Hi all! My membership fee is due tomorrow for the WPJA. I'm having a hard time deciding what to do - but not because of all the drama that has been going on concerning the organization.

Maybe this is me looking for justification about the decision I've already made.
What would you do?

I received one phone call inquiry from the WPJA last year. She didn't book. I do receive hits from their site, but it seems no one is very impressed. That's okay too. I just really can't justify spending another $240 on nothing. I enjoy the forum and the people who are members. I'll be honest in that I also like being able to say I'm a member. I feel like I worked my hiney off to get in, and it hasn't really gotten me anywhere. Hmmm....

If it is not working for you then don't renew. You wouldn't keep running an ad or showing your work at a bridal show that booked you no weddings .

I do find WPJA to be effective for me and I have booked a few of my larger weddings off of it... I am usually one of the top 5 in WNY so maybe that is part of the reason, I assume that a higher listing generates more clicks

If you want that feeling and it's worth $240 sure. If you're not booking work off of it, why would you want it for "advertising" though?

same for me, but every state seems to be different

Happy birthday Matt!!

I just entered 10 pictures in the last contest too. Ugh. Decisions, decisions!!! I can't handle all the pressure!!

I get more hits from the St. Louis area than I do from the KC area, at least I think I've noticed that in my short time listed. If it generates even one booking for me, I'll consider it a success though.

Don't renew--sounds like you joined for same reasons that I did--to get honest leads. I was officially kicked out of WPJA after sort of asking to be kicked out (BTW...that story behind that is just another reason not to re-join IMO, but I'm pretty biased ), but I viewed it strictly as advertising dollars and got 0% return on investment (actually that is not true, I did win $200 in their little contests).

Sour grapes? Yes, please. lol.

Geneve

If you are in and you enjoy being in...renew.

Thanks for all your honest answers and advice! I think I'm going to hold off and see what happens. After getting some super great advice from Anne and Matt a couple of weeks ago in the chatroom I've booked four weddings. They are my hero's.

Care to share?

The one thing WPJA is very good at is blowing their own horn. Advertising in a place like that (and high-end bridal mags), is a way of proving to potential clients that you are at a certain level - even if they didn't find you there. It may also be useful in getting your name in front of planners. It's one of the obvious places for them to look.

Whether or not photographers like WPJA should not be a factor in making a decision. Your decision should be based solely on your experiences and what you have gotten out of your listing with them. If over the course of 12 months as a member, you have only received 1 call and they did not book, I would say that's a waste of advertising dollars if that is your sole purpose for being a member. If you have other reasons for being a member, you need to weigh those reasons against the cost. Invest your money in the marketing efforts that are bringing you most of your business - perhaps it's a client that continually refers you to everyone she knows, or perhaps its a listing elsewhere like theknot or on brides.com - which is going to quickly become one of the most popular websites for brides to do their search on!! If something isn't working - either figure out how to make it work to your advantage, or throw it out and move on.

i gotta say, i anne ruthmann.

Well, it boiled down to deciding who I am and go with it, and to make myself easy to do business with.

I think Matt posted a bunch of stuff about it on his site www.mattantonino.com. It was just one of those conversations that makes the light go on and shine right in your eyes. I started calling brides who emailed me instead of just emailing them back, I changed my deposit requirements to make them more manageable from the budget point of view (I was asking for half - now I ask for a third) and I stopped requiring that they make the deposit by check. I'll take their money anyway I can get it now! I think if anything the thought that I came out of it with that was most valuable is that I DO take pictures people love and my style is my style. I spent a bit of money and ordered pictures for the bridal show I have coming up and they were all pictures that I liked. Not what I thought everyone else would like.

So, now I am much more easy to business with and the first thing poeple see when they get to my webstie galleries are my favorite pictures, which say a lot about what I love.

Anyways, about the WPJA, I still can't decide what to do. I can see both sides and I can't decide which one is best. I suppose it isn't the end of the world if I don't decide by tomorrow is it??

The WPJA really isn't worth it unless you plan on having winning entries in their contests (so you can get the little gold stars - or whatever - next to your name). And to be serious about winning, you'll need to enter a lot of pictures in each contest - so your total cost will be a higher than just the basic membership.