Guest Post: Defining Your Client

by: Angela Proffitt

I recently spoke at the ISS (Inspire Smart Success) conference in Cancun Mexico and had the opportunity to meet some incredibility talented planners and other event professionals.  We all share the same goal-to make couples happy and provide them with a positive experience.  We are all so busy wrapped up in taking care of others, that we don’t stop and take care of ourselves and our business, which for most of us, is our baby (if you own your own business)!

Defining a clear process and clarifying what type of client you work best with were two of the things identified that are a common challenge for new wedding and event professionals.  I shared my favorite apps and time management techniques and programs on my MAC that I can’t live without:)  It is shocking to me how many of us have iPhones and Apple gadgets, but don’t know how to use them, simple because we don’t have time.  I promise you, if you take the time to learn these products, it will save you time in the long run.  Being the tech geek I am, I had so much fun helping everyone.  Dropbox and Google Drive were the two apps that have changed my business (well and Pinterest!).

Reviewing various personalities with the group and talking through their “ideal” client, further helped the participants define who they are, what they are selling and who should they be selling to.

These are just a few things to ask yourself as we enter a New Year, 2013.  Does your marketing portray this message; and are you attracting the perfect match!?

As a leading respected professional in the market, Angela Young Proffitt has been planning and producing weddings and events for many years, nationally and internationally. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Ecology. Knowing she always wanted to help people, her projected path to pursuing psychology working in mental health was no longer her passion. Following in the footsteps of her uncle, who spent over thirty-five years in the wedding industry, Angela has since established herself as one of the most dedicated, well rounded, most proficient multi-tasking experts in the industry. Drawing from her psychology background, Angela has experience in working with a variety of personalities, to which her common motive is always focused on what is best for her clients. She works with elite wedding specialists to create, design, implement, and execute every fine tuned detail in order to paint the unique vision each client desires. Her hands-on organizational approach combined with her impeccable ability to build relationships has propelled her above and beyond the average professional. Realizing her skills and talents are best utilized in logistics and communication, Angela’s company, Elegant Weddings by Angela and Events by AP, offers a full service wedding and event planning team that is experienced, detail oriented and exceptionally organized. Her unique and incomparable approach extends beyond the highest level of creativity and she prides herself on managing each innovative personal detail to allow you to enjoy your engagement while adhering to privacy requests. Known for her calm demeanor and flexible nature, she specializes in travel and destination weddings allowing her to utilize her strengths in creating a “one of a kind” experience in lands far away. Her travel resume has carried her to breathtaking places. Just to name a few, she has traveled to St. Lucia, Hawaii, Dominican Republic, Antigua, Cabo San Lucas, Playa Mujeres, Playa Del Carmen, all the way to New York city, the coast of Florida and to the foothills of North Carolina. So whether it’s a destination wedding on a tropical island or a Derby themed wedding at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Angela’s sense of personalized vision and educational guidance creates incomparable events for any occasion. Angela’s highly touted work can be seen in such global publications as Art of Celebrations, Grace Ormonde’s Wedding Style Magazine, Elegant Bride, People Magazine, Us Weekly, Enchanted Brides, In Focus, Style Me Pretty, and Country Weekly, just to name a few. Alongside acknowledgements in world-class magazines, Angela has also served on the board of TWESA, and has won such accolades as Best Wedding Planner in Nashville, along with voted Best Investment, Personality, Coordination, and Can’t Live Without.

An Interview with Zach Prez

This week we interviewed Zach Prez from Photography Web Marketing.  Zach gave our members some incredible advice regarding Search Engine Optimization for Photographers and he shared the common mistakes most photographers make with marketing their business.  Below is a link to Zach’s incredible site where he shares a ton of great information.

Photography Web Marketing Guide

Guest Post: Content Marketing & Remarketing for Photographers

We have our very first guest post from Scott Wyden Kivowitz.  Scott is extremely passionate about photography and helping photographers become successful.  Without further ado:

The business of photography has evolved over the years, and websites are becoming one of the effective means to market to potential clients. Having the right WordPress portfolio theme is only one step of an overall photographer’s marketing scheme.

Once your website is designed, portfolio is complete and blog is filled with educational content, it is time to start marketing your brand. An awesome way to go about it is by using content marketing and then remarketing.  Here is what to do.

Step 1:  Gather Your Articles
Take your best content, and most educational to potential clients.  Compile them into an eBook using Word, Pages, Keynote or whatever document publishing software you prefer.  Use your photographs (of course) to enhance the eBook.

Step 2: Gather Your Leads
Use Mailchimp to gather email addresses in exchange for a free eBook (the one you just created).  Use the Mailchimp autorespond feature to distribute the eBook to the new leads.

Step 3: Content Marketing Complete
Guess what, you have just completed your first round of content marketing.  Next is to remarket your brand to the new leads.

Step 4: Monthly Touch
Once a month, send an email to every lead that you have captured.  Make sure you send additional tips and educational content.  You can even send “coupons” for those who have downloaded the eBook. Be creative but not too promotional.  The goal of remarketing is so the prospective client remembers your brand.

Step 5: Remarketing Continues
Don’t end the touches after a few months.  Keep them going as your list organically grows.  Remarketing takes time, but when a lead converts to a customer it is well worth it in the end.

In Conclusion
As you have read in this article, content marketing and remarketing is not difficult for photographers.  In addition, it is no expensive as Mailchimp has a fantastic freemium program.  One thing to keep in mind while setting up the process is SEO for photographers, because without having your site at the top of search engines, it will be more difficult to find.  There is a free (and educational) SEO for photographers eClass available, for those interested in learning more about reaching for the first position.

Thanks for reading,

Scott
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Scott Wyden Kivowitz is a New Jersey Photographer sharing his passion for photography any way he can. Scott regularly hosts photowalks in New Jersey and loves educating other photographers on all aspects of the art. Scott is also the Community & Blog Wrangler at Photocrati  and the Photographers SEO Community, teaching other photographers on how to increase business with their website.

Turning Costs into Profits

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT YOUTUBE by Jasmine Star on Turning Costs into Profit Centers – this is EXACTLY how we view Ciderr – IT MAKES YOU MORE MONEY!  It’s an investment with a VERY HIGH RETURN!