As the New Year rolls in, it’s natural to think about the upcoming year. I always dream about travel and look forward to trips, so I thought I would share some images I made from a journey to Scotland a few years ago. It’s also a good time to Plan for Success in 2022. Only you can define what that is in your professional life, but here are a few strategies that I think will work to your advantage. Rather than making resolutions you might not keep, a more concrete approach would be to set goals then create a step-by-step path to reach those goals. These are strategies that have worked for me over my thirty plus years in my photography and publishing businesses.
Set Goals. Knowing where you want to go is the first step along the path to success. Your goal may be to generate more business, have more exhibits or participate in more art fairs, or get a promotion at work. Then, figure out smaller, manageable steps to get there. If it’s about more sales or shows, identify your buyers or curators and when and how often to approach them. Break down a schedule of contact times and add those to you work calendar.
Get organized. Set up your yearly calendar. Whether you use a paper version or keep it electronically, it is essential to maintain and update. Enter show deadlines, then a prompt for yourself several weeks in advance so you’ll have time to have work photographed, properly labeled for submission, and applications completed ahead of time. If you apply to art fairs, try Zapp or Juried Art services, both of which allow you to apply online to shows through their portal, and will host 20 or more images so you’ll have them ready to use.
Don’t procrastinate. Do something, however small, every day toward your goals. Maybe it’s posting news or things of interest on your social media account or sending emails to clients or galleries. Pick up the phone and call them just to catch up and stay in touch, without a sales agenda. Not every call should be a sales call. Some days you may be in the mood to do more, other days, less, but do something every day, big or small, and you’ll be amazed how much you can accomplish.
Punch it. Create list of things to do at the first of each month. Use these punch list to detail what needs to be done to finish a project, define contacts you need to make, and to outline what needs to be done to prepare for upcoming events. Check it weekly to monitor your progress; mark off completed items and add new ones as needed.
Stay in touch. Contact buyers ahead of the sales season so they can place orders and have your items in stock. With travel down in general, people are spending more on items for their home, so have inventory ready and fill orders promptly. Check in with galleries and clients at least every other month to see if they need to restock. Don’t assume they’ll call you if they need more work, as most small business owners are swamped and don’t always do a great job of tracking when they are out of an item among dozens of vendors. They appreciate a prompt and want the sales as much as you do.
Share the news. Most people have a hard time promoting themselves, but marketing doesn’t have to mean blasting your advertising through a megaphone. If you are not comfortable being a “shameless self-promoter,” use a softer approach. Develop personal relationships with your clients and buyers. Stay in touch. Email buyers and clients with the latest updates about your business that might interest and benefit them. Post your work on your social media accounts on a regular basis. Shop at the places that sell your work.
Hopefully, this will give you a few ideas for the New Year. I’ll post a second installment of this article next month. If we can help you with your business needs, just give us a call. We do in-studio and location portraits, specialize in photographing products, art and craftwork, and are familiar with how to showcase your work to best apply to fairs and publications. We also do large format printing and can add text to your images for terrific display prints. CHECK BACK FOR MORE IDEAS!
