What Offline advice do you have for Google Trusted Photographers?

I think that you need to word, and lay out your post a bit more clearly for people to be able to sift through what is making you happy, and what is a request for advice.

I didn't know about Google Trusted Photographer until this post, so thank you for introducing it to me. It certainly does seem like a good way to get your foot in the door.

If you learned more about Google +, then you could actually offer them a full SEO service with photographs and Google + review pages included. That could be a recurring monthly several k right there...

A good place to start the Google Plus journey (other than this section in the forum) is-

http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...-freindly.html

Good luck with your new-found credentials.

That sounds like a lot of upfront hard work. But the extra exposure, and the credentials that it will buy you should definitely add weight to your sales pitch. Anything connected to google sounds important if it puts your head above the crowd.

It's the magic key to get into almost any local business. What most GTPs do not realize is there is some much more services you can sell them. A one time fee of $500 is nice, but so is $500 a month from 10 of those businesses.

A few GTPs are in the process of working out an affiliate program to help anyone make some cash and contacts on this. Will inform this board more as time goes on. It is a very fine line with Google and needs many details worked out but I feel it is inevitable as not many GTPs know how to sell these services well.

Thanks, Steve. So many different methods work but it is super hard to beat that quick elevator speech.

If others find this thread and have questions about GTP, I will update that post later. If you have specific short questions, email at mediamartcanada at gmail.com.

There are of course many things that have changed with the program since that post and the hardest being the competition you will have to deal with and the rules google seems to change often regarding that.

It is by no means an easy business but you can make some cash while building up clients. You spend about 60 to 70% of your time trying to attain clients but the actual photography work I have made as much as $250/hr.

Understand Google+Local and it's importance to small business now (SEO pales in importance). It is a KEY part of google's strategy going forward. And understand their goal of the program which is to image the entire earth, including inside all businesses.

Does anyone have a list of the approved equipment needed? I can't find anything on the net.

Try to answer each below:
When I looked at the GTP program, it seemed that you had to be an experienced photographer and have all the equipment already?


Not necessarily experienced but have some knowledge of how to work a DSLR. It depends on the city are region you are in and if Google is recruiting in that area and their need for photographers there.


I am interested in this, just wondering if you needed to have the photography business upfront, or could you buy the equipment after being accepted into the program?


The main outlay is in the camera and the one lens. You can study their material and take their test then purchase equipment. Can even lease it from some stores.

Also, are you doing walk-ins and leaving a flyer like in the past, or do you cold call-mail-email as well for prospects. In the other thread you mentioned dropping off 20 flyers and get 1 to 3 call backs. Certainly not everyone out of those three buys. But it seems like you could hand out 20 flyers 3-4 hours every morning and spend the afternoons photographing whoever you close from the 5 to 15 appointments per week. Is that how you paid for the equipment in 30 days or even more work involved?


You can certainly make one appointment each day with 3 to 5 hours of work. Again depends on area and amount of competition. There is one component I cannot discuss of that theory and all I can say is the more people in an area, the harder it gets. I paid equipment because I was only one in the area and they covered me in the newspapers which gave creditability in the owner's mind when I approached them. Google also now gives shirts to help as well. The flyer/followup seems to still be the best method if you can hustle but other methods such as networking, ads, email campaigns, cold calling have also worked with diminishing returns. As I said before, I still make more selling them additional services than the indoor streetview thing and have focused on this virtually exclusively for two months.

What businesses do you recommend targeting if that is something you want to share?


Think in the mind of the store owner. It will be a place that the owner loves to show off the interior. I have had success with just about EVERY business type. Again, remember Google's goal of imagining EVERY business...just get the low-hanging fruit while you can now.

Thanks,

Mark



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Totally confused, why would Google pay you,

Eva


Eva, Google does not pay you or charge the owners anything to post the data (pano tours) onto their G+local page. They pay the photographer a one-time fee that can range between $200 to $2000 with the median range in my city (economically depressed) being around $400. Of course higher cities are getting better wages for it. Price is entirely up to you though.






Does anyone have a list of the approved equipment needed? I can't find anything on the net.


You will not find it because all Google Trusted Photographers are under Non-disclosure to not discuss equipment. Just know, you will not likely get it for under that $3K. You might have some of the equipment, but not likely all of it.






Just a hint but Google also lets you get more certifications and participate in other programs as well such as Google Engage and Google Certified Adwords Expert (do not know exact name). I think there are a few more certifications you can get. THIS is the critical component for offliners.


The other component is you can certainly work a deal with any TIP in your area to sell for them. Most are paying around 15 to 25% for a solid contract. The affiliate thing will take a bit of time to set up, but that will allow a wider area if we can get it by Google.