Hey-o! My last post was a bit heavy, so I wanted to follow up with something chipper…at least I think it’s pretty chipper! I want to talk about the way I structure my business, it is most certainly not new, and I also take MANY other things into consideration as I navigate the world of marketing and advertising. I will talk about some other ideas here as well but I want to mostly focus on one idea: Community.
Let me start by saying there are different kinds of community. There is the community that you keep closest to you, that you tell everything, people you confide in…this is not that community. I only bring this up because I want to make sure you know there is a very clear distinction between a work/business community and the close community you call “your people”.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the idea of business community. In recent years photographers have seen a drastic change in the way we do business, price drops, budget cuts, content demands, the list goes on and on. Clients want everything from one person and they want it yesterday, for less money. That’s the result of a lot of things, but there is a lot more competition (and GREAT competition) in the market now. I believe that there is one (albeit not the only one) way to truly distinguish yourself and keep clients coming: Community. This can go under the guise of many names like, well networked, social butterfly, gregarious, etc. The point is, you need to KNOW a lot of people in a lot of different fields. This doesn’t mean you have someones e-mail, this means if you e-mail that person they’ll actually respond to you. It also doesn’t mean all you ever do is ask someone for help or work, it means you both enjoy being in community and create mutually beneficial opportunities.
How do you get to have a community? You look up from your screen, chair, state, city…and you go meet them. Since the beginning of my career I have put money and time into traveling to places where my potential clients could be, and meeting people. Recently I had a client call me 2 years after our first meeting and book a job, this is not an uncommon occurrence. That’s a long time, yes, but this is not a short term career path so that’s no big deal. Any photographer should be aware that one client today does not mean loads of clients tomorrow, you should always act like the next client is your last.
So, was it magic? Did two years go by and all of the sudden a fairy sat on their desk and said “Hire Aaron!”, most certainly not. In the time between a face to face meeting and the time until they hire you, you need to be in contact! That looks like a lot of things, e-mail, mailers, postcards, thank you cards, holiday cards…be creative! One of the major things is to remember that we are all PEOPLE, so it is personal. In the world of Instagram feeds and Twitter bashing you need to focus on the people. Ask how they are and remember who they are! Do they have kids, do they like certain activities, how is business, and a million other questions you would ask a normal person, because they are a normal person.
This is not a new idea, it’s called staying “front of mind”. I learned about this in Real Estate, the basic idea is you need to be the first person they think of should a need arise that you can fill. It takes A LOT of time to become front of mind, and now I think it’s even harder than it used to be. This is why I believe you need to start the journey as often as you can with a face to face meeting. Grab lunch, coffee, go to their office, whatever you can do…but make it a personal experience.
Ok, that's more about clients, but there is also a piece of this business community that I think is often overlooked and still important. Other Creatives. Now, I don’t have a ton of photographer contacts, and that’s not exactly what I am talking about, but I do have a lot of contacts who relate directly to my field. Make Up Artists, Hairstylists, Wardrobe Stylists, Producers, Directors, DP’s, Assistants, Retouchers…hopefully you get the idea, the list is long. Why do I want to know all of these people? There are two major reasons. First of all I NEED these people to be successful, and I want to have good relationships with them BEFORE I get on set with them. Second of all, it is much much easier to gain clients from referrals than cold calls. I can’t tell you how many big clients I’ve gained from referrals, in fact most of them are still my clients today.
As a final thought on this I want to encourage you to think outside the box when it comes to your business community. I strongly believe that knowing a lot of people outside of your “obvious” peer group sets you up for the greatest level of success. Example, I have a lot of contacts in real estate (not from my days as an agent) and that is how I have access to so many locations. I know lots of coffee shop owners, and baristas, they are some of the most well connected people you will ever meet. Sounds weird, but it works. Those are just a few ideas, but there are many many people who are more relevant than you give them credit for. Be Kind to Everyone, it’s just a good way to live life and you never know where your next client could come from.
I want to close with a thought. I was talking to a friend the other day, one from “my people” community, and I realized that there is a dangerous line that some people aren’t seeing in these communities. I have seen many different creatives who have burned other people, I think most of them are actually oblivious that it’s happening, by acting like the business community is their “my people” community. As a freelancer I don’t want to give anyone who works with me the impression that I would never use another freelancer, that they are the ONLY people I work with, or that my success means their success. We are all on our own journey, and we all need each other, but don’t make promises you can’t keep, or set false expectations for the people around you. This also goes for your clients, you want to be friendly, yes, but remember this is neither the time nor the place to talk about your struggles, life decisions or other personal information. Save those conversations for your “people”.
Alrighty! That’s gonna do it for this one.
DEFY MEDIOCRACY.
