Bruce has gone to the Dogs…and Cats!

Is your studio part of a 35 billion dollar a year industry? Despite this nasty recession that all of us are dealing with the pet industry has more than doubled the last ten years. Some of the reasons why, according to economic trend experts, are the aging US population, with retiring affluent boomers treating their pets almost like grandchildren, and a lot of US households choosing not to have children, the dog and cats fill that role for them.

Ok Bruce, what does this have to do with our profession? I noticed about a year ago at a photography convention that I was judging at a large number of pet portrait entries. When I got back to the studio I started to research pet photographers all over the country. What I found amazed me! There’s a market for this stuff!

So, we decided to jump into the high end pet photography business during the first quarter of 2010. We decided to have a “pet” folio model search and market it to our existing clients via email and Facebook. Each pet model would get a free sitting and a complimentary 8x10, which they could also use as a credit towards a pet model search package we put together. We photographed our cats, my son Josh’s little dog, and my production manager Kelly’s little yapper that HATES me! These images were used to market the model search for us. A Facebook album was posted at about 3pm on a Thursday. Josh was going to link the email marketing story to the album to drive up our click through ratio on the email and create some buzz. By 3:10pm, before the email had gone out, we had already booked 5 sessions, and 2 were from brand new clients who were not in our network! This thing had already gone viral! 24 hours after the email blast to our clients, we had 24 sessions on the books.

We posted a “Pet” Folio Model Search Video on our Blog, Check it out HERE!

I know what you’re thinking, did we make in money? You bet! Our average sale was around $700, with a few going for several thousand. Ahhh, I think we hit a nerve! We are now photographing a few pets from time to time now and we are in the process of starting a whole new division of our studio. We have a website in the works, 2 displays (one in a high end pet boutique and another in a vet’s office), and some referral cards in the shape of dog bones to hand out! Even Martha Stewart is getting into the pet business; she has a line of clothes, toys, treats, and doggy beds now available at Pet Co.

Just some thoughts on how you can diversify into the pet market, there’s some real money to be made!

Bruce Hudson

Finding Your "Why"

Why are you an image creator? Did you become a photographer for the money or to fulfill your need to be creative? The longer I’m in this business, the more I understand my “why” for doing what I love to do. Yes, I have made a great living in this profession, more than I could have ever imagined, but there has to be more than just money, right? My “why” has to do with the ability to capture a person’s essence or soul in a photograph. Part of this talent is realized in the beginning of the client relationship. During our initial consultation, I ask a lot of questions about clients’ “why” and motivation for having a portrait created at this time in their life.

One profound question I ask to learn how my clients see themselves is, “If this was the last set of photographs of you ever taken, how would you want to be remembered?” This question really makes people think about their own mortality. It kind of hits them right between the eyes! But what if you actually know this will probably be your last set of photographs? This was the exact situation for one of my new clients who walked into my studio a few weeks ago.

Teresa was notified two days earlier that she had the same rare cancer that took the lives of her sister and father years before. She also was informed that she would begin some pretty radical treatments immediately. As she shared her touching story with me and my staff, it took me back almost 14 years to the day when my late wife and Josh’s mom Sue went in for her second cancer surgery.

I hardly knew Teresa but I knew that my “why” was to capture this lovely person’s essence before she would start the fight of her life. I made it my mission, as I do with every client, to tell her story through portrait art. We had little time to accomplish our goal, so we started right away. I ended up photographing her three separate times. One of the sessions was more formal at the studio. Another was with her horses and barn. The last one was with her dogs and her favorite 3-mile hike in the mountains. Teresa’s passion for life and courage to battle cancer inspired me ways I can’t even describe! I feel that I am producing some of the best work I have in years!

What’s your “why” for being a photographer? Mine is preserving memories and creating heirlooms for generations to come. Discover your “why” and post it on our fan page. I’d love to know why you are a photographer—and it might inspire others.

Thanks, everyone, for all your phone calls, emails, and Facebook posts. Both Josh and I are honored to be able to interact with such great people on a daily basis!

Bruce Hudson

“You can charge a heck of a lot more for differences than you can similarities!” –David Ziser

The other day we interviewed David Ziser for our Monthly Mentor Program. Many of you saw the video we posted on our fan page. If not, take a sneak peek at Facebook.com/mystudiomentor. One of David’s profound statements was “you can charge a heck of a lot more for differences than you can similarities!” This statement really stuck with me and is the theme of today’s blog. Did you know that one of the top Google searches right now is “How to start a photography business?” This phrase yields over 45 million search results! With more photographers than ever before getting into this business, it’s becoming harder and harder to separate yourself from the competition. And, cheaper competition means fewer clients in the pool for you to catch!

What’s the solution then? Move to another pool! You have to find ways to go after untapped markets and provide a product that no one else can, or at least market it as such. For us, one of our major USP’s has always been large wall décor. We create custom works of art for our clients who display them proudly in their homes! It sounds simple, but there are not too many photographers out there selling 30, 40, 50, 60, even 70 inch portraits. Why is that? Here’s my take on why more photographers are not going after this high end market and separating themselves:

(1) It requires a lot of planning. In order to sell large you have to educate your clients to the benefits, which means having a pre-portrait consultation. We also travel to our client’s home before the session to get a feel for the colors, mood, and where the portraits are going to hang.

(2) You have to project! If you can’t show your clients what size it’s going to be on the wall, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. How many 30x40’s have you sold from online proofing? We also do a lot of final fittings at our client’s homes as well, where we project the image right on the wall!

(3) Our images are worthy of wall. I’m not trying to sound pompous here, but the shear quality of the image is seen as “wall portrait” quality by my clients. There are a lot photographers out there who simply can’t produce these kind of images. Case in point, yesterday I was delivering a wall portrait to a new client who we photographed in August. They have a beautiful multi-million dollar home on a lake near Seattle. While photographing this family at their home a few months ago, I noticed they had portraits on their mantle and in the kitchen of their kids. As I delivered their order I asked who did their other portraits, she said it was a friend of a friend she knew. “We needed some new shots of the kids a few years ago. The photographer was nice but all we got was black and white images. I like black and white, but I wanted some color. After the session, I got them all on a disc and had to print them.” So of course I asked, “Why did you decide to use us for your family this time?” She said, “We wanted some special and different. I wanted something that would go on the wall.” I’m not knocking the photo journalistic style here; it has its place in our product line as well. But you have to separate yourself from the growing competition.

David said that many of the photographers out there are hungry for basic lighting techniques, which using an off camera flash is essential if you want to take your imagery to the next level. Anyone can buy a camera and put up a website these days, you have to show consumers why you are different and are worth the extra investment. Is marketing, creating, and selling wall portraits a lot of work? Yep! Is it worth it to see your bottom-line grow and your clients respect you as an artist? Yep! But, as we all know, it takes more than just pretty pictures to make a good living in this business, you have market yourself effectively! Try to find something that you do different and market it; it’s all about separating yourself! B.H.

Need help with portrait composition?

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Need help with off camera lighting and large family portraiture?

FREE Marketing that only costs you time!

Speaking in Your Community!
By Bruce Hudson

Since 1982 when we started our full time studio, I’ve given hundreds of programs throughout my community. Everything from jr. high career days to service clubs like Rotary. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a high school senior in front of my lens at the studio who said, “You came to my jr. high career day and I always wanted my senior portraits done by you!” One question photographers always ask me is, “Can speaking really get you new clients?” The answer is a big fat YES! http://mystudiomentor.com/Details.aspx?PID=7STEPS

For most photographers, it’s hard to wait 5 years (like the senior I mentioned above) for an excited 8th grader to turn into a client. Most marketing takes time for the seeds to germinate; that was just one example. However, there have been many times when I’ve finished my program and audience members come up to me afterwards right away. They’ll usually help me pack up and we’ll talk some more about photography. Many times these people become family clients within days! In fact, one of my top clients wrote me a $3,000 check for a first year baby plan the same morning he met me at a 7 Steps presentation! Yes, it was perfect timing with their anniversary and first child about to be born, but that is what getting out into the community is all about!

Putting yourself out in the community provides an opportunity for prospects to experience you and not just a name on a building or a website. The longer I’m in this wonderful profession, the longer I realize that people buy from people, not just a name or a company. A portrait session intimidates many people; capturing the essence of the subject requires a level of trust and rapport between the subject and the photographer. This will also help you get more of a natural expression; it’s the personal connection between the two. So, where I am going with this? Bottom-line: Speaking in your community will set you apart from other photographers in your area. The people in the audience will get to know you and not just the name of a studio. This might not sound like a big deal—trust me, it is!

Marketing That Only Costs you Time!

The days of sending out a direct mail piece and watching the calendar fill up are gone! You must be proactive and market yourself in a multitude of ways in order to generate new clients and maintain the current ones. If you are following Josh and me at http://www.mystudiomentor.com/, you know how we preach the importance of using various forms of marketing and implementing them. In this manual we will be concentrating on speaking as a form of cost-effective marketing. Schools, service organizations, mom’s groups, etc., are all looking for experts to come and speak at their meetings. Here’s the cool part—they don’t charge you anything to speak to them!

“Rock Star” for a Half Hour or so…

If you know more information about a subject than anyone else in the room, they you are the authority. When giving a program, this is your greatest asset. When the public is searching for a photographer online or offline in the phonebook, they have no clue who is exceptional, bad, or mediocre. When the public hears you during a program at their Kiwanis Club meeting, you are the authority in the room and this means instant credibility! Yes, credibility is totally subjective, but for that half hour or so you are the rock star in the room, you are the photography expert. You might not be the most decorated, award winning master photographer in your town, but for the time being, you rock!

Training Your Competition?

Some critics might say that you’re training your future competitors. This could not be further from the truth. If anything, you are showing the world the big difference between you the professional and them, the amateurs. For instance, I think I’m a pretty good cook. I love going to cooking classes and wine events. I have access to all the same tools and ingredients that the pro chefs do. Does my food taste like the pro chef who taught me? It’s good, but not even in the same ballpark! Am I going to run off and open a restaurant anytime soon? Nope! But I will more than likely frequent the pro chef’s restaurant because I have gotten to know him and have seen what he can do versus me; it’s as simple as that! You will not be training your competition, you will be building relationships and respect for your expertise in the field of photography.

If I haven’t convinced you yet, check this out! I even offer a Client Camera Class at the studio! This is actually one of our more popular events at the studio throughout the year. Everyone wants to learn how to take better photographs. Our Client Camera Class gives my clients the opportunity to visit the studio and subtly remind them that it’s time to update that family wall portrait! The class is not free; we require 3 bags of groceries for the local food bank! This is a great example of what we call “win-win” marketing.

For more information on how to get started with type of marketing, check this out! http://mystudiomentor.com/Details.aspx?PID=7STEPS

Better Basics in Your Photography Business!

Better Basics in Your Photography Business!
By: Bruce Hudson

We have been working harder than ever before to make the phone ring, service our clients beyond their expectations, and create the best possible images! The past few months we have seen a noticeable jump in sales. I attribute part of this success to the execution of the Better Basics I will cover during this article!

Here are 6 things that we are working hard to better every day in the studio:

(1) Phone Techniques- It costs a fortune in marketing dollars to get that phone to ring with the right client. The next time you take a phone inquiry, try this:

• Slow down!
• Ask more questions than usual
• Listen to their answers
• Don’t just listen to the words, listen for the meaning behind those words
• Try to pin-point their motivation

You will be surprised at how well you will connect with the person on the other end, even someone price shopping. With consumers watching their pocket books right now, each person inquiring about portraits has a motivation beyond the almighty dollar. Do your best to connect! You all know what you’re supposed to do—just slow down and do it! Photoshop can wait….

(2) Follow-Up ASAP in an Unexpected Way- When you get an email inquiry, take a moment and follow-up by phone unexpectedly! You will find that this makes an impact. I can’t tell you how many clients say, “Oh, my gosh, you called me back!” The same effect happens when sending an overnight letter rather than a normal letter. During this age of technology, your message needs to stand out. This principle was the reason for the invention of skywriting over 100 years ago! Definitely a new form of mass communication back then!

The second part of this equation is the speed with which you follow-up and respond. I deal with a lot of affluent clients and they expect an answer immediately. If not, they feel as though you’re not respecting their time. Bottom-line: Don’t sit on your messages, no matter what form they come in!

(3) The Technical Side of Photography- Get it in the camera! Yes, Photoshop and playing around with actions is fun, but spend most of your time on the part of the business that is going to make you money…Marketing! Time is money in this business. If you can get an image correct in the camera, it’s time you don’t have to waste trying to fix it. Avoid “time suckers” and get back to basics!

(4) Choose Your Actions Wisely- “Actions” in this case are not Photoshop actions, but actions you take on a moment-to-moment basis throughout the day. I’m not talking about just business either; this applies to life in general! I’ve been blogging about this for a few days on The Daily Mentor Minute. The actions you take in your business need to be ones that will move you forward. It’s things like going to your client’s home to finalize orders, picking up the phone to follow-up on leads, and limiting your time on the computer. It’s not always easy to stay on task during the day—try to find some balance between the fun stuff (like Photoshop) and the hard stuff (marketing & management).

Another component to this is…time! In today’s challenging marketplace, you have to implement things quickly in order to see results. Lately I have been pretty fortunate to have implemented some key strategies for closing sales. On July 13th I shared with all of you on The Daily Mentor Minute Blog what I have been doing. If you didn’t read it, take a minute and do so. My new action has been paying off handsomely with some amazing family portrait sales the past few weeks. Trust me, though: taking the right action can be tough. If I was gifted at taking action in all aspects of my life, I’d be a lot lighter!

(5) Creative Thank You’s- We all know that we are supposed to send thank you cards or letters to our clients throughout the sales process…right? So here is my question for you—how many of you actually do it? Come on, be honest now! I’m sure by now you have heard about our favorite new business tool for keeping in touch with our clients, Send Out Cards! SOC gives us the ability to create custom, personalized cards (with our client’s images on them) and send really cool gifts (gourmet food, gift cards, etc.), all for an inexpensive price. I have two purposes in sending thank you’s:

• Genuinely say “Thank you” to my clients!
• Create some “water cooler” marketing!

What’s water cooler marketing? It’s doing something for your clients that will get them talking about you around the water cooler I know, sounds cheesy, but on July 11th Josh (my son) had a great blog about this. Take a second read it and you’ll see what I’m talking about! Anyway, we use SOC at the studio everyday for thank you’s, reminders, confirmations, you name it! We also started using them for some smaller marketing campaigns! Check out this fantastic new tool! CLICK HERE to take a test drive and to send some FREE CARDS on us!

In addition to sending creative thank you’s, we also bring a gift to our clients when we deliver and hang their final portraits. It might be flowers, a gift certificate to a restaurant, or (in the case of the new client I just photographed) a bottle of his favorite Oregon Pinot! Listen to your clients, learn what they like, and then surprise them! It goes a long way…trust me!

(6) Better Web Traffic…and MORE of it! –In this digital age we are doing business in, you have to stand out on the web. Yeah, you could pay thousands to a consultant, or you can do much of the same techniques they would recommend for free! My son Josh has been a student of internet and social media marketing for some time now, he knows cheap and effective ways to drive more traffic to your site! More traffic, the better your site does on search engines. The more you get picked up by Google, Yahoo, and Bing, the more sessions you will get! He recommends reading Traffic Roots, an e-book written by Jens Berget of slymarketing.com. This e-book is only $7 and it will show you how to increase your web traffic tenfold! It covers:

Search Engine Optimization Strategies
Simple Keyword Research
Generating Back Links – Off Site SEO
Automated Traffic Systems- Blogs
Article Marketing Quick Start Plan

Seriously, the tactics and strategies are working for us! Internet marketing is one of those basics that all of us need to know in order to compete in this digital market place. Maybe in another blog I’ll have Josh explain the finer points of it. For now, get this e-book that Josh recommends and study up. It’s about 70 pages and costs next to nothing. Traffic Roots: Web Traffic Tactics- By Jens Berget

I hope you enjoyed this article! I know things are tough right now for many studios around the country, but focusing on some of these basics in business will help you through it! ‘Til next time, see ya!

Bruce

PS. Don’t forget to be become a fan on Facebook for daily motivation, inspiration, and studio tips! You’ll also get a $10 Gift Card!

This article is courtesy of http://www.mystudiomentor.com/. For more information about Bruce & Josh Hudson, please visit the website. Also check out their Daily Mentor Minute Blog, Image of the Week, and the highly subscribed to Monthly Mentor Program.

Bruce Hudson and www.mystudiomentor.com are Proud to be a Part of JustAskCam.com!

One thing I have learned in my 27 year professional career is that you have to learn from others in order to succeed in this business! This section of Cam’s website is an awesome way for photographers, both young and old, to learn from some of us who have made a good living as a photographer. I hope you check back here often, I’ll be posting a few times a month on such topics as:

Effective Marketing
Image Creation with Impact
Projection Sales Techniques
Studio Management

These are what I call the Four Pillars of Studio Success! To learn more about this philosophy, go to http://www.mystudiomentor.com/ and click on FREE Audio Program!

What does it take to be a successful photographer? Learn from others, mold their ideas into something that fits your personality, and implement it with passion and drive! I look forward to interacting with all of you!

Thanks Cam for setting this up!

Bruce Hudson
Master Craftsman Photographer
Member of The Camera Craftsmen of America
Co-Founder of http://www.mystudiomentor.com/

For a complete bio, please go to http://www.mystudiomentor.com/About.aspx