The business side of photography
Basketball coaches seem to yell a lot. They yell to get the attention of their players, they yell when arguing with the referees and sometimes they yell for no apparent reason.
Basketball arenas are very noisy with non-stop loud music, shouting arena announcers and screaming fans. It would seem that the only way to be heard above the ambient noise is to yell.
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Just a silly little tip for when you’re creating your business web site:
Remember to mention your business name on your web site.
One might think this is obvious and there’s no need to mention it. But no. I’ve just spent some time reviewing web sites for three other photographers, and noticed that none mentioned their own name.
Search engines need to see real text of your business name somewhere in your web pages. An image of your logo won’t work. A Flash or other type of movie displaying your brand name doesn’t help. It must be text.
A domain name isn’t good enough. A domain such as dianebrownphotography.com is viewed as one word: dianebrownphotography. Somewhere on the site, it must actually say Diane Brown Photography.
Saying “Diane shoots business portraits” or “Diane has won awards”, doesn’t work. You must type out your full company name. “Diane Brown Photography does executive portraits” or “Diane Brown is an award-winning photographer”.
Add it to various page texts, place it in meta tags, put it in alt or comment tags, or any other appropriate places.
Remember to mention your own name, so that people who are looking for you by name, can find you.
Hard work or work hard
Pay more or buy more
Price or worth
Efficient or effective
New idea or new effort
Follow up or follow through
Lack of resources or lack of resourcefulness
Revise or refine
Adopt or adapt
Maximize or optimize
A part or apart
Propose or oppose
Prepare or repair
Compare or contrast
Complicated or complex
Correct or perfect
Zero in or zero out
Speak up or speak out
Fit in or stand out
Tear down or build up
I think or I believe
Idea or dream
Push or pull
Customer service or customer appreciation
Receptionist or rejectionist
Money or wealth
Picture or image
Change or opportunity
Setback or step back
Shortcut or detour
Bridge or tunnel
Aspire or inspire
Create or complete
Success or achievement
Profit or progress
Just the words alone, Annual Report, sound impressive and big league.
Most corporations are required by law to publish an annual report, and many reports are available online. But what about a small business that doesn’t have any investors or shareholders and isn’t required to do a yearly summary?
Annual reports are not just for the big corporations anymore.
It makes perfect marketing sense for the smaller business to get into the game.
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Many things can affect the performance of a business, such as: the quality of its products or services, the abilities of its employees, its marketing, its public and media relations, how it reacts to change and, sure, a bit of luck doesn’t hurt either.
The late Peter Drucker, author, political economist and management consultant, is credited with pioneering the most important social and management theories of the 20th century. A quick web search will turn up many of his famous quotes, including:
There are only two things in a business that make money: innovation and marketing. Everything else is cost.
Some companies have reacted to the recession by circling the wagons, laying-off staff and raising prices. It’s about protecting themselves and putting the company’s self interests first.
If customers aren’t buying, then raising prices to compensate for low sales volume only closes the door even more. Raising the price of a product or service can often boost sales, but not during a recession.
Close doors or open new paths?
Let’s say you own a restaurant and people aren’t coming into your place as often as before. Folks are either going to a lower-priced fast food outlet or they’re eating at home more often. What can you do?
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Why doesn’t a newspaper do this:
For each online crossword, sudoku or whatever daily quiz the paper uses, that is correctly completed by a reader, (within a certain time period), the paper donates, say, $1 to a local charity. The chosen charity can change daily or weekly.
Have the daily quiz sponsored by an advertiser which will make the charitable donation. The advertiser’s logo and message would sit right next to the quiz. Fifteen minutes to do the quiz means 15 minutes of exposure to the ad.
How many readers will take the time to complete the daily quiz knowing that it will do some social good in their community? How much word-of-mouth will this create as readers get their friends to join in and help fundraise for a charity?
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