30 THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS IN 2013

It's December 28, and the new year is coming quickly.  Since this seems to be the time of year we all create different lists of "resolutions" for the new year, here's a few suggestions of things you can do in the next year to help you build a profitable and sustainable photography business.  Some of these are things you can do today - some will take some work and planning, but either way, I hope you'll find a few things you can do to make a difference in your business this coming year!

1. Read books about business (I highly recommend this one, this one, and this one)

2. Take a photography class (at a community college or university).

3. Attend a quality workshop (either in person, or on CreativeLIVE)

4. Practice your photography

5. Second shoot with other photographers

6. Connect with a network in your area.

7. Send handwritten thank you notes to your clients.

8. Send handwritten notes to other professionals in your industry.

9. Start an email newsletter.

10. Hire an accountant.

11. Stop looking at other photographer's work for 3 months.

12. Turn off your iPhone after 6pm.

13. Turn off all "push" notifications for email/twitter/facebook/etc.

14. Take up a completely non-photography related hobby.

15. Start a personal photography project.

16. Shoot a personal project on film.

17. Get a business mentor/coach.

18. Start a retirement savings account (yes, small business owners can take advantage of 401K plans as well)

19. Start outsourcing things that others can do (like post-processing, client relationship management, and even your studio administrative support).

20. Every month, make it a priority to meet one new industry peer or vendor (planner, sales coordinator, florist, photographer, event designer, etc).

21. Make sure your business is protected by becoming an LLC, S-Corp, or Corporation.

22. Develop a content marketing strategy (social media, blogging, etc)

23. Take a long hard look at your website

24. Create a way to use your photography to give back to your community.

25. Refine your marketing plan around your ideal client.

26. Learn off-camera lighting

27. Learn on-camera flash

28. Photograph something completely different - leave your "go-to" lens at home.

29. Write down your workflow and dial in your systems.

30. Send out a survey to your past clients.

Did you find this post helpful? CLICK HERE to have posts like this delivered to your email inbox, then CHECK OUT YEAR ONE: to learn how to build a profitable and sustainable photography business.

INTERVIEW W/ BRONSON TAYLOR FROM ICONIFY

A few weeks ago, I discovered a brand new way for photographers to create stunning porfolio sites online with Iconify.  I had a chance to chat with Bronson Taylor, the Founder of Iconify, and learned a little more about what those guys are creating.  Here's some of the highlights from our conversation:

What is Iconify?  

Iconify turns your portfolio into a marketing machine. There are plenty of places to upload your images online, but there isn't an online portfolio that is built for marketing. 

Where did the idea for Iconify come from? 

My wife is a wedding photographer and I was always tasked with building her portfolio and marketing her services. I designed the first version of Iconify as a portfolio for her, but then I quickly realized that we had something special.

How is Iconify helping photographers market to their clients, and future clients? 

Iconify was built for marketing from the ground up. First, your portfolio works perfectly on every device (desktops, tablets, and phones) so you never have future clients struggling to navigate your site. They can even swipe through your photos with touch on phones and tablets. 

Second, your contact information is prominent so future clients can easily contact you, including one-touch to call. email, or get driving directions from mobile devices.

Third, you can share your portfolio with a couple clicks on your social networks, but even more importantly, anyone who views your portfolio can share it on their own social networks. For the first time your postfolio can go viral.

Fourth, if anyone views your portfolio from a phone or tablet they can download your portfolio as an app. If you are an icon on someone's most intimate device then they are more likely to remember you, hire you, and tell others about you.

How is Iconify different from other portfolio website options for photographers? 

Other portfolios just display your work, but they don't provide the tools to promote your work. Iconify helps you get clients, get exposure, and get money.

Tell me more about the mobile option? 

The world is going mobile. Soon, more people will access the internet from a mobile device than from a desktop. However, our portfolios have not kept us. If you visit your current portfolio from a phone right now it might be shocking to see how poor it displays. Iconify portfolios are touch-enabled and even downloadable as an app. It is the first true mobile portfolio. 

So it looks like it's a free service.  How do I sign up, and what benefits do I get if I move up to the Pro level?

You can signup for free at www.iconify.co. We hate complicated pricing so we kept things simple. Free members can access every feature (including themes, analytics, etc.) but they are limited to 10 images. Pro membership is only $5/month and they are able to upload 500 images.

Anything else you want photographers to know about Iconify?

Iconify has only been public for two weeks and we already have over 8,000 photographers that use our service. We are astonished by the response we've had so far, and we look forward to serving the photography community for many years to come.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. While no one paid for this post, if you sign up from one of those links, I may receive a small affiliate commission.

INTERVIEW W/ JARED BAUMAN FROM SHOOTDOTEDIT

I've written a few things about Photographer's workflows before.  It's an area of passion for me, for several reasons, but mostly because I believe it's an area where Photographers struggle - not because they have trouble making their photos look great - but because it's an area where they struggle to create a good system.  A lot of photographers spend a LOT of time on editing - time they could spend on their business, doing things that actually make them money.

One of my good friends, Jared Bauman, is the Co-Founder + CEO of ShootDotEdit, the industry leader in post-processing for wedding photographers.  He's also one of the sharpest guys I know - and a great photographer as well.  I had a chance to ask him a few questions recently, and thought I'd share with you our conversation.

Disclaimer: I am a ShootDotEdit customer, and have spoken for their workshop tour, but was not compensated in any way for this post.  ShootDotEdit has partnered with my workshops, but only by providing valuable "stuff' for attendees.  They don't pay me, and I just thought you should know :)

What is ShootDotEdit? 

ShootDotEdit is the First Choice Post Processing Partner for the Wedding Pro, and everything they shoot (engagements, portraits, boudoir, etc).

Where did the idea for ShootDotEdit come from? 

Garrett Delph, another professional wedding photographer, and myself were having fish tacos at the Brigantine in North County San Diego, commiserating about all of the editing we had to do to keep caught up.  We brainstormed hiring an editor, and training him to each of our individual studio profiles.  Thus, ShootDotEdit was born!

How is ShootDotEdit helping make photographer's lives a little easier?

When you consider that the average wedding photographer spends around 15 hours editing a wedding, ShootDotEdit has come in and removed that burden.  With ShootDotEdit, the photographer can focus on shooting and marketing.  In addition, because ShootDotEdit specializes in post production, most photographers find that their work is edited with an increased consistency.

How is ShootDotEdit different from other outsourced post-processing options for photographers? 

ShootDotEdit specializes in the wedding pro, and is optimized to take care of their intimate needs.  In addition, ShootDotEdit boasts the fastest turnaround time in the industry, with events completed as fast as 48 hours!  Fast is Best, and no one is faster.

What if I'm scared to have someone else edit my photos? 

Well, that's very common.  We have a couple of Services in place to help:

Color Wizard: this where you communicate to us your color preferences, so we edit your images to your style.

DotPreview: we will provide you a sample of 10 images from throughout the day, edited to your Color Profile.  Like it? Just click Approve and you're on your way!  Don't like it? We'll keep working with your DotPreview until you're happy.  Its our guarantee :).

Does it matter if I use Aperture or Lightroom?

We have Aperture and Lightroom workflows specifically tailored for the wedding pro.  Our workflows have been set up by the industry leaders (Apeture - Sara France; Lightroom - Jared Platt)

What does the process usually look like?

Once your have your Color Profile set up, you'll receive your images back as fast as 48 hours! 

Okay, how do I get started?

Quite simple.  Sign up for Free (https://secure.shootdotedit.com/) and set up your Color Profile (3 minutes or less).  All of our jobs are a la carte, and ordering takes less than one minute on average

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I just want to add, as a ShootDotEdit customer, I love how simple and easy it is to have my images processed consistently every time.  With a family of three little ones at home, my experience has been that letting someone else deal with the post-processing gives me back time to do things that matter - both for my business, and for my life!

Did you find this post helpful? CLICK HERE to have posts like this delivered to your email inbox, then CHECK OUT YEAR ONE: to learn how to build a profitable and sustainable photography business.