I’ve been talking with a lot of PTCO groups here in my local area about jumping on to Facebook, and using different social networking tools. While my main focus with these groups is to talk about security when their children use them, we also touch on how beneficial they are for businesses.
At each of the meetings, one question always jumps out at the beginning.
“How personal should you get?”
The answer of course is different for an adult versus a child. But from my perspective, being personal is what makes you human. It’s what gives you personality. It’s what helps you build relationships.
No matter what you buy, chances are you buy it because of the relationships you have with the workers at the store. You shop at one grocery store over the other because they seem friendlier as you’re heading through the checkout lane. Or you visit one discount store over the other because you like the interaction with the workers.
You have a preference because of the way you perceive the surroundings of the area.
People do business with people they know and like. The more personal the product or service, the more they want to know you. The more they will ultimately spend, the more personal they will want to be.
When you meet in person, it’s easy to spend the first five minutes asking about the children, or talking about a recent vacation. But how do you do that online?
With your blog.
Photography is a very personal service. So it’s easy to share personal thoughts throughout your day.
· If you photographed a wedding, it’s easy to talk about the wedding and show photographs of the event. But you can also talk about spending the night in a local hotel; what great breakfasts they have at the local restaurant, and how you spent the day photographing in the local town just for fun.
· If you photographed a catalog shoot, it’s easy to talk about the client, and show images of the shoot itself. But you can also talk about the trip to the beach to get the images, show your staff wading knee deep in ice-cold water, and talk about the dinner you had with the models after the shoot.
· You can also talk about the conventions you’re attending, the people and groups you network with, and upcoming clients you’re excited to work with.
Blogging does take time, and it may take awhile to get used to writing for an audience. But you don’t have to be a professional writer. Just talk about what you do, and what your clients expect. It will help you build a stronger, more active business in a very short period of time.
Are you a photographer with a blog? Post it here in the comments – we’d love to see your work.
image source clix
I agree with what you are saying. I am trying more and more to talk about how a shot makes me feel or why I picked it, what worked or did not work, etc. Should a photo stand on its own? Sure thing. But the back story and the photographers thoughts and feelings make it all the more interesting to me.
http://jasondmoorephoto.zenfolio.com/
I’ve been writing online for about 6.5 years and have been managing a community of Photoshop & Photography bloggers for about half that time. I can certainly attest to how the friendships and contacts that have come about because of blogging have been beneficial both personally and professionally. There are a lot of things I do that don’t lend themselves to personability but by trying to let my personality show in everything makes a huge difference. I may not lay it all on the table, but I’ve found that people definitely respond to honesty and can tell when you’re really being yourself.
Thanks for reminding me of that!
Jason
Just wanted to thank you for all the good advice which you routinely dispense. I will continue to be an avid reader, and I recommend this site to friends and colleagues. Mitch
Thanks for the comments – this is why I love blogging. (Okay, its just one of the reasons.) But I really like the interaction and hearing how others feel about similar issues.
Beau, that’s exactly why people choose a photographer. When they hear how passionate you are about a client, and talk in detail about how you captured an image – the image takes on a whole new meaning. Clients get that.
Jason, it is all about being yourself with your clients. And the Internet is so much fun because you no longer have to find your clients 25 miles from your home. You can now search the world to find clients who think exactly like you and appreciate what you do.
And Mitch, thanks for the comment. I’m so glad people are finding what I do useful.
Here’s to a great 2009!