f ō t ō r a c l e | the oracle of photography

Lawrence Chan from Tofurious successfully used a combination of marketing techniques (including social media) to become the most inquired wedding photographer in the industry. Lawrence Chan’s LA Smug presentation is for part-time and full-time wedding photographers who want to better understand their target market and to maximize social media to generate more business.

f ō t ō r a c l e . c o m presents 20 Questions with Lawrence Chan of Tofurious…

Peter Garr:  Several months ago I had the pleasure of attending your SEO Workshop and was amazed at what I learned about the marketing power behind Search Engine Optimization.  What can we expect from Tofurious in 2010?

Lawrence Chan:  I will continue blogging and offering digital products, but will focus heavily on social marketing and branding.  I feel that a photographer has to wear many hats when the only one that fits best is shooting.  It takes precision and balance in order to juggle all of them, so I am hoping that my experience in business will offer some guidance.

Peter: WPPI 2010 is coming up right around the corner from March 4th through 11th.  What does Tofurious have in store for people going to WPPI in Las Vegas next month?

Lawrence:  Good question!  I have found great success as a marketing consultant in the wedding industry, so I will continue exercising that muscle.  I will have two items at booth 1240:

1. One on one consultation by me
2. Portfolio review by my guest – Grace Ormonde of Wedding Style Magazine

Peter:  You traveled throughout Europe last year.  Of all the cities you visited, which was the most memorable and why?

Lawrence:  This question just caused a flashback of good memories.  I am leaning towards Nice, France because I found a small business that served, in my opinion, the absolute best and most fluffy mint and chip gelato ever!

Peter: You mentioned in a recent blog post that you recommend “Confessions of a Shopaholic” by Sophie Kinsella as a must-read marketing book.  First, what marketing insight do books like “Shopaholic” and similar offer photographers?

Lawrence:  Quoting from the blog, “Rebecca Bloomwood (protagonist) is the true epitome of a consumer. While she humorously delves into her reasons (or non-reasons) for compulsively buying things, the better we understand how a consumer’s mentality works, the better we can create a marketing campaign for that specific audience (or any audience for that matter).” There are other philosophies that I drew from the series of which I will save for a blog post in the near future

Peter:  What inspired you to read “Shopaholic” in the first place?

Lawrence:  I, too, am a shopaholic.  Here is something else I learned from the book: one has two options in this situation – “make more or spend less.”  Fun philosophies for life!

Peter:  What are some other books you recommend?

Lawrence:  I recommend Dan Brown books, Harry Potter series, and the Twilight Saga.  Although business books offer guidance, I feel that it is equally crucial that we step away from our work and see things through a different lens.  Plus, having a little adventure in our lives cannot hurt.

Peter:  When and how did you get into photography as both an interest and as a business?

Lawrence:  To be completely honest, I started as a business (not of interest).  It’s a numbers game.  However, after the exposure, I came to appreciate the joy of shooting pictures, so the scale has tipped.

Peter:  Tofurious likes tofu.  That’s a no-brainer.  What the world is dying to know is whether Tofurious likes Tofurkey.  Have you ever had Tofurkey?

Lawrence:  Actually, I never tried Tofurkey!  I intend to try it this year.

Peter:  You’re the special guest speaker at the February 2010 L.A. SMUG.  With February being the month we celebrate President’s Day, which historical U.S. President is your favorite and why?

Lawrence:  Benjamin because he’s on the $100 bill.  Just kidding – I don’t want to sound superficial, but I’ve learned to keep politics private hah!

Peter:  February also marks Valentine’s Day.  What was your most memorable Valentine’s Day?

Lawrence:  There was one evening where I took Julie to Stinking Rose and had so much garlic that the evening [and morning] was memorable.

Peter: Your presentation at the L.A. SMUG is about understanding our target audience and maximizing social media to grow our businesses.  What are some benefits photographers can expect by applying your techniques?

Lawrence:  The goal is for photographers to book more weddings!

Peter:  What do you think is the single most important thing photographers should be doing today in order to book more clients?

Lawrence:  Focus less on the art and more on business – specifically marketing oneself.

Peter: I know you recently worked on what sounds like a very interesting project in Denver with some well respected and well-admired people in our industry.  What’s the CxO Fight Club all about?

Lawrence:  The name suggests that five companies will fight against each other.  Instead, we were there to collaborate with each other with the hopes of elevating the industry.

Peter:  In addition to many talents you both have, you and Jasmine Star both share a passion for Chipotle.  What’s your favorite item on their menu?

Lawrence:  I personally favor the chicken salad with black beans, rice, spicy corn, hot chili, a dab of sour cream topped with a pinch of cheese.  However, I do have a hankering for their new chicken pozole, but that’s only offered at their flagship restaurants in Denver.

Peter:  Who’s your greatest influence or inspiration as a photographer and why?

Lawrence:  Gosh there are so many! When I first started, it was Jessica Claire and David Jay.  Now the list is super long.

Peter:  Who’s your greatest influence or inspiration as an entrepreneur and why?

Lawrence: Jeff Jochum – hands down.  He’s just a downright cool guy!  I’ve never had any mentors before him, so I can’t compare, but it’s rare to find someone willing to help without expecting anything in return.  He inspires me to do the same.

Peter:  How would you finish this sentence?  ”To succeed as a photographer, you must …”

Lawrence:  …have clarity in your business model.  With advancement in technology and affordability of DSLRs, the increase of competition is inevitable.

Peter:  What’s a typical workday for Tofurious like?

Lawrence:

8:00 am – wake up
8:30 am – gym 
10:30 am – answer emails 
12:00 pm – eat lunch  
12:30 pm – work, work work 
6:00 pm – make / eat dinner 
7:00 pm – work, work, work
7:30 pm – Two and a Half Men 
8:00 pm – work, work, work 
12:00 am – sleep

Peter:  Where do you see the photography industry headed over the next 5 years?

Lawrence:  I envision the use of various technologies to captivate clients – videos, iPad portfolios, etc.  Cameras are no longer the only extensions of our businesses.

Peter:  Where do you see yourself headed over the next 5 years?

Lawrence:  Tweeting from France

A big THANK YOU to Lawrence Chan for answering this month’s 20 Questions on…

f ō t ō r a c l e . c o m.

Lawrence Chan from Tofurious is the special guest at this month’s
Los Angeles SmugMug User Group (SMUG) meeting.

LA SMUG

Thursday February 18, 2010

7:00 PM

The Global Cafe
11002 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604

FREE and open to ALL photographers.  Tell your friends!

More info at Meetup.com

The AP reported this week that my favorite warehouse store, and probably yours too, Costco, is no longer carrying Coca-Cola products in its warehouse stores.  Hard to believe, but it’s true — no Coke on Costco shelves.  Costco made this decision because the chain can’t come to an agreement with the soft drink maker.  According to Costco, Coke isn’t being competitive with its pricing, and Costco — a brand that’s identified with value, wants to keep it’s prices low.  Costco is so committed to keeping prices low for it’s members, that it’s willing to risk its relationship with Coke, one of the largest and most powerful brands in the world.  Why would Costco do that?  Because Costco management knows that the strength of the Costco brand is built on giving it’s members optimum value.  Rather than weaken it’s brand, Costco knows that being loyal to its brand identity and customer base is critical in maintaining the leadership position it has within the marketplace.

We can look at Costco’s bold move and learn a a few very important lessons on branding and marketing our photography businesses:

1. Identify your clients
   Costco really knows its customers.  Costco has always been a “members only” club store that continually succeeds at meeting the needs and wants of its members.  As pro photographers, it’s just as important for us to understand the needs and wants of our target client base, and then provide a solution for them.  When we make our businesses truly about serving our clients’ wants and needs, we’ll see our businesses grow in record time.

2. Create value
   Benefit – Cost = Value (Benefit minus Cost equals Value)
   It’s no question that Costco is known for delivering value.  Just like Costco, we have to deliver value to our clients.  Value doesn’t necessarily equate to the lowest price, so please don’t confuse the two.  For the most part, Costco sells commodities – goods and services you can buy anywhere.  But if you can buy the same stuff down the street, why would you want to pay for an annual membership to Costco?  Because Costco delivers value with more than just lower prices.  Some of the added value at Costco is the larger sizes, the member services, and exclusive products that only they carry.  Costco knows what it’s members value.  Do you know what your clients value?  Do they value only price or do they value more?  Maybe they value award-winning images?  Full service attention?  Experience?  Personality?  High-quality albums?  It’s most important to identify what your clients value and then determine what benefits and, at what cost, you can deliver those benefits to them.  That’s what creates value.  Keep in mind that what your clients value are not necessarily what my clients value.  Part of identifying your clients’ values is to determine how uniquely you can provide benefits to them.  The more specific and unique the benefits you  provide, the greater your value will be to your cliens, and ultimately, the cost to hire you will increase in accordance to your value.

3. Be confident
   In order to negotiate so fiercely with Coca-Cola, Costco has to be confident in its position at the negotiating table.  Costco has about 57 millions members worldwide.  That’s a huge customer base that Costco is betting that Coca-Cola doesn’t want to loose, especially considering that Costco still carries Pepsi products.  Also consider that Costco carries a selective line of products — usually limiting the selection of any type of product to only one or two national brands and sometimes offering their well-respected house brand — Kirkland.  Costco has mastered the business of warehouse club sales, from the way it deals with vendors, employees, and members, it is a success in all accounts.  Like Costco, we need to also be confident in ourselves if we are to be successful in the photography business.  It’s not only important to be confident in creating fantastic photographs, it’s even more important to be confident in all areas of your business.  Do you have a solid contract?  Is your equipment reliable and do you have backups?  Are you insured?  Is your bookkeeping accurate and up-to-date?  Do you have positive referals from satisified clients?  Have you been published?  Do you have a strong network of wedding professionals to refer you?  The more of these things you can say yes to, the more confident you will become, and this type of confidence is important in creating and maintaining your brand identity.

So there you have it — three lessons we can learn from Costco in brand identity.  Now if I could only learn how walk out of Costco without wanting a slice of their killer pizza!