This Can't Be That Hard Annemie Tonken

I got a message last month from a Consistency Club member who was feeling discouraged:
"I feel like I continue to ask for feedback, replies, input, a whisper of hello to know anyone's out there, and I get bupkis in return. Is that normal? Just putting out email after email and never getting any kind of response? It sounds like other people are getting all kinds of replies so maybe it's not normal."
And it occurred to me: I've been happily sharing the wins we've heard about, but maybe I should also share the marketing struggles.
Because yes: it is ABSOLUTELY normal to feel like you're shouting into the void. My email list for This Can't Be That Hard is close to 10K people with a 50% average open rate, but when I ask a question? MAYBE a few people reply. 
I know that can feel discouraging, but I encourage you to keep showing up because likes on IG and replies in your inbox - while nice - aren't the real reason for your marketing efforts... and not getting them doesn't mean your marketing is not working.
This month, we're going to walk you through making an offer to your audience, because ultimately, the whole reason for marketing is sales. I've got my fingers crossed for every one of you that even if your marketing feels futile, you get a solid win this month that puts fuel back in your tank.
Watch the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love. Join the TCBTH Facebook Group - a supportive, business-focused group for photographers. Leave a review!

Marketing your photography business can feel a lot like dating - you put yourself out there, write some cute content, and hope that the people you want to attract swipe right. On top of that, between algorithms, 3-second attention spans, and AI technology, it can feel darn near impossible to connect authentically with potential clients online. 
Brooke Jefferson is an expert at cutting through the noise and helping photographers connect with more of their ideal clients. Today she joins me to share some excellent advice on connecting with high-quality clients to grow your photography business. 
Subscribe to the Consistency Club for Monthly Marketing tips and templates! https://thiscantbethathard.com/club
Watch the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love. Join the TCBTH Facebook Group - a supportive, business-focused group for photographers. Leave a review!

I'm sure you’ve heard the saying "perfection is the enemy of progress," and today I'm sharing a story about how that can play out in real life. 
Sometimes we get so stuck in our ways - or so attached to doing things a certain way - that we end up with blinders on, stifling our creativity and limiting ourselves in business. Today's story illustrates how freeing ourselves up to be less than perfect can actually make us better - at art, and in business.
If you need a little nudge to try out that idea you’ve been sitting on, this episode might be exactly what you need. 
Watch the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love. Join the TCBTH Facebook Group - a supportive, business-focused group for photographers. Leave a review!

I spend a lot of time on this show highlighting other photographers' greatest successes, brilliant ideas, and ah-ha moments, but we all know that with the ups come the downs. 
But the downs don’t usually get a lot of audio time, right? Mostly because we’d all like to forget our worst moments... but when we're IN our worst moments, sometimes it's nice to know we're not alone!
This week, I've got a misery-loves-company-fueled show where I'm sharing one of my own horror stories, along with the biggest flops, failures, or freak-outs that some of my photographer friends were willing to share... and these do NOT disappoint!
This is a fun one - you’ll probably laugh out loud at least once, and there are lots of good lessons to be learned here - so enjoy! 

A Very Special Thanks to the following photographers for sharing these stories: 
@ashley_kaplan_photography
@brookebraggerphotography
@emmalaine Berry
@erinbrownphotos
@jayemcl
@jesskoehlerphoto
@jillcarmelphoto
@yellowroomphoto
@lindsaystephanyphoto
@meredithszinnerphotography
@rachelsimpsonweddings
@rosemcavoyphotography
@shalimar_b_photography
Subscribe to the Consistency Club for Monthly Marketing tips and templates! https://thiscantbethathard.com/club
Watch the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love. Join the TCBTH Facebook Group - a supportive, business-focused group for photographers. Leave a review!

When I stumbled across Alison Amick Brett's Little Llamas Portrait concept earlier this year, I immediately wanted to share it on the podcast. 
Alison is a Florida-based family photographer who wanted to reinvent mini-sessions in a way that combined them with playdates …. and Little Llamas Portraits was born!
Little Llamas has been so successful that Alison is now fielding requests from other photographers around the country who want to essentially franchise her concept to put this system into place in their areas... a win/win if I’ve ever heard of one! 
Alison’s spilling all the details in today’s episode, but whether or not you're interested in playdate minis specifically, this is a great episode... her outside-the-box creative thinking is super-inspirational!

Links: 
Learn more about Little Llamas Portraits for photographers Watch the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love. Join the TCBTH Facebook Group - a supportive, business-focused group for photographers. Leave a review!

Last week we covered the three systems that every photographer needs in their business. (If you haven’t listened to last week's episode, I recommend you go back and start there first!)
Today I’m diving into the 3 biggest mistakes that photographers make when they set up those systems, how you can avoid them, and - most importantly - how you can optimize your system setups to help your business and customer experience run more effectively.

Want to see my systems map? It lives inside the “Streamline Department” at This Can’t Be That Hard University. To enroll (for free!), fill out the admissions assessment at thiscantbethathard.com/free
Watch the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love. Join the TCBTH Facebook Group - a supportive, business-focused group for photographers. Leave a review!