The only way to get more people to your Facebook Page is to tell more people it exists.

It may be easy to send people to it by providing a link in your email, or including a Facebook Badge on your blog, but what do you do if you are out networking face to face?

Why not try a Facebook Business Card?

I’ve always loved Moo – you can find a variety of posts on here talking about how to use Moo products in your marketing materials.

Now they are helping you market your Facebook page as well.

Earlier this year, they launched Facebook Timeline cards – which was great for getting people to your individual profile. Now they are offering the same for Facebook Pages. And the best part is you can try it out … for free.

Each business can now login to Moo and get one pack of 50 cards for free. And even when your first 50 are gone, additional packs run $15 a pack. Very reasonable for a great marketing tool.

Making your Moo Facebook Cards is easy. When you sign in, make sure you click the “yes” when they ask for your data. This allows them to connect up with your Facebook account to pull the data automatically in.

Once your card is set up with your Timeline photo, personalize it. Make sure all your data is correct and its easy for people to connect up with you. You can add a favorite quote or phrase to the back of the card as well.

Tip: I love quotes and used one on the back of my first free pack. But you don’t have to stick with quotes. Think about what you do on Facebook. Do you provide tips? Do you share photos? Are you running a contest? Use that info on the back of your cards. It’s a great way to drive traffic if you’re offering an ongoing promotion.

Then purchase your cards. They are now shipping all over the world, so know matter where you live, you will probably be able to add this to your list of marketing tools.

Once you have your cards in place, use them in addition to your business cards. Yes, its okay to hand out two cards if they are both sending you to different places. When you are talking with someone, what would you like them to see? If you really want to feed them info from your Facebook account, hand over that card. If you want them to see your site for more information, hoping to convert them to a client, hand over your business card. And if you can tell they aren’t quite ready to convert to a client, or they are a great referral source, hand over both. The key is to let them follow you in the manner most convenient to them.

I opened up my email program to find 350 new messages.

Now I’ll be the first to admit I don’t use email like most. I don’t have them downloaded into my mobile so I can keep a pulse on what is happening at all times. I usually open up email three times per day – morning, after lunch and before I turn off my computer for the day. If I’m out on appointments, that may decrease by one.

Out of the 350 email, I deleted around 340 of them just by looking at the subject line and the recipient. And I’m sure I’m not alone. I’ve read statistics that show email is now around 90 percent spam related – 10 percent true email. And I can definitely attest to that.

Which means to get an email opened, it has to have a great subject line and be from a trusted referral. Without one of those two items, it doesn’t stand a chance.

Do you use email in an attempt to gain photography business?

After reading that question, you probably went one of two ways.

Yes, and I gain new clients every time I send an email.

No, email is now a complete waste of time.

If you are in the yes crowd, congratulations. You’ve learned that email is a long way from dead, and it still offers a lot of potential in connecting up with potential business.

But if you are in the no crowd, now may be the time to rethink your approach to email.

In order for email to be successful, you have to learn one thing about this creative marketing tool:

Emails are to introduce, engage, build a relationship, give information, create an opportunity, make an appointment or confirm a meeting. Emails are NOT a sales pitch.

Does that piece of advice sound familiar? It should. You can say the same for most online marketing tools anymore, including the social media sites we’ve all come to love.

Yet most sales people get it wrong.

In fact I found 3 of the 10 emails I did open to completely break this rule. While I didn’t recognize the recipients, the subject lines were something that pertained to me, so I opened them. Yet the emails all went something like this:

Hi Lori

I would like 5 minutes of your time to introduce you to my product. It’s a great product; one I’m sure you are going to love. Email me if you’re interested and we can set up a 5 minute demo in which I give you my sales pitch.

Thanks

Would you respond to that? Nope, me neither. Delete.

This type of email breaks two very important rules.

1. Its all about them.

2. There is nothing about relationships; only sales.

What this type of email tells me is they’ve simply created a generic email message and they are searching the Internet for anyone to send it to. They probably have a quota, yet hate to network and market in new ways. So they are relying on the safety of their desks and computers to make initial contact.

It also tells me they are only interested in the final numbers – the bottom line. They are looking for the quickest way to a sale possible. It also tells me they won’t be in this position very long.

If you see yourself in any of this, here is how to change it around.

Start with them – its always about them. If you are emailing someone in today’s world for the very first time, get to know them first. By searching on Google, Facebook and LinkedIn, you should be able to find a wealth of information on just about anybody. Now you’re ready to pay attention to them.

Next, make it short and get right to the point. Why are you emailing in the first place? If your email is more than 200 words, its too long. Write it again, get more creative, and make it short.

Start with the end in mind. What do you hope to accomplish with this email? One course of action should be all you plan for. Then write one or two statements to get your point across, one or two questions to engage your recipient, and close with your name.

In ever case, you should hyperlink your name or something in your salutation that directly relates to your site or to your information. People understand “clicking” and will follow things through to find out more information when they want to. You don’t have to spell it all out for them; they will go to the information they want and need.

The same applies to regular email marketing tools such as ezines. Create a format that is recognizable, that provides solid content, and is clickable if the recipient wants more information.

If you are serious about increasing your business, maybe its time you looked to the things you use the most. If email isn’t working for you, change it. It does work IF you use it in the right way.

Do you ever find yourself procrastinating? Its human nature.

Many people would define procrastination as laziness – you simply keep putting things off because you have other things to do. But if you look at what you normally procrastinate on, it really isn’t laziness at all.

Instead, its more about fear – fear of not understanding, fear of not being able to be perfect, fear of being completely overwhelmed.

And while this fear is what drives us forward, it can also hold us back.

Here are 7 of my favorite tricks I use when I find myself procrastinating over something big.

1. Start your ideas immediately

When you get an idea, what do you do with it?

Most people get an idea, and start thinking about it.

Then they wonder if it’s a good idea.

And they wonder some more.

And eventually the idea no longer has merit.

And they move in another direction.

If you get an idea, take action. Now. Write it down. Do some research. Formulate it as complete as possible. Print it out and look at it. Take action to put even just a piece into your business.

Just by moving it from the idea mode to the action mode, the likelihood your idea will help you jumps tenfold.

2. Chunk it out

Some ideas take hours, days, even months to see through to fruition. With that much of a to-do list, its easy to put it on the back burner. But if you chunk it out – divide it into small chunks of time you can easily take action on – you’re more likely to see it through.

When I have a new project, I specifically mark off time to work on it. It may be a half hour per day, or one afternoon per week. But if I know I have time to exclusively work on that project, my excitement level increases. And so does the likelihood of getting it into place within my business.

3. Commit through words

If you hold something in, you are more likely to put it aside. But when you tell someone about it, you are held accountable.

This is why advisory teams work so well. If you get together and talk on a regular basis with other like-minded business owners, you can provide your thoughts and ask for opinions. They will also provide resources and guidance, and ask the status at your next meeting.

4. Define your goal

Have you ever made “pipe dream” goals? Those are the goals you say over and over again with little chance of seeing them through to completion. These are goals like “I’m going to clean the garage” or “I’m going to create new marketing materials”. Its easy to procrastinate when your goal is monumental and you have no true deadline in place for completion.

Instead, clearly define what you want to do. “I will have a new brochure outlined by Friday” is much more motivating than planning on updating your marketing materials.

5. Do it first

What do you do first thing in the morning? Do you check messages and email? Do you get caught up in the nothingness of social media?

Your first moments of your day are the most productive. You walk in with a clear, fresh mind, ready to jump in for a new and exciting day.

This is the time you should dedicate to your new projects. This is the time you can provide the utmost attention to detail without losing yourself in the details of your daily problems.

Change your hours. If you work 9 to 5, bump your customer hours up to 10 to 5 and use the first hour for your new projects. Just because you’re in the office doesn’t mean you have to answer the phone or clear out messages. Give your time to your most beneficial tasks first.

6. Less is more

How many things are on your plate right now? Do you have 15 projects waiting for you? Do you have more client orders than you can keep up with? Are you completely overwhelmed?

Start by clearing off your plate. If you have that much client work, hire an assistant. If you have that many projects, prioritize them and choose the most important first.

Many people procrastinate because they simply can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Bring that tunnel into view, and always be able to see what’s on the other side.

7. Commit to an activity

Never ask yourself if you feel like doing something – chances are you won’t. Do you really feel like getting up on a dark, cold winter morning to work out? I know for me the answer is a big NO.

Yet I commit to it because I know I feel better when I do it. So I no longer ask myself if I feel like it; I just do it.

With any project you have on your plate, if you commit to doing the tasks without questioning how you feel about it, you are much more likely to do it.

Calendar it. Plan it. Do it.

That’s really all there is to it.

1. You love photography.

2. You hate your job.

3. You decide to make photography your career.

4. You open a studio and bring in clients.

5. You quit your job and begin building a successful photography business.

The above may sound like your plan. But do you have the 6th step in place?

6. Sell your business for a healthy profit.

Photography is an art form. Because its so personal, so much a part of who you are, very few photographers go into business dreaming of the day they will sell their business.

Yet in many ways, every business should be started with the intent that you will one day sell it. When you approach your business through that mindset, you begin to notice things you would never notice on your own. And you make changes to improve it so its more efficient and more valuable over all.

Lets look at this from another angle. Look at your business as you would your home.

When you buy a home, you go into it with the intent of living in it for a long time. Yet everything you do along the way you probably say something like “this will add to the value of my home”. So you happily improve the landscape in the summer. And add granite counter tops to your kitchen. Why not spend the money; you can enjoy it now and benefit from it in a few years when you decide to sell.

So why is your business any different?

If you make improvements along the way, you’ll increase your odds of attracting future buyers. You won’t look at your business through the eyes of “I just want to make money”, but instead you’ll say “how will this make my business more healthy, more profitable and highly attractive to others”?

While you may love your business now, where will you be 10 years from now? How about 20? Things change. And if you consistently look at your business as an investment instead of a mere way of bringing in enough income today to survive, you’ll create a much more successful business overall.

I’m Ready, Now What

Now that you’ve decided to put a exit strategy in place, even if you never truly decide to sell, its important to look at things through a buyers eyes. Assess the qualities of your company the way it stands today. What gives it value? What gives it strength? And where are its weaknesses?

Buyers are interested in businesses that offer:

• A great business story – something that makes it stand out from its competitors

• A great list – relationship with clients and referral partners that consistently bring in money again and again

• A great niche – an industry that shows healthy levels of potential profits now and well into the future

• A system in place – technology, tools and other processes that makes it easy to step in and take over with little disruption

With this list in mind, create your own to-do list that will make your business more attractable in the coming years.

Study your market. Be specific and determine exactly how you fit into the photographic industry and into your defined niche. Buyers look for potential growth and how future clients will perceive your business. If you can’t define this now, work towards it now.

Develop your growth strategy. Buyers buy future performance, not what you’ve done in the past. Making $250,000 last year is great, but if you’re on track to make $100,000 this year, your buyers won’t buy. Your marketing, goals and projects should always reflect growth and be a benchmark for what you will be doing in the coming months and years. Your competitors won’t stand still; how are you reacting to that?

Build a strong customer list. A business is only as strong as its customer list. If they value what you do, you can sell anytime. But if you’re always chasing new business with little regard for your existing clientele, you’ll lose value rapidly. Concentrate on retention. This is key to any successful business model.

Strengthen your team. Photographers love being solo-preneurs. Yet this isn’t sustainable for the long run. No, you don’t need a full staff to do all of your work. But you do need support that gets the jobs done efficiently. A great accountant and lawyer, production assistants, and other help can all work off site, and possibly on consultant basis rather than paid employees. That’s okay. It’s the system that matters most, and how they help you achieve balance and flexibility so you can do what you do best.

Taking the approach you will sell at some point in the future gives you the upper hand. It helps you maximize value and improve every piece of your business model, whether you sell of not. The key is efficiency. And who can argue with that when it makes you better at what you do?

I know what you’re thinking. Viddy? What’s Viddy? There is something else out there I need to know about?

Yes.

Viddy is a social video editing and sharing app that just surpassed the 26 million user mark.

Where Instagram and other photo apps allow you to play with still images, Viddy gives you the tools to turn any 15 second video footage into something truly unique and shareable. You can add filters and music, and give it a true “movie trailer” look and feel.

And then you share it – that’s what today’s technology is all about.

Start by downloading Viddy to your iPhone and sign up using Facebook or Twitter – you can use an email instead if you choose.

When you’ve signed in, it will pull a list of your friends already on Viddy (providing you’ve used your Facebook/Twitter account), which will give you a few people to follow and see what they are doing. Following works in a similar manner to other social sites – just hit the follow button and they are added to your profile.

Create your profile by adding a photograph, and start videoing.

Keep in mind that Viddy works like the other social sites you are used to. You can like, favorite, tag and add comments to any video you come across. You can also flag a video if you think its inappropriate – just look for the skull and crossbones icon.

As a business owner, your goal is to get your videos in front of as many people as possible, and hope they like, favorite, tag and comment on everything you do. And because you can connect to your Facebook/Twitter accounts, its easy to share in a variety of ways.

If you choose to shoot something new, remember, you have 15 seconds of recording time. Or just pull something in you’ve already recorded.

Viddy has an array of advanced options for you to shoot and manipulate your video:

• You can change the aspect ratio from 4:3 at 480p to widescreen with a 16:9 ratio at 720p.

• You can add a grid overlay to your display to make sure it stays level during recording.

• You have a timer option to give you a 3 second lead before recording starts.

• You can add a variety of special effects, including vintage and black and white. Viddy comes with a few to start you out. You can also choose to download more – both free and pay are available.

Once you are happy with your final product, upload and share.

Yes, 15 seconds isn’t a whole lot of time. Which is why you should think about it as a “movie trailer” format. What can you say about your business in a quick way? Capture a few seconds of a fun shoot your own – whether it’s a high school senior, a trash the dress session, or even a commercial shoot on the beaches of Fiji.

The idea isn’t perfection. It isn’t an exact branding tool. Its made to be fun and add another dimension to your business.

Give it a try.

I recently had a question come through on a post – What Are You Selling On Your Website?

“Thank you for the info here. How would you go about creating a call to action for a product not yet created? For example, how would one get a client to book or purchase a package through a website without a consultation? I’ve struggled with this concept and would really appreciate your perspective.”

Really there are two answers to this question. You need both in order to complete a sales process online.

1. Content

2. Action

Lets start with content.

The one thing I write on probably more than any other topic is content. And in many ways, I’m showing you how to do it by actually doing it.

If you’ve spent time on this site, you know there is a huge amount of content – hundreds and hundreds of posts for you to search through and learn from. If you come in and read a post and like it, I’ll lead you to more content in a variety of ways. I love using Dig Deeper’s:

Dig Deeper: Why Every Small Business Owner Must Now Be A Content Provider

At the end of each post you’ll find additional posts related to the content you’ve just read:

And of course you can always head back up to the navigation and find specific information on just about anything related to building a photography business.

By reading content, we’re developing a relationship. You read and learn. And hopefully trust me to continue providing quality content that can given to you in a variety of ways. Including some things for sale.

The same applies to your prospects and customers.

The more content you provide, the more they will be able to read and take in, the more they will be able to build up trust, and the more likely they will be to convert just by utilizing your site.

If you have a wedding business, you can approach the online world in two ways.

You can have a simple website with the standard pages – home, about us, contact us, services and a gallery. A client breezes through it and automatically has to connect with you if they want more information.

Or you can have a complex site with all of the standard pages, plus dozens and dozens of pages of content that are related to your wedding business.

If you’ve shot 50 weddings over the past 2 years, you should have 50 pages describing each wedding in detail – venues, who you worked with, what you did, etc.

You should have planning tips on everything a bride will need from beginning to end – including how to design a top notch album.

You should have photography tips – how to take a better portrait, extras like engagements and trash the dress sessions, tips on the must have images and the one’s to stay away from, etc. This section alone is unlimited; you could write from this perspective for the rest of your life.

Content is what seals the deal. The more they read, the more excited they get, the more they have to use you.

Now on to action.

Now the excitement is there. They’ve spent minutes, hours or even days reading through your content. They love what you have to say. They love what you are doing. They love you!

Lead them to your sales page. Not a services page that describes what you have to offer in a paragraph or two. An actual sales page.

This is your sales pitch. This is everything they need to sign on the dotted line. You have to cover it all, from beginning to end.

You have to calm their fears and make them want you more than ever.

You can write up a sales letter. Or you can use video.

You can use long paragraphs. Or short bullet points.

Or a mixture of everything.

As they read through your sales letter, they have to want to take that next step. They have to want to click on the button, fill in their account information, and purchase that service right now.

So ask yourself, “What do I need my client to know and do before they hand over their credit card?”

Do they need to book a specific date and time? You may need a calendar system in place for them to select what they need.

Can they book the basics – like a portrait package – and you connect to set up time and date later?

Also look at all the details.

The sales package connects and they click on the button to buy? What’s next?

Your shopping cart better be super easy to complete the sale.

Once the purchase is made, you better have a landing page that gives them all the information they need to feel safe and secure about the purchase they just made.

You may have a follow up email that helps solidify in their minds they made the perfect choice.

And so on.

If it sounds like quite a thought process, its because it is.

Everything you do in person, you have to convert to an online presence.

The more you can make if feel like you are there along the way, the better your process will be.

As a new business owner, your mind is filled with every last detail of your business. And with so much to learn, you probably don’t spend a lot of time mastering each piece. In many aspects, that comes along the way.

So you jump right in and do things as they happen. When a prospect comes in, you have an honest conversation. You tell them your opinions, your attitudes, and how you really feel. You ask questions and provide the answers you think you would like to hear? What’s wrong with that?

Yet in sales, if you ask the wrong questions, you may not only turn a prospect away, you may alienate future customers as well. Here’s why.

Smart questions build up the relationship you are forming with a prospect. Dumb questions fill a customer with doubt and self-questioning.

Smart questions make a prospect think about the answer and how you fit into it. Dumb questions leave everything open, guaranteeing they will turn to someone else for solid answers.

Here are the dumbest questions you can use to bring in photography clients and why they are dumb.

What do you want to spend? This is allowing them to focus on their own pre-set pricing structure without understanding what you have to offer.

How can I change this package? If you’ve thought about your packages and spent time putting them together, they should benefit the majority of your clients that would move forward with the package. By offering to change a package, you’re admitting its not well thought out and put together.

What are the other photographers you are looking at charging? Never, ever price shop through your clients and prospects. If you want to know what someone else charges, call them or shop their websites. Don’t use your customers.

Can I provide you with a quote? A quote says you are unsure of your pricing. A pricing structure says you are prepared for everything. You should be able to chat with a customer, understand their needs, and point them immediately to the right “package” for them.

What would it take for you to sign a contract today? This is a used car salesperson tactic. Getting people to sign today says you are desperate. If you let them choose on their own time frame – with no guarantees the date will be available tomorrow – it allows them to make a decision knowing your policies are strong and in place.

Would you be willing to try us at a reduced fee? For large contracts, you may decide its easier to get your foot in the door today, build the relationship, and charge more later. Yet the minute you cut prices, your client will demand those low prices from that point forward. Or they will find someone else willing to cut prices too.

Do you see a pattern in these questions? You should. Every one of them puts doubt in your sales presentation. It shows that you are unsure of what you provide, how your answers hold through within the photographic community, and whether you are truly sure of how your business is being run.

If you take one message from this post its this. Create a sales strategy and stick with it.

Don’t let your clients change your position – ever. If you begin to doubt a price or a service, change it without a client in the room. Then use your new strategy for the next client that walks in.

The biggest reason people fail at sales is because of doubt. If you stay strong and believe in what you do and how you sell it, you will succeed.

Is your client lying to you?

When you are new to the business world, its easy to want to trust everyone that walks through your door. Unfortunately not every client will live by the same ethics you do. Some clients are strictly out for “the deal” and will think nothing of trying to get everything they can.

Unfortunately, “lies” not only will take away the solid income stream you are trying to build to keep yourself in business, but it can also take away your self-confidence as a business owner, wondering who you can trust down the road.

Watch for these 8 lies you may hear from time to time. And if you hear these words coming from your client’s mouth, move forward cautiously.

Lie #1 You’ll Get A Ton Of Exposure From This

This has always been one of my favorites and I’ve probably heard this the most. People want the world given to them even when they don’t have the resources to pay for it. And since you’re just an “artist”, you get that, right? So why don’t you remain a “starving artist” and give me images for free. Then I’ll pass along your name to everyone I know and tell them what a great job you did. The problem is most people won’t follow through on telling their friends. And even if they do, chances are they will throw in a sentence or two about what a deal they got. Then any referral will also expect the deal when they visit you.

Lie #2 You’ll Have Plenty More Work In The Future

You may hear this one a lot in the commercial industry. A new company wants great photos of their current products, and expect to build on their success in the future. So they want a deal today, promising you their future projects – annual reports, model shoots, catalog projects and more. These clients mean well and you have to appreciate their big dreams. Yet in many cases these dreams simply won’t materialize. You have bills to pay. And because they are also a business owner, they should realize that too. If they want to commit to future projects in a contract, you may negotiate a pricing structure built on several shoots. Otherwise stick with your original pricing.

Lie #3 I’ll Pay When I Make Money

While some business  owners offer to bring you in on future deals, others may simply ask to postpone when they pay for your work. “The big project is due next month” or “My largest customer’s bill is due in a couple of weeks” you may hear over and over again. So they ask for their images promising to pay when they get paid. Your policy should always be payment, then final images. The minute you release your images, they have no motivation to pay you. You may keep hearing these empty promises forever if you release your images first.

Lie #4 I’m Sending The Check Today

If you do work for a client again and again, its easy to get lazy and start releasing your work before payment. Pretty soon they owe you for a shoot, and for a few images .. and it quickly adds up to some pretty big dollar amounts. Then you send a statement, or leave a message, and you don’t hear from them. Even great clients can go “missing” if they have a few down months themselves and the bill suddenly becomes bigger than they imagined. If you hear “the check is in the mail” more than once, put a stop to it. Call and start a payment plan. Ask for a credit card. Find some way to resolve the situation. Then go back to payment first before you release your work.

Lie #5 It’s a Small Project

Its so easy to be taken in by this one. The client gives you a few details and you provide a low bid. Then suddenly new things start popping up. You have to spend time researching things, buying new equipment, and planning in extra hours of work. And this low cost small project balloons into something you no longer want to handle. Instead of getting sucked into this scenario, ask lots of questions before you take on the work. Be very specific about the little things and get things in writing. Contracts are good in this case to make sure you both understand what is expected.

Lie #6 I Don’t Know Anyone That Charges This Much

When people start questioning your prices, its usually because they see the value in your work and yet they don’t want to pay what you are truly worth. They’ve looked at other photographers and know you will be the best for the project. Yet they could save money by going in another direction. They are caught in a dilemma so they kick it back to you. If they can charm you and make you think your pricing structure is unreasonable, maybe they can get a deal. This is the time to stay firm in your pricing. If they really like what they see, they will find a way to fit you into their budget model.

Lie #7 I Just Want A Few Files Today And Will Buy The Rest Later

This usually comes into play when you offer a discount if they reach a certain level. So they take the digital files of the two prints they can decide on today, promising to come back and choose ( and pay for) the rest later. Later never comes. Again, payment should always be mandatory before they leave with final images.

Lie #8 This Is Our Budget

Many people start out phone conversations this way. “Our budget for photography is $xxx.” Yet in many cases they are just starting their research and have no clue as to what things truly cost. Don’t match their budget, stay true to your pricing structure. You don’t hold their purse strings. You aren’t in charge of their final decisions. People change their minds about financing all the time, especially if they find something they really want.

Pinterest has hit another milestone – over 100 million visits per month with nearly 12 million  of them being unique visitors.

If you haven’t joined Pinterest yet, now is the time. Pinterest is used primarily by women, and because of the visual aspect of pin boards, they spend a lot of time on the site.

Currently you can use Pinterest by signing up through either your Facebook account or your Twitter account, giving you double the traction for half the work.  If you connect through Facebook, keep in mind that currently it connects with your personal profile, not your page. So if you want to keep it business related, sign up for a special Twitter account to connect it to.

Then let the pinning begin.

1. Pinterest will start you out with five pre-determined pin boards. You can delete these and create your own. Plan out your boards with your business in mind. So instead of “photography” be specific towards your niche market. Also break it down to give your potential customers ideas as they are searching through your boards: what to wear for a portrait, posing ideas, location ideas. Be specific and use them to direct people to what they like the most. However, don’t just fill it with stuff from your site -  be a resource as well. Its okay to post fresh ideas from other sites and resources online. Be an industry expert and share your talents and knowledge freely.

Dig Deeper: The Code For Blocking Pinterest … And 12 Reasons You Shouldn’t Use It

2. Google recognizes Pinterest profiles, so they can appear on the first pages of search results. Because of how Pinterest interacts with Google, be sure to create boards using your key terms so its recognizable and will deliver you results within the most popular key searches.

3. Currently you can rearrange your pinboards to have them showcased on your profile in any order you choose. Yet the pins within each pinboard are shown in order of when you pinned each item. If you have a closed board concept – meaning you are creating a board with a select number of pins and you know ahead of time what they will be – lay out the order first so they will appear in the order you desire.

4. Go mobile. Of course there is an app for Pinterest. Use it on your phone so you can snap photos when you are away from the office and share those on your boards as well.

Pinterest also has a widget plugin that allows you to showcase your pinboards on your blog as well.

And of course you should be using the Pin It button that allows you to include it on every post you create.

5. Want to see if anyone has posted things from your website? Use this handy tool: just use the following URL, substituting your URL for “yourwebsite” – www.pinterest.com/source/yourwebsite

6. Have something for sale and want to include a dollar banner on the photo? Simply use $ in the description and you’ll have a price banner on the upper left hand corner of your image.

7. You can add video  to your boards as well. Find the video you want to include on YouTube. Click the Share button below the video. Use the URL code it provides, and copy/paste it into your Pinterest profile – Add+ button. When you paste the code in, you’ll be able to choose an image from the video to include. Add your description and Pin It.

Dig Deeper: Is Your Pinterest Traffic Worthless?

8. Hold a contest. This is still new to Pinterest, but there are many ideas already surfacing. How about having your followers create a board and share pins related to your business. Make sure they title the board in a certain way and leave a comment so you know where to find it.

You can also do a Repin and Win promotion rewarding pinners who receive the most likes and repins from your original pin.

Make sure you plan the process from beginning to end and thoroughly describe how a person plays and wins.

Its sad to see a photographer who is really good at photography, yet knows nothing about business.

When we were first starting to climb the ladder of success within the photography industry, we met a couple who were several years older and had several more years of experience. We looked at their work and instantly knew they were one of the best photography studios in our area. Until we got to know them and started learning more about how they ran their business.

When we would get together for dinner, they would proceed to list out several things they were currently working on. And those several things seemed to change every few months. Then they confided the real truth.

“As much as we love photography, we just can’t rely on it for a full time income. We have never been able to figure out how to push it to the point of creating a secure and profitable income.”

These people had some “major player” clients. They were written up in local media. They won awards and were recognized within the photographic industry. Looking at them, they were the people to model. They looked like they had it all together.

But while they were very good at photography, they had never taken the time to learn about the business world.

They created their pricing structure for the low end because:

They felt guilty about charging “too much”, even though it was their belief system that created what “too much” meant, not what others were willing to pay

They let the low end structure their pricing – and their high end was more than happy to pay it, knowing they got a “deal”

For all of these reasons and more, their marketing, pricing, and financial tasks struggled.

They aren’t alone. Many photographers love being a photographer, love being an artist, and completely ignore the business side of things. “I would rather continue being a great artist then ending up looking like a used car salesperson,” they say.

Because business stuff is intimidating, they put it off and say “maybe later” instead of taking the time to mesh the two pieces together.

You can be good at photography and business too.

If you fast-forward years into the future, this couple took the path so many photographers do. They now each have a full time job to earn enough to survive and pay the bills – and pay for medical insurance. They sell a direct marketing product on the side. And of course they still shoot for “fun”, yet they do it as easily as possible now, taking the images and handing over the files.

So if we could go back in time and stop this couple before they headed down this path, what is the one thing that could have helped them build a successful business?

Create a one-two punch marketing strategy.

If you would have asked this couple who their target market was, they would have answered “anyone who needs portrait or wedding photography in the Denver marketplace”.

And that’s where most people go wrong.

If you target everybody, nobody will buy.

If you promote to everybody, your message is missed by the people that would truly love you.

If you price for everybody, you are missing out on huge profits from the people that would pay you exactly what you are worth.

When it comes to understanding marketing and how to target the right person, there are three basic targeting methods to choose from.

Geography – a way of defining a target market by their location

Demographics – a characteristic that holds this group together – something they have in common

Price – where is this target market on the socioeconomic scale

By using these three qualifiers, you can put together an exact target niche, and create a business that is stronger and more profitable by giving this audience exactly what they want and need. This is how it looks.

Qualifier 1  –  Qualifier 2  who desire [your services]

A few examples would be:

• Newly engaged couples in the United States that are planning destination weddings in Mexico and the Caribbean

• Parents of children who act/model in Colorado that need portfolio images for further advancement

• Small business owners in the coaching/consulting industry who need images for online publicity

Hopefully when you read each of these items, you could visualize exactly what people in this target market look like.

They are very unique in their demographics, yet they all have several things in common that would be easy to target. You could be very descriptive when talking and marketing to them, so much so that you would move beyond “just another photographer” and become a resident expert.

And who do you pay more for? An expert of course.