by successfulbob | photography, photography education, photography marketing, success education
Press Releases & Marketing
Keeping your name out in front of your community is a very important part of running your photography business. This means getting out to networking meetings, getting displays in busy businesses, social media and using every possible way to have people think of you first when the subject of photography comes up.
This story appeared in the Sedona Red Rock News
Press releases can play a big part in this area of your business. Many people say they don’t know what, or how, to write press releases. It is not terribly difficult. you can see some of my press from over the years and get some ideas on writing a proper press releases, that tend to get printed, here.
There are many reasons to send out a release. For example, your business has worked on a charity project raising money for your community. Or, you have trained and received a degree, certification, participated in Imaging Competition or won an award for your photography. Remember these releases need to be written in the third person, contain quotes from others about you and your work and quotes from yourself about what has taken place.
Here’s another article printed about my being named to the World Photographic Cup Team USA in the local entertainment paper Kudos.
In addition to the newspaper articles the story also appeared in the online edition of Kudos. I will also be linking this article on my blog to social media posts and sending out a release on LinkedIn etc. You can see how one event can be leveraged to get lots of exposure.
Remember people need to be touched anywhere from 7-13 times in your marketing before they will begin to remember your name. Get out there. Do good things. Share what you’ve done properly. Earn more business.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography competition, photography education, success education
I often hear from fellow photographers that they don’t have time for things like imaging competition.
I call BS!
And that brings me to today’s Photo/Art quote from Rich Mann.
“There’s no time like the present, and no present like time.” Rich Mann
I don’t suggest that you take time from your family, but be more efficient with your time at work. There’s a huge difference between being busy and being efficient at your job. I’ve been quite guilty of it at times myself. Thinking that I was too busy to do things and found that non-constructive work habits were not allowing me to get the most important things done while insignificant things were taking up waaaayyy tooooo much time. For some quick ideas I suggest checking out this post from Brian Caporicci on Sprouting Photographeron how a tool meant to save you time, energy and make your life easier has started to become a ball and chain.
That tool’s name is email. And Brian will gives you some solutions to put that bad boy back in place.
…Now what to do with the extra time you just carved out??
HMMM, I know!
Put some time on your schedule to prep 1-2 images a month for competition. Then when the deadline comes around you’ll have plenty of images ready to choose from…
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | inspirational video, photography, success education, video
I found this video on Monday Morning Memo with Steve Jobs talking about asking for what you want or need… This is great stuff! It’s less than 2 minutes and I highly encourage you to watch it and take the message to heart.
From the MMM “Steve’s last words in this video are, “If you’re afraid of failing, you won’t get very far.” By the way, it was at H-P that Jobs met Wozniak. Watch the video.
By the way make sure you click on the Monday Morning Memo link and get signed up for weekly inspiration for your business. If you have a creative mind at all you’ll be glad you did…
by successfulbob | photography, photography education, success education
I’m a big fan of Roy Williams and the Monday Morning Memo. In this memo he writes about a word I see in many photographers’ descriptions of why they decided to get into the business. And, also why I feel so many don’t make it… Is this you?
The Follow-Your-Passion Myth
One of the books I’ll write someday is a collection of true stories gathered from extremely successful people.
My business as an advertising consultant and seminar speaker has put me face-to-face with many of the brightest stars in the entrepreneurial sky. And rarely do I miss the opportunity to ask them,
“Can you recall that fateful moment when you chose the fork in the road that led you to where you are today? How did you first get into this business?”
Never – not once – has a successful person said to me, “I followed my passion.”
But this is the answer you will hear again and again from people who are serving time in prison.
The world is full of rich people who are not, and never were, successful. People who stole the money, inherited the money, married the money, won the money in the stock market or in the lottery, cheated others out of the money or were awarded the money in court, do not qualify as “successful” in my admittedly subjective opinion.
The “Follow-Your-Passion” myth is pervasive because successful people are usually passionate. But those people would have been passionate about whatever they chose to do.
Their jobs don’t give them passion.
They give passion to their jobs.
The same is true in successful marriages.
Moon-eyed dreamers who say, “I just can’t find my passion” always act like I kicked their puppy when I tell them that passion is not a magical ether that can be located and tapped into. Passion is the shrapnel that flies from a three-way collision of determination, commitment and action.
While we’re at it, let’s pull the mask off a couple of other myths:
(1.) Passion doesn’t always manifest itself as happiness. Passion is also behind deep grief. (2.) Passion isn’t always confident. Worry is misguided passion, fearful passion, but it is passion nonetheless.
Don’t do what you’re passionate about.
Be passionate about what you do.
Don’t follow your passion.
Let your passion follow you.
Passion is created when determination and commitment are joined by the nitroglycerin of action. Leonardo da Vinci said it 480 years ago and he said it in Italian. Here is the clearest translation:
“People of accomplishment rarely sit back and let things happen to them. They go out and happen to things.”
Listen to Leonardo.
Go out and happen to something.
When we hear the laughter and the dancing,
the crying and the grief, we will know the shrapnel is flying.
Roy H. Williams
I highly recommend you subscribe to the Monday Morning Memo. A great way to start your week… get a taste of Roy here in this weeks Rabbit Hole… (It’s a place where, well, you have to spend time there to understand it. Click on the image of each page to drill down further and further)
