Marketing Mojo: How a Well Thought-out Plan for Change Can Enhance Your Brand

At one time or another, your photography business may have needed—or will need—a course correction. Maybe you became a photographer when Kodachrome was king, and later had to revamp your workflow and clientele to stay viable and competitive. Perhaps you felt pressure to tweak your product mix after seven years in business. Maybe you were a hobbyist who decided to become a full-time professional. Whatever the circumstances, planning can prove a boon to your marketing and your business. The trick is knowing how to proceed.

Recently, I spoke with Judy Herrmann of Herrmann+Starke (www.hsstudio.com) in Ellicott City, MD, about the pivotal role planning has played throughout their business’ successful 20-year run. Specializing in photographing people and products for advertising and editorial clients, Herrmann also lectures and consults on digital photography and growing your business. She is a past president of ASMP, a recipient of IPC’s 2008 Leadership Award and an Olympus Visionary. Her work has been featured in Lurzer’s Archive, Graphis, Communication Arts and numerous award annuals.

“We started Herrmann + Starke in 1989. For three years, we worked 12- to 14-hour days, seven days a week, building a business that barely supported us, producing images that bored us, working for clients who didn’t treat us with respect. We knew that if something didn’t change fast, we’d leave the industry, but we didn’t know where to begin. How do you change your business, figure out what to change it into or buy yourself time to grow a different business when the one you have is killing you? Further, how do you decide which risks to take or figure out how to minimize your chances of failure or build a business and make money with work you love?”
Herrmann says as soon as they set realistic, concrete goals about what they wanted to do creatively and what they would be able to earn given their place in the market, they began changing the direction of their careers and growing a business they loved.

“For our studio, planning has been vital,” says Herrmann. “It helps us recognize opportunities and respond to them quickly. It has made us better problem solvers and improved our ability to make quick, accurate assessments and better decisions. These skills spill over into nearly every aspect of our lives and have even made us better photographers.”
It can be a daunting process, so take a deep breath and look over some of Herrmann’s tips for living with the planning process:

Figure out what you really want. You have to know what’s important to you and what you’re willing to let go. “Understand your motivations, even the ones that aren’t flattering,” she says. “You have to know how hard you’re willing to fight, what you’re willing to fight for, and what’s just not worth it. Consider scheduling a retreat to do some initial brainstorming and leave all distractions—cell phone, BlackBerry, books and magazines—behind. It’s time to focus solely on you and your business.”
Analyze your resources. Do an honest assessment of the time and money you’re willing to spend, and of the skills and equipment you have or may need. “Assess your strengths and figure out how to overcome any weaknesses,” she suggests. “Calculate what you can afford to invest and how you can obtain additional resources. You may determine you need additional training or partnering with someone with complementary skills.”

Set attainable goals. Based on your research and analysis, establish specific objectives. “You might benefit from working with a planning partner, someone who’s open-minded, creative and doesn’t have any vested interest in the outcome of your decisions,” says Herrmann. “Be realistic when you list the activities required to achieve your goals. Break them down into steps and actions that you can put on a calendar or to-do list and start getting them done. Be clear about the difference between activities and goals. For example, building a website is not a goal; it’s an activity that helps you achieve a goal. What the website contains, looks like, and the style of any copy written for it will reflect the specific goals you want to accomplish from building a website.”

Research and explore options. Building or changing a business is hard work, so make sure you’re really invested in achieving certain goals before committing to them. “Don’t be afraid to take calculated risks, however,” Herrmann advises. “Playing it safe will almost always leave you more vulnerable than taking a well thought- out, carefully calculated risk. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. As my friend, Baltimore-based photographer Richard Anderson, likes to say, ‘Perfect is the enemy of done.’ ”

Don’t delay. Building a plan takes time; implementing it takes longer. “It’s never too early to start envisioning where you want to go or to take steps in that direction,” Herrmann says. “It’s also never too late, so don’t panic. The beauty of planning is that it’s all about defining where you are now, where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. It’s a process that works for every stage of your life and career. Grab a piece of paper and write at the top, ‘I want more… ” Do the same with ‘I want less… ,’ ‘I want to start… ,’ and ‘I want to stop…’ Prioritize the results into things that have to change immediately, those that can wait a few months and those you’re not going to think about for a while. Pick the thing that’s bugging you the most and change it. Right now. Today.”

Stay with the process. The hardest part of the planning process, for most people, is seeing it through. “There’s a reason that change-driven programs like Weight Watchers and AA rely on peer dynamics,” says Herrmann. “Change is tough. Don’t hesitate to get help. Find someone who can brainstorm with you, keep you focused, help you prioritize how you’re spending your time, keep you honest, and stop you from making excuses or falling back into old patterns.”

Planning has become an integral part of business for Herrmann + Starke. They reinvent their visual style every four or five years, doing a complete reanalysis of the business each time—where they are, where they want to go, how they’re going to get there.

“We’ve gotten so good at this process that our accountant is amazed by how accurately we nail our financial projections,” says Herrmann. “Planning helps us keep our fingers on the pulse of our industry and spot opportunities early enough to take full advantage of them. This ongoing re-evaluation and reinvention keeps our work fresh and keeps us enthused and excited about the business we’re building.”

Herrmann’s seminar on kickstarting your business, “Taking Control of Your Career,” will travel to ASMP chapters throughout 2009–2010. See www.ASMP.org/register for dates and locations. Judy will be addressing business and digital technology for the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar, December 4, 2009 (www.photojournalism.org), and the WPPI Conference in March 2010 (www.wppionline.com). A core educator for ASMP’s dpBestflow project, she will provide a series of traveling programs on digital photography best practices and workflow throughout 2010 (www.dpbestflow.org).

Alice B. Miller is the owner of Plum Communications Inc. (www.plumcomm.com), the Long Island, NY, editorial services and marketing communications company that supports the photo industry. Previously the editor of Studio Photography magazine, Alice has a growing clientele that includes photographers, manufacturers, publications and associations. She is director of public relations for the International Photographic Council and an advisory board member of NyghtFalcon wedding, commercial and fine art studios.