November 27, 2012 @ 11 a.m.
in The Marketing Lab
by Katherine Hennessy | kate & company
View Comments

Question: What can I do to get a client to call me for jobs that are not quite the same as the one I just completed?

Trying to get considered for work that might fall into a different category then your “expected” style is often quite hard to do. This is especially challenging when a client knows you for “X” and you’re looking to branch into “Y.”

November 7, 2012 @ 9 a.m.
in The Marketing Lab
by Louisa Curtis | Chatterbox Enterprises
View Comments

Question: How do I keep up with the trends and still retain my current marketing path?

I have a magnet on my refrigerator that says, “Change is good as long as I don’t have to do anything different!” But the only thing that is consistent in this life is change. So how does that apply to this question about trends, and whether or not to change your current marketing plan?

August 28, 2012 @ 1 p.m.
in The Marketing Lab
by Louisa Curtis | Chatterbox Enterprises
View Comments

Question: With today's busy schedules, are creative directors and art buyers taking time to read blogs?

Yes, everyone is busy and multitasking, but I do believe that art directors and creative directors are taking the time to read certain photographers’ blogs, and some art buyers may read them too, schedule-permitting.

Why? If they like the work they have already seen on your website, they are more likely to want to find out what else they can learn about you from your blog and to see what you’ve been up to lately. A blog gives them an extended peek into the photographer’s personality, and glimpses of what they might be like to work with.

Question: What if my point of view is not trendy? Is there still a market for a more traditional approach?

If your point of view is not trendy, have no fear! There is so much you can do with a more traditional approach.

Regardless of what I’m shooting, I personally do everything I can to keep trendy elements out of my images. My goal when I shoot is to create timeless images that viewers can look at years later and still relate to. When looking at older images by photographers such as Herb Ritts or Peter Lindbergh, it’s very hard to tell when the images were taken. Their images are classic and not trendy in any way, so they’re just as stunning and appreciated today as they were when they were photographed. I strive for the same timeless quality in my images.

Question: How can I land new clients outside of my geographic area?

Back in the day, the thought of a small business growing beyond its immediate locality was almost silly. If you worked in Topeka, your customers were in Topeka. Today, a good product and the right online marketing can help almost any small business, including freelance artists, expand to new geographic markets – but knowing when, how and where to expand is a real challenge.

Question: What are some recommendations for sources of inspiration?

Some experts believe the only way for artists to stay inspired is interacting with other artists. Some say artists must look to other industries for innovative ideas. Wherever individual artists find their motivation, it’s crucial to creativity: Staying inspired is the only way a commercial artist can thrive.

Question: How do you stay motivated when you’re just starting out in a new medium? It’s easy to be discouraged by that, both emotionally and financially, as it limits your time to work on proven art styles.

Changing directions and adding new material to your repertoire may be rewarding – and necessary to grow a photography or illustration business these days. For some, it means exploring new categories or redirecting efforts toward different markets. An artist may be established in the editorial market, for instance, but recognize opportunities in the advertising market.

A common mistake made by some commercial artists is to adapt their work and vision to fulfill a market’s needs and desires, rather than creating work they’re passionate about and seeking a market for it. The former demands second-guessing, and generally this means compromised rather than vision-driven portfolios.

Question: What’s the best process for identifying and defining my unique brand attributes?

Before you decide how to define and identify you brand’s attributes, you have to understand the meaning of a “brand.”

Close your eyes and think of great brands. Apple, MAC cosmetics, Disney, Starbucks … what do they all have in common in the consumer market? Each of these brands has not only created a quality product but a quality personal experience. It’s not only important to have a successful logo treatment, it’s important to create a complete brand – a complete experience.

Question: How do I identify my key points of differentiation?

It may sound paradoxical, but to find what’s different about you, start by looking at your target market. What do they need that you have? What do they value that you provide?

Your points of differentiation spring from your answers to these questions. This can be in a variety of realms, including your process (how you work), the quality of your work or the focus of your work, such as subject matter expertise.

But it has to be important to them. So, for example, if you’re good with color but that doesn’t matter to them or the work they need done, find something else to point out.

Question: How can I continue to evolve my vision when my clients dictate the final image?

The biggest difference between amateurs and pros is vision – not developing it, but executing it.

When you’re an amateur photographer, you shoot for yourself, and maybe a few friends and family along the way. The client you ultimately serve is yourself, and your own creative instincts. You shoot what you want, when you want, where you want, how you want.

And then you turn pro, and the equation radically changes.