Fear, Goals, Money & Marketing....

The last couple of days I have spent time in fear, actual fear.  Why you ask, because money is tight and I am honestly wondering if I will be able to survive this year.  I know I should keep going and nothing gets results like being a little scared.  I am pushing my marketing to the limit and investing a lot of time in trying to contact new and existing clients.  One of the things I have also decided to embark on is a monthly newsletter.  This will go to the 'artsy' clients and the corproate clients so coming up with something that fulfills all those needs was a toughey but hopefully....I have managed to achieve it!  It launches on the 28th so naturally darlings...you will have the first peak of it!  

So with the corporate side covered just still very much in progress it is onwards and upwards with the fashion side of things.  

A gallery in Denmark has expressed interest in some of my images, I am in talks with Monica Din n AKA Chocolcate Blonde about an up and coming shoot which will fuse in a giant messy train crash music, fashion and her wild personality and in the next couple of weeks I am meeting the editor of Blah Blah magazine.  This magazine is Reading born and bred and I am very excited, I hope that we get on, I don't end up spilling my classic Earl Grey or Mocha Latte over the poor man and that he finds my ramblings and work interesting enough so that I can somehow get involved.

So this post has turned into another random assortment of thoughts but I am trying to spread the love at the moment.  Encourage people to get together as a community and support small business' and each other in these tough times.  Community and support of each other I think is the winner here and I for sure will be using this as my marketing tool!

Good luck to you all I say and if I can possibly make any recommendations then the below websites / tips may be useful:

- Website Evaluation.  Does yours offer your clients what it should?  Does it sell your services or products?  

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/10/how-to-create-1.html  (I have recommended Seth's Blog before, it is a great place to stop)

- Cold Calling and getting it right:

http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/marketing/customer-service-acquisition/7-tips-for-turning-cold-calls-into-hot-leads.aspx#tipsforturningcoldcallsintohotleads

- Excellent Small Business support, literally everything is here!

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk

To be noted.....

1) I might just possibly be able to squeeze in some kind of a social life as well as run my own business.

2) My financial planning definitely needs to get better

3) The world is fashion crazy at the moment & I am jealous I am not at New York Fashion week trying to invade the back stage area or at least get the telephoto lens in there

4) Networking is great, it really is great. 

5) Re point above, its also hard work.  Talk about regular updating

6) Lack of Money = Even bigger yearning for clothes

7) Too many Haribo tend to make you feel a little sick for at least 24 hours

8) Keep it local

9) Reading Town Centre really, really, really does not have a decent selection of bars

10) Stiletto heels and driving are a bad combination if you actually want to be able to drive to work without an over enthusiastic OAP waving their fist at you.

Education Education, Who owns it.....

Copyright and charging for images is a confusing enough subject for photographers, let alone when someone else is trying to understand it or your trying to explain it to them.  I often find people do not understand that you are charging for the use of an image and yes, I can charge you £400 to use that picture in an advertising campaign.  I have had many a heated conversation with friends who seem to think I'm there taking pictures so why shouldn't i just hand them out willy nilly to anyone that wants them.  Anyway, my search for an explanation of copyright or a definition or do's and dont's never stops so I thought I would combine a whole load of info I had collected and post it here.  I hope it offers some insight!  If it confuses you more - oooops.

Copyright

 - UK Copyright Law last amended in August 2004 states that the photographer owns the rights on all pictures he or she has taken with the following exceptions;

The photographer is an employee of the company the photo's are taken for

There is an agreement which assigns the copyright to another party

- Copyright is an automatic right and arises whenever an individual or company creates a work.  To qualify, a work should be regarded as original, and exhibits a degree of labour, skill or judgement.

- When copyrighting a work it should be stated on the image or with accompanying documents. - A copyright notice should contain the following: Copyright, Copyright C symbol, Year of Publication, Author/Copyright owners name, Title of the work.

For more info on copyright visit www.copyrightservice.co.uk

Charging

- Negotiating rates is variable on your experience, what you are photographing, the length of time you will spend on the job, the copyright of the images, how they are going to be used and the license to use agreement.

- Rates vary for books, personal use, marketing, PR, corporate and commercial work

- It is suggested for a low budget corporate shoot, a full day should be charged at £800

- Charges for online use of photos for commercial and business, for a year should cost around £850 for an image of 800x600 pixels.

- Bulk processing of digital files @ £100 per hour

- Rates vary tremendously and there are so many altering factors.  I would recommend going with your gut instinct but do your research.  The below websites are excellent for reference.

www.londonfreelance.org

www.the-aop.org

Chase the pound.....

It is always a really hard thing when chasing money from clients.  You want to keep them as clients and really, you want to be sure you stay on their very best side so they think of you again in the future; however you cannot work for free.  Bills must be paid.  You provided the service and it is only right that you be paid accordingly for it.  However it doesn't mean that makes it any easier when you have provided the goods, sent an invoice, made it payable after 30 days (which is a long time for a freelancer!) and then it is another few weeks before you see the money, and that is if you squeak away like a rusty cog.  

It is unfortunate as well that the larger the company, the more they seem to think they can get away without paying you on time. I in all honesty find it really hard work.  The only thing I can possibly suggest is to be polite with your chase emails.  Email once then phone.  Try to be put through to the finance department first rather than your contract as it may be the case that they are not even aware the invoice remains outstanding.  If you have no luck with the finance department, the emails and the phone calls then try your contact.

Also, think about this carefully, really carefully but as a freelancer you can charge interest.  You are allowed to charge 8% per annum on any outstanding amounts.  I wouldn't recommend putting that on your first invoice to a client but if needs must; you can add it to a third or fourth invoice if it seems necessary.  Just think about who you are invoicing and go about it carefully.

If any of you guys have any tips that you can recommend then please.....I am open to ideas!  Show me the resources to show me the money!!