Don't Let Scams (OR Your State Government) Steal Your Income!

I am taking a quick break from the Promotional Calendar series to call your attention to a couple of things that could really hurt your business.

First off, I want to warn you about several scam emails that even the most veteran of computer users have fallen victim to. You may be receiving emails from AOL, Bank of America, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Delta Airlines, CVS Pharmacy, USPS, FedEx, and others. Here are a few examples (I have no control over how long images will be available since they are not mine!) - do NOT click ANY of the links here:

ACCOUNT STATEMENT Action is Required   Payment Declined - Your account needs attention! Please Update Your Account Dear steve, We're sorry, but we were unable to process your recent payment for your subscription. This may be because the credit card we have on file expired or reached its limit. Please update your billing information as soon as possible in order to avoid any interruption to your services. You can update your billing information online simply by going to myaccount.aol.com and clicking on "Manage My Wallet and Billing Info." If you need further assistance, you can get help online or contact an AOL customer service representative at 866-485-9217. In order for your subscription to continue uninterrupted, please update your billing information today. Thank you for your prompt response. Sincerely, AOL Member Services Update online by visiting myaccount.aol.com or call customer service 866.485.9217 to avoid service interruption.

This WAS from AOL...trying to charge me for an account I haven't used AOL in about 18 years! Here's another one that COULD have tripped me up if I hadn't been cautious:

USPS.COM
Notification Our companys courier could not make the delivery of parcel to you address at 2nd October. Print your label and show it in the nearest post office to get a parcel.
Print Shipping Label
Copyright 2014 USPS. All Rights Reserved.

I did NOT click the link, but instead took a look at the header. The mail was sent by support@barefootedintheson.com--do you think this is the Post Office's official email address? Nah, I don't either. Feel free to send this address about 1000 long junk emails and maybe his service will be shut off.

	FedEx
	Dear Customer, Your parcel has arrived at September 29. Courier was unable to deliver the parcel to you. To receive your parcel, print this label and go to the nearest office.
		Get Shipment Label
	FedEx 1995-2014

If you were to click the link - which I did NOT do -  it takes you to http://sparkling-clean-windows.net/assets/docs/include.php?fdx= oBF9dkh7jybwxa +JcMPXP4yF6617EISlQip Ji8yizkI 

I am pretty darn sure this is NOT FedEx's email address either. This link is probably harmless, sending you to a site that wants to sell you some type of window cleaner. But others are not so harmless.

I also got similar emails from PayPal and Bank of America's "Security Department" informing me that an unauthorized attempt was made to access my account, so please click a link and create a new password. Oh, yeah, like I was about to do that! You can bet this was a phishing scam intended to grab my personal info and grab my cash...not that they would have gotten much ;)

Whenever you get an email like this, NEVER click any links until you check the sender's email address. In fact, I wouldn't even do it then. If you are in doubt, contact the business and verify such information. It goes without saying, NEVER, NEVER, EVER click links or download files from sources you do not absolutely trust.

Finally, you want to make sure you keep your taxes - both business AND personal - current. But ESPECIALLY keep your State taxes up to date. Most states have a collection policy that makes the Federal Government look like Girl Scouts. They have huge penalties for unpaid sales taxes and will suck your personal accounts dry, even if you are a Corporation, without any previous notification. The IRS has hardship allowances if you owe taxes. Most states do NOT! They don't care if you won't be able to pay your employees, your health insurance, or your house or car payment. They are blood suckers. Take a look at just how ruthless Kalamazoo, Michigan is.                                         

That's it for this time. Next time we will get back to the Promotional Calendar. And may the tax man never interfere with your quest doing Photography for Income!

Three Easy Promotions You Can Get up & Running Right Now...

Summer's gone and like every year, I promised myself more days sitting in the shade and less days working. And like every year, it doesn't happen. Oh well, such is life. For those of you doing weddings or senior portraits for income, you've noticed a severe and sudden drop off in business, and this is why I have been talking about your Promotional Calendar.

The Promotional Calendar helps to prevent huge peaks and deep valleys in your cash flow. I received an email that said, "Ok, Steve...I'm with you. But I still have the last 3 months of the year, and buddy I need to see some income NOW!" Well, the title of the Blog IS "Photography For Income," so let's see if we can help this gentleman (and you) earn a little income.

The 1st promotion you could do right now is the Halloween promotion. It can be operated in one of several ways:

1. Charity Promotion
2. Studio Promotion
3. Shopping Center Promotion
4. Day Care/Pre-School Promotion

As a Charity Promotion, you partner with a local charity. The charity covers the advertising costs. Many times a charity will get in-kind donations from media; other times they will receive a discount or a "match" ($10 free time for every $10 spent). You agree to split the proceeds from the promotion 50/50 with the charity. 

You might offer two different packages: 1 5x7/4 wallets for $9.95 or 2 5x7/8 wallets for $12 for example. You shoot it like a prom: 1 exposure, unless there is a blink. You can buy the first package from many labs for about $1.00; the second for about $1.85. The price is low because the lab is printing files all photographed under the same lighting conditions. I would suggest you add $2 per subject over two...otherwise, people will bring their nieces, nephews and cousins to put 12 kids in a 10 buck photo.

You can do this in your studio or at a shopping center (if they permit it) or the offices of the Charity if they are not in an out-of-the way location. Make a simple set: a couple of hay bales, dried cornstalks with Indian corn in them as a background and some carved pumpkins. Carve the largest pumpkin to read "Halloween 2014". Inside this pumpkin, place a small strobe with a built in slave-eye that has a yellow filter over the flash head. Be sure to set your aperture as to not overpower this small flash.

You'll get your best response at a shopping mall or enclosed strip mall. You could see up to 200 buyers. If your average sale is $11, subtract $2 for overhead per exposure - $1800. You give the charity $900, you keep $900, and everybody is very happy.

This same promotion can be operated in your studio, but you will see fewer people. If you need to keep as much cash as possible, check with your local shopping center or department store (if you still have one) and offer them 20% of the gate. The last option is to approach day cares and nursery schools and photograph on costume day. You should be able to photograph several schools during the week of Halloween. 

The next promotion is "Fall Color Families," or "Fall is Family Time." You do outdoor portraits with the Fall colors really popping. This one you will have to get going right now, today. If you do not have a good outdoor at your studio, have the sessions at a local park. For these sessions, I would do a variety of portrait studies. Have a low price offer to get the appointments, such as portrait session plus an 11x14 portrait for $49.95 or something similar. People will want gift size portraits, so put those on special, too...about $2 off the regular price. You don't need to deeply discount these: they already got their discount on the original package and session. When you advertise it, simply say, "GIFT SIZES ON SPECIAL, TOO!"

Be sure to do "breakdowns" of the family relationships: the entire family, just mom, just dad, mom and dad together, mom with the girls, mom with the boys, dad with the girls, dad with the boys, and most importantly, just the kids together without mom and dad. Can they bring pets? You bet! This is a very good promotion.

Finally, you can have the Veteran's Day promotion. Veteran's Day is Tuesday, November 11 in 2014. I live in Michigan, and there is still plenty of fall color and good weather for family portraits. A LOT of people get Veteran's Day off, so it is a perfect time to get the family together. Drop the hint that Christmas is just 6 weeks away, and portraits are the gift that only YOU can give. They are always the right size, and they will never get the same portrait from someone else!

The photo above shows where I took my family portraits. This photograph was taken the end of September, so the color is just ramping up in lower Michigan. DO NOT RAKE YOUR LEAVES UNTIL THIS SPECIAL IS OVER! People LOVED all the colors on the ground and in the background. Have a place where you can photograph indoors as well, because some people will not want them outdoors. It also helps if the weather isn't great. Again, if you don't have a place at your studio, hit the park. Collect leaves in bags from your home in case the park has already sucked them all up!

Again, I normally used a session plus 11x14 offer for around $59. I also took sessions the Saturday and Monday BEFORE Veteran's Day. Again, be sure you do breakdowns of the family relationships. My best year brought 37 families during the promotion, with a sales average of just a little over $225. After costs, advertising, processing, I got to keep nearly $7000 of the $8325 we grossed, and I was happy with that. It was a lot harder to make that kind of markup in the film days!

So there you go: three quick Fall promotions that can make you some quick cash right now. Who says you can't do Photography For Income? Sure as heck not me! You could very easily see anywhere between $8000 -$15,000 in gross sales from these 3 little promotions. Next time, more on the Promotional Calendar. Make all your exposures count!

If You Use Facebook...

Some changes have taken place at Facebook that you may not be aware of:

#1. NO MORE INCENTIVIZING "LIKES." 
Facebook has stopped the practice of businesses requiring customers to first “like” their page in order to receive discounts, prizes, free apps, coupons or other promotional offers.

This technique, called “like-gating,” is defined by Facebook as: “when you force a Facebook user who has not already liked your Page to like your Page before they can see content on a particular custom tab.” The same applies to entering contests, receiving a free eBook, coupons, discounts, etc. 

The "LIKE for a discount" scheme was used very heavily by many businesses, followed up by a free custom app. In my area, a local convenience store/gas station was giving away a free app for your Smartphone if you would first "LIKE" their Facebook page. And this is VERY common. They will now have to pull all of their pump-top ads and replace them to be in compliance with Facebook rules.

Going forward, businesses “…must not incentivize people to use social plug-ins or to like a Page. This includes offering rewards, or gating apps or app content based on whether or not a person has liked your page.”

They go on to state, “It remains acceptable to incentivize people to login to your app, check in at a place, or enter a promotion on your app’s Page.” For example, you cannot offer a discount when someone likes your business page, but you could offer a discount if someone used your app to enter a contest, or checked in at your studio.

Now, I think I see a "black hat" way around this. If you have a laptop set up in your reception area, you COULD have your receptionist simply say, "We are offering free wallet personalization if you will "Like" our Facebook page." To be extra safe, you may want to change your DNS settings every day. It is not offered on your FB page anywhere, so if increasing "Likes" is a goal of yours, this would be one way to do it. I'm just not sure if the number of "Likes" really influences many customers.

If you go to the link provided below, you will see comments from a lot of developers...and they are NOT positive. Many people have invested time AND money to develop these marketing strategies...and FB shoves a knife in their back without warning. This is why so many photographers who are relying ONLY on Social Media for promotion are playing with fire. Never bet your success on a platform where you have little or no control.

2. FACEBOOK CONTEST RULES HAVE CHANGED.

Last summer, Facebook made changes to the contest rules that they said made having such events easier. But the rules are a little confusing. In the FB contest guidelines, it is stated you may not use "Likes" as a method of voting: "You must not use Facebook features or functionality, such as the Like button, as a voting mechanism for a promotion,"  but a different FB pages says you CAN use "Likes" as votes! Here is a resource you may want to review to avoid making mistakes that will get your contest shut down.

3. THE RECOMMENDATIONS BAR PLUG IN IS DEAD.

After November 5, 2014 it will no longer render on any site. That's too bad. I think it had more weight than "Likes" in many situations. So skip this feature, it will be useless after 11/5/2014.

4. YOU ARE CUT OFF AT 5000 "LIKES."
When you reach 5000 likes, your page can no longer receive any "LIKES." Well, at least not unless you pay Facebook some cash. Understand this includes friends as well. So if you have 2000 friends and you "LIKE" 3000 pages, you will not be able to "LIKE" any more pages UNLESS another FB user suggests you "LIKE" a page. Be aware that this policy may result in your pages not being followed as much.

NOW you see why many business are now hiring a "Social Media Coordinator" to ensure they are A-ok with the rules of each of the various Social Media outlets. To make sure you are all good with Facebook, you want to review their new policy, to prevent a Facebook suspension -- or even loss -- of your account.