BlogmyQuery – BMQ

“So, are you gonna have a swimming pool?”

No, I am not going to build a swimming pool in South Lake Tahoe.

In fairness, the hole in the ground did look suspiciously swimming pool esque. But this hole in the ground was for my basement. A hard won basement that required consultants and backhoes long before any building plans existed. A basement that I’m very excited about! It’ll allow the house to sit slightly proud of the grade, rising above the snow in the winter, protecting the crawlspace from hibernating bears, and presenting a non-ignitable material to burning embers and grass in the summer. And the extra space will afford a root cellar, music room, and mechanical equipment inside the conditioned envelope — all while staying within TRPA’s coverage and height limits.

All of that is to say — I’m building a house! Which is kind of a weird turn of phrase — I won’t be building it. The good folks at Sierra Sustainable are handling that.

But over the past two and a half years, I’ve been absorbed in designing this house. I’ve sucked up information about architecture, building science, and local regulations — thrown them into dozens of SketchUp models — and my builders have iterated on them and turned it into a set of construction documents.

After a couple years of building department bureaucracy, a megafire burning through town, a historic atmospheric river, a month of record snowfall, and the driest winter on record… it’s starting to become a very real house. My very own money pit!

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And you may ask yourself
well, how did I get here?

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That house

If you spend any time in Tahoe, you’re familiar with that house. It’s the same house with slightly different siding. It pays no attention to the angle of the sun, local weather, the shape of the lot, or the positions of the trees. It is too large and expensive for almost all local working class residents. It is Tyvek-wrapped, forced-air, asphalt-shingle relic of outdated building science, unprepared for the present — let alone the future. Spec builders love it — they pour the same foundation, frame the same walls, install the same plumbing and mechanicals. It’s known. Building departments love it — what’s better than a plan that’s identical to the previous 90 incarnations? You can practically take a nap during plan check.

I hate that house.

But I have to admit it is not an evil house. It is how the vast majority of houses in America are built today. Developers buy large swaths of land, buy a couple of off-the-shelf building plans, and build the exact same house over and over, occasionally letting clients choose siding and interior finishes. It is the bleeding edge of the financialization of shelter.

So what do you do if you don’t want that house? Hire an architect!

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I didn’t hire an architect

More so than a beautiful artifact of architecture, I wanted a well built home designed for Tahoe. That made my first priority to find good builders. Ones that embraced modern building science, use quality materials, are familiar with our local weather and regulations, and employ experienced craftsmen.

One day while wandering around a new neighborhood, I spotted a house that wasn’t that house. This house was Lighthaus — a single family residence designed by Peripherie Design and built by Sierra Sustainable Builders. It was the first time I’d seen builders inside the basin building something different.

Later, when touring the house during their completion party, I could see this house was built by people who care. My assumptions were validated by the designer/owner who said something like I wouldn’t even consider working with a different build team in the future. After meeting Cory & Brandon and learning about their passion for well-built homes and their love for South Lake Tahoe, I knew they were the team I wanted to work with.

After acquiring an empty lot and settling on the build team — my next move was to start the bureaucratic struggle with the building department toward a building permit. I know, this probably feels a bit backwards if you’re used to building in Idaho. But this is California — and inside of the Lake Tahoe watershed at that. At the time I closed on the lot (summer of 2019), it was looking like I wouldn’t be able to get a building allocation (roughly, permission to submit building plans) until 2022 due to a forthcoming two year audit. So it was important to start this process early.

In the meantime, I wanted to better understand the limitations and possibilities of what could be built on the lot so I could provide better feedback during design. Tahoe is a unique place to build homes, and the TRPA (Tahoe Regional Planning Association) imposes several restrictions that are unique to the basin — most notably coverage. Coverage is square foot limiting algorithm that encompasses roof overhangs, driveway size, decking material, and foundation footprints. It’s not intuitive or easy to understand, but it is the overriding design constraint for all residential construction.

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So I picked up SketchUp, watched a few tutorials, and started sketching out some ideas to explore what was possible.

As I got deeper into this process, I realized that I was really enjoying it. Modeling in SketchUp allowed me to rapidly see the tradeoffs of positioning the driveway in different areas, see how the sun would move through different rooms throughout the days and seasons, how much room I’d have for furniture, what the shape of the yard would look like, how much roof area would be available for solar panels — and all in a model with real measurements that fit within the actual restrictions for our lot.

So, that’s why I didn’t hire an architect. I just really enjoyed designing this house. Despite my civil engineering degree, I’m not anti-architect. In fact I’m working with several for other projects right now! But for this house? My house? I decided to keep doing the thing that brought me joy.

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Iteration, iteration, iteration

I’m a big fan of iteration when setting out to create something new. In a perfect universe, I’d build a house, live in it for a while, and re-build it every year for a decade or so. Every iteration of the house would improve upon its predecessor until all the kinks were ironed out, the light hit the walls just so, and every space was perfected for its use. But that’s a fantasy left for science-fiction. In the real world, building a house is a one-shot effort, and that means lots of planning. Every wall, every window, every doorway needs to be carefully designed and engineered long before construction starts. That’s doubly true in today’s world of long lead times (the supply chain and all that). Traditionally, architects have used sketches and drawings to communicate their ideas to their clients during this phase.

These drawings kind of suck. They’re pretty artifacts to look at, but they don’t do a good job of describing how a house will live to someone who isn’t deeply experienced in building structures from drawings. This is why architects also learn how to create physical models made of styrofoam and toothpicks to communicate their ideas.

Unfortunately, we’re not building a school for ants, and these models don’t communicate interior spaces well at all. More importantly, drawings and models aren’t really iterative. They take a long time to produce, and can’t be easily modified. But this is where computers excel! Iterations are cheap, and easy modification is the rule. This is what drew me to 3D modeling — specifically SketchUp. I have to admit I was intimidated — I had never really done any 3D modeling. But the world of 3D modeling has become extremely accessible in the past decade or so. There are many free tools (SketchUp and Blender being most popular), and tons of free training videos available. It only took a few days of dedicated study time to master the basics and start getting value out of my models.

Most importantly, the process was very iterative — I could copy and paste elements from different ideas together, rotate them around, poke windows wherever I pleased, and gain a lot of understanding for how the house would feel with minimal effort.

I love this type of accurately-modeled iteration because it allows you to play with ideas and see tradeoffs in a holistic sense. It’s like using real user data for your digital prototypes instead of nicely formatted cherry-picked sample data. What is the tradeoff of solar production, passive gain, and garden size given different building masses? How much smaller would my kitchen need to be if I were to position the driveway differently?

This is the core of why I love to use iteration on problems with several interconnected variables. You can try to be boy-genius and juggle height restrictions, setbacks, coverage, sun paths, roof pitches, and trees in your head… or you can just try a dozen different ideas and build an intuitive model of the problem over time.

Curious if a solution will work? Try it out.

You don’t even have to be very experienced in SketchUp to get a lot of value out of it. Just having a realistic geo-located sun model is an incredible tool for building houses. Ever wonder how light will move through your open concept living room during the summer solstice? Easy!

In the end, the majority of my time in SketchUp has been used to virtually wander around my house-to-be. To look at the kitchen from different angles, to play with different appliance sizes, and to think about how we’ll live in the space. I’ve definitely become that person wandering around my friend’s houses with a tape measure to better match reality how my 3D model feels. Oh is that island 12ft long? Interesting.

All this casual wandering and time spent with the construction documents has also given me an accidental bonus — I will know this house. I will know where every air duct is, how the floor is built, where the electrical wires go, and why every wall is where it is. As someone who has spent his whole life solving mysteries of old houses, it’ll be kind of nice to live in something that isn’t a mystery.

And yes, if you so choose there are many ways to import your SketchUp models into VR headsets and even-more-virtually wander around your house to be.

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Collaboration

Another huge benefit of iterative tools like software is the collaboration it brings possible. Which was pretty important. Because I am no architect, and I have never designed a house. So it was good to have Brandon from SSB take my models and make something a little more reasonable and buildable.

Because I’d taken the time to learn SketchUp, I could then take his models and iterate on them the same way he’d iterated on mine. And — honestly — this kind of feels like how designing a house should work.

The one-way street of iteration via design reviews feels very outdated now that I’ve worked this way. An architect may be an expert in how to design buildings — but you’ll be living in this house, not the architect. You’ll be able to build a better mental model of how you expect to live in it.

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Beyond SketchUp

At this point, the construction documents are done, the foundation has been poured, the windows have been ordered, and the framers are assembling large piles of engineered lumber into a permanent structure. The floor plan won’t be changing.

So my interests have shifted from SketchUp toward more realistic renders to explore materials and lighting. And hoo-boy is there a deep end to fall down that rabbit hole.

The particular deep end I’ve decided to settle on is v•ray. And for as frustrating as rendering can be, the results can sure be pleasing.

With every render, I get a little bit better at understanding what kind of textures provide a result similar to my real-world samples, and just how much detail is needed to really pull off an accurate render.

And I think that pleasing nature is what has kept me busy. Because if I’m honest, at this point I don’t think the renders are helping me that much. I’ve learned through trial and error that rendering is a lot more of an art than a science — so in a lot of ways I’m making pretty pictures, not accurate views of what will be.

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All in all, this has been an incredibly fun project to work on. And it’s even more exciting now that the building is starting to take shape in the physical world. Even though I spent five years of college learning to design physical infrastructure, my professional career has revolved around building things in the digital world. And that was fun! But deep in my heart I’ve always been pulled towards building things in the real world — bridges, buildings, roads, and the like. The accessibility of 3D modeling has really helped bridge the gap of speed of iteration (what I loved about working in software) and the realness of physical infrastructure (what I loved about civil engineering).

I’ve also enjoyed the process of getting here. Aside from 3D modeling, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand what makes a good home a good home. I’ve learned about a form of architecture that deeply resonates with me, and just how far building science has come in the past few decades.

For better and for worse, this home will be a product of my dreams, born out of my opinions of where our future is headed. It’ll be a bit ridiculous, but in ways that might be confusing to most. I won’t have a 10,000 sqft deck overlooking the lake, but I will have a geothermal heat pump heating the hot tub and windows with excellent air sealing. In fact — the stuff I’m most excited about isn’t how the house looks at all, but rather the way the house will live. How the snow sheds. Why it’ll resist ice dams. How it’ll deal with smoke season. How it’ll resist grid failures. And why, for the first time in my life, my house will have straight walls.

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You can be an architect house designer!

If you’re building a commercial building or multi-family residence, you need an architect — someone with a state issued license that allows them to call themselves an architect. Anyone without that license is just a designer. However, I suspect a lot of people don’t realize that anyone can be a designer. In every state in America it’s entirely possible to design your own home without any kind of licenses or certifications. It may go without saying, but your home still has to be engineered and meet all building codes and regulations. And of course — you need to be able to afford it. Half an architect’s job is budgeting.

And well-built modern homes are complicated. Long past are the days of craftsman homes ordered at Sears and delivered as a pile of lumber on a truck. If you’re building a house today, you’ll want a small army of consultants to help you in your quest.

So while it’s fun to say I designed this house, in reality there is a huge team of people who took my ideas and made them real. The geotechnical consultant to prove the basement, the structural engineer to design the structural members, the MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) consultant to design the fresh air & HVAC systems, the solar firm to design the solar & storage systems, the cabinetry firm to design the kitchen, the low voltage consultant for ethernet drops, the drafting firm to create the construction documents, and of course — Brandon at Sierra Sustainable who wrangled all of these people and leveraged his extensive experience in building homes to transform my ideas from a concept into a comfortable, buildable, efficient house that meets code.

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This house has been the top of my mind for a long time now, and I’m hoping to write more about how I’ve been thinking about it. I’ve long been frustrated with the shoddy houses built by recent generations — houses that are already falling apart and fail to inspire. But more importantly — our climate is changing — and our shelter is in desperate need of catching up. Floods, fires, thick smoke, extreme heat, ice storms, downpours, utility outages, and more — these are all going to be a regular part of our modern lives. We can’t rely on “typical” conditions going forward.

Building technology (both old and new) has answers to many of these challenges, and it doesn’t necessarily mean living in an underground bunker. Our homes can be resilient and comfortable if we so choose.

Do you know when you can use an image legally online? Or if other people can use your images without payment or permission?

As a designer or photographer, creating online content automatically opens you up to exploitation by those who disregard copyright laws. When it comes to images you upload, it’s very important to have a thorough understanding of your rights and know exactly how to keep your work safe.

What is copyright?

Most people have a basic idea of what copyright means. For those who aren’t sure, copyright refers to the ownership of a piece of work (literature, visual art, musical compositions etc.), which is automatically bestowed upon the creator. A photographer owns every photo they take and is the only one with the legal right to reproduce it, sell it, or use it for financial gain. 

Creators can and do grant rights to other individuals and groups, who can then reproduce or use the original work. 

How does online copyright work?

The past few decades have opened up a can of worms when it comes to copyright laws and enforcing them. Before the Internet and other technology, the only reproductions of an artwork would be manually copied from the original. 

Posting content online, however, is a different story altogether…

People on the other side of the world can access whatever images you upload to your social media, website, or any other online space. Each time you upload a photograph to Instagram, Facebook, or a website, you’re making it available to anyone with access to the Internet. They might not have the legal right to it, but very few people actually consider copyright laws when they’re browsing online. Many of us understand the term “copyright”, but have little understanding of what it means in practice.

There is no process you need to go through to secure copyright to your work. When you take a photo or create an illustration, you automatically have copyright. The issue comes in when others download your images without your knowledge, let alone permission. The only exception to this rule is when you have taken photos or produced images as an employee, in which case your employer has copyright. 

Online copyright for employees versus freelancers

The issue of copyright when it comes to working for an individual or organization can be tricky to negotiate. To avoid this bureaucratic quagmire, your best bet is to hash out all the details before you begin—in writing. 

The USA has quite comprehensive guidelines for photographers who produce work for their employers, which is why it’s important to do your research before committing to any job or commission.

Work for hire

“Work for hire” refers to photographers who produce images as part of their daily work duties. Apart from those whose job description includes photography services, “work for hire” can sometimes apply to photographers who get employed for a specific task or project. 

When taking photos is part of a job description, copyright does not belong to the photographer, but to the employer. The second scenario, in which a photographer is engaged for a standalone project, is not so cut and dried. 

Commissions, contracts and conditions

As we mentioned, it is critically important to be aware of the distinction between work for hire and commissioned work. 

Photographers commissioned to produce images for a time-limited project may also fall under the work for hire umbrella. In these cases, however, employer and employee sign a written contract that lays out all the details of copyright ownership. 

Sometimes copyright is granted exclusively to whoever hired the photographer, while other arrangements grant the employer permission to use the images. This permission, or license, can be conditional, and does not allow the employer to circulate images to any third party, as they are ultimately still the property of the photographer. 

What about photos of people?

Online copyright laws don’t only apply to professional photographers. Anyone posting an image online has automatic ownership, as long as they produced it themselves. The average person doesn’t stop to consider that other parties may download and use their photos without permission, and many have fallen prey to unscrupulous individuals or organizations who steal images for their own use. 

This problem affects both professional photographers and their models in addition to all those people whose personal images have been downloaded illegally. There have been cases of people coming face-to-face with themselves on billboards – a very unnerving discovery.  

One example is the experience of Shubnum Khan, a South African author and artist who found her photograph popping up in adverts around the world. While she did sign an agreement at the time of the shoot that allowed the images to be sold as stock photographs, the adverts came as a complete surprise. This further emphasizes the importance of drawing up clear and concise contracts that the photographer and model both understand. In Khan’s case, the photographer had copyright, and in selling the images as stock photographs he gave various parties license to use the photos for financial gain. 

When you, as a photographer, photograph a model with the intention of using the image or granting others permission to use it, you must have the person fill out a model release, or you have no right to use it for financial gain. 

Fair use

One exception to the standard copyright laws is “fair use”. This covers photographs used for reasons other than financial gain. This includes images for use in teaching, research, news reporting, criticism and parody.

The takeaway

The bottom line when it comes to copyright is quite simple. Copyright laws get broken if someone uses photos that you’ve taken and posted online—unless you have granted them the license to do so. 

Giving permission is an active process, while your ownership is automatic. Copyright laws are designed to protect photographers (as well as all other creatives), and although they can seem nebulous, many millions of people have successfully sued those who stole their images. 

If or when you suspect your images have been used illegally, you can contact the person or organization directly, seek out a mediator, or work with a lawyer to hold the offender accountable. 

The post Know Your Rights – The Basics of Online Image Copyright? appeared first on noupe.

Did you know that the expenses on influencer marketing in the US will rise up to $4.14 billion in 2022? This astounding number is just one indication of how influencers are changing the marketing game in the digital age.

In fact, collaborating with nano- and micro-influencers can be even more beneficial for your business than affiliating with celebrities. 

Recent Markerly research studied around 800,000 Insta accounts, with more than 1,000 followers each. The findings were remarkable: lower follower counts directly corresponded with higher like and engagement rates. In other words, influencers with smaller follower communities have a stronger impact on their audiences. 

And your business can leverage that. 

Who Are Nano- and Micro-Influencers and Why Do They Matter? 

Unlike A-list celebrities and macro-influencers with millions of followers of social media, nano- and micro-influencers are people who have a high degree of authority and credibility within a relatively narrow sphere or niche. Hence, smaller but more loyal audiences. 

You can consider a person a nano-influencer if their follower count falls under 1,000. Today, the nano-influencer market is a relatively new yet quickly growing digital sphere.  

Micro-influencers are the next logical step: they have between 1,000 and 100,000 followers on their social media accounts. They share all the qualities of nano-influencers but have a larger audience outreach. Micro-influencers are trusted advisors whose opinion matters to their followers, especially when it comes to a purchasing decision.

So what makes nano- and micro-influencers so effective at driving leads to your business’s website?

• They have a much closer connection to their followers;
• They have higher engagement rates; 
• They represent your brand in a unique way relevant to their niche; 
• They are cost-effective: you invest less money but the collaboration brings you a high ROI.  
• They are easier to get in touch with: nano- and micro-influencers are willing to collaborate with brands for mutual benefit and growth. 
• They can give you a competitive advantage: your sponsored posts or collaboration campaign is likely to become the first ad content on a nano- or micro-influencer’s social media page. 

As you can see, promoting your brand becomes much easier when you partner with a nano- or micro-influencer within your chosen niche. 

Now, let’s take 5 effective ways influencers that can drive leads to your website. 

1. Use Affiliate Links

Affiliate links present an easy and efficient way to drive extra traffic to your website.

Added bonus: you’ll see exactly how many conversions you get from these links, and who clicks on them. Besides, it’s possible to track the degree of audience engagement you nano- or micro-influencer drives to your business. 

How does it work? Let’s take Instagram as an example: 

1. An influencer you’re collaborating with will create an Insta post related to your brand. They can do it in their feed, via stories, or on IGTV;
2. The post will include an affiliated link with a discount or another incentive accessible to the users who click on it;
3. The influencer gets a commission either per click or per sale made on your website – it’s your call. 

A good influencer will ensure your affiliate campaign is successful by giving their followers a good reason to click on the link. They will make a creative effort to demonstrate your product, tell the audience about your brand, and inspire trust in potential buyers. 

This is what micro-influencer Sheshopped does on her Instagram profile. The blogger posts eye-catching lifestyle images for her audience to get people curious about the products she uses. She then lets them know that it’s easy and convenient to shop for these goods with the help of her affiliate links. The influencer has even created a separate website with product descriptions and clickable links to the stores. Her devoted followers are frequent visitors to this resource. 

Bottom line: by generating leads to your webpage, affiliate links promoted by nano- and micro-influencers will eventually convert visitors to real customers.

2. Start Ambassador Programs

Why not offer a nano- or micro-influencer to become your brand ambassador? 

Ambassador is a person who will represent, promote, and spread awareness of your product by acting as a trusted spokesperson on behalf of your brand. And their audiences will be there to listen!

How do brand ambassadors drive leads to your website?

• They put the link to your company webpage on their profile bio;
• They regularly include your products in their posts (even those not directly related to promotion);
• They create trending content (Instagram Reels, TikTok hot videos, etc.) featuring your brand;
• They convey the value of your product to their audiences. 

Red Bull does an excellent job partnering with micro-influencer ambassadors. Look at Dani Roman – “Red Bull Athlete” with just under 38k followers. He regularly creates compelling videos featuring Red Bull brand products and logo, inspiring his audience – extreme sports aficionados – to associate the brand with their passion. And it works! 

The cherry on top: what is especially valuable about brand ambassador campaigns is the long-term commitment the influencer will have to your brand (and vice-versa, of course). The more their audience grows, the more it will translate into higher lead numbers to your website. 

3. Organize Giveaways 

What can we say, people adore free stuff offered to them. That’s why giveaways organized on social media platforms are incredibly popular among all kinds of users. 

Take advantage of that and make giveaways an effective marketing tool together with an enthusiastic influencer. Their followers will convert the enthusiasm into leads.  

Micro- and nano-influencers don’t have impressive budgets to give away pricey gifts to their followers, and that’s where your sponsorship can make a real difference. Being a giveaway sponsor will increase the visibility of your brand among the influencer’s audience. 

Besides, you can make your best-selling or new product as a gift to followers. This way, people will be even more willing to come back to your website for more. 

To generate as many leads as possible, choose the type of giveaway your (and the influencer’s) target audience will be the most excited about. It could be: 

• A hashtag contest;
• Photo/video contest;
• Comment contest;
• Repost “lottery”, etc. 

Passion Planner, for instance, regularly teams up with micro-influencers to promote product giveaways via repost contests. As people tag their friends and comment on posts, this activity converts into actual leads.  

Pro tip: if you decide to opt for a giveaway as a means of promotion, let the influencer market the event. They will promote and announce them on their social media platform, focusing on the aspects of the product that will draw their audience’s attention and interest. All you need to do is sponsor the event itself.  

4. Get traction with the help of UGC

Why is UGC a beneficial addition to your influencer marketing collaboration? Just think about this: 

Millennials spend more than 5 hours every day looking at user-generated media, reporting that UGC is 35% more memorable than other kinds of online materials. This content type is guiding purchasing decisions, opinions, and trends for a whole generation of consumers. You would be crazy not to take advantage of that. 

You and the influencer you’re working with can come up with nearly endless ways to encourage UGC as part of the marketing campaign. Here are some of them:

• Have the influencers post questions related to your product. Say, you’re a clothing brand – ask the audiences how they fit your item into their everyday looks. 
• Better yet, have the influencer’s followers post a picture/video of your product in use! Nothing encourages more leads to your website than realistic visuals from actual users. 
• Request product reviews from users: people will be happy to share their impressions with the influencer’s community.   

Want an outstanding example?

Aerie is a clothing brand that aced UGC through nano- and micro-influencer collaborations. The company is dedicated to body positivity, and they ask both the influencers and their audiences to take unretouched pictures wearing Aerie pieces, which the brand then reposts to their main account. This campaign is both promotional and social – an excellent recipe for lead generation. 

Don’t be afraid to leverage UGC within a collaboration with an influencer. Consumers love the sense of belonging and participation. 

5. Include Sponsored Posts

Let’s be honest: people are tired of traditional polished ads. They are simply getting old and annoying, generating fewer leads as digital marketing is expanding its dominance. 

Here’s where sponsored posts come into play as a plausible alternative. 

Sponsored content is what marketers refer to as native advertising – it is less intrusive, glamorous, and more authentic. Research shows that young consumers don’t mind seeing native ads on their favorite social media profiles. 

Influencers do a great job promoting brands in a natural, subtle way, and their audiences react to this gentle yet straightforward approach. Besides, your brand gets the reputation of supporting talented content creators – kudos (and more leads) to you. 

You can sponsor all types of content, depending on your niche as well as the chosen influencer’s content format. Be as creative as you wish! The more the influencer mentions you in sponsored posts, the more leads it will generate. 

Final Thoughts 

Nothing creates more organic traffic to your webpage than promoting your brand on social media. 

And partnering with nano- and micro-influencers is a powerful strategy that will help you ace lead generation on Instagram, TikTok. YouTube, and other social media platforms. 

Organize contests, giveaways, develop ambassador programs, and leverage UGC – all these marketing gems work much more effectively when you collaborate with a talented content creator with a devoted audience. 

Who knows? Your campaign might even go viral!

The post 5 Ways Micro and Nano-Influencers Can Drive Leads to Your Website appeared first on noupe.

You’ve probably got a lot of questions if you’re thinking of starting a photography business. Is the effort worthwhile? What are the benefits and drawbacks? What is the maximum amount of money you can earn? What kind of gear do you require? Should you focus on one genre of photography? What are your options for generating revenues?

How to start a photography business? Most successful photographers have been asked this question numerous times.  People admire their career, travel, wealth, and lifestyle and wish to live it themselves.

It’s likely that you’ve gained some skill and have been photographing for some time, and now you want to turn your hobby into a profession. Opting to start and run a photography business is a major step, partly because most young photographers are unaware of or uninterested in the financial side.

You want to concentrate on the gear and take stunning photos, but failing to take care of business will undermine your growing photography profession.

Things to consider before starting online photography business

Estimate the cost

You’ll need to estimate your beginning costs as part of your business planning process. What are the things you’ll need to get your business off the ground? There are also requirements for business permits, insurance, a website, and accounting software to manage your business.

Many people who are establishing a business for the first time seek assistance from family or friends, or continue working full-time until their firm becomes self-reliant.

Types of photography services you’ll provide

Businesses and individuals require photographers for a variety of reasons. Businesses require photos of their products for brochures. Photographs of the properties that are being sold are required by realtors.

Photographs that are connected to the stories in magazines are required. If you don’t want to perform corporate photography, you can do portraits or photograph weddings.

About your company’s structure

The simplest and most affordable choice is a sole proprietorship. On the other hand, forming a limited company will provide stronger protection for your personal assets if you run into legal complications..

Necessary supplies and equipment

If photography is a passion for you, you might have a lot of the necessary equipment already with you. However, you must determine whether the quality is sufficient to justify charging for services. 

You’ll also need lenses, lights, batteries, picture editing software, high-quality photo paper, and packaging to distribute the photos to clients, in addition to the camera. To regulate lighting, you might require lights and screens.

Get a post production service subscription

While your online photography business is much concentrated on photography however, there’s no doubt every photograph will require a post production of photograph and image editing. Now, if you are an expert in photo editing it’s a plus point. In contrast to that your business will also require much of your time. 

Getting yourself an online photo editing service like UK Clipping Path, or deciding on a photo editing service is also an important part of a photography business. One of the most important and indivisible jobs for any professional photographer is image editing. 

It might help you differentiate yourself from your competitors. There is no better way to expand your photography business than through picture editing. It can take quite a long time to edit a photograph.

It won’t help you if you just retouch specific portions, change the colors, or add effects. There’s a lot of other important photo editing that needs to be done such as, clipping path service, background removal especially incase of product photography, ghost mannequin effect, and more.

Although you are an amazing photographer, you might struggle with picture editing software. As a result, many professional photographers seek the assistance of a photo editing service in order to enhance their productivity and focus on what they do best: taking photographs.

A Step by Step Guide on How to Start a Photography Business Online

Make a photography business plan for your photography business

Any experienced photographer will advise you that you’ll need to put down your ideas.This detailed document acts as a road map for your firm, detailing what it is and how it will be valuable. 

It may appear like writing a business plan is a difficult undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be if you have the right resources.

Create a portfolio

You’ll need to demonstrate your abilities to potential clients, and freelancing with a professional photographer is a brilliant way to get skills and begin building a portfolio. 

Using that experience to create a photography portfolio that showcases your ability is also essential. Identify your target audience and create a portfolio that reflects their interest. Maintain it so that new potential clients can view up-to-date and relevant work.

Purchase photography equipment and tools

You’ll need two cameras, two high-quality lenses, two flashes, tripod plus Photoshop and Lightroom to edit the photographs. Why are there two cameras? You will require backup equipment. You can also consider purchasing lenses, a camera bag, lighting, backdrops, props, computer, external hard drive as per your need and budget.

Get yourself an amazing website

You’ll need a website once you’ve decided on a name for your photography business. Although there are free website themes available, your website serves as your showroom. Consider whether it’s best to have your website professionally designed if you want it to be stunning.

Your work should be showcased on your website. That is exactly what your customers will want to see. Include a photo of yourself as well as a page outlining your background and experience.

It’s also necessary to include contact information. It’s a good idea to include at least part of your rates on your website. This helps to manage client expectations and discourages customers from attempting to bargain for a lower price.

Make your own brand

According to top photographers, you need to stand out. Figure out who your target market is. Find your niche and cater yourself to working towards branding your uniqueness to your audience. You can use slogan generators that can help you create your perfect one-liner.

Network with people

You need to network your heart out as a photographer and a new business owner. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best photographer in the world if nobody knows about you. Whatever you can, join groups, forums, clubs, and collectives. You’ll receive referrals if you make sure these folks are aware of you and respect you.

Choose a name for your online photography business

Choose a name that complements the style of photography you wish to accomplish because your business name will become your brand image. You can have a funny name if you’re doing child photos, but if you’re doing commercial photography or weddings, you’ll want something that sounds corporate or sophisticated. 

What’s next after starting your photography business online? 

Utilize social media to get the word out about yourself.

Although social networking is an excellent approach to advertise your company, it’s best to start with one or two sites and stick with them. Facebook is a viable alternative, you may want to consider one of the more visually appealing social media platforms, such as Instagram. 

One of the most crucial aspects of keeping any channel you choose active and updated is to keep it updated.

Market yourself and your business

Marketing is crucial to a photographic business’s success. For people to know you, you need to promote yourself to your audience. In addition to business cards, brochures, and a website, use your network of contacts to spread the word about your company. Some marketing ideas for your photography business includes:

• Google ads
• Create newsletters and email list for self promotion
• Maintaining a photography blog

Improvise and Reinvest

You can start thinking about reinvesting if you have a few months’ worth of money saved. New technology can improve your product photography in a variety of ways, from new lenses to improved software and equipment. 

Make a list of the products you wish to buy so you can make informed judgments. Before you spend your hard-earned money, make a list and shop around for good deals.

Diversify and keep learning

You’ll be able to broaden your profitability by adding specific features to the business over time. One of the best pieces of advice professional photographers can give aspiring photographers is to keep improving their skills. 

Attend courses, watch online tutorials, or set aside time to shoot something completely different to your field of study, do whatever it takes to keep your skills and knowledge up to date.Enhance knowledge about the importance of clipping path, photo editing after taking a quality photo, and wide-angle photography. And golden hour photography.

Why should you opt for the photography business?

Do What You Love

When you choose to establish a photography business, you’ll be able to devote a large amount of time and resources to doing what you love.

Make Your Work Meaningful

Photographers are engaged to capture and keep unique moments alive for all time. Photographers can discover a lot of significance in their work, whether it’s nature, family pictures, weddings, or anything else.

Make New Friends

Photography may be a terrific opportunity to meet lots of new and intriguing people, whether you meet them at weddings, in your portrait studio, or on site capturing wildlife photos. In fact, most cities have active meetup.com groups that gather on a regular basis to socialize.

Range of sectors to work with

Photography is a diversified profession with not only one track to choose but choose from. Few photography business ideas for your online photography startup

• Wedding photography business
• Fashion photography business
• Product photography business
• Corporate photography business
• Travel photography business
• Event photography business
• Food photography  business and what not!

Adaptability

Running a photography business can give you and your family a lot of freedom. You have entire flexibility over your schedule, unlike a regular 9-to-5 job. This makes prioritizing childcare, vacations, and time with loved ones more easier.

Chance to Travel

Do you enjoy seeing new locations and learning about new cultures? Many photographers include travel in their work on a regular basis. Simply schedule clients in the places you want to go.

Final words

Learning to capture decent pictures requires patience. It takes time to establish marketing as a skill. It needs to be implemented, tested, see if a certain  way works, constantly improvise strategy and what not. Customer service skills need effort and practice. Learning how to organize your business requires dedication.

To summarize, mastering the numerous skills required to run a tremendously successful photography business takes time. Don’t be too hard on yourself if things aren’t moving as quickly as you’d want.

The post How to Start a Photography Business Online – A Must Read Step by Step Guide appeared first on noupe.

With the launch of any small business, focusing on attracting the very first customers towards the business takes priority over everything else. 

Even though there are different types of advertisements such as black & white ads, coupons mailers, outdoor advertising, many businesses still believe that offering a great product, service or business is the best way to find customers. 

While this approach may attract some customers, there is a more profitable and effortless way. By considering the potential customers available online and taking advantage of digital marketing services, small businesses can effectively, efficiently, and quickly convert prospects into loyal customers. 

Before we share with you the reasons why digital marketing is essential for small businesses, let’s look at a few benefits of online marketing. 

Advantages of Online Marketing

• Get to know your customers better by interacting with them and learning what they are searching for online.  
• You will be able to come in contact with anyone as there are no geographic limitations. 
• With personalized digital marketing, you can reach the right customers at the right time. 
• Remain in contact with your potential customers at every phase of the purchase.  
• Reach out to more customers at a low cost. 
• Keep a track of feedback against your marketing strategies & actions.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s look at the reasons why digital marketing is essential for small businesses. 

Digital marketing for small businesses

Many small businesses believe they don’t have the resources to contend with other businesses online. They prefer to move forward slowly and adopt traditional marketing techniques and hope their company will grow over time. 

According to Digital 2021: Global Overview Report, 4.6 billion people use the internet for various purposes. Customers will have a hard time locating your business unless you are appearing in the places they spend most of their time on. 

So constructing an existence online is imperative if you wish to grow your business. The most suitable way to guarantee that your business turns into a successful business is to boost it on an international level and entice customers. 

1- Customers are always on the internet 

When someone is curious about your business, they will research on the internet and learn whatever they can find about your business.  

It is expected from every business to have an online presence in the form of a website or social media account. 

People like to read reviews about businesses to see what other users are stating about your business. 87% of customers of various small and local businesses spend a good amount of time reading about service reviews.  

If users are unable to locate your business on the internet, they may think that your business isn’t legitimate. Chances are that a lot of potential customers may decide to take their business somewhere else. 

2- Keep an eye out for your competitors

Small businesses can always learn from their competitors and strive towards becoming successful. It is advised to not think of them as competitors but as someone who can teach you something valuable. 

By looking at your competitor’s online activity, you can get an idea of what’s working and what isn’t. 

You can learn various useful knowledge such as what type of content they are using, are they publishing blogs, are they promoting their business via videos, how are they making their service unique, how do they interact with their customers, and much more. 

One of the best ways to keep an eye out for your competitors is to perform competitor research. Try to determine what outlets they use, which keywords are they targeting, from which device most of the user traffic is coming from, and much more. 

Various online digital marketing tools can easily help you determine all that. These tools include SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz, BuzzSumo, Google Alerts, and Ontolo. 

3- Be available to consumers

Small businesses need to create an online presence. When customers are searching for a service or product, they usually look for it on Google or any other search engine. 

If your business isn’t available to the customer on that platform then you can’t contest with your competitors. 

Having a presence on the internet isn’t enough as well. Your competitors that have acquired a high ranking in search engines will be easily available to users and overshadow your business. 

Small businesses can easily outrank their competitors on various search engine consoles by establishing an online presence deploying Search Engine Optimization techniques. 

By comparing your website and the competitor’s website, potential customers would make an adequate judgment for themselves. But this will only happen if you are appearing in the search engines results. 

4- Allow customers to reach you

Digital marketing allows small businesses to make themselves available to target customers. Scalability and availability outside your locality will become a reality. 

With an online presence, you can conduct your business even when you shouldn’t. You can establish a possibility that will allow your customers to reach you anytime they want. 

The customers should be able to email you their inquiries, make acquisitions, skim your stock while sitting in their homes. 

Prospects unable to physically visit your business establishment should be able to commence business with you through e-commerce functions or social media platforms. 

5- Know your target customers 

Through digital marketing, small businesses can remain in contact with their customers. By using social media, blogs, or survey forms, you can acquaint yourself with customers, their problems, and gather various insights. 

With the help of digital marketing, you can customize your communications and refind your target audience. You can easily rebuild relationships with your clients and evolve into something much more than a business. 

6- More marketing at less cost 

Some types of advertisement are as economical as digital marketing. Most small businesses try to accomplish as much as possible through a limited marketing budget. 

Online advertising will enable you to redefine your target customers. Social media platforms are ideal for small businesses as it allows them to allocate day-to-day funding for audiences that are interested in your services and products. 

This way you can exclude the individuals that will never purchase your service or products. Ultimately saving your time and funds. 

Online advertisements in social media platforms will only work if you determine the right social media platforms for your services, products, or business. 

Research various social media platforms to find the perfect one for yourself, and run some simple tests to see what messaging and content works. 

Final Thoughts

Looking to create a website, set up social media campaigns, or establish an online presence to generate leads and gain customers? 

The first stage to achieve those objectives is to understand digital marketing and learn how it can have a favorable influence on your business. 

The best digital marketing services will help you with suitable and advanced marketing strategies to enhance your online presence, grow your business, and increase your customer base. 

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