Question: How important is it that I live near my rep? How can I acquire a rep in a major commercial city if I live in a small town?

Years ago, I would have said it’s very important to live near your rep and even more important that you live in a major commercial city. But nowadays, I wouldn’t say that at all. The world has become a small enough place that it doesn’t matter where you live.

Question: Where do you see the industry going?

Print is huge and indestructible … or drowning in an electronic sea. The economic recovery will push peripheral photographers into other fields … or the digital dawn will make room for all. New emphasis on motion will require all illustrators to become animators … or enhance the value of old-school sketchers.

There’s no shortage of opinions on where the visual arts industries are heading. In our latest Creative Collision video, we ask 9 creatives to look into the future – and what they see forms a roadmap for every professional artist.

It’s Not How it Looks. It’s How it Works.

I knew that developing the design elements of my branding strategy would require time, patience and a lot of expert advice. As a photographer, I often feel like I have a very good idea about art and design. Sometimes I’m right, and sometimes I really do need the help of people who deal with different sorts of things on a daily basis.

When it comes to marketing, I have just such an expert advisor in Jennifer Kilberg, owner of FluidVision and a consultant in Agency Access’ Campaign Manager Pro program. Jennifer and I decided to tie my portfolio website’s look to my blog’s design, and that was just the beginning.

The design elements that we decided to concentrate on were:

Question: What kind of copy gets emails opened and clicked through? What are the best subject lines? Should I include a pitch or a call to action?

What actually works in email marketing is not set in stone.

Wouldn’t this be an invaluable article if I could truly bestow exact answers that make every email attractive to every viewer, and get you a 100% open rate? I wish I could.

But there are some pointers that have been shared with me over multiple conversations with people in the industry that are worth considering when you’re sending emails.

Question: After the initial creative call, what can I do to stand-out from my competitors? I’ve heard of artists providing an estimate and a treatment. How would I go about creating a creative treatment, one that shows the my creative vision while fitting in with the art producer’s vision?

After a creative call, every photographer or illustrator sits, waits and imagines every scenario. I can’t tell you how many times a week I hear from a client who just finished a bid or a creative call and asks me: “When should I call back?” “It’s been a week, what should I do?” “Should I send a follow-up email?”

Here is my advice on how to stand out from your peers, while staying calm in the mix. To do that, here are six steps to follow to enhance your success, starting before you even make the call.

Question: Does social networking really pay off as a marketing strategy?

Social networking can be a great marketing tool if you follow three basic rules:

1. Be good
2. Be nice, and
3. Have a high signal-to-noise ratio

If you put out good work, people might pass it on. If you’re nice, people will feel comfortable contacting you. If they go to your social web and find good, on-topic content, they might follow you – creating a larger audience for your good work. And the cycle, ideally, continues.

Social networking is not a panacea. If your work isn’t up to scratch, you’re mean and you tweet 20 times a day about your favorite snacks, social networking will not help.

But done right, social networking can effectively lower the barriers between your work and potential clients. Here are a few ideas on fitting social networking into your successful business strategy.

Question: How can I break into new markets without a lot of portfolio material to support the move? What are some methods for marketing my work if, for example, I'm a well-known food photographer but would like to break into lifestyle or travel?

You want to break into a new market but don’t have the images to support your decision … would I hire you? As a former art buyer, probably not. Why not? Let’s look at this closely from my perspective.

I want to renovate my kitchen, but this company has never done a renovation before. Would I spend my budget with them?

Question: How can I get the best value out of working with a consultant?

Do Your Research

Much like a client, before working with a consultant, you need to do your research. Not every consultant will necessarily fit your needs or match your personality. After perhaps narrowing it down to a few, you need to speak with each one, if possible, and decide which shoe fits.

Question: How important is it to shoot video?

With more and more clients looking for video products, more and more photographers are dabbling with motion work … and some are doing more than just dabbling. But what are creatives really looking for – great photographers who might make a nice transition to video, or up-and-coming videographers who already know motion? In this special Creative Collision video, insiders answer:

Question: Besides applying for freelance jobs on my membership sites, what’s the best networking route for an illustrator with a less-than-extensive résumé?

First Things First: Be Proactive!

Instead of waiting for jobs to appear on those freelance sites, find companies that you’d want to work for and send them samples – before they're even looking for illustrators. Once they've seen your work, you have the opportunity to be top of mind when an appropriate project comes along. Freelance sites are great, but the downside is you’re one of many bidding for the same projects – and the fees offered on those sites are usually very low.

You can also poke around and see who’s commissioning work, and what kind. Don't just send random samples to these companies - target your promos. If you illustrate flowers, don't send samples to a place that commissions car illustrations. One of the busy art director’s biggest peeves is receiving samples not suited to his or her industry. Promote yourself vigorously and smartly by targeting companies where your work fits.