Why marketing is like dating…
…you need a sense of humor.
People like people who are funny and warm, not bitchy and cynical. If you are trying to meet Mr. or Ms. Right, being an upbeat person who finds the good in things, is eager to participate, and likes to help will help you make more friends and connect with people. It will make you more attractive. You will stand out in people’s minds as a positive person who is fun to be with. Someone reliable.
Same for your marketing. Successful photographers are enthusiastic, creative problem-solvers, not whiners and complainers. Clients want to know that you have the skills and, more importantly in many ways, the attitude to find a way to make things happen and work. They want someone who, when faced with a challenge will say “It’s cool, I’m sure I and my team can figure out a way to turn this challenge into gold” or “We can have fun with this!”
Your attitude is reflected in everything you put out in the world, especially your blog posts and forum posts. Complaining about the way the business used to be is a big turn-off. Complaining about other clients is even worse. Talking down about other photographers’ successes just makes you look petty and jealous.
Even the posts saying things like “The rush to motion photography isn’t a good idea” are negative and don’t help your business. Think that if you want, sure, but don’t put it out there. As your mother probably used to say, “If you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything.”
So, next time you are tempted to rant online, don’t. Take a breath and try to find a good and positive way to approach the issue. If you don’t like X, don’t denigrate it, but rather post what you do like (the opposite of X, for example). Instead of saying, perhaps, you think motion is a silly fad, write something about how passionate you are for the still image. See the difference?
Talking about your passions will attract other people who share those passions. Talking about what you don’t like will just push people away. Try saying “yes” much more than you say “no.” Try saying “this is cool” much more than “this is wrong/bad.”
To quote another old saying: you get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.
[First post in this series available here]