I have a very limited budget but desperately need to market
myself? Got any suggestions?
My all time favorite method of marketing is relational
marketing. It’s a concept that seems to be downplayed in most industries, but
it goes the furthest when building word-of-mouth marketing. Just like any form
of relationship, when you enter into it, it’s going to be the most genuine and
going to build the most long term results from your business. We want to be
careful to approach others with how you can benefit that other person more than
you can be benefited.
It takes some digging to know what is available in your
community, so start doing some homework about which local and online businesses
are hot and happening that you can approach.
Start with those with the most reach.
See if you can find a local blogger who will showcase you and
your business, much like a press release. Offer to do a complimentary session
of headshots in exchange for the exposure. Of course, this can be repeated with
wedding bloggers, mommy bloggers, and local bloggers to great effect!
Think press.
If there is a local parenting magazine in your area and you’re a
portrait photographer, offer to write monthly guest articles. Same goes with
bridal magazines, local interest or regional magazines…
Look into having someone edit your writing if you don’t feel
confident with handing over your articles sans editing. Everyone on Facebook
has at least one friend with an English major!
Again, this gives your business exposure and gets your name
circulating among those who are potentially interested in what you have to
offer.
Hit the pavement.
Contact five of your favorite amazing local businesses to
feature them on your blog. Start (or keep up!) a weekly blog series of what’s
hot in your area, doing a write up of why you love them and/or a fun interview.
Think spa, high end gym, interior designers, play centers, high-end pet stores,
kitchen stores, boutiques, eateries, and home interior stores.
It doesn’t have to have anything to do with photography, it just needs to be
the kind of business that you target market would be doing business with. (If
you’re selling $1,800 portrait collections, they aren’t shopping for couches at
Target, for example. Where are they buying their couches?)
Again, offer headshots of the business owner for your article,
and give them the files as a thank you gift for their time. Give them
permission to use on their website or Facebook page with a small watermark.
When you post the blog article, tag them on Facebook so that it
shows up in their readers’ feed. Not only is this a great way to get their
audience’s attention, but it also can help generate word of mouth with them
because you were willing to promote their business without asking for anything
in exchange.
Unselfish business promotion always reaps
awesome benefits.
Practice your thank you note writing.
If you do in-person sales or hold meetings in a coffee shop,
send a thank you note to the owner for allowing you to use their space to do
your business as well as how much you love their business.
I would flip if someone wrote me a thank you note for something
that most people wouldn’t seem to be appreciative for since it’s considered
open to the public.
Remember, little bits
and pieces of word of mouth marketing are amazing, even if you don’t see
instant results.
You don’t know what can come from that stuff and it only costs
you five minutes and a stamp. Look for other ways to thank other business
owners in the area for benefitting your business.
All of these ideas are completely free and only take time and
effort.
They also could be your most effective form of marketing, so
start doing a treasure hunt in your community to see what businesses you could
start building a relationship with.
Start marketing yourself in a way that will make you feel
amazing because you aren’t having to pitch them anything other than an amazing
opportunity for their business.
Got other limited budget marketing ideas? Share them in the
comments!
How to deal with Criticism well: 25 reasons to embrace it
+Tiny Buddha
by Lori Deschene
“Criticism is something you can easily avoid by saying nothing, doing
nothing, and being nothing.” ~Aristotle
At the end of the day, when I feel completely exhausted, oftentimes it has
nothing to do with all the things I’ve done.
It’s not a consequence of juggling multiple responsibilities and projects.
It’s not my body’s way of punishing me for becoming a late-life jogger after a
period of cardiovascular laziness. It’s not even about getting too little
sleep.
When I’m exhausted, you can be sure I’ve bent over backwards trying to win
everyone’s approval. I’ve obsessed over what people think of me, I’ve assigned
speculative and usually inaccurate meanings to feedback I’ve received, and I’ve
lost myself in negative thoughts about criticism and its merit.
I work at minimizing this type of behavior—and I’ve had success for the most
part—but admittedly it’s not easy. I remember back in college, taking a summer acting class, when I actually
made the people around me uncomfortable with my defensiveness. This one time,
the teacher was giving me feedback after a scene in front of the whole class.
She couldn’t get through a single sentence without me offering some type of
argument.
After a couple minutes of verbal sparring, one of my peers actually said,
“Stop talking. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Looking back, I cut myself a little slack. You’re vulnerable in the
spotlight and the student’s reaction was kind of harsh. But I know I needed to
hear it. Because I was desperately afraid of being judged, I took everything,
from everyone as condemnation.
I realize criticism doesn’t always come gently from someone legitimately
trying to help. A lot of the feedback we receive is unsolicited and doesn’t
come from teachers—or maybe all of it does.
We can’t control what other people will say to us, whether they’ll approve
or form opinions and share them. But we can control how we internalize it,
respond to it, and learn from it, and when we release it and move on.
If you’ve been having a hard time dealing with criticism lately, it may help
to remember the following:
The Benefits of Criticism:
Personal Growth
1.
Looking for seeds of truth in criticism encourages humility.
It’s not easy to take an honest look at yourself and your weaknesses, but you
can only grow if you’re willing to try.
2.
Learning from criticism allows you to improve. Almost
every critique gives you a tool to more effectively create the tomorrow you
visualize.
3.
Criticism opens you up to new perspectives and new ideas
you may not have considered. Whenever someone challenges you, they help expand
your thinking.
4.
Your critics give you an opportunity to practice active
listening. This means you resist the urge to analyze in your head,
planning your rebuttal, and simply consider what the other person is saying.
5.
You have the chance to practice forgiveness when you
come up against harsh critics. Most of us carry around stress and frustration
that we unintentionally misdirect from time to time.
Emotional Benefits
6.
It’s helpful to learn how to sit with the discomfort of an
initial emotional reaction instead of immediately acting or
retaliating. All too often we want to do something with our feelings—generally
not a great idea!
7.
Criticism gives you the chance to foster problem solving skills,
which isn’t always easy when you’re feeling sensitive, self-critical, or
annoyed with your critic.
8.
Receiving criticism that hits a sensitive spot helps you explore
unresolved issues. Maybe you’re sensitive about your intelligence
because you’re holding onto something someone said to you years ago—something
you need to release.
9.
Interpreting someone else’s feedback is an opportunity for
rational thinking—sometimes, despite a negative tone, criticism is
incredibly useful.
10.
Criticism encourages you to question your instinctive
associations and feelings; praise is good, criticism is bad. If we
recondition ourselves to see things in less black and white terms, there’s no
stop to how far we can go!
Improved Relationships
11.
Criticism presents an opportunity to choose peace over conflict.
Oftentimes, when criticized our instinct is to fight, creating unnecessary
drama. The people around us generally want to help us, not judge us.
12.
Fielding criticism well helps you mitigate the need to be right.
Nothing closes an open mind like ego—bad for your personal growth, and damaging
for relationships.
13.
Your critics give you an opportunity to challenge any
people-pleasing tendencies. Relationships based on a constant need for
approval can be draining for everyone involved. It’s liberating to let people
think whatever they want—they’re going to do it anyway.
14.
Criticism gives you the chance to teach people how to treat you.
If someone delivers it poorly, you can take this opportunity to tell them, “I
think you make some valid points, but I would receive them better if you didn’t
raise your voice.”
15.
Certain pieces of criticism teach you not to sweat the small
stuff. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter that your
boyfriend thinks you load the dishwasher “wrong.”
Time Efficiency
16.
The more time you spend dwelling about what someone said, the
less time you have to do something with it.
17.
If you improve how you operate after receiving criticism, this
will save time and energy in the future. When you think about from
that perspective—criticism as a time saver—it’s hard not to appreciate it!
18.
Fostering the ability to let
go of your feelings and thoughts about being critiqued can help you
let go in other areas of your life. Letting go of worries, regrets,
stresses, fears, and even positive feelings helps you root yourself in the
present moment. Mindfulness is always the most efficient use of time.
19.
Criticism reinforces the power of personal space.
Taking 10 minutes to process your emotions, perhaps by writing in a journal,
will ensure you respond well. And responding the well the first time prevents one
critical comment from dominating your day.
20.
In some cases, criticism teaches you how to interact with a
person, if they’re negative or hostile, for example. Knowing this can
save you a lot of time and stress in the future.
Self Confidence
21.
Learning to receive false criticism—feedback that has no
constructive value—without losing your confidence is a must if you want to do
big things in life. The more attention your work receives, the more
criticism you’ll have to field.
22.
When someone criticizes you, it shines a light on your own
insecurities. If you secretly agree that you’re lazy, you should get
to the root of that. Why do you believe that—and what can you do about it?
23.
Learning to move forward after criticism, even if you don’t feel
incredibly confident, ensures no isolated comment prevents you from seizing
your dreams. Think of it as separating the wheat from the chaff; takes
what’s useful, leave the rest, and keep going!
24.
When someone else appraises your harshly, you have an
opportunity to monitor your internal self-talk. Research indicates up
to 80% of our thoughts are negative. Take this opportunity to monitor and
change your thought processes so you don’t drain and sabotage yourself!
25.
Receiving feedback well reminds you it’s OK to have flaws—imperfection
is part of being human. If you can admit weakness and work on them without
getting down on yourself, you’ll experience far more happiness, peace,
enjoyment, and success.
We are all perfectly imperfect, and other people may notice that from time
to time. We may even notice in it each other.
Somehow accepting that is a huge weight off my mind.
Photo by keepitsurreal
Zach Prez is the author of 
