TIPS FOR SUCCESS IN 2021!

By Wiltshire-based photographer Barbara Leatham who is a business brand photographer who creates strong branded images for businesses who need to stand out from their competitors.

What are your top marketing or PR tips for 2021?

Find different ways to make sure your clients remember you’re there. In a world of emails and online engagement, try lumpy mail. Something nice in the post, doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to be relevant.

Be consistent; it’s far better to do one or two things really well than do lots of things and do them poorly. You don’t have infinite time, so if you’re not good at social media or marketing them outsource as much as you can.

If you are doing your own PR, register with Fiona Scott for her monthly online event. It’s a worthwhile investment, she’s very generous with her ideas and it’s either 60 or 90 minutes of information you can turn into potential PR, stories, blogs and posts. She teaches you to be relevant and engaged. 

Who are your business buddies in your corner for 2021? 

• Fiona Scott from Scott Media 
• Rachel Edwards from Lionize Media 
• Linda Gale from BNi Berkshire and Wiltshire

What are your ethics for 2021? 

Help support small and local businesses where you can. Independents are the backbone of the economy; they will need your support more than ever in 2021

Keep it local, at the very least a UK company or supplier where possible.

Working with greener companies, we all have an impact in the environment, lots of little things all add up.

What is your take on the word ‘free’ in business? 

When you are a service provider, I think it’s easy to give quite a bit away for free without realising it. 

If you have a product, you wouldn’t automatically hand out free stuff to everyone unless you are using a loss leader or testing the market. However, picking the brains of someone who charges time for their knowledge and services, it seems acceptable for people to ask questions and “just pick your brain” without realising it is effectively costing that person money.

I think a business needs to keep control on what they are happy to gift for free and be prepared to say to someone that it would be worth them booking time with you and let them know the value of that time.

What will you be investing in this year? 

I’m investing in networking this year, even though it’s all online. I live in the middle of the Salisbury Plain and connecting with people in such a remote part of the county has kept me sane.

I attend two groups. BNi Read that I attend weekly, which has helped me through lockdown with building friendships with other businesses as well as gaining work in a very tight climate, they have given me great support.

The other group is Swindon & Cotswold Business Focus who meet every other week on a Tuesday morning. I’ve only attended a couple of meetings so far, but I plan to sign up for the year of 2021. 

Networking is about connecting to people and building up relationships. If you go in thinking you will walk away with a sale, you could easily be disappointed. Know, like and trust come with time, consistency and commitment.

Keeping connected in a climate of lockdown and every changing tier system is going to be important for business as well as mental wellbeing.

What are you doing for charity or community this year? 

This year, any shoots that are booked and taken in Q1 I will donate 10% of my profits to a local charity. I’m going to get my children to pick one this year, I want them to learn that there are people out in the local community that need support.

I work with Entrain Space, based in Wilton just outside Salisbury. They help support military veterans and being ex RAF, this is important for me.

I am also a Butterfly Wishes Network photographer; one of over 300 UK wide that gift their services to families who have children with life limiting or life shortening illnesses. We haven’t been able to work during lockdown, but we are hoping that one the vaccine rolls out we can pick up our cameras again.

Your three ‘absolute no-nos’ for 2021 in business? 

No one likes being let down, so reliability and accountability are important. We all have days when things go wrong, but not taking responsibility for it would definitely make me walk away; don’t promise something you can’t deliver.

Being honest and managing expectations will build trust, we all know that 2021 is going to be tough for lots of industries. Being understanding and flexible might be the difference between another business surviving. Treat others how you’d like to be treated.

We don’t know what other people are going through, so badmouthing and negativity will not be helpful to anyone in 2021. The online world has the habit of presenting a picture-perfect world, when in reality we really don’t know what someone else is going through. I hope people think before they speak – or worse, type! 

Any special offers for January 2021 you’d like to mention? 

“Spring Clean Your Business” runs from January 1st to March 1st  

I offer an extra 50% images for shoots during these dates. 

For more information visit www.BarbaraLeatham.co.uk