Register Now - Camp David 2011 - Take Control!

Camp David 2011 - Take Control!

Date - Monday, April 25th   Location - Maplewood Community Center  2100 White Bear Ave - Maplewood, MN Time - 9:00am to 6:00pm  -registration/check-in begins at 8:30am (informal dinner to follow at Jake's - Maplewood)

                                                             

Has your photography "business" take over your life? Are you tired of spending all your time in Photoshop? Has your family ever asked "How much more time are you going to spend in front of the computer?"

Are you new to the industry and just need to learn the proper way to get started?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions or you would like to get better in lighting, workflow, sales and marketing, or just become more profitable, it's time for you to Take Control of your business.

Join David Jones, Dave Johnson, David Grupa and Kirsten Holscher for a full day of helpful information. Last year's Camp David was a huge success and 2011 will be even better!

Spend the morning at our lighting and workflow stations; learn studio lighting, lighting on-location with off-camera flash, color balance and workflow, and presentation and sales techniques.

We'll pause for a brief lunch together, then get right back into things for our afternoon breakout sessions. Choose from the following:

David Jones - Lightroom

Learn how Adobe's Lightroom can speed up your workflow and help organize your images.

Dave Johnson - Get Away From Your Computer and Get Your Life Back!

Learn how to automate your regular tasks in Photoshop by building actions. Every second you save is time you can spend doing something you really enjoy!

Kirsten Holscher - Business By The Numbers

Your business numbers are more than just the price of your products. Knowing how all of the numbers fit together will allow you to chart your course and keep you on track.

David Grupa - Social Media Marketing

Social Media encompasses your internet presence, including Facebook, Twitter, your blog and website. Spend your time online doing something productive for your business.

Register by April 15th and receive the "trade show in-a-bag" gift, 
loaded with goodies and more!

Cost - $99 per person/ $129 at the door - Registration includes lunch and a PPA Charities t-shirt!
NEW - Register with a "Buddy" and Both of you come for $149!
(Buddy Pass offer good only when both registrations are received together.)

A portion of the proceeds from all Camp David registrations will be donated to PPA Charities

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
 

For more information call David Grupa at 651.748.8779 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            651.748.8779      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email info@CampDavidPhoto.com

Coming from out of town?

Emerald Inn Maplewood - 651.777.8131 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            651.777.8131      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Days Inn Maplewood - 651.288.0808 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            651.288.0808      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Country Inn Vadnais Heights - 651.483.1625 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            651.483.1625      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Make Senior Reps a Part of Your Marketing Plan!

As consumers, we like to know what we are getting into before doing business with a company with which we are not familiar. For example, if you need to buy or sell your home you will probably ask someone you know which realtor they worked with and if they liked them. Or you may look for reviews online.

The senior portrait market is no different. First-time senior parents ask other parents who have been through it before. The seniors themselves look to their friends to see where they went and if they liked their images.

A senior rep promotes your business to their friends and classmates. Typically, the rep is provided with an incentive that they hand out or offer to friends and classmates. The business benefits to you include word-of-mouth advertising and additional bookings. The senior rep is rewarded based on the number of referrals who book a session.

If you’ve never worked with senior reps before, there are a few basic things you need to have in place. First, you need to know what you are offering to the rep in the form of sessions and rewards. Next, you’ll need to find the reps you want to work with. Finally, you need to get your ducks in a row. It is important to photograph the reps’ sessions early enough so you can get information into their hands before school is out for the summer. Why? Senior portrait sessions can be scheduled as early as June and even May. If you don’t have information out there until June you are losing out on potential bookings.

Let’s begin by looking at what to offer the rep. For starters, you will need to do a model session. Length of time, clothing changes, locations, etc. can be entirely up to you. I do a studio session with a few different clothing changes to show variety in backgrounds and outfits. Don’t go overboard on the number of images from this session.

After editing, I meet with the reps to determine which images are their favorites. I use these in my marketing pieces, as well as on the business/gift cards the student reps will hand out to their friends. Each rep gets 20-30 double sided business cards with an offer; this can include a gift card ($20, $50 or $75 off a session fee) or another product. The offer is totally up to you!

Get the business cards in the hands of your reps and keep them informed of any sales or special promotions you have going on throughout the senior season. Typically, I send them a quick note on Facebook to let them know of upcoming promotions. I also take this time to ask if they need anything from me that could help them gain more referrals.

Make sure to track the referrals you get from each rep. I have reward levels set up for each 5 referrals a rep sends to the studio. These reward levels are in addition to a $20 studio credit the rep receives for each referral that booked a session.

It can be tricky to find the reps, especially if you have not photographed seniors before. Here are a couple of ideas:

1)       If you have photographed seniors, ask them who they think a good rep would be from the junior class. Contact the people who are suggested by saying you received their name from this person. That will give you credibility (and not make you look like you are a creeper on Facebook.)

2)       Send out an email to your existing client base. Let them know you are looking for energetic students who want to represent your studio in their school.

3)       Use Facebook ads targeted to 16-17 yr olds in your area to generate online interest.

4)       Advertise on other social media outlets (website, Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc.)

A good rep is outgoing and involved in school activities or just has a lot of friends. Your senior rep program can have a lot of little nuances that makes the reps work really hard for your business. Not all reps are created equal. Some will do a great job getting you referrals, while others just think it is fun to be a rep and don't treat it like a "job". Be realistic in your expectations. If you are new to the senior market (or even just new to a school) it might take a couple of years to really get a good senior base going.

While senior reps are a great source of marketing, they shouldn’t be your only source. As discussed in previous posts here, direct mail, email marketing campaigns, referrals from regular sessions, Facebook ads and good old word-of-mouth are all needed to really spread the news that you are in the business of photographing high school seniors.

Have fun photographing!

- Kirsten Holscher

Kirsten Holscher, CPP, Cr. Photog. owns Fieldstone Portraits in Cottage Grove, MN. She also helps studio owners through her business coaching endeavor, First Things First. 

If you’d like more in-depth information about senior rep programs, visit http://www.facebook.com/FirstThingsFirstCoach. She offers an in-depth information guide on creating a senior rep program which is on sale now!

iTextPhoto Keeps You in Front of Seniors With Mobile Marketing Options

Let's touch on something that's really exploded in the past few years; mobile marketing. Although there are a number of components to mobile marketing, today we're going to focus on 2 specific parts.

Text Messaging

Anyone who's had a mobile phone for any length of time is already aware of the popularity of text messaging. Most teens would rather text than talk, so what better way to reach them than in a text message?
Companies such as iTextPhoto specialize in getting the message across for professional photographers. They collect and maintain a database of people who text a "mobile keyword" to a specific number. When people text your keyword it automatically opts their mobile number into your itextphoto database. From there, you're free to send text messages that include special offers or links to mobile websites. You can also send out a favorite image, share a new video slideshow with all your portrait clients, or surprise a client with a favorite preview image they can forward to friends and family or set as their phone background image.

Since not all websites are optimized for viewing on smartphones and mobile devices, one of the cool features if iTextPhoto is their special "mobile website". You can create you own gallery specifically compatible for viewing on a smartphone. How cool is that?

I've added text messaging and to my marketing plan for 2011. If you'd like to check it out for yourself, visit iTextPhoto for more information on their mobilemarketing plans.

QR codes

One of the hottest new pieces of technology to make its way into the market is the QR (Quick Response) code. These small, square barcodes can be scanned with Android, Blackberry and iPhones utilizing a barcode reader software (available free in the Android Market or iTunes store under the download "Barcode Scanner"). The result can be anything from a contact info card, to a phone number, to a link to a website showing photographs.

QR Codes are slowly but steadily being adopted by the public. Marketers have begun to notice the incredibly low cost of QR codes and their amazingly effective ROI.

The codes are easily generated online at sites such as ZXing. Simply type in the type of info you'd like displayed and a QR code will be generated for your use. You can print it in your marketing materials, on a tshirt, on stickers or post it on your Facebook page.

The uses are many; what uses will you think of for QR codes?

If you're thinking "Great, but I don't know about text messaging and scanning barcodes with my phone," you're in a growing minority. Remember, we're marketing to high school seniors . . . and they DO "get it" when it comes to technology.

Stay ahead of the game!

- David Grupa

Get An Easy-to-Remember Link for Your Facebook Fan / Business Page!

Here's a quick Facebook Tip . . .

Do you hate the long, cryptic link that you have to try to convey to fans to get them to your business page? Have you reached 25+ fans yet?

If your page already has over 25 fans, you can change the url for your "page" from the long, confusing style to something shorter and easy to remember (and share with your clients!)

Go to www.facebook.com/username and follow the prompts. Your new page link can be whatever you choose (ie: www.facebook.com/CampDavidPhoto) but choose wisely.  
Once you set the username, you can NOT change it. Ever.

Enjoy!

- David Grupa

Note: Usernames are issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Claim your username before someone else does!

Should You Use Traditional Mailing Pieces in Your Senior Marketing?

With the popularity of electronic media increasing, many photographers often ask "is it even necessary to do a mailing? Can't I just use Facebook and my student reps?"

Any marketing campaign (and that's what we're building - a package) should contain enough elements to cover your target market in as many ways as possible. In my market (a large metro area) advertising in the newspaper, or on radio or television is not only cost prohibitive, it's fleeting and ineffective. Ads on broadcast media are literally "gone in 60 seconds", while newspapers get recycled at the end of the day, often without your target market having seen or heard your spot.

Remember, we are marketing to both the high school senior and his/her parents (or the checkbook holder who gets the final say), so I still use 3-4 USPS mailings per season. This literally puts my name in the hands of both student and parent in a format that is more permanent than radio / TV / Facebook / newspaper. Since there is a coming need, the card is bound to be put in a prominent place (such as the refrigerator door) and kept for reference.

Here are 6 important things to consider when doing a senior mailing:

1)     Use images to grab attention, use simple text to hold it. Design the front side of the card with eye-catching images and graphics, then use a short headline to entice them to read the other side.

2)    The offer portion of your card should be simple and easy to read. Don't try to cram every little detail onto the piece; state your offer quickly and concisely.

3)    Include a Call-to-Action statement. A generic offer with no call-to-action doesn't push the reader to make a decision and act on it. Something like "One Day Sale" or "Hurry, Offer Expires April 1st" will cause the reader to respond.

4)     Include your contact information! While this seems simple, too many beautiful cards get designed with the studio phone number and website as an afterthought. Don't make it the reader have to hunt for your contact info.

5)     Address the card "To The Parents Of" the high school senior. Once the piece is brought in from the mailbox, it often gets sorted by addressee. You want mom to see the your piece as well as the senior.

6)     Work from a reliable mailing list. While you can purchase lists from brokers, sometimes the actual school district will sell you a list of their upcoming seniors. Check to see if this is available in your area; it's far more accurate than a purchased list.

There are numerous places to get quantity postcards printed in full color. Depending on the quantity of cards needed, I have received great prices and service from these vendors:

Next Day Flyers - www.nextdayflyers.com
VistaPrint - www.vistaprint.com
Willy Walt Printing - www.willywalt.com
(Check out the VistaPrint link for special discounts!)

Of course, one of the keys to a successful mailing campaign is repetition. Sending out a single card often leaves photographers wondering why they received little or no response. Follow up with 2 or 3 smaller cards after your initial mailing to remind parents and seniors that "there's still time to schedule your appointment".

Start designing now so they'll be ready to mail in the coming months!

- David Grupa

9 Things To Do in Preparation for the HS Senior Season

As photographers, we just love to have people in front of our cameras. Being creative individuals causes us to "think outside the box" and come up with new ways to light, pose, photograph and sell to our clients.

However, as small business owners we often fall a bit short of that creative mark. So many photographer I speak with either hate the thought of marketing their business or just have no idea where to begin; many end up doing nothing at all. If this describes how you feel about marketing your studio, you'll want to watch this page as the next few articles will deal with marketing ideas for high school seniors.

There are many facets involved in creating a coordinated marketing campaign, so advance planning is vital. You can't just mail out a card that says "Class of This Year's Seniors Should All Be Photographed Here" and expect that to do the trick. Competition for the photography dollar has never been more challenging.

Here Are 9 Ideas of What To Do in Preparation for a New Year of HS Senior Clients:

1)      Look back at the previous year. You can't tell where you're going until you know where you've been.
- What sold well?
- What items are just taking up space on your price list?
- Is it time to refresh / replace / remove slow-moving or non-selling offerings?

2)      Review your senior portrait menu.
- Is the design still relevant?
- Do your clients understand it easily without explanation?
- Is your pricing still profitable? (Do you need an increase?)

3)      Manage your web presence.
- Change out images on your website from past years so you continually look current. HS seniors (and their parents, who make the buying decision) love to see faces of people they know!
- Make sure you are keeping current updates on your blog.
- Don't forget about Facebook; it's not just for games and socializing!

4)      Decide on your offers and strategy.
- Should you offer a discount on sessions or packages? (Hint: I always discount sessions because the client only purchases one of these. If I discount the portrait packages, I'm now beginning to take money out of my own pocket. And NEVER give away wallets! What do seniors always purchase?)
- Will you mail postcards, post offers on your website, use Facebook, or a combination of these?
- If mailing, have you ordered a mailing list yet?
- When will you make these offers? What dates are they valid?

5)      Schedule model sessions.
- Arrange for a few of next year's seniors to schedule a mini-session in your studio so you can get some fresh faces online. This also gives you the opportunity to try new ideas and perfect new techniques.

6)      Design your materials.
- Whether it will be electronic or printed, design your campaign with a coordinated look. There needs to be continuity in your marketing.

7)      Update your studio / look.
- Perhaps it's time to purchase new backgrounds (or maybe just trade with a colleague to save $$ and still get a fresh look.)
- Make sure your props have a fresh coat of paint and everything is clean and free of dust, cobwebs, etc. (Nothing makes a senior girl cringe like a spiderweb!)
- Walk into your studio as if you were the client. What would you change / clean / repair?
- Schedule an Open House, for clients, colleagues or both! (Nothing makes you take a critical look at yourself as when you've got company coming!)

8)      Challenge yourself to waste less time.
- Seriously, how many frames are you going to show a client? We all overshoot, but sometimes we make more work for ourselves. Remember, the images you capture today you'll still have to edit later.

9)      Unclog the post-production bottleneck by preparing yourself in advance.
- Sick of retouching? Try a service such as Retouchup.com. You'll still have to do your own "finishing" to the image, but the basic retouching is handled for $5 a file or less.
- How many times have you looked at an image and run 2, 3, 4 or more different actions on it just to see what they do?
- Look at what you've done in years past; retire any effects that are outdated or overused. Decide what look you'd like for the coming year and highlight 6-10 effects that you intend to use regularly. Move them to a prominent spot in your palette along with other often-used actions to save time searching.

The list will continue to grow as you dig deeper, but these tips should give you a head start on preparing for a busy and profitable high school senior season!


- David Grupa

Stay tuned:  More Creative Senior Marketing Ideas in Coming Articles!

College Credits for a Class on Cell Phone Photography?

Since shortly after the birth of film and cameras, schools and Universities across the world have offered classes in photography ranging from technical skills to artistic endeavors to just plain basic taking better pictures.

Just about everyone has a camera on their cell phone, so in addition to learning to take better pictures, students will also be taught to realize "the full gravity of what's at their fingertips and the power they can have," Immaculata University communications professor Sean Flannery said.

Working in tandem with professional photographer Hunter Martin, who teaches the more technical side of photography (lighting, composition, etc.) Flannery will deal with the ethical side of carrying a portable recording device in today's society. In addition to the artistic aspects, such subjects as privacy, voyeurism and appropriate usage of images in social media outlets will be discussed.

"I think it's part of our responsibility . . . to teach kids how to use this tool," he said. "It's really no different from teaching proper use of a videocamera in a broadcast news class."

Courses in cell phone photography are not unique; NYU has offered a cell phone video class each fall for the past 2 years. University officials at Immaculata believe theirs differs in its role of addressing the associated ethical aspects.

Flannery and Martin plan a campus art show in April to exhibit the students' cell phone photos.

A private Catholic university that serves about 1,000 full-time undergraduate students, Immaculata is about 20 miles west of Philadelphia.

- David Grupa