-Dane

There are wedding days and then there are Danielle and Clay wedding days. Getting ready before heading to the Prado.

Not only was Danielle stunning…

… Clay knows how to deliver in a major league way too. Although Clay played for the Florida Marlins this past season, he used to be a pitcher for the San Diego Padres so the stadium made for a pretty amazing horizon.

Danielle and her girls were a treat to be around the whole day. So much fun!

Balboa Park in San Diego was the perfect location for this epic destination wedding.

The winter sun lit Danielle up and made Clay pause.

Just gorgeous.

I love the architecture. It just makes for the perfect backdrop.

It seemed everywhere Danielle went, there was perfect frame around her. This shot was Sara’s idea. She’s so great.

Every element of the day made it perfect.

Congrats you guys! Such a gift to be able to serve you. Can’t wait to connect again soon!

- Dane

P.S… special thanks to Sara France and Bronson Pate for joining in for the fun!

Watch the infamous hair stylist, Walter Claudio, transform Gia‘s hair in 3 minutes in this sick time lapse video!

- Dane

Not too long ago, Chris Brogan shared some fascinating insights on the nature of social media relative to branding. More specifically, he seems to make the case that the use of social media (SM) may yield different results for folks than what they intend.

The big idea is that most people treat these vehicles or tools as means for direct marketing to the masses (think soft-spam). I know I’ve made that mistake before. But, his analogy that social media connection is more akin to café-shaped conversations really struck a chord for me.

The implications of that idea are subtle and significant.

If that’s true, then when we’re communicating, we might need a little more nuance… and a bit more care… at least if we want to expand and deepen the scope and depth of our relationships.

But, if our main goal is to sell rather than solve (a far more valuable asset than a quick sale), all our blog posts and twitters and forum threads may ultimately be for not. It may actually result in erosion.

If you’re thinking, “What?! I thought social media was supposed to make my branding and marketing easier! Are you saying we shouldn’t leverage these tools to propel our brands??”, then I say you’re asking a good question.

The answer is we must use these tools. But, how we use them is what makes all the difference.

It turns out that branding and marketing is harder than it looks. Of course, we get this pretty quick when we liken it to buying a new camera. We know owning the tools will not get us great results on their own. We need to use the tools… and use them well. For some reason, at least for me, it’s easy to forget this idea when it comes to social media.

So, I’ve got some homework for us:
1) Go take a look at your online messaging over the last month. Assess it. Are you enrolling people in the idea of you? Are the messages for you or for your audience?

3) See if you notice a difference.

Bonus: Feeling alone in all this? Check out today’s episode of AskDane to get some help!

For a LIVE version of AskDane, join in for Fast Track Coaching by CLICKING HERE!
To get Coaching for FREE today only, CLICK HERE for the password!

Can’t wait to connect with you guys!

- Dane

For those of you still on the fence on whether or not to sign up for my Fast Track Coaching, I thought it might help if I did a FREE EVENT to give you a sense of the value you’ll get by joining in.

Here are all the details you need:

EVENT: Fast Track Coaching – The First One is FREE!
DATE & TIME: Thursday, January 1st at 4:00pm Pacific
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it’s your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW…

Remember, the Introductory Rate is for a Limited Time Only and space is limited.
I need to make sure everyone who signs up has a secured spot.

So, if you want in now, *CLICK HERE*!

If you want to get the Coaching for FREE all the time, **CLICK HERE**!!

If you want your question covered in our inaugural webcast, leave it in the comment section below or email me.

Note: The questions I’ll respond to first are the ones that have a sense of urgency and are the most practical to the most people. I’ll also leave about 10 minutes to answer live questions that you come up with during the event.

I want this to be as valuable as possible for those getting coached. The more practical the better.

Also, if I feel like your question would be uniquely answered by a superstar in our industry, mention that too and I’ll see if we can’t get them to answer your question personally.

Can’t wait!
-Dane

I wanted to give you guys a cool promotion this Christmas that would genuinely help the true “last minute” shopper. But, then I got to thinking… “What if I just gave you something for free instead?” So, that’s what I did…

Here’s how it works: If you have a purchased Fast Track Forum Subscription, I decided to throw in a subscription to Fast Track Coaching on me (aka for FREE).

If you already subscribe, no need to do a thing – it’s already yours.

You’ll get an invite to our first Coaching Session in the new year… Merry Christmas! Also, if you already purchased Fast Track Coaching and want to add the Forum Subscription for just $10, shoot me an email (dane AT danesanders DOT com) and I’ll hook you up with a promo code.

Of course, if you have neither AND want both, grab a subscription and save yourself over $100 this year, go for it!

Just *CLICK HERE*!

Keep in mind, if you’re up for our January start with Fast Track Coaching as well as want the early bird info on The All-New AskDane.com Podcast (which is set to debut on New Year’s Day), be sure to join today. If you want to give a subscription to someone else, shoot me an email and we’ll get you and your friend set up asap!

All your support in 2008 has meant the world to my family and I. Please accept this as a small token of thanks. Happy Christmas friends!
-Dane

PS… I’m so excited to announce this just in time (literally) for Christmas. Believe it or not, it took a good bit of work to make it happen just right so special thanks to Christine Tremoulet for thinking it up and for Elevation for making it happen on such short notice. You guys are great.

First, I am offering a photo business educational system that is affordable to everyone!

It’s called Fast Track Coaching and this is what it includes…

* LIVE half-hour small group Q/A Coaching with Dane (and special guests when available) every week!

* Audio link available online or by telephone (you can listen from the road)!

* Questions are limited to immediate felt needs only to maximize return on investment!

* All sessions are recorded and available for subscribers to listen to whenever it is convenient!

* Coaching begins in January!

* Introductory Price is for limited time only… and the best part is it’s only $9/month!

*CLICK HERE* TO JOIN TODAY… SPACE IS LIMITED!

Click to Play

With five episodes in the can (some of you have seen a super sneak peek), all I can say is they really are fun…

The video above explains a bit more and the best part about it is it’s FREE!

Take that Mr. Recession!

-Dane