Not every business owner can call themselves a professional photographer. But every business owner needs to be a marketer.  Creativity lends itself quite nicely to marketing so the chances are, if you're reading this blog but don't claim to be a marketer already, you'll be quite good at it. I was reading an article by Paul Williams yesterday that made me realise this: The current economic climate is forcing every business owner (that's you) to become a marketer. The recession is a "training ground for us to hone our businesses. The difference (or benefit?) with the recession is that EVERYBODY is in rough waters, not just you." We have the opportunity to (or as a matter of survival need too) find new ways to:

Become more relevant to customers

Attract more attention in meaningful ways

Differentiate from our competitors

Marketing's not a skill confined to professionals. It's about developing strategies, ideas and content to connect with and persuade potential and current clients. You know your business and clients better than anyone, so you're in a great position to start. If business is quiet, you've got a great opportunity to spend time working on your business. Ian's posts about strategies to survive and thrive in the recession are well worth a read.  He talks about the importance of staying true to your dream. Don't undermine the hard work you've done building your business for short term gain. Work on marketing instead. Cheers,  Nigel PS Ian will be back here soon. He lost his laptop and  the work he did over the holiday season in a burglary.