Leslie Burns' non-lawyer presence
Assignment #1 is due in just over 24 hours…probably less by the time you read this. Have you sent in your “peace” image yet? Due by 11:59pm on Saturday the 23rd.
If you didn’t shoot for this project, commit to the next one. Details will be released shortly.
…okay, two pieces if you count the envelope.
On Monday I had my first appointment with my new doctor. I was impressed by him, quite a bit actually, and felt good about my choice.
Today, Wednesday, I got this in my mail:
It is a hand-written “welcome to the practice/nice to meet you/thank you” note. It was on nice paper, with a hand-addressed envelope.
The doc wrote both. I know because I have compared the writing to the notes he gave me to take home after our meeting. He also referenced some of the non-medical things mentioned during our meeting. It was, in other words, a lovely, personal note.
When was the last time you had a doc send you a note like that? When was the last time any of your professional service providers did this?
More importantly, when was the last time you wrote such a note to one of your clients?
Social media has definitely changed the way we all reach out and connect with our targets. In many ways, this is a great thing. But some of us are not using the technology as well as we could. There are two main problems: under-connecting and over-connecting.
Under-connecting is an easier problem to fix. Simply put, post more. It’s not going to do you a lot of good to have a blog and you don’t blog, or a Facebook account and you don’t share, or if you are on LinkedIn and don’t make connections, you aren’t really using these tools.
You can’t be passive. You have to reach out. Of course you can’t post just anything (for example, don’t post to your full list about potty-training your children or your medical procedure–ew!), but there is so much information out there that if you can’t find something interesting to add to the community dialog on the subject of photography and/or design and/or art and/or advertising and/or publishing and/or…
…well, you get the point.
Over-connecting is the harder problem to fix. Over-connecting can be caused by integrating all your media so that every time you post one place, it shows up everywhere. Now, this sounds like a good idea, but it can result in multiple repeats for your receivers. This gets annoying really fast. There are some photographers who do this and because I am connected to them via Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn (at least) I’m getting everything at least 3 times, often more since a lot of my media is forwarded to my email. Ouch ouch.
Quick way to tick off your targets. Remember, buyers are busy people and one of the worst things you can do is hijack their time. Check your settings, ask your friends how many times they get your posts, try to manage it so that you are connecting once with any post (twice at the most, but once is better).
Another related issue is the request to fan your Facebook page. Here’s the rule for this: send an invitation no more than once every 6 months. A year may be better, but really, no more than once every 6 months. If someone doesn’t fan your page, leave them be!
That includes me, by the way. In fact, I don’t fan photographers’ FB pages at all. Why? Because I would be overwhelmed with posts/info if I did. I have hundreds (thousands?) of photographers and other creatives who want me to follow them. It would take up all my time to weed through their posts to get to the ones I actually need to see. I make note of the pages and I look at them at times, but I don’t want the information overload that would occur if I opened the floodgates.
Think about what your buyers must be facing in that realm. All those photogs and illos trying to sell to them! Ugh! So, if they ignore your invitation, respect them and leave them alone. Move to more passive nudges like mentioning in a “friend” post that you have posted something interesting over on your fan page, but that’s it. And if they do fan your page, take that as a very good sign. This is someone who is interested in you and your work!
Oh, and yeah, for the record, Burns Auto Parts does have a fan page, and I do post more often there–mostly quick links to industry info. You should check it out. 🙂
For those of you planning on participating in the visual project/assignment I posted a couple of weeks ago, time is ticking. You must submit your images by 11:59pm next Saturday the 23rd.
Info here, and don’t forget to email the image(s) to me. Also, they don’t have to be huge–this is web-only, don’t forget.
C’mon people! Participate!
ASMP asked me to write about what I thought the future holds for its Strictly Business blog. You can read the post here.
Over the holidays I was thinking about how lucky I am to do what I do. But I was thinking about how there isn’t enough interaction with this blog. Sure, some of you post comments, and that’s great, but I’d like to generate more dialogue and participation. So, thought I, what can I do that would encourage participation & dialogue, while also helping you with your marketing. Then it came to me: assignments.
At least once a month, I’m going to post an assignment (like a theme or concept) and a due date. Your job, should you choose to accept it, will be to shoot something on that theme and to submit it before that due date. I’ll pick several and post them here for everyone to look at and talk about.
What I hope is that this will generate not only discussion among you photographers, but also spread to the other creatives, your targets, so that maybe there will be some connections made.
So, with that in mind, here is the first assignment:
Concept/theme: Peace
Due Date: 23 January 2010
EMAIL your jpegs (this is for web, so don’t make ’em huge).
Now get off your butts and show me what you’ve got!
***UPDATE*** I should have made this clear: you have to shoot something NEW for this. The point is to get you to think and shoot; not to find an image that fits, but to MAKE an image that fits. And be creative with the theme!
New eBook version of Tell The World You Don’t Suck now available: http://www.lulu.com/content/7908475
It’s cheaper than the print version and saves some trees.
As those of you who have been following me for more than a year know, I don’t send holiday promos. I spend the money, instead, on toys. I buy a bunch then take them down to the Marines for their Toys for Tots drive. My sleigh is full. Thank you, each of you, for making this possible.
The happiest of whatever holiday you choose. And a prosperous 2010!
The last month of the year is alternately insanely busy and insanely unproductive, for most photographers. Work is sporadic–some years December is crazy-busy with clients and other years you can hear the crickets. But somehow, for me at least when I was a studio manager and later producing, it always felt frantic.
I encourage you to try and control the madness some. You know you have outside commitments this time of year, so don’t overbook the working hours. There are parties and open houses and events galore and you should try to go to many of these. These are great places for networking and taking the effort to go and (re)connect with people can pay off in the future.
At the same time, if you have lots of projects to shoot, you aren’t going to be able to do everything. I’m not saying don’t take the work–I am suggesting trying to schedule a balance.
For example, I have a huge final project for my Business Planning class (in law school) plus 4 exams to study for, plus putting out another Creative Lube & all the usual biz stuff, plus doing the usual holiday shopping… all before Christmas. I still made the time to meet out of town with a photographer/friend the other day, to go to the local APA holiday party, and I intend to at least stop in at the ASMP party later this week. It takes some picking and choosing, but it can be done.
Here is what I try to do when I look at the list of things I need to get done: I try to pick something that will get me in contact with my targets (like the APA and ASMP parties) and make sure they get significant priority in my schedule. That person-to-person contact is crucial for building and maintaining a business. Holiday events are fantastic ways to do this. If your local creative groups (AIGA, adclub, etc.) throw an event, find a way to go and SOCIALIZE! Have fun, be gregarious, but try not to be the guy everyone talks about for having panted Santa or other drunken exploits.
Anyway, then I schedule in my school commitments, then my other business ones (my current priority system, during exams), and my personal (shopping) ones. I know where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing pretty much for every minute at least through my exams. The frantic-ness is about as reduced as it can be. There is work and fun in the mix.
I hope you can find a system to balance your holiday schedule. It makes December a much more pleasant month.
I know some of you think I’m a bit crazy when I say that you need to find your own voice and put it out there; that playing it “safe” is the best road to ruin; etc. Well, see, it’s not just me and other consultants who are saying this. It’s not some dangerous move we are suggesting when we say “make YOUR work and put it out there.” Here is an important post from Chase Jarvis on just that topic: