Have You Booked?

PMA members who register by Sept. 1 will pay $299; after Sept. 1, the 2012 DIMA Convention badge is $399 for PMA members ($599 for non-members), and includes access to all preshow DIMA sessions, receptions, luncheon keynote at Bally's, and allPMA@CES sessions happening during the CES trade show. DIMA registration also includes your show badge to PMA@CES and all other CES exhibits.

DIMA 2012, now the launching pad for the largest imaging event in world, will feature four tracks: Retail Strategy, Photo Publishing, Social Media and Professional Imaging. The event includes a full-day Social Media Boot Camp with drill sergeant Georgia McCabe, half-day Branding Workshop with branding guru Dr. Glenn S. Omura, DIMA Marketing Ideas Exchange with Bill McCurry and all the brightest stars in the photo industry.

The DIMA 2012 program will be divided into four tracks, featuring these topics:

Retail Strategy Track

How to Host a Photo Safari
Online Opportunities for Independent Photo Retailers
Imaging Retail Store Start-up: Creating a Brand
Re-inventing the Brand of Successful Retail Imaging Stores
DIMA Marketing Ideas Exchange
Economies of small

Social Media Track

Creating a Successful Social Media Campaign
E-mail as a Social Media Tool
Social Media Boot Camp (Full-Day)

Photo Publishing Track

Photo Books Soup to Nuts
Transforming Your Business With Photo Publishing
Photo Make Believe
New business opportunities reach beyond the traditional direct to consumer market

Pro Imager Track

HDR Unveiled
Building Successful Photography Communities and Events on the Web
10-Channel Workflow
Creating Stunning Video with Your DSLR

Brain Buzzes...

"Brain Buzzes" can get your creative juices flowing, and this week's DIMAcast will have you buzzing with exciting ideas you can use in your business. Live from the Photographic Research Organisation's 53^rd Annual Convention in Jacksonville, Fla., the top U.S. camera stores gather to buy and share ideas that boost sales, profits and efficiencies.

On this episode of the DIMAcast, you'll hear candid discussions of things that worked and some that didn't. Tony Fortina of Rockbrook Camera, Omaha, Neb., shares in-store uses for iPads. Eric Vitwar, Tuttle Cameras, Long Beach, Calif., tells how he aggressively uses Yelp to build customer relationship. Tony Miresse or Art's Camera Plus, Greenfield, Wis., builds sales by taking his employees on field trips, in their own store. Brian Noble, Noble's Camera, Hingham, Mass., candidly admits his marketing mistakes and what he (and you) can learn from them.Pauline McKean of Calagaz Photo and Digital Imaging, Mobile, Ala., tells how she has overflow crowds at her store because she partners with local businesses and charities.

Listen in to these leading retailers reveal what's working and what's not for 2011. You can hear them and download the transcript with images at www.DIMAcast.com.

Special Offer for PMA Members

  Consumers are inundated with advertising and marketing. Almost everywhere they look, they can see ads for various different products and services, all of which are claiming to be beneficial to their everyday lives. And whether it be through online marketing tools or more "traditional" methods, companies are scrambling to get higher sales and business successes, using what they can to better reach their target markets.
Implementing social media into an organisation's marketing strategy is all good and well. But how can it be monitored and analysed for the small businesses future marketing endeavours and decision-making?

Managing paid search, display ad campaigns, social media and your website updates takes time, manpower and money.

Or does it?
   For the attendees of my recent Presentation at the PMA 2011and for all financial members of the PMA, I would like to offer a discount for all.

No Set Up Fee (Usually $200) and a 5% Management Fee (Usually 15%) for all new campaigns, of course if you just require advice I am more than happy to assist.
What you get.

A Flexible, Web-Based Platform. Our scalable platform enables you to efficiently and cost-effectively manage the entire lifecycle of local online marketing campaigns, optimisation and reporting.

Measurable Performance. Our proprietary conversion-based optimisation technology learns over time which sites and keywords drive the most conversions, then twice daily it automatically shifts more dollars             towards getting better performing campaigns and higher ROI.

A Dedicated Expert, Darren P. Vowles, To advise on all your web related enquiries.

I will work closely with you to ascertain the specific needs and goals of your organization and develop a plan that saves time and energy so that you can enjoy the additional revenue stream that comes from the most cost-effective, seamless and profitable local online advertising available.

ReachLocal is the leading fully-integrated online marketing platform that gives small business like you everything you need to bring the best Internet advertising and web management and advice

ReachSearch <http://national.reachlocal.com.au/reachearch-national> ™. Our search engine advertising solution covers 97%* of the places Australians search online.
                        * Nielsen/Net Ratings, 2009.
ReachDisplay <http://national.reachlocal.com.au/reachdisplay-national> ™. Our display advertising network reaches over 70% of the total Australian internet audience across thousands of sites.
                        *Estimate based on comScore and ReachLocal proprietary data.

Reach Local

New business opportunities from dealing with associations.

Paul Dawson, well known for his work with the PSPA and his own business Hydro Photographics, has launched a new enterprise to cater to the Scrap Booking market.

The 'Scrapbook Printing' online service came about after being approached by a large association of Scrap Bookers who were tired of sending their printing off to the USA because they could not find price competitive printing in Australia.

After looking into what value they could offer Paul saw an opportunity to keep his printers working, while keeping the printing 'local'.

This is a great example of a company working with local associations and groups to find new ways of doing business.

When you see that major overseas companies like CEWE are now making 50% of their profit from services they didn't offer 5 years ago it just goes to show you have to keep looking for new services and offers to keep your profit margins growing.

www.scrapbookprinting.com.au

Photo Retouching in the news again

When a radio station takes a call from a listener who calls into question your business ethics it makes for pretty distressing news. Especially if the issue in question is an emotive one and one that with selective phrasing can indeed sound like you are taking advantage of your clients self esteem issues.
This was indeed the situation faced recently by a Western Australian School Photographer when a parent rang in objecting to the option of Photoshopping on their school photos envelope.
Rather than face the media immediately the owner did the right thing, directed them to their website where their policies were clearly listed and then enlisted the support of the PSPA member association to help address the issue.
When the station was forwarded the associations Code of Practice and talked with PSPA President Paul Dawson the issue quickly gained some perspective and a balanced discussion ensued.
I guess it goes to show you need to be very clear about your offerings in all aspects of our industry and the great benefit of having a strong association to be a member of and set of practices and guidelines to follow.

The full story below:

Class photos at school may have been daunting and not the most glamorous, but would you change them?

Local parents are "disturbed" at a service now being offered to digitally change their childrens' school photos.

A Western Australian photography company which takes class photos and portraits for schools in the North West has been giving parents the option to have their child's photos altered with a "re-touching" service for an extra cost.

It's a controversial service which has been scrutinised in the past, but something that is happening more often across Australia.

You can listen here online to ABC Northwest Mornings presenter Cristy-Lee Macqueen speaking with a mother from Karratha who was recently given this option at her child's school where class photos were being done.

The impact on children can be significant and Child Psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg believes it sends a message to them that they're not OK the way they are.

"I think there is a great deal of harm, I think what we're doing is we're saying to kids that what matters most is their appearance.

"I think it's an incredibly dangerous and stupid message to send to kids, we've managed for years and years without doing this."

You can hear more of that interview from Mornings here online.

You can also download a copy of the PSPA's Code of Practice here

PMA Calendar 2011

Wed August 31st PMA VIC Meeting of Members

5:00pm Pumphouse Hotel, Fitzroy

Wed August 31st PMA Farewell for Robbo

Pumphouse Hotel, Fitzroy

Wed August 31st PPFA Framing Industry Meeting

Sawtell Framing + Beachscapes Gallery, NSW North Coast.

Tue Sept 27: PMA NSW Second Quarterly Review

North Ryde