We are literally just a few days away from the first Online Class.
It's all about in person sales - whether that is over the phone pre-book, or at your order appointment. I will show you what works for me. They way that I say things, the questions I ask, and how to build your own scripts, your own wish lists. We will talk about guided selling, basic sales, being the expert, answering the tough on the spot questions, and even go through a sales process. You can ask all your sales questions! I promise it will ROCK your sales world.
Classes are 10/13 and 10/18 - Reserve your time now, because there are limited spots.
"The Big Picture, One Piece at a Time"
10.07.2011
10.06.2011
Personally Professional: Online
A couple of weeks ago, a photographer friend of mine contacted me and asked me to write up something about this very heated (and slightly controversial) topic. This will also be a series of posts (I've got a lot to say about this).
Now that our world is strongly social with its media base, there are lines that are blurred, crossed and created every day. Somewhere in the midst of all of this, we've forgotten about professionalism, respect, and common sense.
Don't think this applies to you? Keep reading.
Every day, I see posts from small business owners. On their profiles, on their pages, in their twitter feed. I get to see everything from what they had for breakfast to the sessions they've photographed, to quotes that inspire them. And I also get to see when they're out drinking, what their religious beliefs are, if they have any prejudices (yes, I will call them out as such). I get to see their drama, their negative attitudes, and their posts about other businesses. Basically, I get to watch them harm the brand that they've worked so hard to build.
Yes, there is something to be said about being authentic. I would hope that we are all authentic every day with every piece of our life. However, being authentic doesn't mean that you should post something or share something that isn't friendly to the public. You can be equally authentic with a filter.
What I'm saying is ... your profile may not be your business, but you are your business. You never know if your friends know people who may be your target market.
Are all of your clients exactly like you, with the same beliefs, the same sense of humor, the same prejudices? If so, your client list must be TINY - or you are disillusioned. Don't ever assume that those who view your business page cannot see your personal page, or your tweets, or anything you post on the web with your name attached to it (gotta love Google search). If you're putting it out there, it's fair game for ANYONE.
Your profile, your posts, anything you share is a part of your campaign. Much as a politician campaigns for votes into office, you're campaigning for likes that turn into clients. Politicians have to be very careful with what they say, where they're seen, what they do ... as a small business owner, you have that same responsibility to your business. You owe your business and your clients to put your best, most professional foot forward, personally. Your campaign for your business is a reflection of your clients and your brand (you are who you hang out with, after all).
Imagine this conversation:
Possible Prospect: "Hey, do you know any great photographers? I don't want someone cheap, I'm really looking for nice quality photographs. I want something for above the fireplace in our new house."
Your Facebook Friend: "Oh, well I would recommend this awesome photographer, but she just posted about ________ on her profile, so I don't think you guys would work well together."
Possible Prospect: "Was that that photographer on your friends list? Yeah, I looked at her work. I figured I'd ask you first since you know her. Too bad, her work is what I was looking for."
or ....
Your Facebook Friend: "No, sorry." (as she thinks about how you just tweeted about something offensive and is embarrassed to recommend you)
Oh wow, right?
Think about it (and before you post) --
Just because you CAN post it, doesn't mean you should. If you really have to write it out somewhere, create a private blog, or write it out by hand, and throw it away!
... Wait, what if I'm new to photography, and I hardly have any clients let alone fans. Does it really matter what I'm posting?
Oh my goodness, yes! The one thing about the online world is nothing ever goes away!
In 2 years, when business is picking up and prospects are contacting you, do you want them to see what you're posting? You should run your business now for the business you plan on having in 10 years. Being "new" or few in fans doesn't give you any less responsibility towards your client base - whether that client base is past, present or future.
Your posts online become your brand. They're the "living/breathing" parts of who you are in this digital world. Prospects can see you wherever you put yourself on the web, so unless you create an alias to post these things to, think twice before you post. If you're strongly opinionated, have any prejudices, or tend to be a realist/negative this would be where you want to work on your filter.
Just as a guide, things to avoid posting about would be:
UNLESS of course, the topic - and your stance on it - is a strong part of your brand.
I wish I could say this is uncommon. That people think of their brand and their clients and other people in general before they post. If that was the case, I wouldn't have been asked to write this post. I implore you, small business owner, be more conscientious, respectful, and personally professional in your social media.
-------------------------------
I want to know what you think about this. Have you seen it? What are your reactions when you see a business or business owner post something strongly opinionated, prejudiced or negative?
Now that our world is strongly social with its media base, there are lines that are blurred, crossed and created every day. Somewhere in the midst of all of this, we've forgotten about professionalism, respect, and common sense.
Don't think this applies to you? Keep reading.
Every day, I see posts from small business owners. On their profiles, on their pages, in their twitter feed. I get to see everything from what they had for breakfast to the sessions they've photographed, to quotes that inspire them. And I also get to see when they're out drinking, what their religious beliefs are, if they have any prejudices (yes, I will call them out as such). I get to see their drama, their negative attitudes, and their posts about other businesses. Basically, I get to watch them harm the brand that they've worked so hard to build.
Yes, there is something to be said about being authentic. I would hope that we are all authentic every day with every piece of our life. However, being authentic doesn't mean that you should post something or share something that isn't friendly to the public. You can be equally authentic with a filter.
What I'm saying is ... your profile may not be your business, but you are your business. You never know if your friends know people who may be your target market.
Are all of your clients exactly like you, with the same beliefs, the same sense of humor, the same prejudices? If so, your client list must be TINY - or you are disillusioned. Don't ever assume that those who view your business page cannot see your personal page, or your tweets, or anything you post on the web with your name attached to it (gotta love Google search). If you're putting it out there, it's fair game for ANYONE.
Your profile, your posts, anything you share is a part of your campaign. Much as a politician campaigns for votes into office, you're campaigning for likes that turn into clients. Politicians have to be very careful with what they say, where they're seen, what they do ... as a small business owner, you have that same responsibility to your business. You owe your business and your clients to put your best, most professional foot forward, personally. Your campaign for your business is a reflection of your clients and your brand (you are who you hang out with, after all).
Imagine this conversation:
Possible Prospect: "Hey, do you know any great photographers? I don't want someone cheap, I'm really looking for nice quality photographs. I want something for above the fireplace in our new house."
Your Facebook Friend: "Oh, well I would recommend this awesome photographer, but she just posted about ________ on her profile, so I don't think you guys would work well together."
Possible Prospect: "Was that that photographer on your friends list? Yeah, I looked at her work. I figured I'd ask you first since you know her. Too bad, her work is what I was looking for."
or ....
Your Facebook Friend: "No, sorry." (as she thinks about how you just tweeted about something offensive and is embarrassed to recommend you)
Oh wow, right?
Think about it (and before you post) --
- Has there been anything you posted lately that could be offensive?
- Anything that could bring negative light on you or your business?
- Anything that could push prospects away?
- Is there anything that could be keeping you from growing your client base?
- Would I be embarrassed if someone saw this post in a year?
- Did it build up you or your business or your clients to post this?
- Am I posting out of emotion?
- Does my boss/grandma/the world need to know this?
Just because you CAN post it, doesn't mean you should. If you really have to write it out somewhere, create a private blog, or write it out by hand, and throw it away!
... Wait, what if I'm new to photography, and I hardly have any clients let alone fans. Does it really matter what I'm posting?
Oh my goodness, yes! The one thing about the online world is nothing ever goes away!
In 2 years, when business is picking up and prospects are contacting you, do you want them to see what you're posting? You should run your business now for the business you plan on having in 10 years. Being "new" or few in fans doesn't give you any less responsibility towards your client base - whether that client base is past, present or future.
Your posts online become your brand. They're the "living/breathing" parts of who you are in this digital world. Prospects can see you wherever you put yourself on the web, so unless you create an alias to post these things to, think twice before you post. If you're strongly opinionated, have any prejudices, or tend to be a realist/negative this would be where you want to work on your filter.
Just as a guide, things to avoid posting about would be:
- Religion
- Politics
- Negativity or Judgement of Other Photographers
- Womens Rights
- Sexuality
- Sports (yes, sports - diehard fans are people you don't want to upset)
- Alcohol/Drugs
- Sex
- Prejudices of ANY kind
UNLESS of course, the topic - and your stance on it - is a strong part of your brand.
I wish I could say this is uncommon. That people think of their brand and their clients and other people in general before they post. If that was the case, I wouldn't have been asked to write this post. I implore you, small business owner, be more conscientious, respectful, and personally professional in your social media.
-------------------------------
I want to know what you think about this. Have you seen it? What are your reactions when you see a business or business owner post something strongly opinionated, prejudiced or negative?
10.03.2011
Pro Photography BlogShare Group: SEO Starter
We are thrilled to host Deborah Chetwood of TheTXPhotography today as our Guest Poster. She's going to be doing a series with us from our Photography BlogShare Group about SEO. Without further adieu:
Let me start by saying how excited I am for the creation and growth of the Photography BlogShare group.
All of us are partaking in this world of blogging and most all of us are finding out just how hard it is to get our blog noticed by the people we are targeting (AKA Clients!), but with this group we have a chance to help build our own blogs while helping others do the same. We are a community of photogs working together to build each other up. It doesn’t get much better than that! If you haven’t joined the group yet, please go check it out. It really is a wonderful community of photogs.
Today’s topic is all about understanding the basics when it comes to SEO. Our community is full of new bloggers with lots of wonderful questions. And I thought we should all get on the same page. What is this thing called SEO that everyone keeps spouting about?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is basically a set of actions with the goal of improving visibility on the internet. There are different categories within these actions and this is what we are going to explore.
But before we do, we need to understand in layman terms why SEO is so important. Let’s say you have a photography business and want to reach potential clients in your area. Before the internet, you would place an advertisement in the yellow pages but the placement and size of the AD would be determined by the amount of money you could invest.
Of course there were other methods: mass mailings, promotional campaigns, etc, but for this comparison we will stick with the AD in the yellow pages. Search engines have taken the place of the yellow pages and just like the yellow pages, you have to understand categories and where your business fits within them, IE Keywords. The end user types in specific keywords and a list of potential matches come up in the list. But how is the list regulated?
Why are certain companies (your competition) always in the first two pages and more importantly, why is your page not even showing up?! This is due to SEO. These other companies have stepped through the set of actions required by the major search engines to ensure themselves top placements. (Please note that not all companies utilize all the actions.) So what are those actions and how can you step through them?
Actions for SEO:
- Directories
- Purchasing Online Advertising
- Top Competition
- Text Link Brokers
- Link Searches
- Distinctive Tools & Services
- Usurping Competitors' Links
- Mechanized Link Building Programs
- Article Writing & Submission
- Contributions & Charity
- Anchor text
- Natural Links
- Renting Pages from power Sites
Yep, it is a lot and time consuming and is why I thought I should start some articles to step through these actions. Together we can work on our actions and learn about the dos and don’ts of SEO.
I’m sure you are pondering exactly how this group is helping you build your ranking and specifically what actions it relates to, so let’s talk about that. What the group provides: Backlinks. Backlinks are part of the action category: Natural Links and are a huge factor in the SEO equation. This is why it is super important to accept comments on your blog and to comment on other blogs.
Rules to consider:
- Be sure you are linking back to your blog when you leave a comment.
- Don’t comment as anonymous because it isn’t creating a link for you.
- Make sure the blogs you are commenting on have a connection to your targeted community. IE. photography
It is also important to build links outside of comments in your blog, called blogrolls. Commenting alone is not enough for SEO equations, you need dedicated links to and from bloggers within your targeting community. It gives your blog worth which equals higher rankings. And with our group, you have a large photog community set up to share links. How cool is that? But for this to benefit everyone, everyone who participates has to reciprocate by linking as well.
Do note that your blogroll should not exceed 25 links per category because the spiders that crawl the sites could penalize you. This does not mean you are limited to only 25 links. You can have 100s of links but categorize them in a way that limits the count to 25 max. You also don’t have to place them in a blogroll; creating pages within your blog that are devoted to just links works too. It really is up to the end user on how they want to design this, but definitely add it to your to do list because it is an action that you don’t want to bypass.
-- Deborah Chetwood of TheTXPhotography
Deborah is a Children/family photographer, artist with degrees in Studio Art and Art History. Her extensive background includes time as a Network Engineer, Project Management Consultant, and self-proclaimed research addict. She lives in Austin, TX, and is the proud mother to a 5 yr old. She's our "resident mini-expert" of SEO.
Find Deborah on Facebook and Visit her Blog
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