Tag Archives: marketing school

HOW TO CONQUER MARKETING – ITTYBIZ AUDIO REVIEW

03.15.10

This post had to be moved up, since the sale is ending roughly 24 hours from now — so if you’re tempted, buy before the price goes up!

You all know I’m a big fan of Naomi Dunford.  Marketing School and SEO School have been game changers for me, and they come at less than the cost of a pair of jeans at the Gap.  Naomi just released a series of new audio goodies, so I ponied up for How to Conquer Marketing and Make a Living With Your Art.  It’s $29 for a limited time, and then the price hits $49.

Get it while it’s $29 to enjoy Naomi’s sweet nothings whispered in your ear (or laptop) a little more.


(Photos above from the ‘images you can’t pay me to take’ collection: if you’re my college roomie and I adore you, I will shoot your sister’s wedding even though it makes me break out in hives.)

Naomi will help you find more eyeballs for viewing your art, help you find the marketing techniques that suit your personality, encourage you to move beyond apologizing for taking people’s money, introduce a revolutionary donation-based concept for the brave and entertaining among you, and tell you why most artists’ marketing sucks.  (And how to fix it, of course!)

If you listen to what Naomi has to say — and I mean listen-so-hard-you-take-notes listen, I bet you’ll have an a-ha moment.  Yup, I’m putting that Oprah cliche right out there and saying you’ll probably have one.  I did.  I paused the audio halfway through to rewrite some blog copy that’s been a pain to get just right.  Naomi made the lightbulb moment happen, and now it’s perfect.

How to Conquer Marketing and Make a Living With Your Art will give you a shot of confidence and marketing know-how.  (It costs as much as an entree in Vegas, so even if you’ve just gotten back from WPPI — the audio lasts longer than Wolfgang Puck’s gnocchi platter.)

Curious about my reviews of Naomi’s other products? Learn about Marketing School here.  Get the goods on SEO School here.

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EVEN STRIP CLUBS GO OUT OF BUSINESS.

03.02.10

I got back fab black & white scans of an abandoned strip joint, shot on a roll of 120 film shot with my Diana camera.  Since I’m not about to throw ‘topless go-go’ pics on my babies and kids blog, I had to find a way to share ‘em here.  Thus, this post.

If you provide hot girls and cold beer at reasonable prices, you’ve got a time-honored business model working in your favor.  Strip clubs should be profit MACHINES.  But  just because you have the prettiest, thinnest, hottest, _____est dancers doesn’t mean people will find you.

You’re nodding your head.  You’re like, ‘duh, Kristen, of COURSE people won’t find out about Crystal Delicious and her miraculous pole-dancing on their own!’

So why do you assume people will find out about your artwork on their own?

You’re talented, you have great photos, you have a website.  And no one cares.  You’re dancing for an empty auditorium.

How do we go about filling that auditorium?

Generate buzz.

If you owned a strip club, I would hope you would attempt to generate buzz locally.  Postcards, posters, and business cards shuffling from hand to hand help generate buzz.  That giant dude standing on the corner, passing out pink 4×6″ signs with Crystal Delicious on ‘em?  That dude is filling your auditorium.  As an artist, strive to have marketing materials circulating among customers, potential customers, and other businesses AT ALL TIMES.

Differentiate.

That giant dude also knows the power of differentiation.  You’re selling your club, yes, but you’re also pushing Crystal Delicious pretty hard.  No other club has Crystal!  Stand in awe of her upside-down-kerfuffle-lutz moves!  What would a giant dude wearing brass knuckles be pushing on the street corner if those postcards were about your business?  What will make you stand out like Crystal does?  (Need a dose of differentiation?  Try Marketing School.)

Reward your loyal fans.

George has sent twelve guys to your club in the past month.  Oh, and he’s urging his buddy to book his bachelor party with Crystal.  George needs to be rewarded for his loyalty!  The same goes for the bride who urges two other brides to book, or the Mom who hands out your business cards to her entire preschool!  Get those women some freebies, some special pricing, or a bottle of wine — never forget to reward the people who spread the word about your business to others.

Optimize your web assets. (Heh, I said assets.)

After hitting the local scene, I would hope you’d be a touch tech-savvy and optimize your strip club for search engine placement.  This is a slower build, and people might not find out about Crystal’s pole-dancing right away, but over time and with the right resources you’ll have clients making a trip to your joint as a destination!  SEO School has the tips you need to optimize your web assets for search engines.  Promise.

Outsource.

Finally, while you’re waiting for your strip club to hit it big, I would outsource wherever possible.  This doesn’t appear to make much sense, because your inclination is to do everything yourself.  But spending four hours cleaning the entire club means you wasted four hours that could have been spent on marketing.  Do you make more money by having clean toilets and no customers, or by having a small cleaning staff and a club packed with people?

Any other strip joint/photography buzz-generating tips for us?  Share ‘em!  And let me know what you think of today’s post, pretty please?

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Marla - March 12, 2010 - 12:28 pm

I LOVE your posts! They are always entertaining and inspiring!

Amy Nieto - March 7, 2010 - 3:53 am

I am officially changing the name of my biz to Crystal Delicious… specializing in newborns and maternity!

Kelly Tarleton - March 5, 2010 - 1:22 pm

Am loving this post! I fall into the category of wondering why I don’t have clients and the answer is that I haven’t asked for them. A silly epiphany, but a lesson all the same. And you illustrated it perfectly with your analogy – a great application of your photos!

Christine - March 3, 2010 - 12:05 pm

Sometimes, the owner of the business might be better off spending four hours cleaning the club and outsourcing the marketing. It is all about knowing your strengths & weaknesses!

Brilliant post – and fabulous photos too! Thanks for sharing them!

amanda - March 2, 2010 - 2:24 pm

loved it. loved the pics. now i just need you to come personally kick my arse so i’ll get off it and get those marketing materials into the hands of potential clients!

erika - March 2, 2010 - 11:23 am

I love that you came up with a whole marketing post surrounding strip joints just so you could post those pictures =)

The business side of this can all really be overwhelming, especially when getting started so it’s a good point to make that you can outsource even when you’re starting out to help get things moving.
Great images won’t get themselves noticed. Something to think about for sure!

Crystal Delicious is also an amazing stripper name.

Chase - March 2, 2010 - 10:50 am

Great post.

Another point to remind people is to not forget what got them there. Customer service? Attention to detail? What made you, you? That is a key part of your success and some people when they get big/more income forget the keys that opened those doors for them.

Justin Kownacki - March 2, 2010 - 10:45 am

When a foolproof biz model like a strip club goes belly-up <> it forces even legit biz owners to re-examine what they’re NOT doing to keep their own businesses afloat.

I found similarly non-PC wisdom in a recent LA Times article about the best heroin business model ever unleashed. A good example of a bad idea is still a good lesson, if you can see it as such.

That LA Times article:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-blacktar14-2010feb14,0,4784251,full.story

Jeanette LeBlanc - March 2, 2010 - 10:45 am

Brilliant Kristin, just brilliant. Not that you’re saying something that hasn’t been said before, but the way you married solid info, relate-able analogy (who can’t relate to pole dancing – come on!) and humor. Brilliant – you’ve got my brain buzzing this morning, and not for cold beer and hot girls :)

J.

Samantha - March 2, 2010 - 10:17 am

Thank you for keeping me thinking about the business side of this business!

Chris - March 2, 2010 - 10:13 am

I’ve been following your blog for a few months now and I have to say, this is one of the funniest posts and honestly one I want to share with others. Great job! And thank you for all the great tips along the way. I’m just starting out and they have have definitely given me lots to think about.

MINIMIZE YOUR INVESTMENT.

01.29.10

I got some questions about how to get displays to work for you.  One photographer said she feels like ponying up $800 for a display and getting zero return is just not working. I know of a lovely local who ponied up over $10,000 for fancy marketing brochures.  She keeps them in the basement of her storefront because they were too expensive to give out to just anyone…

How do you minimize your marketing investment while maximizing your impact?

Make good use of graphic design.

Grab a marketing brochure template from Design Aglow or Sarah Q, then customize it a touch to include your branding elements.  Switching out a background and a font will go a long way toward helping your brand stand out without hurting your potential client’s eyes or insulting their design sensibilities.

Simplify your message.

If you’ve mastered Marketing School, use your brochure to outline your unique selling proposition and your company’s features and benefits. That’s it.  No pricing menu — too overwhelming.  No specials or time-sensitive promos — you’ll have to throw away brochures, for sure.

Find a vendor to produce reliable, cost-effective results.

Sure, 25 5×5″ metallic postcards from WHCC are stunning — but at over $1 each, they don’t provide enough information about the business for the cost.  I recently got 1,000 8-page brochures printed on recycled paper stock from Got Print for less than $500.  The same brochures from other vendors are twice as much, while old-school catalogs from BellaGraphica are about $4 each.

When it comes to displays, rely on collages to sell your work.

A single 20×30″ canvas featuring your favorite four to six images and logo will go a long way toward selling your work.  Buying 6 20×30″ canvases for a space is going to put you back $600-$800, a costly solution when you plan to change the images out every four to six months.

If canvas isn’t your thing, feature a large(ish) framed print.

Not a custom-framed print.  Just a 16×20″ print in a frame that costs less than $50.  Hit up a thrift store for an antique frame or spray paint one from your basement.  Troll the aisles of Target until the perfect frame pops into your cart.  Get creative without breaking the bank.

Potential clients passing by your work won’t be looking at the frame, they’ll be looking at the image.  Save the custom framed samples and corners for your studio or your in-home sales sessions.

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Becky - January 30, 2010 - 1:43 pm

I love the collage idea for displaying in businesses, and Design Aglow just came out with a template for large canvas collages that’s only $35 which would definitely save time on creating layouts. Another option I’ve been considering is Standout Prints. While I don’t offer them as a product, they are a less expensive option for a modern looking setting.

Michelle Posey - January 29, 2010 - 4:31 pm

Yes! I discovered the thrift-store frame secret while preparing for a bridal fair recently. The frames looked awesome and not a one cost more than $25 (some with mats, too!). They weren’t looking at the frames, but I think having photos in a nice looking frame sends a subliminal message that this photo is worth more than something just mounted on foam board and plopped on an easel.

The Collage Connection - Photoshop Templates for Photographers - February 3, 2010 - 1:32 pm

[...] came across this great blog – BRAND CAMP BLOG – and they had a nice entry about how to promote your portrait business in a cost effective manner. As I read, my eyes zoomed right in on the headline “When it comes to displays, rely on [...]

MARKETING SCHOOL REVIEW

01.27.10

Many of the questions you all submitted to me for marketing week here on the Brand Camp blog are answered in Naomi Dunford’s Marketing School, so I’ve moved this review up in the week’s schedule.  Reading Marketing School (a PDF, weighing in at 82 pages) rocked my (Ittybiz) world.  It made me make a plan.  It made me reassess my marketing efforts, particularly my business copy and the way I present myself to potential clients.

Why buy Marketing School?

  • You already know the goodness that is Naomi Dunford, who brought us SEO School. If you enjoy this blog and are down with the combination of funny + learning, you will enjoy reading Marketing School.  (Can’t tell you how many business books I don’t read because I’m bored out of my mind in the first few chapters.)
  • You will understand basic marketing concepts once and for all. Like features and benefits.  Unique selling propositions.  Sales cycles. SWOT analysis guidelines.  In fact, when making my latest promotion, Pets for Haiti, I actually made a list of features and benefits, then whittled them down to what’s easiest to understand for the most people.  That’s a pretty powerful change in behavior as a result of reading this book.
  • You will be able to put good marketing practices into effect for your business. By knowing exactly who you’re aiming to hit with your marketing materials and web copy, you’ll find a remarkable boost in the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.  More effective marketing = less time spent marketing.
  • You will be forced to take a good look at your business and to assess what’s working and what isn’t. January is pretty much the ideal month for analysis, planning, and growth.  This book fits right in.
  • It’s only $49. Which is way cheaper than that marketing workshop, DVD, or seminar you’ve had your eye on.

Go forth.

Buy Marketing School.

And tune in tomorrow for my secrets to marketing locally.

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Michelle Tippmann - February 2, 2010 - 9:42 pm

Thank you! I am only through the first few chapters, but so far I have gained a lot from the book!

Michelle Moore - January 28, 2010 - 1:21 pm

Thank you for sharing! I just purchased the SEO Ninja PDF and am thoroughly enjoying it & learning! When I’m finished I’m going to pick this up next!

Becky - January 27, 2010 - 7:25 pm

I’ve owned this for a couple months and have yet to complete it. ::hangs head in shame:: Thanks for reminding me it should be at the TOP of my to do list rather than [lost somewhere] in the middle.

Izehi - January 27, 2010 - 6:47 pm

As a newbie, I much appreciate all the helpful tips you post. This week of marketing especially is muy beneficial as I begin the planning process!

karen gunton - January 27, 2010 - 6:42 pm

i agree. this is a must read. do what she says!

marketing school and the whole ittybiz blog for that matter changed my little business life! thanks so much kristen for sending me over there =)

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