Bound By Grace Ministries Thrift Store

A couple weeks back I went to a seminar on Internet marketing for small businesses, and it gave me an idea for a service I could provide (see that post here). Just the other day, I went to a Tallassee Chamber of Commerce event (see that post here), and there I ran into Debbie Lusk of Bound By Grace Ministries which runs a thrift store in Tallassee.

I said to myself, "Self, that's a store that could use a better Internet presence." And as often happens, I agreed. So I told Mrs. Lusk that I was going to come take pictures of her store, and that I was going to do it for free. She felt quite special. Then I told her that I was using their store as a guinea pig, and she didn't feel so special anymore. Oops. You should always err on the side of leaving people feeling special.

These pics are now visible in their Google+ Local listing. I've posted my top five here, go see the rest on there. I have also posted them on my @PEaCe Photography Facebook page.

They have a lot of really interesting stuff. I was there half an hour longer than I had intended to be because I keep getting distracted by looking at their wide variety of...well...everything. Thanks Mike and Debbie for letting me shoot some sample pics in your store. I hope it helps us both.

Business Photography for Digital Marketing and Social Media

*** UPDATED SLIGHTLY***

Hey small business owners and local managers, I've got a few questions for you.

Have you ever Googled your business? If you have, did you find your business? Chances are good that your website, if you have one, wasn't among the top results. There are all sorts of people who can help you with that, that's not my angle.

It's also likely that you found what's called a "stub" for your business in Google+ Pages or Google+ Local and a number of other marketing directories (Merchant Circle, Super Pages, etc.). These directories are designed to show up in search results higher and more frequently than your actual website. Google+ Pages are given extra-special treatment because it is a Google service. Basically, they take whatever info that is publicly available about your business, church, school, or what have you, and they list that info in their directory--kind of like the old yellow pages, but better and free-er

In almost all of these directories, Google+ in particular, the public is allowed to submit reviews and images to add useful (to other consumers, at least) information about your business. Google+ Local listings are especially significant, because they are integrated into Google Maps and regular old Google searches. That's where I can help you.

For anyone in the Tallassee area, I'll come to your place of business and shoot 5-10 quality, unique photographs that display where you are, who you are, what you do, and what you offer. I'll be in and out in a matter of minutes, and won't disrupt your business (except for a staff picture if you want one). I'll process the images, upload them to your Google+ Page, link to you from my Google+ Page, post them here on my blog, link back to your website/Facebook page, "like" you on Facebook, share your images on Facebook, Tweet about it, (all of these things improving your Internet visibility) and email the images to you for any and all future use. And I'll do it all for only $50. I'll do it for Chamber of Commerce members for $40. In fact, I'll do a free set for the first business to contact me.

***This is an introductory rate. My advertising guru brother-in-law thinks I should be charging $250 as a minimum and that I'd get upwards of $1000 per shoot in a high density market like Birmingham.***

Now, maybe you're thinking "I can take my own pictures." Sure you can, and I could change my own oil; but it's easier to pay a pro with the tools and experience to do it right, and I get better results when I do. What are you waiting for?

I posted 3 shots of my church, Liberty Baptist Church, as an early sample. ***I've just done a pro bono set for the Bound By Grace Ministries Thrift Store.*** Check them out.

Contact me via my At PEaCe Photography Facebook page, email [pecaspers(at)gmail(dot)com], or phone [334-452-3PEC]. Let's get Tallassee small businesses on the map! ...Google Maps that is.

Photography and Internet Marketing

Along with a number of Tallassee area small business owners (plus one pastor), I attended a seminar about marketing and the importance of managing your presence in digital and social media. Michael Blinder of Blinder Media Group spent just under two hours talking to us about current trends in both traditional and digital advertising. We learned about a number of things with great acronyms like SoLoMo, RoBO, SEO, and more. It was fascinating stuff, and I'm not being sarcastic.

Besides photography and ministry, I'm also a communication theory nerd and a computer geek. The majority of the seminar was a reminder of things I already knew or applying familiar concepts in ways that were new to me. On the tech side, I learned some great things about the way Internet searches and digital ad serving has changed in the past few years. Again, fascinating stuff.

But why am I posting this on my photography blog?

One of the things he talked a lot about toward the end of his presentation was how vital it is for companies to claim their listings in the most significant directories and to keep that data consistent. He mentioned specifically Google+ Places and how it affects where your business shows up in Google Maps results. What interests me as a photographer looking for revenue streams is that most small businesses have really bad pictures on their websites, Facebook pages, etc. OR that they have none at all--which might actually be better.

Look for a small business social media photo package to be detailed in a post later. For now, thanks to The Tallassee Tribune for bringing Mr. Binder in, and to 1220 Cafe for hosting us (those cookies were AMAZING).