I get frustrated when I see small businesses exclusively using social media and even email marketing to announce sales, offer coupons, boast of deals, etc.
The 80/20 rule is that social media should be 80 percent non-promotional. What you post -- the type of content -- should be consistent with your brand. So if all you ever do is desperately ask your audience, friends and clientele to spend money that's ALL you're known for. Congratulations, you've just branded yourself. Sadly, you might brand yourself right out of your business, because that's NOT why people tune in on social media. (Unless your small business is a coupon blog!)
Guess what else? People will tune you out and turn you off if everything you do appears self-promoting. Congratulations, you just lost fans and potential business. Because if it looks or smells like an ad, it just went in the garbage. And because you sound like a broken record. Desperate. Uncaring about the relationship, which is really what matters when it comes to connecting on social media.
What else can turn off people from your social media posts and email newsletters? Stock photos and graphics and flashy images that look like....ads.
Marketing isn't advertising. Marketing is relationship-building and storytelling. Marketing is editorial.
Keep tuning in! I'll be publishing tips on how you can tell stories, build relationships and keep your clients and potential customers tuned in!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Some interesting facts about small businesses
Small businesses. I have a passion for them. Even before I began working on my own for myself and understood the hardships firsthand. Maybe because they represent so many of the wonderful things about America and the potential to live out your own dream. Or because I have watched with fascination as friends became entrepreneurs. Or because I love good ideas and hard-working folk. Probably all of the above and more.
Did you know, according to the Small Business Administration:
Did you know, according to the Small Business Administration:
- There are 27+ Million Small Businesses in the US.
- Between 60% & 80% of all new jobs created in our country can be attributed to Small Business.
- But sadly nearly half don't survive five years.
What can we do about it? Support small businesses. Encourage others who have small businesses. Be a client. Be a customer. Be a cheerleader.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Lauren
I met Lauren about a year ago, during a photo shoot for the Sacred Heart-Griffin POMS squad.
This week, I shot her senior photos. I had a great time, and I hope she did, too! I love that Lauren is outgoing, friendly toward everyone and always smiling! I can tell she is a strong, determined young lady with a great faith and a good big sister. Her mother is sweet and caring, and I enjoyed getting to know the three of them!
Here are my very favorites from our session:
This week, I shot her senior photos. I had a great time, and I hope she did, too! I love that Lauren is outgoing, friendly toward everyone and always smiling! I can tell she is a strong, determined young lady with a great faith and a good big sister. Her mother is sweet and caring, and I enjoyed getting to know the three of them!
Here are my very favorites from our session:
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
What photojournalism looks like...
Shortly before I left for Africa, I spent the morning with this family in Raymond. They purchased one of my two photojournalism packages and planned out a very typical family fun day that incorporated them doing all the things they love. Donny barely knew I was there most of the time, and the images were a great representation of my vision for family photography. Here's a few that I got from that day. Drop me a line and let me know what you think!
Operating trains!
Jumping the track!
Genuine fun at home!
On a call with mom.
Flying a helicopter.
Being silly with dad!
Exploring in the yard.
Swinging!
Ready. Set. JUMP!
Going to bat at the community sports complex.
Swing!
You can't get me out!
And he slides safely home!
A quick family photo on the pitching mound.
Stopping to pick flowers for mom.
Excuse me. I have to take this call, and it's noisy around here!
Fun on the swings!
Snuggle time!
Making lunch...
...and enjoying the sweet fruits of labor!
Praying before mealtime.
Thanks for letting me hang out with your family! I had a great time!!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Little Picassos Fundraiser
This is a little impromptu, but as I'm relaunching my photography business and starting a new freelance writing venture, I'm also planning a mission trip to Sierra Leone. I need to raise some more funds for my trip -- and quickly. But I didn't want to be impulsive, because that tends to get me in trouble! LOL!
So I thought and prayed and had a brilliant idea. We just painted a huge chalkboard in my studio and haven't done a darn thing with it yet. So, if you have a child who loves to draw or create, this will be the PERFECT opportunity for you to get beautiful candid and posed imagery AND help a great cause.
Here's the 411.
Little Picassos Session: 2 hours
Includes one 8x8 coffee table book of all the best images.
1 8x10
2 5x7s
1 set of wallets
Retail price: $600 per family
Special fundraiser price, with ALL proceeds going toward my mission trip: $400
(can include siblings and/or parents; please don't wear super nice clothing!)
(you may drop off child/ren or sit in the studio while they are creating their masterpieces...the choice is yours!)
This will be available for the next two weeks ONLY! Call (217.636.7383) or send me a message (adenney02@yahoo.com) to schedule a session.
P.S. So you can get a little visualization....here are a few photos of my daughter creating some sketches on the chalkboard, and she intentionally put chalk all over her face for the dramatic effect...she's silly that way! It's not quite that messy!
P.S.S. We're painting the "board" all the way down to the bottom of the wall, so there won't be a stripe of orange anymore either!
So I thought and prayed and had a brilliant idea. We just painted a huge chalkboard in my studio and haven't done a darn thing with it yet. So, if you have a child who loves to draw or create, this will be the PERFECT opportunity for you to get beautiful candid and posed imagery AND help a great cause.
Here's the 411.
Little Picassos Session: 2 hours
Includes one 8x8 coffee table book of all the best images.
1 8x10
2 5x7s
1 set of wallets
Retail price: $600 per family
Special fundraiser price, with ALL proceeds going toward my mission trip: $400
(can include siblings and/or parents; please don't wear super nice clothing!)
(you may drop off child/ren or sit in the studio while they are creating their masterpieces...the choice is yours!)
This will be available for the next two weeks ONLY! Call (217.636.7383) or send me a message (adenney02@yahoo.com) to schedule a session.
P.S. So you can get a little visualization....here are a few photos of my daughter creating some sketches on the chalkboard, and she intentionally put chalk all over her face for the dramatic effect...she's silly that way! It's not quite that messy!
P.S.S. We're painting the "board" all the way down to the bottom of the wall, so there won't be a stripe of orange anymore either!
Monday, March 26, 2012
The relaunch of Denney Photography
Here I am....again!
Six months ago, I took a risk. I entered the workforce as a full-time professional. I didn't close my business, but enough people knew my time was limited that Denney Photography might well have died.
When I decided I needed to come home, to serve my God and my family first, I wasn't sure what would become of Denney Photography. I prayed and prayed. Dan and I discussed it, and as usual, he brought me to a place that made sense. I'm not sure if my business will survive. But there are a few things I do know:
1. Some of you were amazing supporters, and I don't know that I did a very good job letting you know how much your business meant to me. That will change! Denney Photography will be more about building relationships than scheduling photo sessions.
2. I won't "give myself away" anymore. In the past, I sacrificed more time than I should have for sales averages that were too low to justify the cost to my family. My family, my faith and my mission work deserve better, so I have a pricing strategy that will do two things. First, it eliminates customers who are price shoppers. They weren't loyal, and they cost too much of me personally to justify the artwork I really want to create. More importantly, the new pricing strategy actually rewards my loyal customers by putting packages together at wonderful discounts.
3. I will no longer "sell out" for a paycheck. When I built my business, I took odd jobs, all jobs and never said no. I thought that was the wise way to establish my business, but I couldn't have been more wrong. There was no strategy, no branding, no identity. Instead of investing myself wisely, I was just investing myself -- sometimes in people who bought nothing from me. That was my fault! I shouldn't let anyone rob me of time away from my family! This time, I am putting my vision into practice. For more than a decade, I worked at newspapers -- reporting the news, watching it unfold. And that's exactly what brought me to photography. Not the posed shots. Not the studio work. LIFE. Relationships. In all their vividness and complexities and joys. So I've structured my collections for families to be an experience. It will include photos and videos. And while it can certainly have some posed shots, I want your session to be more about making memories together! Nobody is expected to behave in a certain way. They are required to just be themselves...doesn't that sound like a fun photo session! The camera will disappear, and you will simply live your life while I capture it in a documentary style. That's why my premium collections include a DVD slideshow of photos and video fused together, so that it will be a moment, a day, memories that you will cherish forever -- presented in a story-telling format that reflects the value of my time and your memories. Something to last. A treasure that is much more than a print in a frame.
I am SO EXCITED to present this concept to you. Anyone can grab a camera and take "decent" photos. But if you really want to see your life through the eyes of a journalism professional and artist, if you want a real treasure, a gift of a storytelling for your family, then my collections will be a perfect fit for you. I can't wait to get working on a project just for you and your family. Let's get started!
Six months ago, I took a risk. I entered the workforce as a full-time professional. I didn't close my business, but enough people knew my time was limited that Denney Photography might well have died.
When I decided I needed to come home, to serve my God and my family first, I wasn't sure what would become of Denney Photography. I prayed and prayed. Dan and I discussed it, and as usual, he brought me to a place that made sense. I'm not sure if my business will survive. But there are a few things I do know:
1. Some of you were amazing supporters, and I don't know that I did a very good job letting you know how much your business meant to me. That will change! Denney Photography will be more about building relationships than scheduling photo sessions.
2. I won't "give myself away" anymore. In the past, I sacrificed more time than I should have for sales averages that were too low to justify the cost to my family. My family, my faith and my mission work deserve better, so I have a pricing strategy that will do two things. First, it eliminates customers who are price shoppers. They weren't loyal, and they cost too much of me personally to justify the artwork I really want to create. More importantly, the new pricing strategy actually rewards my loyal customers by putting packages together at wonderful discounts.
3. I will no longer "sell out" for a paycheck. When I built my business, I took odd jobs, all jobs and never said no. I thought that was the wise way to establish my business, but I couldn't have been more wrong. There was no strategy, no branding, no identity. Instead of investing myself wisely, I was just investing myself -- sometimes in people who bought nothing from me. That was my fault! I shouldn't let anyone rob me of time away from my family! This time, I am putting my vision into practice. For more than a decade, I worked at newspapers -- reporting the news, watching it unfold. And that's exactly what brought me to photography. Not the posed shots. Not the studio work. LIFE. Relationships. In all their vividness and complexities and joys. So I've structured my collections for families to be an experience. It will include photos and videos. And while it can certainly have some posed shots, I want your session to be more about making memories together! Nobody is expected to behave in a certain way. They are required to just be themselves...doesn't that sound like a fun photo session! The camera will disappear, and you will simply live your life while I capture it in a documentary style. That's why my premium collections include a DVD slideshow of photos and video fused together, so that it will be a moment, a day, memories that you will cherish forever -- presented in a story-telling format that reflects the value of my time and your memories. Something to last. A treasure that is much more than a print in a frame.
I am SO EXCITED to present this concept to you. Anyone can grab a camera and take "decent" photos. But if you really want to see your life through the eyes of a journalism professional and artist, if you want a real treasure, a gift of a storytelling for your family, then my collections will be a perfect fit for you. I can't wait to get working on a project just for you and your family. Let's get started!
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