What follows is a list of the common mistakes and errs that my team and I have seen modeling talents (and even many services providers) make. Some of them I myself have been guilty of.
NOT INVESTING IN THE RIGHT PORTFOLIO
When your portfolio is the cornerstone of your marketing efforts, failing to invest in the right portfolio can lead to either a lack of opportunities or worst yet, opportunities which you are not interested in. Your portfolio defines your brand and how prospective clients will perceive you. Talents need to have images that properly represent them. There is nothing in this industry that is worth investing in more.
BEING REACTIVE INSTEAD OF PROACTIVE
Getting a portfolio created and posting it on your social media channel to wait for your future opportunities to come pouring in is not enough. Instead of reacting to what happens within the industry – be proactive. Seek out the clients you want to work with. Connect with them, demonstrate your value and do not sit back and wait for them to come to you.
TAKING THE SHOTGUN APPROACH
An example of this would be creating a magazine pitch and then sending it off to 30 different publications and just changing the name in the TO field. This is very transparent to the recipient and shows that you put no time or energy into personalizing your approach or proposal. Instead of spending your time attempting to chase every potential client that is out on the streets; focus your efforts on the ones that matter most to you and your goals.
LACK OF RESEACH
Following up from the previous point. It is important to take the time to research your prospective clients. What is important to them and what matters to their success? This will help you when you approach them for how to best align yourself and your services with their needs.
NOT SETTING A GOAL AND MEASURING YOUR PROGRESS
What is it that you want to achieve in your career as a talent? Is it a certain type of work that you want to be doing? Is it a step to another venture you want to move into? How will you define your success or failure in your efforts? Begin by defining what is important to you and what you want to achieve – think both in the short term (before the end of this year) as well as in the long term. What will your career be like one year, two years, five years from now? This process can help you determine the steps to get from here to there.
James Patrick
jamespatrick.com
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