Most of my clients and customers are creative people. Most work in the business-to-business world. They're people who sell their creative expertise or vision to clients in the advertising, design, publishing or corporate worlds. Many of my clients are Baby Boomers who have been in business for at least 15 years. They are working professionals who were successful in their business before technology changed everything. They were running a business before there were fax machines much less email!
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Typically, my clients have become confident in making the shift to digital imaging technology but are not yet comfortable with or confident in using 21st century digital marketing technology.

They know that marketing their business is not done the same way as it used to be. They want to know how to attract clients more consistently, avoid the price-lowering race to the bottom, and stay in business.

Do any of the following scenarios fit your situation?

   You don't have much marketing experience. Perhaps you had a rep for years but now they've left the business. You now do for yourself what they used to do for you. You only have a vague idea how to best proceed. You don't have an integrated marketing strategy. You are not sure where you should focus on first. Shoot new images? Build a better web site? Send out an email blast? Buy a trade ad? Order a snappy new portfolio case?

  You have tried a lot of things to market yourself without much success. You've made some–maybe several–attempts at marketing yourself but nothing is working very well. You don't get the number of calls and appointments you used to. You know the business has changed–there's a lot fewer assignments to go around–but you're wondering "Am I doing all the right things and I just need to be patient?" or "Am I doing everything wrong?" Basically, what you're really wondering "Is it just me? Is it time to do give it up? Or is it the whole industry?"

  You have been in business at least 15 years and the clients who used to hire you have grown up and moved on. Some of them no longer work on print. In the past, you've adjusted for the fact that contacts always move on but now you feel that your old marketing approaches have totally stopped working. You're wondering if it's worth it to try to reestablish yourself with the new and younger buyers. You're wondering if that's possible within your time frame and budget.

  You've never felt completely comfortable doing the marketing and selling of yourself. You'd much rather shoot or create not sell or look for assignments. Truth be told, you wish you could just do the "fun, creative, problem-solving" parts of your business without having to do any of that selling/marketing kind of stuff.

If any of these scenarios sounds like you, please read on.

You're in the right place. There's hope and there's help.

Who is most likely to succeed using my approach to marketing?

The photographers and other creative people who I work with typically share many of the following characteristics. If these fit you as well, you are likely someone I can help attract new clients.

• Your aim is to be the very best in your field not just good enough.
• You strive to be a true expert and valuable resource to your clients.
• You know it's not just about money but about making a difference in the world.
• You are persistent and willing to try many things to achieve results.
• You understand that you can't know everything but you are willing to get assistance and expand your knowledge and expertise.
• You are willing to invest in yourself and your business as you understand that's the best investment of all.
• You are committed to mutually supportive relationships in both your business and personal life.

If you fit the profile above you can be successful in marketing your services.