The Daily Mentor Minute Blog | Bruce Hudson

S & D- Swipe and Deploy!
Tuesday, Mar 30, 2010

Today we had an awesome marketing meeting! We are members of the local Glacier-Kennedy Inner Circle marketing group, which is run by one of my friends and clients. Anyway, we meet once a month and you’ve probably heard me talk about a few times. Every month someone submits a marketing piece to be critiqued by the group. Today, a guy who owns an automotive repair shop submitted a campaign that involved an email to his existing list and a postcard to a cold list. Before he was even done presenting the campaign, Josh and I had already taken his idea, molded into our business, and even wrote out some possible copy! It’s all about implementation! A lot of our marketing ideas are inspired by other businesses and industry; it’s all about S & D! What was his grand idea? I’ll tell you tomorrow! But, I have an assignment for you. I want you to S & D a marketing idea from some other business and right a campaign for yourself. And, if you submit it to us via email (bruce@mystudiomentor.com), we’ll send you a FREE $10 Bruce Bucks Gift Card! Some of the best marketing ideas are found outside our industry, happy hunting and we look forward to seeing your entries! See you tomorrow everyone- Bruce

If it was easy…everyone would be doing it! Wait, everyone is!
Friday, Mar 26, 2010

The business of photography has been under attack for the past few years. Everyone and their brother has become a “professional” photographer, all you need is a digital camera and a website, right? I truly feel that these “drive-by” studios will leave the profession in the same fashion as they came, in a flash! My reasoning is that the “drive-by” photographer will figure out just how hard it is to make a true living (full time income) versus a few hundred dollars for a session fee and putting everything on a disc. When it becomes your livelihood and not just extra money, the glamour and their interest will fade away. Don’t get me wrong, I started out as a hobbyist too, but it took a lot of work and some balls to get to a point where I could feed my family on a consistent basis with photography, I guess my passion was strong enough to see me through! I guess my point with all this is that I hear from photographers on a daily basis about how bad business is, especially from the photographers who own a storefront studio. A lot of it has to do with the recession, but part of it is this new breed of digital photographer entering the marketplace, not to mention the sheer number of them. In a nut shell, it’s the perfect storm of lack of discretionary income (from consumers) and increased competition! Is it all doom and gloom? Absolutely not! You always have to remember that just because what you are doing marketing wise doesn’t seem to work, doesn’t mean it won’t! Don’t give up! It’s a lot like golf. You could have 3 bad shots in a row and quit, but what if that 4th shot was perfect and virtually erased the first two? Now you love golf again! I swear, it’s the craziest love/hate sport in the world, lol! The same thing happened for me today. We have been getting some calls from our spring senior mailer that went out this week (Monthly Mentor Gold/Platinum Members will be getting it shortly). I would like to see the volume come up some more, considering the time and effort we have put into it so far, not to mention the cost. It’s kind of like the 3 bad golf shots! But, I am thankful for the initial response we are getting so far; it’s only been a few days. Right after lunch I answered the phone with a very excited young lady that just opened her mail box after school and found our card. She immediately followed our “marketing breadcrumbs” and did exactly what we told her to on the card. Check out our website, become a fan on Facebook, check out our Youtube Channel, and call for a free consultation! She mentioned that she has been looking for photographers that will do more than just shoot and burn. I know, it’s hard to believe that there are some young people out there with some sense still! This brilliant young lady was so excited about her pending meeting with us that she called her mom on the other line to ask if it was ok to schedule. All of our hard work with updating our senior brand is paying off, we now have a dedicated site that we are proud of (www.seniorsbyhudsons.com), a growing Facebook presence, a Youtube Channel that is getting some good hits, and our 2500 mailer is starting to generate some buzz. This excited young lady makes it all worth wild for me! I just hit the perfect golf shot! If business is not where you want it to be right now, hang in there and work as hard as you every have! Remember, if it was easy, everyone would do and stick with it! Have a great weekend everyone! -Bruce

Where have you been all my life? When perfect clients come out of the woodwork!
Tuesday, Mar 23, 2010

Yesterday I had a great consultation with some fantastic clients that I haven’t worked with before. Do you ever meet people that you connect with so well you can’t help but say, “Where have you been all my life?” These people are what I call Perfect Clients. They see photography as art, they are eccentric, the like good food/wine, they are successful, and they don’t mind paying a premium for something custom, special, and different. Where do you find such clients? Well, lots of ways! These clients in particular came from a doctor’s referral program we have with one of our plastic surgeon clients. For you photographers out there who have purchased our Studio Support Materials recently, you saw the letter and the gift card are using for this. Basically, patients that our doctor client deems qualified to experience our studio get a $350 gift card as a thank you. These clients received theirs a few months ago and called for the consultation. They are celebrating a wedding anniversary this summer and want to re-capture their love in portrait art! After the consult I went to their home for a go-see. They live on several acres and the wife is a master gardener, a photographers dream! We are already talking about creating a family portrait later this summer after I photograph the 2 of them. I guess my point is that even during this recession there are still clients who are willing to invest in portraiture. People are going to spend money on what they deem important, it’s up to you to get your work to the top of the pile. One way is to partner with likeminded businesses who service the same types of target demographics. Have a great day everyone, Bruce. –PS. A new image of the week and a brand new print critique will be posted later today!

A weekend of charity work! More on win-win marketing that doesn’t cost you a dime…just some time!
Saturday, Mar 20, 2010

It’s starting to be charity auction season; we have 4 displays this weekend alone! Last night I set up and attended an auction for a local high school’s robotics club. It was interesting to say the least, but it was a great way to get our studio in front of parents and kids alike. We donated a family portrait credit and a HS senior portrait credit; both were in the live auction. There were 2 other photogs there but ours really stood out because of a lot of the points my dad and I have covered in webinars and this blog, no need to go into detail today. People loved meeting me and my family and they were so thankful to have us participating. This kind of PR goes a long way. Tonight is my dad’s Rotary Club Caper Auction. The movers and shakers of our city and their guests will attend this auction; it’s a great place to be seen. We of course are donating a few items, our largest being a half day commercial shoot that values at over $1700. This item is in the live auction. We also have a family portrait credit in the super silent. These 2 items will get us noticed, but my dad takes it a step further, he’s donating his time to run the video and powerpoint for the evening! Every year he produces a 6-8 minute intro video featuring the charities that received the grant money raised at the last year’s auction, a little tearjerker before every starts bidding on the live auction. He also produces the powerpoint, controls the sound, and even works with the lighting company to set the right mood. Yep, it’s a lot of work but he gets a loud ovation every year, not to mention the name recognition in front of 400 people. This auction raises between $100,000 and $150,000 every year that goes back directly into the community. It’s a great way to give back but it also gives our business a sense of community spirit. We’ve had many clients come to us for portraits and say, “I saw you at the ________ auction, thanks for giving back!” Yet again, here are some ways to add win-win marketing to your studio’s arsenal. Good luck tonight dad, do us proud! -Josh

The power of the unrelated gift and building a successful referral program!
Thursday, Mar 18, 2010

I’m putting the finishing touches on our new referral program here at the studio. For all of you Monthly Mentor Members out there, I’ll post everything in the articles section of the Member’s Only Area when it’s done so you can see it. One thing I have learned about marketing and crafting offers to specific audiences is the power of the unrelated gift. Instead of giving free wallets or portrait credits, give something away that doesn’t pertain to your studio. This concept has been tested and proven to have a higher response rate with consumers and I am excited to try it at the studio. We did something like this last year with HS seniors, giving them a iTunes gift card if they booked a session by a certain date. It seemed to have a good effect and the kids were excited! For our new referral program we will be giving away a ton of cool stuff to clients who tell their friends and families about us, some include restaurant gift cards, a “Date night on Hudson’s”, even a bottle of Dom Perignon! We should all strive to have referrals be the lifeblood of our business, I say this for 2 reasons: (1) Getting a referral can be a heck of a cheaper than marketing to the masses. (2) Who is the second easiest person to sell…a referral from an existing client! They know you’re expensive, they have an idea about the process, and you come highly recommended! I know what you are thinking, “If someone loves my work they will tell their friends about me regardless of a referral rewards program, right?” Yes and no, but I would rather give an incentive to my best clients and reward them for being walking-talking billboards for me! Anyway, I’m excited to implement our new program this spring; we’ll let you know how it goes! -Josh

Building Better B to B Relationships: What’s in it for THEM, not YOU, some tips from Tim Walden
Tuesday, Mar 16, 2010

I was listening to Bruce editing our next issue of The Monthly Mentor today, it features Tim Walden. One of the clips I heard had to deal with building better business to business relationships for displays, referrals, etc. A lot of times photographers tell me that every time they approach a restaurant, dress shop, or some other local business with the same customer demographics and try to hang displays, they are told to take a hike. One of the biggest mistakes when asking to display your work or start a joint marketing venture is not laying it properly to the business you are perusing. You always have to keep in mind this phrase, “What’s in it for them?” This is how you need to approach them, not, “Hey, can I put my portraits in your business to help my marketing?” Tim said it best, “When I enter a business I simply ask them- what can I do to help you? Every business is having a hard time right now, it my job so see if my photography and my business can help theirs, not the other way around. When you phrase it like that they are a lot more receptive.” Great point Tim! For us, we try to develop relationships by actually becoming a customer of theirs first. Plus, it is a great way to experience their product and to get to know their business. This builds a better understanding and trust. Just some thoughts from Tim, hope you find them useful. The next issue will also feature one of our Gold Members from Canada and his outrageous marketing techniques that you’ll have to see to believe! Take care everyone, see you tomorrow! -Josh

Terri’s New Venture- Part 4: Connecting with the culture of your clients
Monday, Mar 15, 2010

Terri just finished her second full week of being in business! In fact, last Saturday was her highest grossing day so far! Yesterday we (including my sister Patty) went and experienced the Seattle Kennel Club’s Dog Show. I was like being at your WPPI or PPA convention, very overwhelming! I had no idea about any of this stuff, especially the obsessions for specific breeds of dogs. There were about 50 booths dedicated to local and state clubs for every breed you could think of. Each person was very proud to be a part of their organization. In addition, there were 100 vendor booths with everything you could think of that pertains to dogs and their owners. It was a very eye opening experience to say the least. From the photography side of this, there was only one photography booth and two animal painters. Do I see an opportunity here? Hee hee, you bet! More about this later, though. In the center of the arena was the real deal, the dog show! It was just like one of my favorite movies, “Best in Show.” Where’s my busy bee! LOL! All in all, Terri got to experience firsthand what her customer base is all about. Terri not being from the high end dog culture, it was important that she learn what types of people she will be catering too, and also what makes them tick. Is there an area of your business that you want to expand into? Maybe you should plan a cultural field trip and do some research for your studio. For us, if we want to learn about HS seniors and what they are looking in photography, we hold a focus group at a high school. If we want to see the latest trends in home décor and mingle with the types of people who invest in wall décor, we’ll go to a parade of homes. In order to cater and target certain segments of the population, you need to learn about the people. Find out what makes them tick and you’ll have a lot more success marketing and selling to them. -Bruce

Terri’s New Venture- Part 3: Get Connected!
Thursday, Mar 11, 2010

Terri’s 3rd step was getting connected in her new community. She’s already in Rotary, so that makes it easy to transfer into the Enumclaw club from the Maple Valley one. One of the great things about being a part of Rotary is that you are greeted with open arms immediately! In most cities and towns, service organizations like Rotary or Kiwanis are where the movers and shakers in the community hang out. If you want to get connected and start building relationships, you have to be a part of what they are a part of. I know now days it’s all about the internet, Facebook, Twitter, but for my money, getting involved in your community is the best way to not only give back, but also gain positive exposure for your business. Terri also contacted the Chamber and joined. They immediately invited her to their monthly breakfast meeting. Once again, these types of community and business based organizations are always eager for new members. You will also find that most of the members are looked up at by the community because they are active and serve. If the mayor shops at your store, it says a lot! It’s important to build relationships with these kinds of people. One of the more random “getting connected” moments happened to Terri a couple of weeks ago when she had just purchased the business. We attended a wine tasting at a local wine shop a few blocks from Terri’s store. We got to meet the owner Scott and his wife. Later, we ran into them at another establishment and they asked us if we wanted to attend a special wine dinner the next week. Couldn’t pass that up, dinner and wine at a local bistro…we’re in! The night was so much fun and we met most of the movers and shakers for the city in one night. Most of those people have been coming by Terri’s shop now to say hi, check it out, and buy stuff for their pets! Bottom-line: Getting connected is something you have to be active with; you have to put yourself out there. Don’t wait for people to come introduce themselves to you, go to them. Especially when you are new business in town, it is important to “meet and greet” your prospective customers and friends. Most of the newer photographers are not taking the time to do this, so even if you are an established studio in your city or town, continue to get involved, it pays off, trust me! –Bruce P.S. Josh and I filmed most of his new Facebook DVD series yesterday out at the house! Man, he covered a TON of information! Great job Josh!

Terri’s New Venture- Part Two: Get Organized!
Tuesday, Mar 09, 2010

Terri’s second step was to get organized and formulate a plan. Sounds easy enough, but it took a lot of thought on how to arrange and re-arrange what the previous owner had implemented or not implemented before. Terri is a master at organizing in notebooks and binders. Instead of files, she puts all of her permeate information in a series of binders, almost like a franchise management system. Grouping things together and setting specific systems is a great way to get and stay organized, not to mention on task. I’m blessed in my own business to have my son Josh who inherited this gene from his late mother Sue, thank god! As I write this blog tonight I’m looking at a shelf in our main office area, it’s filled with binders and procedure manuals for running the day to day operations at the studio. Some of these are the Charity Auction Binder (which keeps track of the 30-40 auctions we donate to every year), a Follow Up Binder (keeping track of every studio inquiry that comes in via phone, web, and referral), the Frame Order Binder (which keeps track of frame orders, matting, etc.), our Policy and Procedure Manual (which contains phone scripts and “what to do if” documents), and many more. Those of you who have our Studio Support Materials have seen these documents before. You’re probably thinking, “I have a small studio, why do I need systems like this?” My answer is this…read The E-Myth! Do you get distracted, disorganized, or overwhelmed with the day to day tasks of running a business? This is why, getting organized and setting up systems will save you time, money, and your sanity. But laying the ground work for getting organized takes time. In the long run though, you will find that owning a business doesn’t have to be as stressful. If you are a person like many photographers out there, just the thought of doing something like this is overwhelming. My advice is to do a little bit each day and gradually you will find yourself in organized bliss! Take care everyone! -Bruce

Going the extra mile, some thoughts from a senior session today!
Saturday, Mar 06, 2010

What’s the number one thing photographers ask my dad and I on a daily basis? Give up? Well, it’s “how can I separate myself from so much competition?” And with today’s senior market, we are not just competing with other store front studios; we are competing with anyone and everyone with a camera! This includes the seniors themselves; they are taking their own senior photos! Ok, I know my dad was going to blog about Terri’s progress as she starts her business, but I wanted to give him a break. He had a jam packed Saturday that started with a projection in the morning, followed by a pet session, then an on-location senior session (which I am blogging about tonight), another projection, and finally he was off to enjoy the sunshine and help out at Terri’s high end doggy boutique. I wanted to bring up 2 points from our senior session today on how our studio is set apart from the rest. First, we literally go the extra mile at no additional charge! We photographed today’s senior back in September at the studio and got some amazing stuff, she is such a cutie. Her mom really wanted to have some shots taken of her at the high school in her band uniform. With our fall fast approaching last year, we decided to postpone the second session until the spring, which was today! Do we charge extra for these on-location add-on’s? Heck no! The more “must have” images we create the better their final collection will be. For us, capturing the true personality of each senior is priority one. If we have to take an hour on a Saturday, drive 20 minutes to our north to capture that it’s totally worth it to us. Plus, her mom was very grateful and excited. This particular family lives on Mercer Island, home of the likes of Bill Gates, Paul Allen, you get the picture. If you have never worked with affluent people before, they are a different breed of people, but not in a bad way. They do not like to be nickel and dimed, they like to be catered too, and they don’t mind paying extra for a product they deem worth it. Extra session fees, fuel surcharges, and inflexible schedules are not their cup of tee. We stand out because we are willing to customize and personalize every session and situation, period. Secondly, we are able to work any time of day anywhere, even in full sun. In order to make a good living outside of your studio you need to be able to photograph during the off hours, say noon in direct sunlight like today. As you can see, my dad nailed it; the image above is right out of the camera! Most people are busy, that is just our way of life these days, and we have to cater to our clients on their time. This Saturday at noon was the only time they had available; thank god my dad knows how to light in full sun! Plus, we are able to explain to the mom how we are creating the situation and show her the difference between us and someone with a camera. What ends up happening is she is now going to brag to all her girlfriends about how good we are! Don’t believe me? Well, this family was referred to us by another family on the island that did just that! Anyway, take to heart what I am saying and try to be flexible for your clients, they appreciate it and trust me, building that relationship pays off! -Josh

Terri’s first step as a business owner! Build your list!
Friday, Mar 05, 2010

I was so proud of my wife on Sunday when the keys to her new store were handed over. The previous owner told us that she didn’t have a formal database, but she thought she might have some names and addresses lying around somewhere. We didn’t expect a whole lot, but Terri did find a small notebook with about 160 names! This was a major bonus since we didn’t expect anything of a list at all. So, the first thing Terri did when she got home was type all the information into an Excel document. She’s not quite sure what POS system or dbase program she will invest in yet, but everything transfers from Excel these days. Making your list or dbase should be the first step for any business; you need to know who your customers are. The more specific and organized your dbase is the better. This is something that is an on-going thing; you have to consistently update addresses, phone numbers, client history, and emails. But, your labor can pay off handsomely! For instance, let’s say you want to have a family portrait promotion, what are you going to do first? If your dbase is in order, you can search for wedding clients that are 5 or more years back, odds are they have kids now. You can also look at how many years it’s been since a family client came in last, has it been long enough to market effectively to them? It’s a great way to start crafting a marketing campaign that is specific to clients that need the service. And, who is the easiest client to sell? An existing one! But if don’t know who your clients are, this can be tough. So, whether you are just starting out or have been in biz for a while, make sure your dbase is always growing and staying up to date; it can make or break your business in most cases. Good job Terri, so proud of you! Tomorrow we’ll cover the second thing every new business owner should do and how it relates back to photography. -Bruce

Starting a business, maintaining a business, re-inventing a business- An on-going blog series discussing the evolution of any business!
Wednesday, Mar 03, 2010

You’ve probably said to yourself at some point in your life, “If I only knew then what I know now!” I’ve always wondered what it would be like if I closed the studio, moved to a different city, and started over in business. What things would I have done differently now that I know what I know? The answer is plenty! There’s a ton of things I would have done differently because I’ve experienced running a successful company for 27 years and certain things have been etched in my soul. Sounds a little heavy, doesn’t it? Part of who I am is my passion for sharing my experiences throughout life and business with photographers and fellow entrepreneurs. I’ve never professed that I have all of the answers, but I feel like I a pretty good sense of what has worked in the past and why it has worked. I’m also blessed to have a son and business partner today that has a marketing sense for what works in today’s varying business climates. Thanks to his enthusiasm and passion for success, we are making it though this economic downturn. With all that said, I am now faced with a rare opportunity to share with you the journey of my beautiful wife (inside and out) Terri as she starts her new business venture! 2 days ago she took over a high end pet boutique in the small town of Enumclaw, WA. This store has been in business for 2 ½ years and has done pretty well. In some ways Terri will be continuing a lot of what the previous owner had established. But, she will also be making some drastic changes along the way too! During the next few weeks and months, from time to time, I’ll be reporting to you what she is doing to grow her new business. All of us can learn a thing or 2 from what other businesses are doing, especially a higher end product or service company. I hope you enjoy the journey all of us are going to embark on together. Tomorrow I’ll be discussing the first thing Terri did when she took over. Whether you are just starting your studio or have been in business for a number of years, there will be valuable insights to be had by all! See you tomorrow! –Bruce PS. I want to thank my sister Patty for all of the help and support she has given Terri, thanks big sis, you rock!