The allure of social media is strong. We’re now able to connect with clients and build exposure without having the expensive costs of traditional marketing. Unfortunately, there are so many social media options out there … and the number [...]]]> So, you have a Facebook Page, Twitter account, blog and maybe a YouTube channel. What’s next?

The allure of social media is strong. We’re now able to connect with clients and build exposure without having the expensive costs of traditional marketing. Unfortunately, there are so many social media options out there … and the number is increasing.

If you’re like me, I like to maximize my time and effort. I simply want to know what works best — creating quality content to build lasting relationships and establish a strong position in your market.

Achieve perfect exposure for your photography business with a well-considered social media marketing program. Use these online engagement tools to explore your customers’ wants and needs, likes and aversions, decision triggers, and more, and earn brand advocates by delivering images, tips and insider information that makes them swoon.

Lawrence’s comic wit coupled with marketing expertise takes you behind the scenes to understand how to reach your market …

This book is a must read for those that want to tap into the formula for converting “looky-loos” into paying clients who [then] turn into evangelists for your brand, business or cause.

– Chris Holt

• Develop a strong marketing strategy to achieve your business goals
• Zoom in on your best customers and most promising prospects
• Explore the pros and cons of specific social media channels
• Understand the vital skill of listening
• Find out how and why to promote the luxury angle of photography
• Discover how to inspire brand evangelists through social media
• Learn important survival tips for your social media program

In addition to the powerful strategies illustrated in this book, I was fortunate enough to have friends in the industry — Kenny Kim, Zach and Jody Gray, Jerry Ghionis, Becker, Jasmine Star, Catherine Hall, and Grace Ormonde — whom offered valuable advices through different perspectives.

Bulletproofing Efforts

We all know how fast social media changes. Remember MySpace? Social media are platforms. Although some have advantages over others, the strategies are virtually the same.

Understanding this concern — what if I build up my Facebook following and it one day collapses? — I dedicated an entire chapter to methods in securing your digital space in the event of a change of mediums.

Many of the successes I’ve had this far in the short time I’ve been in business I attribute largely to the marketing strategies and knowledge I’ve gained from reading Lawrence’s Tofurious blog and most recently the Social Media Marketing for Digital Photographers book.

After reading it you will undoubtedly think differently about how you market your business and your business will in turn be better for it.

– Arleth G Photography

Read The Introduction

Download the Introduction (PDF) to see if you like the writing style. Read a few blog posts to see if you like the content.

Lawrence outlines the way photographers can create an avid following and attract potential clients using the tools such as Facebook, Linked In and Twitter. Using his signature dry sense of humor, Lawrence uses examples of well known brands and provides parallels on how a digital photographer can apply these marketing strategies to their own businesses.

I picked up many valuable tips to use in my own business as well as insights on my own motivations as a consumer. I’ll for sure be re-reading this one a few times so I don’t miss any nuggets of wisdom.

– Hanssie Trainor

Where to Get It

Amazon, Barnes, Walmart and other retailers all carry the book in stock. However, I’m a fan of Kindle, so all of my books go through them. Alas, the Kindle version is still be converted, so hard copy for now.

Lawrence has a very unique and keen insight on consumer habits, and does a great job of guiding the reader on how to utilize social media as an effective marketing strategy for growing your business.

If you’re like me and have wondered how to do this, then this material will probably be just what is going to help you, and educate you on how it all works. I was very impressed by his ability to allow us to see “behind the curtain” and understand the mechanism that motivates consumer habits, human behavior, and how to use it to attract quality clientele. Big thumbs up!

– Tauran Woo

Sincerely,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. I’m working on a surprise for those who leave a nice comment on Amazon. I believe in positive reinforcement

From my perspective: If photographers were “Jedis” and marketing the “lightsaber,” Lawrence Chan [would] be Qui-Gon Jinn whom with maverick and unconventional methods will teach us the proper use of the (marketing) “force.”

– Gabriel Mora

P.P.S. I spent about seven months working with a talented team to put this book together. A lot of blood, sweat, brain juice went into this. I’m really really really proud of this. Hope you all feel the same way.

P.P.P.S. Digital iBook, Kindle, Nook, etc. formats coming soon. Wiley Press is still in the process of converting it over. I’m anxious myself.

As a sponsor of WPPI, they offered me 10 FREE full registration passes! This is applicable for only those who have not registered. [...]]]> …until WPPI (not Disneyland, but it is a Disneyland for photographers). For those of you who are going – kudos! For those of you who are not – how come?

As a sponsor of WPPI, they offered me 10 FREE full registration passes! This is applicable for only those who have not registered. There are no refunds offered for those who already have. Before we get into the guidelines for this giveaway, let me share with you my story.

When Tofurious Was Just An Itty Bitty Baby

Every year around this time, I would hear on Facebook and Twitter about this convention called WPPI where photographers from all corners of the globe convene in Las Vegas – booze, drugs, sex, shows, buffet, lights. Seriously, WPPI at that time was just another excuse to go to the entertainment capital of the world.

For those of you who don’t know, WPPI (Wedding Portrait Photographers International) is a giant convention where many vendors show off their latest stuff. Don’t feel bad, I didn’t have a clue as well. It was about two weeks away from 2009′s convention, and Tofurious was only three weeks old or something, I said, “what the heck, there’s one 10×10 spot near Shootsac and I have a few thousand dollars to spare, I’ll take that spot!”

At first, I thought I was just going to have a table and sit there like some of the ugly local bridal conventions here, but I was totally wrong. Everyone had giant hanging displays, custom carpet (apparently MGM’s golden brown was yuck), ridiculously-large-fill-up-my-peripheral-vision-type-televisions, cool bags, and the works.

Fudge.

What did I have? A photo booth…uh, a table, hrm…a few chairs. Yeah.

Here’s the flip side – it opened my eyes. It’s a great place to meet new people – follow the amicable Becker because he always tweets things like “Meet me at the lion at 10am and let’s get coffee,” or something like that. It’s a great place to learn about new products – album companies, proofing stations, workflow management, etc. It’s a great place to do portfolio shoots! The list goes on and on!

Tofurious is Now 1 Year Old and Walking

I’m attending WPPI again this year – booth 1240 (next to Shootsac and ShootQ – two companies I adore). I also have a Bloggers’ Lounge in the main building with free WiFi for your internet convenience.

What will I be presenting? I’ll blog about it this week.

Free Passes For WPPI

Details about passes here – http://www.wppionline.com/storage/lasvegas/home.html – $400 value for non-members

Guidelines:

1. You must not be registered already
2. Make a blog post (on your own site) as to why you want to go to WPPI – make sure to include your email in there somewhere
3. Send me a link to your blog post for consideration
4. Submissions are due this Saturday, Feb 13, 2010

I will announce the winners next week. Good luck!

WPPI is seriously worth going,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. For those asking about the photo booth software, it will be given away for free this convention (courtesy of MBS).

Two months ago, I had the privilege of sharing what I had learned about strategic online marketing with many photographers ranging from top 10 in the world to those with less than [...]]]> How do you market your business? There are many ways to market yourself, but you can read about how I did it below.

Two months ago, I had the privilege of sharing what I had learned about strategic online marketing with many photographers ranging from top 10 in the world to those with less than 10 months in business.

My workshop focused on two items:

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – being found on Google
2. Blogging Techniques – converting traffic into inquiries (examples)

Reasons Why I Chose SEO

The traditional form of advertisement (word of mouth) is only effective amongst the current client base. Outside that circle of influence, there is a large audience that is untapped. The goal is to be found by those who do not know you.

Why This?

There is probably a ton of options out there all claiming to be SEO experts, but when it all boils down, I can prove it with my inquiries and online ranking. Plus, it’s more than just SEO that makes a sale.

Being found is only half of the battle. The rest is strategic marketing (sample) through blogging, which will convert traffic into clients.

Some Testimonials

I didn’t have the chance to put together everyone’s testimonials, so it’s incomplete and a bit scattered.

Lots Of My Heroes

Aaron Dieppa, Becker, Ann Hamilton

Jasmine Star

Gene Higa, Keats Elliot, Catherine Hall

Dane Sanders

Sara France, Jose Villa

Mike Colon

Robert Evans, Doug Boutwell, Shaun Austin, Peter Garr, and more…

Catherine Hall

Tiffany Fosnight (Adeline & Grace Photography)

Doug Boutwell (Totally Rad Actions)

Kameron & Lyndsay (Shooting Gallery)

Kara Schultz

If Interested…

There will be a digital download coming very very soon so subscribe!

1. SEO Volume I and Volume II
2. Blogging Techniques (sample)

Invest into your business by arming yourself with new marketing strategies (auspiciously for the new year).

Sincerely,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. If there is one thing you could get for XMAS, what would it be? My Honda Civic is looking a bit bleh… Hmmm…

I can relate.

Like this video? Embed into your own blog / forum:
<embed src="http://blip.tv/play/g54rgZrQdQA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="550" height="340" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>

As you might know, I am leaving for Europe for six weeks. If it piques your interest, read the following article for all of the countries I am visiting! I will try to tweet / post here and there, but know that I undergo great lengths to find a cyber cafe to [...]]]> Hello everyone,

As you might know, I am leaving for Europe for six weeks. If it piques your interest, read the following article for all of the countries I am visiting! I will try to tweet / post here and there, but know that I undergo great lengths to find a cyber cafe to say “hello!”

subscribe | follow @tofurious

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Did you know that Tofurious started a WordPress blog in February 2009?

I am not saying that I am an expert blogger, but I’ve learned a thing or two over the years. And most of my knowledge was acquired by observing successful bloggers (especially those within our own photography industry). So the first step toward becoming an effective blogger is to…

Observe Successful Bloggers

I use the word “successful” loosely, but what I really mean is “effective” [bloggers]. Just like photography, we study images that “work” and with time create our own styles. I will be listing a number of blogs that I have learned from, but it does not limit them to only that trait.

Interview Someone

When I think of interviews, I immediately think of Jules Bianchi’s Cafe; interviews by her lovely sister Joy – @joybianchibrown. Using the informality of coffee breaks, Jules interviews various industry leaders at Jules Cafe.

What does this establish?

• It creates a relationship between the interviewer and interviewee
• The interviewee will promote said interview, thus promoting the interviewer
• Creates community

This is a good way for both parties to promote each other. Additionally, the interview will provide good content for readers, which is sort of the point. So…try to get interviewed, or interview someone (like me)! No one has interviewed me yet and it makes me sad.

Twitter

If you do not have twitter, go to www.twitter.com and register for an account. After that, follow @tofurious (that’s me) hehe!

Zack Arias @zarias recently wrote an interesting article about Twitter and “Six Degrees” of separation.

…helped the photography industry build community. Both virtual and real. Twitter is a key to my marketing plans over the next year but beyond that, it keeps me in touch with so many people that I would normally fall out of touch with due to time or distance. Not to mention how many new friends I have thanks to social networking.

In a nutshell, Twitter allows for a number of things, but not limited to what’s listed below:

• Follow activities of people through an instant feed of 140 characters
• You can connect with others
• Others can connect with you
• Spreading of ideas through #, RT, etc.

Less Is More

Jose Villa is the epitome of “less.” I was given the great pleasure of designing his new blog (not public yet) recently and his ideas truly inspired me. As a search engine specialist, I kept pushing for certain elements for his blog, but Jose dimissed them all. And I admire him for that.

So how does this apply to us photographers? Vu Bui once told me over breakfast that he discourages people to post more than 10 images on their blogs.

Vu preached that everyone has the same images over and over again. So rather than creating the same sink hole of bandwidth-sucking blog posts, post only 10 images that would knock the socks off of viewers. After that, post your 100+ images in a slideshow or something.

Jose uses minimalism in his photography artwork. He is, after all, one of the “Top 10 Wedding Photographers” in the world, so he is doing something right.

Transparency

I once asked Aaron Dieppa about something in his personal life, which I read on his website. “It’s something private, but it’s cool that you shared it.”

“Yeah, I believe in transparency. I want my clients to know me for me,” responded Aaron.

I had this similar conversation with [B]ecker and his poker aspirations. He and Jessica Claire are the only two people I know that post publicly their love for poker on their business websites.

Does this help / harm them? It’s relative. However, I believe that it helps them more than anything. By posting about one’s personal life, viewers can get to know the blogger on a personal level.

How does this apply to photographers? Brides have booked me [and the aforementioned] to shoot various weddings without even meeting in person. Great, isn’t it? Brides do this because they already have this informal / personal relationship with us. Before they even email or call us, they already have a good feeling how we operate as professionals and as regular individuals.

Take away the occupational titles, we are just humans. And humans like
to connect with other humans. We build bridges through common grounds, so express them!

Consistency

Have you ever read a blog post by Jasmine Star? She is one of the most eloquent writers I know [of]. (I hope to change “know of” to just “know” because I hear she is a fabulous person). All of Jasmine’s articles are like tiny excerpts of her clients’s lives.

Rather than telling a story only with pictures, Jasmine precedes it with a text-based story. And she consistently delivers every time!

So how does this apply? If you are consistent with a certain style, readers will expect it over time. However, I am not saying that you should not try new things. Just imagine cooking… Always bake your delicious cookies at the same temperature, but try throwing in raisins or chocolate chips to spice things up!

Cheers,

Lawrence

P.S. Transparency: I tried getting a pedicure for the first time on Wednesday. I liked it! I even got my eyebrows waxed. I liked that too! I think I will be visiting this one salon quite often now. By chance, you might bump into me

Honey Nail Spa – they ROCK

626-844-7299

563 S. Lake Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101

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Thank you everyone who could make it out! We had local photographers from Orange County to super cool ones from far away – San Francisco, San Jose, San Antonio(Texas).

Due to overwhelming interest, the beginner’s workshop sold out in a few hours. Intermediate and advanced ones coming [...]]]> Greetings,

subscribe | follow @tofurious

Thank you everyone who could make it out! We had local photographers from Orange County to super cool ones from far away – San Francisco, San Jose, San Antonio(Texas).

Due to overwhelming interest, the beginner’s workshop sold out in a few hours. Intermediate and advanced ones coming in the near future. They will be much smaller than this one because of the technical aspects of learning creative lighting.

Beginners – 3 hours

• Understand what equipment to use
• Get a feel of the difference between studio strobes and mobile lighting kits
• Locate sources of ambient light and how to angle / compensate for them

Goal: Student will be able to setup a 2-3 point lighting scenario and properly calibrate for subjects

Intermediate – 5 hours

• Learn how to frame an image effectively
• Use of harsh / creative shadows
• Understand how to reflect or deflect light
• Play with ring lights, barn doors, honeycombs, grids, etc.

Goal: Student will be able to use creative lighting setups and calibrate for virtually any scenario in a matter of a few minutes

Advanced – 5 hours

• Must have strong grasp of lighting
• Use of snoots for pin-point lighting
• Advanced level post production
• Learn how to fashionably pose subjects

Goal: Student will be able to book badass gigs based on flippin’ sweet lighting setups

Models Information

Need a model or makeup artist? In fact, they can even do their own makeup and hair so it saves you the trouble!

Tracie Cotta – model / makeup artist

http://traciecotta.com

http://modelmayhem.com/ivebeenshot

traciecotta@gmail.com
@traciecotta

Kyuri – model

http://www.modelmayhem.com/880296

headcase.kyur@gmail.com

Some Student Work

The first image (my fave) is by Jenny Liu Photography (Orange County photographer)

All images taken at Ritz Carlton (Laguna Niguel) after marketing workshop

Cheers,

Lawrence

P.S. You all ROCKED! Just too bad, I did not take any pictures myself boo…