BetterPhotoJim

How to look like a REAL business with a toll free phone number

Creative business owners, you're going to love this tip!

In the following video, I share a resource I recently discovered - kall8.com - a web site that makes it sooooooo easy for you to get set up with your own 800 number. 

I highly recommend that you make it easy for people get in touch with you. Set yourself up with a toll free number today and put it on your web site, business cards, direct mailings, etc. It's easy, inexpensive, and makes your little endeavor look like a "real" business!

If you're worried about your potential clients contacting you, maybe you're in the wrong market. I don't say that to sound to mean... I earnestly encourage you to ask yourself "Who do I love?" and "For whom does my heart pour out?" Find out where your compassion flows... who you are designed to serve... and you'll find that getting calls from these ideal clients is a joy and a treat. 

At the very least, if you're serving people you love, you'll get a kick out of every time they call because it gives you an opportunity to gently persuade them to buy one of your photos or products. (Did he just say "sell them"?!?! Yes, he did.)

Watch the video to learn about getting a toll-free number. (And when you're done, email me the number and I'll give you a call):

Have fun looking like a "real" business :)

Jim Miotke

1-888-9-MOTKEY

Gain the Secrets of Success from Master Photographer Vik Orenstein

I have the good fortune of having Vik Orenstein on our team of photography instructors at BetterPhoto.com. Recently, I had the pleasure of talking with Vik about the mindset of the successful, creative artist.

Click on the link below to hear what Vik has to say. Listen for clues on how you too can rise to the top of your game when it comes to your creative photography:

Click here to listen to this audio interview with master photographer Vik Orenstein

Vik talks about her extensive experience as a portrait photographer, as well as her focus on being a creative artist, her mission to communicate authenticity. 

Enjoy!

Jim's Selling Some of His Old Gear!

I'm finally breaking down and letting go of my old Canon EOS 5D camera body. It's taken some serious soul searching ;} but I have decided to let someone else have a turn with this workhorse of a camera.

Some of the best images up on my Deluxe website, Betterphotojim.com, were taken with this camera.

You can find the camera body listed on eBay here:

http://tiny.cc/af33l

I am also parting ways with my old Canon 100-400mm Zoom lens. This is a fantastic lens! You can find this listing here:

http://tiny.cc/twnlq

I hope this helps you take your photography to the next level!

Also, please note that a portion of this sale will be donated to one of my favorite charities... Kiva. To learn more about this wonderful charity visit their website at Kiva.org. Here is a small explanation of what they do:

"Kiva's mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending."

The Golden Rule of Marketing - How to Attract Customers for Life

The creative process is one the most difficult of all endeavors. You put your heart and soul into a project... all that energy and time... and no one seems to notice!

Well, this short video, The Golden Rule of Marketing, is guaranteed to lead you in the right direction for marketing yourself, and your work.

We all want to sell our artwork, our products, or get people to read our blog. Ultimately, your goal may be to sell your work, but at what cost? Selling one photo to one person one time doesn't do you a whole lot of good if that person never comes back!

The real key to building a successful business, website, or blog is to create lifetime customers. Watch this video and learn one of my most important marketing secrets... well, ex-secrets!

BetterPhotoJim's Favorite Photo of the Week - Fragrant Field by Cindy Hamilton

This photo takes me back to my visit to the lavender fields of Provence, years ago... this image makes my heart sing (and my soul long for a vacation :) - awesome photo, Cindy!

 
 

Gain the Secrets of Success from Master Photographer Carla Saunders

I recently had the good fortune of speaking with BetterPhoto member Carla Saunders about the mindset of the successful, creative artist.

Here is what Carla had to say. Listen for clues on how you too can rise to the top of your game when it comes to your creative photography:

Click here to listen to this audio interview with master photographer Carla Saunders

Enjoy!

The Ugly Truth About Marketing

The truth about marketing is not what you think. It's not that marketers are selfish. We ALL are, to a degree. We all tend to worry too much about ourselves and what other people think of us... and we forget that everyone else is doing the same. So the trick is to be different, be empathetic and get out of your own head!

This short video, The Ugly Truth About Marketing, will help you realize that it's not about you. The game isn't just about branding yourself, or your product... it's about identifying and serving your ideal customer.

At one point in the video below I ask you, almost rudely, if you have thought about your ideal customer. I thought about cutting this line because I don't want to offend. But I decided to keep it because a) I believe in a "good is good enough" philosophy, where I go ahead and post things even if they're not perfect (and not hold back conversations because I'm overly concerned about getting all my ducks in a row); and b) it's just so important.

So please don't be offended by this one line. Take it as an impersonal, direct question.

Watch this video and be sure to complete the assignment at the end!

Go from starving artist to affluent owner-entrepreneur...

In this video, I refer to being an amateur. By that, I am not referring to "amateur photographer" or "amateur musician". I am talking about how you think about and treat your work and business. 

I want you to engage and get out on the playing field. Say "Yes" to that dream, that big idea... shape the vision, understand your purpose, identify a few first steps, and take one. Become a professional; become an owner. 

This one shift in mindset and how you approach each day will bless you enormously.

Note: I'm not saying quit your day job. That is an entirely different decision. You may need to keep you day job while you assume the title of owner and entrepreneur, working on your dream business on the weekends and evenings. That is how I built BetterPhoto for the first few years, until it got so big that I HAD to work on it full-time.

If you need inspiration, this video will help. And watch it in it's entirety. It's only about 7 minutes and, like everything in life, it gets especially good in the later half :) 

BetterPhotoJim's Favorite Photo of the Week - by Zaw Zaw Tun

Another lovely image from the lovely BetterPhoto community, this one by ZAW ZAW TUN 

WONDERFUL!

 

Gain the Secrets of Success from Master Photographer Dewitt Jones

Dewitt Jones is one of the most respected photographers in America today. For years he has written a column in Outdoor Photographer, worked as an Academy Award nominated director, and he's a highly sought after motivational speaker and lecturer.

Recently, I had the incredibly good fortune of sitting down to talk with Dewitt about what it takes to be a successful, creative photographer.

Hear what Dewitt has to say, and listen for clues on how you too can rise to the top of your game when it comes to your creative photography:

Click here to listen to this audio interview with master photographer Dewitt Jones

Dewitt talks candidly about his career as a photojournalist working for National Geographic, writing for Outdoor Photographer, and what it takes to make it as a photographer in the digital camera age.

Enjoy!