I hope you enjoyed everything we talked about last week. We covered a lot of different aspects and I know it can feel overwhelming at times. It’s hard to know where to start. I remember when I was first pushing into the next stages of my business feeling very overwhelmed with where and what to spend my (very limited) money on. As a rule of thumb (this is just my personal opinion) I have tried to spend the bulk of my $$ on upgrading equipment and improving my skill. NOTHING WILL SELL YOUR WORK MORE THEN GREAT IMAGES! I also recognized that I needed to make great first and last impressions to get them in and then keep them talking, thats where the need for The Everything Marketing Kit came from! I know that as you build a business you have a lot of wants and needs, I purposefully priced the kit at a low intro price so that anyone can afford it and start using it. I even send you an email after your purchase with lots of links to get free or almost free products and other fun stuff just to get you going! Marketing your business can be fun and exciting, and I seriously recommend looking at it that way. Instead of allowing it to be a daunting task look at a creative challenge – with the reward being a more lucrative and successful business. 


Creating the complete package is imperative to my business! From start to finish I want to impress them. I want each step of the experience to be better then expected. Thats why I love Nordstrom and it’s exact;y why I want them to love me! From the first email, to receiving beautifully done contracts to the disk and prints followed by a hand written thank you card on my company stationary. Each remind step reminds them of the last (i.e. branding) and is always building on top of the last. I think on of the easiest ways to understand branding is to think of it as the complete package. You’ve got the camera, a portfolio and the name, The Everything Marketing Kit creates the package!  And remember it can be customized just for you as well.


With everything we’ve talked about, one thing I hope you are really getting is that you need to find YOUR style. Think it out, dream it out, write it out! It’s the crucial starting point! Next is seeing it through. It’s important to execute your plan from start to finish. So what might make up your start to finish points?


1. POC (point of contact) is probably your blog or website or maybe a business or referral card. Are they sending the right message? 


2. The Product. You work is your real product, make sure it’s great! 


3. The Paperwork. Contracts, Model Release. Session Info. Who likes looking at boring white paper that they have to sign? At least make yours fun to look at and maybe even feel! 


3. The Session – This is where you need to prove that your branding is an honest fit – and yes that is very important!


4. Packaging for Prints and CD’s. Think of the soap? What would you be more excited to receive? The Value brand or the beautifully packaged delicious yummy soap? Duh!


5. Thank you card, Referral Cards. Keep them thinking about you with fun referral cards hand out to friends and a hand written thank you on your own company stationary after everything is complete! 


I guess the big thing I’ve learned so far is to look ahead. What ever step I was at I became so fully engrossed with that I forgot to look up and forward. I would find myself unprepared and scrounging to appear as if I was and that could have seriously hindered my chance at great opportunities! Speaking of opportunities… don’t forget to purchase your everything marketing kit an the into price (only till tomorrow!) I know – shameless! But seriously what kind of business gal would I really be (and would you want to listen to) if I didn’t mention it?!