300+ page kit on the very topics (and more) that you propose above. Here's what I might add:</p>

<p>I would say that if you're looking to create a PROFITABLE photography business, it's more important to tell your "target market" (rather than "everyone" and "all of your friends" and "Craigslist") about your services. I would never advertise on Craigslist or simply give my work away to anyone who asks. I do volunteer but to organizations who make sense for me. I think creating a sustainable business that lasts the test of time involves a much broader marketing plan and long-term investment than what your outline might lead a reader to believe. These are good "functional steps" and short-term objectives but they don't seem to fall within any overarching business plan or focused goal.</p>

<p>The single-most important element to me is to find the RIGHT clients and do outstanding work at a very profitable level (I average a couple thousand per portrait session) so that I have the means to reinvest in the business and so I'm working with clients who lead me to other desirable clients. I write and revise a detailed business plan to set out my vision and goals and to be sure I'm on track every 6 months or so. I think it's critical for any new photographer to start at this point.</p>

<p>A marketing plan involves four elements: Product, Pricing, Packaging, and Promotion. Pricing is such a mystery to most photographers and I didn't see anything here mentioned. In my opinion, failing to understand the "four Ps" but in particular pricing, is the nail in the coffin for most photography businesses. A photographer can do all of the things you mention above but if they're charging $15 for a 5x7, no amount of marketing and no amount of work will bring success. You might go into pricing a bit. There are three approaches: demand-based pricing, market-based pricing, and cost-based pricing. There's the "first unit of production" burden and there are basic formulas for accounting for time, costs, and mark-up. Then, you take the different pricing methods and give them a "real world test." If you can attach figures and formulas to the theories, this would be of great value to someone just starting out.</p>

<p>I'm not sure who your audience is or what the broad topic of the article is, but those are just a few additional points I would think you might want to include.</p>

<p>Since you asked, you can take a look at the outline of what I put together at focusedphotographer.com</p>

<p>Good luck and kudos for taking the time to help others out there.</p>

<p>:) Karen Lippowiths</p>

<p> </p>

[mariosforsos]

<p>I think I must have written enough to be made into a book on this, but shouldn't step 1 be: formulate a SOUND business plan? Or, even better, shouldn't step 1 be something that would help the person ensure that a photography business in his/her area and for his/her target audience is a viable business proposition?</p>

<p>I mean, all your tips (because that's what they are, tips and suggestions) are well and good and appear to be both simple and practical, but they really should come WAY AFTER a business plan has been developed, checked and cross-checked, discussed with accountants and lawyers, supported by a legal and financial framework AND agreed with the bank manager (who will be, in the final analysis, called upon to support ANY running business venture).</p>

[funcrunch]

<p>I would add that you should have your domain name as your e-mail address as well, instead of just using gmail or yahoo. I find an e-mail coming from joe@greatphotos.com to look more professional than joe@gmail.com.</p>

<p>And I'm not personally convinced that gmail is "the best the Internet has to offer", by the way. For mission-critical applications such as e-mail and web hosting, I prefer to use a paid service, as then there's a higher level of accountability if something goes wrong.</p>

[denniswms]

<p>I find your offering hilarious and really cheesy- and would expect to see your own web site, tear sheets, and client list as validation that you are even in a position to instruct others and that your precepts have led to your own successful career.</p>

<p> Ansel Adams was in his fifties with an extensive catalog before camera/ negative / print were published. </p>

<p>I agree with Karen that knowing a photographer's audience (and their expectations) is key- in her case adoring parents- a position that is illustrated repeatedly on her own web site. </p>

<p>I agree with Julie regarding gmail and would add there isn't a booker I know on three continents (and innumerable others) who does not see a gmail account (attached to a professional photographer) as a big red flag and justification for immediate derision.</p>