Launch strategies aren’t just for educators, and it’s something that I wish I had learned sooner in my photography business. This week on the podcast, I’m diving into the must-know launch strategies that can take your photography business to the next level. We’ll talk about creating intentional content and automating your processes to make everything run smoother. I’m super excited to have Dolly DeLong, a family photographer and systems educator for creatives, with me to share her top tips.
Keep scrolling for links to the episode, show notes, and a full transcript.
Show Notes
Dolly DeLong: http://www.dollydelongphotography.com/podcast
Free Launch Resource from Dolly DeLong: https://systemsandworkflowmagic.com/the-launch-bundle-kajabi
The Systems + Workflow Magic Bundle: https://systemsandworkflowmagic.com/the-systems-and-workflow-magic-bundle-seo-waitlist
Template Shop: https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop
Save 50% on Flodesk: https://flodesk.com/c/LIBPSANDRA
Takeaways
- Launch strategies can be applied to various types of businesses, including photography
- Promoting yourself and staying top of mind with clients is essential for success
- Email marketing is a powerful tool for nurturing relationships and generating leads
- Planning and strategizing for launches can streamline the process and increase success
- Understanding your ideal client and catering your marketing to their needs is crucial
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Misconceptions about Launch Strategies
06:18 How Launch Strategies Differ for Photographers
10:49 Streamlining Launch Processes for Photographers
18:10 Planning and Strategizing for Launches
25:38 Automating Launch Processes and Lead Generation
35:28 Promoting Yourself and Staying Top of Mind
39:04 Conclusion and Next Week’s Episode
About Dolly
Dolly DeLong is a wife, mom, believer and a photographer turned systems educator for creatives. She loves teaching other creative business owners about the power of systems, workflows and sops to better impact the backend of their business so that the front end of their business feels streamlined (and magical).
What do your taco choices reveal about your wedding photography business? Take my quiz to find out!
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TRANSCRIPT
00:00 Introduction and Misconceptions about Launch Strategies
[00:00:00] Sandra Henderson: Before I started my business working as a system strategist, I truly thought that launch strategies just didn’t apply to me.
[00:00:07] Every example I saw when it came to launching had something to do with educators and coaches. And so as a photographer, I just felt like it had no application for my business. But once I started learning more about how to actually launch things like this podcast and my group coaching program, I realized how incredibly wrong I was.
[00:00:26] Not only do I do several launches a year with my mini sessions, but these strategies can really be applied to things like the start of booking season for weddings or doing print sales or anything like that in your business. Launch strategies have actually helped me increase my mini session bookings by 30%.
[00:00:44] So when I was brainstorming about this episode, there was just one person who came to mind and that was Dolly DeLong.
[00:00:50] Dolly DeLong is a photographer turned systems educator for creatives. Love to see it. She loves teaching other creative business owners about the power of systems, workflows, and SOPs to better impact the backend of their businesses so that the front end of their business feels streamlined and magical.
[00:01:08] During our interview, Dolly and I talked about the importance of email marketing, how photographers can promote themselves in a way that keeps them top of mind with their clients and how being intentional with your content will be a game changer for your next launch.
[00:01:23] Welcome to keeping it candid. I’m your host, Sandra Henderson, an international wedding and family photographer and business coach. I help wedding photographers use systems to build out the backend of their businesses to gain control and continue to thrive no matter what life throws their way. On a more personal note, I’m a strong enneagram three wing two who’s obsessed with tacos and my love for travelling combined with navigating chronic illness life are just two of the many things that drive my passion for all things systems workflows and beating burnout as a business owner.
[00:01:53] Join me every week for a candid behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like working as a wedding photographer, where I’ll give you actionable steps to take your business to the next level. Absolutely no fluff here, friends. So go grab your favorite notebook and pen and let’s dive into this week’s episode
[00:02:13] Dolly, I am so, so excited to talk more with you today, but before we dive into all of the goodness that I know we have waiting for us, I want to give you the floor for a quick second. If you want to just introduce yourself and let everybody know a little bit about what you’re all about.
[00:02:26] Dolly DeLong: Definitely. First of all, Sandra, thank you so much for having me on your podcast. I’m very honoured you reached out. My name is Dolly DeLong. I am a Nashville-based family photographer and I also am a systems and workflow educator for other business owners. So what that means is I love teaching other small business owners, the importance of setting up systems.
[00:02:51] Workflows and SOPs to better run the back end of their business so that they feel more streamlined and confident running the front end of the business. So that is a little bit about me on the business side. And other than that personal life, I am a wife and I am a boy mom to two wild boys. And, yeah, I’m based in Nashville, Tennessee.
[00:03:15] Sandra: I love that. I am all about systems and workflows and SOPs. So you’re totally singing my language with all of that. My stepson is actually at his mom’s house right now but he’s 16. So he’s very self-sufficient. I did actually have a coaching call with my business coach yesterday. It was like two hours long.
[00:03:31] And I said to my stepson, like, this is a meeting that you can interrupt. So anything that you need, just come and get me. Yeah. But of course, he comes in like the only time during the whole call that I’m talking. There was a good hour and a half. Where I wasn’t speaking and I was just hanging out, listening to everybody else.
[00:03:46] But then they’ll like, when it’s finally my turn, it’s like all of a sudden he needs something.
[00:03:49] Dolly: I can’t imagine my son being a teenager. I cannot fathom it. I have nephews who are teenagers and they are like, well, to me, they’re very sweet. I’m sure my, my sister-in-law, as they have like, you know, a different mother-son relationship, but.
[00:04:06] I cannot imagine having a 16-year-old that just blows my mind.
[00:04:10] Sandra: It’s, it’s definitely hard to wrap my mind around some days, especially because I actually started dating his dad when he was only four months old. So I’ve been there watching him grow up the whole time. But I will say now, mind you, maybe I just remembered my teenage years, which were not the greatest of years, but like my stepson is such an easy teenager.
[00:04:29] And I worry that I’m going to jinx it but I don’t know. I’m just sitting here waiting for the other shoe to drop because of course he has attitude and things like that. But yeah, that’s human. I feel like there’s, there’s just a different approach to it now with how we recognize mental health and support our kids and things like that, that I don’t see a lot of the behaviours in him that I recognize from like myself and my friends when we were teenagers.
[00:04:53] So that has been really nice. We actually really enjoy having him around. So I hope that that rings true for you too.
[00:04:59] Dolly: Yeah. No, I’ve heard it like so many people with teenagers or who have Kids who are older now, like adult children, they, they always are reminding me like just, and let them know that you enjoy being around them, even when they’re little turds, that’s like the best way, the cleanest way of saying that they need to know, they are loved even when they are just being little, little rats, like they need to know they’re still lovable. So I am always thinking about that, like, okay, he just needs to know, both my sons need to know they’re so lovable even when, Oh, they are grading my innermost being right now, but I still need to let them know that they’re loved.
[00:05:41] Sandra: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, unfortunately, the, like, grating on the last nerve doesn’t go away, but I wonder, I should call up my parents and be like, so am I still doing that to you at 37? Like, is this ever going to go away?
[00:05:54] Dolly: It never goes away, but I just like, love them so much.
[00:05:57] Sandra: It’s so true. Well, I am so excited to dive into all the things about systems and specifically launching.
[00:06:05] I wanted to talk about how launching you think differs for photographers versus educators. Because I know before I got into the education space, I would see people talking about launching and I didn’t think that it applied to me.
06:18 How Launch Strategies Differ for Photographers
[00:06:18] But then as I got into the education space and started working with launch strategies more, I realized that I’ve been launching my mini sessions several times a year, but I just had no strategy behind it. So I would love to hear your take on how launch strategies differ for photographers who are not in the education space.
[00:06:37] Dolly: Yeah, so I have a really hot take about launching and I’m sure it’s not really controversial, but I’m just setting it up to be a hot take. It’s this, I believe that launching is, is essentially promoting yourself. Like. All the time in some way, selling yourself and promoting yourself. And regardless, if you are a service-based business owner, or if you are like have online courses, or if you have a group program, it doesn’t matter.
[00:07:05] You have to promote yourself. You have to sell your services in order to run your business. And so that’s how I look at launching, just promoting myself. It has helped that I am both a service-based business center with photography and then I also am an online educator with systems and workflows.
[00:07:27] So that’s kind of like helped me. Kind of like bridge that definition for me. I am essentially promoting myself in different ways. Yes. It looks so different as a service provider versus an online, online educator, but essentially the foundations are the same. It’s knowing how to sell yourself and knowing how to promote yourself at different phases, if that makes sense.
[00:07:53] Sandra: Oh, yeah, absolutely. I know my like when I say I had no strategy for my mini sessions, I was the like post it once and then we’re done kind of person. And for some, some years it worked. Some years it was an absolute disaster. I’m glad that I’m not doing that anymore. But yeah, that definitely makes so much sense and just how important it is to keep talking about ourselves and keep promoting ourselves.
[00:08:18] I don’t remember if it was with my business coach, or if I read it online or wherever it was, but there was this conversation that I was having last year about how we are the only ones who get tired of talking about our businesses because we are the ones who are talking about it all the time. But.
[00:08:32] Everybody’s not hearing it all the time. And so that was definitely like a mental hurdle that I had to get over.
[00:08:38] Dolly: I like to piggyback on that, of what you just said, Sandra, I was at a conference a couple of weeks ago. It was the creative educator conference led by Laila Ahmadi and she had invited a guest speaker, Ashlyn Carter, who is a copywriter for creatives.
[00:08:55] And Ashlyn was specifically talking about the power of launching. And so she. Said this quote that I’m never gonna forget as long as I’m an online Educator, it was like when you feel like you’re screaming about your offer over and over and over again You, in reality, are barely whispering to your audience. They are barely hearing a slice of what you are trying to promote and so that’s kind of like your permission slip to just like to keep on pushing yourself and to keep on promoting yourself because what you perceive as like, well, I’m just being annoying.
[00:09:34] I am like being redundant. I am just talking about this too much. Like. No, keep on promoting yourself. Like you can do it in different ways to where it’s not, it does. It’s not icky, but you still need to talk about yourself because of what you perceive as yelling. It’s really coming across as barely a whisper online.
[00:09:57] Sandra: Oh, that’s such a good analogy. I loved how you were just talking about how it can feel redundant and like we’re saying the same thing over and over again. That was one thing that brought a lot of clarity to me and kind of figuring out my footing in creating a launch strategy was just finding different ways to say the same thing.
[00:10:16] And so I felt like, you know, I, in my lack of strategy, when I would post it once and forget it, and I was trying to build off of that, it was like, well, how many different ways, or how many times can I say spring minis are now booking or don’t forget to book your session. And it just felt really dry. It felt really like not engaging in any way.
[00:10:35] And so finding different ways to send that message out but keep it fresh brought like a new excitement to it for me so that I didn’t feel like I was like you were saying like screaming a whisper of just the same thing over and over again.
10:49 Streamlining Launch Processes for Photographers
[00:10:49] So, what are some ways that photographers can streamline things during their next launch, whether that be for mini sessions or, you know, a wedding sale or anything that they’re going to be launching this year?
[00:11:00] Dolly: So I am going to try to encourage both the photographer who’s listening in, who might be in year one of their business. And then also a lot of what I’m saying is speaking directly to the photographer who might be in the messy middle. So like years three to five, they are figuring things out very slowly.
[00:11:22] And they have a little bit more figured out than what they had in year one. So if you’re in year one, just like keep on putting your foot forward, and try to see what’s working best for you. Because really like by the time year two, year three rolls around, you should have a cadence with understanding when your high season is and when your low season is, like you should have a really good understanding of when, like those fall minis are going to traditionally book out or spring minis are traditionally going to book out.
[00:11:53] And the reason why I bring this up is that once you get that basic understanding of like, okay, I know for a fact that based off of my last two years or three years of being a photographer, I traditionally tend to sell out of my minis around April and then in, I’m just throwing out examples and then in October and November.
[00:12:15] Okay. So I would say take that information. That is like literal data for you. And then I want you as a photographer to put on your strategist hat. You might just be like, no, I’m a creative. I don’t want to be a marketing strategist. And, but you are like, you are most likely running the show on your own.
[00:12:36] So I’m encouraging you to put on a strategist hat and marketing hat and work backwards. So let’s say you are planning some spring minis and you know that there is this Gorgeous floral field in your district. And like, you always sell out, like, but you’re already stressing out about, Oh, what if I don’t sell out?
[00:12:58] Or what if like this happens? Like those insecurities are coming up and you don’t have to be insecure about it. If you know, like, based on the data from the last two or three years, you can have a system and streamline this.
[00:13:13] So you look at when you ideally want those mini sessions to happen, then work backwards. I would say eight, like if, if that’s too much for you, maybe six weeks backwards.
[00:13:28] So let’s say. April 27th, and so starting March the 2nd is 8 weeks from April 27th, then I want you to be very intentional about the type of content that you are going to create to start bringing awareness to your mini sessions. Does this mean that you, in every piece of content, you’re going to hard sell your mini sessions?
[00:13:51] No. But, you can take, like, your two years’ worth of photography content that you’ve created traditionally around that setting. And you can create different pieces of content leading up to the mini session date. That’s like eight weeks of content. And for me, like, this is exciting. And for a listener who is like, this is stressful.
[00:14:14] I don’t want to do that. Like, hear me out, hear me out. You have to start planting seeds in people’s brains and minds early on. Because just because you post about it. Once that doesn’t guarantee everybody’s going to see it. And most likely the algorithm, like we all talk about the algorithm, but most likely your viewers won’t see it.
[00:14:37] So you really have to be intentional about sprinkling and reminders leading up to that April 27th date. How do you do that? Like you were saying, Sandra, you talk about different facets and different factors of the mini sessions. So you don’t have to say the same thing all the time. But you can, like, get people interested, and excited about working with you.
[00:15:00] Okay, so one way to streamline it is to work backwards, to plan ahead and work backwards and be intentional. A second way to streamline it is if for sure you know you want to set up Mini session dates on April 27th. I would say plan ahead then and just do everything on the backend in your CRM tool, like HoneyBook or Dubsado or 17 hats, whatever CRM tool you use, like make sure you have all of those puzzle pieces put together in order for a streamlined mini session booking to happen. So if a person does, let’s say you start announcing it on March 2nd, they’re like, Oh, I want to book it right now.
[00:15:41] You can send them the link. So that is one way to streamline, just like, so you don’t have to go back and forth with potential clients. So make sure you have that set up right off the bat. A third thing that you can really be intentional about to streamline your success, is by maybe carving out once or twice a week.
[00:16:02] Like being. Very forward-facing with your marketing and messaging and help cast a vision, like, let’s say on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. and on Thursdays at 10 a.m., that’s when you’re either going to go live on Instagram or you’re going to do something that That, you know, where your audience is and you can then start like creating content pieces about, okay, like I’m going to talk about why I would book a mini session over a full session if you have children and then another day you can talk about like how to prepare for a mini session.
[00:16:41] You can create different forward-facing content to get people excited about booking those mini sessions with you.
[00:16:48] Sandra: Those are such great examples. And as you were talking, I was thinking about how often we see things like that in the wedding photography industry, where people are creating reels with like, you know, this is what you do want to do with your wedding.
[00:17:00] This is what you don’t want to do with your wedding. We can really do it the same way across the board with any kind of portrait. And I definitely, Don’t see it as much in the family photography industry. So I’m so glad you brought that up.
[00:17:11] Dolly: Yeah, it’s really good too, I’m a family photographer, but what wedding photographers really good wedding photographers do really well, I’ve noticed is like, they are really good about talking to their potential couples.
[00:17:25] 6, 9, 12 months down the line, like, because if you think about it, like, it’s not like somebody’s going to book your services and then next week you’re going to do their wedding, like, no, like you are most likely if you’re Like, again, really good at casting that vision as a wedding photographer, you are going to be booking clients like nine months, 12 months, sometimes even like a year and a half ahead of time, because you are presenting like this vision to them early on, as soon as they get like either they’re planning on getting engaged, they’re already engaged, and then you’re helping them cast that vision.
[00:18:04] So as a family photographer, you can do the same thing. Maybe at a little smaller scale, like obviously somebody’s not going to book you for a year and a half down the line for family portraits. That’s very rare unless you’re a travelling family photographer going international, but we’re talking smaller scale here.
18:10 Planning and Strategizing for Launches
[00:18:25] So I want you to like, if this is an April mini session and you are sitting in February, start thinking through like. What is happening in April that a lot of families are like really heavily involved in like I can tell you like normally This is like a month of Easter sometimes even like depending upon where you live in the country spring break Mother’s Day is coming up.
[00:18:53] So you need to start like Looking ahead in your marketing and see, okay, like what can I start talking about right now so that my families can start planning for the next two, three months, because I’ll tell you this as a mom, it’s not helpful for me to only like plan on a day by day basis.
[00:19:13] I have to really like look ahead. And my husband’s way better at this than I am. And like, I’m sure some families are like, what? Like what? Your husband’s better at this than you are. Like, yes I have to give credit where credit is due. My husband has helped me out a lot in this, as far as being more intentional with our family goes, but we are already thinking ahead of like what we need to do as a family in June, July, and August.
[00:19:37] Like, and we have like the things that we’re doing now, it was decided like. November and December. Oh, like, these are things we have to keep in mind for February, March, and April. So, put that, if you are working with families, you have to like, put on the thinking cap, the strategic cap of like, what are they thinking about right now?
[00:19:58] It’s not most likely what’s happening now. Yes, they’re bogged down with like, what’s happening, like, technically, but they’re really thinking about, oh, I need to like, start Start planning out like what we’re going to do for Easter. And I need to do like, what are we going to do for summer break? So get in there, get in their shoes in a way, and like be at the top of mind for yourself and that will benefit your business in so many ways.
[00:20:24] Sandra: Yeah, that is such a good point. Putting ourselves into our client’s shoes or potential client’s shoes is so important. I don’t think there’s really a way to successfully market your business if you don’t do that and you don’t know who it is that you’re speaking to.
[00:20:39] Dolly: Yeah. And like, it’s, And especially, that’s why I wanted to mention that in the very beginning of this episode, like, if you are in year one of your business, like, don’t beat yourself down because you’re still figuring out who you want to ideally serve, and who you want to photograph like if I’m speaking directly to photographers or and if I’m not speaking to photographers Then who in general who do you want to serve because it might feel like you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall and figuring out But once that’s spaghetti starts sticking and like if things start clicking then, you know, like, okay These are the people I want to talk Talk to and serve and then you’ll know like what they’re You’ll see like what their buying behaviour is like, what their patterns are like.
[00:21:25] It really, when you are intentional about looking at that, you will see like, Oh, like this is true, it started clicking for me like a year or so ago with, a certain type of clients buying behaviours. I was like, Oh, when I market this during this time of year, they are most likely to buy versus if I market this month, like They won’t buy it. It’s just so crazy how that works out.
[00:21:50] Sandra: It’s so true, but it just kind of goes to show how important it is to pay attention to things like that and not just have inquiries coming in and out. And like all of that is great, but understanding where they’re coming from, why they’re hiring you at certain points definitely gives you an advantage when it comes to marketing your business in the future and not wasting your time on maybes and just focusing your energy when you know you’re going to be getting those yeses.
[00:22:16] Dolly: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Exactly.
[00:22:19] Sandra: So there are any ways that you’ve been able to automate launch processes that photographers and business owners might not necessarily have thought of?
[00:22:26] Dolly: Yeah, definitely. Well, this is not so much an automation, but just a system I have put in place for myself at the beginning of the year.
[00:22:35] And then I assess every quarter. So for those of you who are like, you love casting a vision and planning ahead for the full year, you’re going to love this point. And for those of you who are like, I don’t like planning the full year then you’ll like point two. So point one is I love at the very top of the year, I love Casting a vision for the full year of like how my, I know what my services are already.
[00:23:03] I know what makes me money already then. And so I like to plan ahead for, and you see Sandra, Sandra can see like my calendar right behind me. I know when I’m going to be busiest with family photography.
[00:23:16] Sandra: Hey friends, I’m interrupting this episode because I wanted to remind you that the waitlist for my brand new template shop is now open.
[00:23:24] This template shop is going to be filled with everything you need to simplify and streamline your business behind the scenes, including things like HoneyBook smart file templates, email swipe files, workflow processes, and tutorials to help you get them built inside your CRM. So many good things are coming.
[00:23:40] So head over to SimplySandraYvonne.ca/shop to get on the waitlist and you’ll also have a chance to enter to win a free bundle as well as get a little special something to say thank you for being here. That’s SimplySandraYvonne.ca/shop.
[00:23:58] Dolly: Then, that, like, flip, I know, like, we’re using photography as an example, but, my other service is Systems and Workflow Education.
[00:24:07] So, then, once I know my busier seasons for family photography, I can look at my slower seasons when I’m not getting as many inquiries, because, like, in January and February, it’s like dreary and gross here in Nashville. And so I’m not getting as many inquiries for outdoor photography. So that’s when a lot of my systems and workflow education picks up.
[00:24:31] And so I know, okay, this is when I’m going to be heavily marketing certain things, for the education side of my business. And so that’s how I’m able to like market and plan out. My entire year and see, okay, this is what I’m going to be talking with to my families. Okay. This is when I’m going to be amping up my promotional for my students for systems and workflow education.
[00:24:56] Again, it’s taken me like five, almost five years to get, like, to understand like the ebbs and flows of like my business. But okay. So let’s talk about for the students, for the. Client, the listener who’s listening in and you’re like, I do not, that makes me want to vomit, like just thinking ahead for a full year.
[00:25:16] Okay. I hear you. I would encourage you to look ahead for the next 90 days. Like what is happening in the next 90 days. How you can be better prepared as a photographer and what is happening? Like, I know right now we’re recording this in February and 90 days out is March, April, and May. And again, that season is like spring minis, motherhood sessions.
25:38 Automating Launch Processes and Lead Generation
[00:25:45] So, If I was like, Only wanting to do, If I did not like the idea of like casting a vision for the full year, Then I would just do every, like, 90-day assessments. Like what’s happening in the next 90 days?
[00:26:00] Okay, how can I create content that serves the next 90 days that helps people help me keep, helps people keep me top of mind or helps me stay top of mind to my ideal client? How can I create content that helps me stay top of mind? And not just content, short-form content, but what type of long-form content.
[00:26:25] Okay. This might be getting a little more like… A little bit more strategic and I don’t want people to like tune me out. How can you create long-form content that not only answers the question, like immediate questions for the next 90 days, but is more evergreen for, I don’t know, like summer.
[00:26:44] Like, so how can you balance both? Like, can you take, let’s go back to the Tuesday, Thursday example on Tuesdays. You are intentional about creating the next 90 days worth of content that speaks directly to what’s going on in the next 90 days. And then on Thursdays, you’re like, okay, summer is happening in the next quarter after this quarter or fall, okay, what type of content should I be creating that will attract the right type of client to me? And so maybe making Tuesdays the more next 90 days content and then Thursdays the more evergreen content, like seasonal content. I really hope I’m making sense.
[00:27:27] Sandra: Oh yeah, absolutely. That makes total sense. It’s just so important to always be thinking forward. I’m going to go back to using my mini sessions as an example again, but there was a large portion of time that I was Booking my weddings and not taking any time to plan when I wanted my mini sessions to happen, but I love doing mini sessions.
[00:27:48] And so it was like every season I was like, Oh no, I have to launch this or I’m not going to have enough time. They’re happening in a month or whatever the case may be. And I would just have to. Find a date that I could squeeze them in around my weddings. And I eventually had to kind of make a decision for myself.
[00:28:04] Like, what is my priority going to be? If I want my priority to be weddings, then maybe I ditch the mini sessions. If I want to keep doing mini sessions, then I have to make those dates a priority. And so I think even just for like our own sanity, it’s so important to have an idea of what’s coming up next, but just finding those, like.
[00:28:22] tangible chunks of time that it’s easy to look forward on. So like you were saying, like the 90 days and just kind of breaking it down into quarters or whatever it is, that’s going to work for you.
[00:28:31] Dolly: I will also say another strategy that I really wish was taught to me a year one and year two was this. And I know like, again, this is not like a sexy TikTok viral video strategy I’m about to share.
[00:28:44] This is about lead generation. So email marketing. So again, before you, before the listener tunes me out, hear me out on this one. You should always have email marketing, and email growth at the, like, at the very front of your mind every single day, because what, like, as you’re growing your email list. They should be funnelled into like, some sort of nurture strategy.
[00:29:09] You’re nurturing them either weekly, bi-weekly, once a month. And then, your email subscribers are most likely, they will. I, I, it’s not a most likely scenario. They will be the ones that book with you before your social media books with you, unless it’s very weird where you are just, I don’t know, like, I haven’t, I have only experienced the cause I have a very small family segment.
[00:29:43] Of subscribers, and those are the ones that book me out year after year after year, versus my bigger Instagram audience on my photography page, like, it’s very, it’s very clear to me. Every year, as I go into like, I really need to always focus on email marketing, nurturing my newsletter every week, reminding them what I do, reminding them about blog posts, reminding them about family photography, reminding like, just like every single week.
[00:30:13] And so when I do open up those doors to many sessions, they’re the ones booking me first. And then I’ll have a few stragglers from either SEO or Instagram stories.
[00:30:25] Sandra: Yeah. I’ve noticed the exact same thing in my business too. I really started leaning into email marketing for my mini sessions last year.
[00:30:32] And of the 12 sessions that I did for my family mini or my family minis, my fall minis, 10 of them had come from my email list and they were repeat clients. And the other two had come through social media. So that was really eye-opening for me as someone who even had been doing email marketing for a long time was just like, wow, like I kind of have just been half-assing it because it was like, cool, I’ll get a few from here.
[00:30:57] But like I was really focusing my energy on social media and when I flipped that and put my energy into email marketing and just casual content on social media. It was like a night and day difference with the level of sales I was making.
[00:31:10] Dolly: Yeah, that’s so true. And to listeners who are like, okay, Dolly, can you give me tangible examples of like, how to do this in the next 90 days?
[00:31:20] Like, how do I grow my email list out? Well, if you’re brand new to email marketing, I do want to share this. You have to like, have an incentive for a person to actually be added to your email newsletter. An incentive you- or you’ve heard it called a freebie, a lead magnet. Just whatever. But why would a person like me hand over their email to you? Like, make it really easy for them. Don’t just like put it on your website, like join my newsletter. That has a conversion rate of less than 3%.
[00:31:56] Like it’s very bad. But have a real incentive. They, if, if somebody really does want to work with you, like maybe a really simple way, what would be join my newsletter and get 20 percent off for your next session, like that’s an incentive right there, or a big incentive that works for me is a style guide.
[00:32:21] Because moms, like, I know, as a mom, and then I serve moms, like, we are, like, stressed out about how could, like, how do we dress our kids? Like, how, how do we, like, show up and, like, make sure that these, like, I’m investing a lot in photos. I want to make sure my kids, and my family looks good.
[00:32:41] Like I’m not a stylist. Like, how do I do this in the most stress-free way possible? So I’ve created freebies and guides on like a free style guide so that they can use that regardless if they’re working with me or if they’re working with someone else, they show up and they show up well. Another idea I have that I’m kind of like thinking about doing is a private podcast for families. Not for family photographers, not like education, but for families who are especially moms, because moms don’t have time to sit around and read a novel about like, Oh. Now, like, this is how you get dressed, and you go through your class, like, I, as a mom, I’m like, I need, if I’m gonna learn something, I need to learn, I’m gonna pop it in my earbuds while I’m driving my children to school.
[00:33:31] So, photographers, maybe consider, Putting your, if you have a style guide, or if you have blog posts, or if you have a series, put that series in the form of a private audio podcast and do that as a lead magnet. And then it’s like a fun and cool and new way, to deliver free value to your potential clients.
[00:33:53] And then they’re thinking about you cause they’re listening to your voice. They’re making that little emotional connection with you. Through your voice, and then hopefully that also adds. Like they’re segmented into your weekly newsletter and then you are again building that relationship with them.
[00:34:10] Sandra: That’s such a great idea. I love that. I mean, video is not my favourite, but I do it because I know how important it is. So I love the idea of doing something that’s audio-based for clients so that they can listen to it on the go. I’m sure photographers across the board can find that as a takeaway, but definitely family photographers.
[00:34:27] You brought up such a good point about how a lot of parents. Don’t have time to just sit down and read through a PDF of tips. But if it’s something that they can listen to while they’re on the go, then that is going to go so much further. And I really loved what you said about how you give the style guide, even if someone is not going to be working with you.
[00:34:46] This is just available on your website. And I think that When it comes to a lot of tips and tricks, photographers are worried about sharing that information because what if they take that and they go work with somebody else, but it’s going to happen. It’s totally going to happen.
[00:35:00] And so I just love that you have that information available to potential clients and if it helps them somewhere else, that’s amazing. But if it helps them and they want to book with you, then it’s really contributing to that like, know, and trust factor.
[00:35:15] Dolly: Yeah. And so like how this ties in, cause your question, Sandra was like, how does this tie into like your promotional period, your launching period as a photographer, so consider this as yours. Like promotional phase of growing at being very intentional about lead generation.
35:28 Promoting Yourself and Staying Top of Mind
[00:35:30] Let’s just say growing out your email list. If that’s like simple layman’s terms right there. So I want you, the listener to be very intentional and have a plan of action of how you are going to push people. I’m going to say, I’m going to be aggressive when I say this.
[00:35:51] Every single day, like, have like some sort of call to action on your stories, or if you don’t use Instagram on TikTok, if you don’t use TikTok, like, wherever you are presenting yourself, you need to also be very intentional about growing out your email list every single time you post. Like, it might seem overwhelming to you, but the whole thing is, like, you really need to, like, bring people in and grow your email list.
[00:36:17] The right people. The right people. Not just everybody. The right people. Because then, that way, they are being nurtured by you year-round, hopefully. I, I’m not saying they’re going to guarantee book with you like next week, but you will stay top of mind to them. You are delivering value to them, hopefully.
[00:36:37] And if not every week, maybe every other week, if not every other week, once a month. And then, when that time comes, they will either book with you or they will send somebody your way because they’re like, wow, Sandra, like has all these great tips about like either how to get ready or, I don’t know, like those tulip sessions she did, like they were so beautiful.
[00:37:00] And I have a friend who really loves tulips. So I’m going to send her your way. I don’t know. Just like, just as an example, it’s just really important to stay top of mind. And again, let me reiterate. It’s important to sell yourself all the time. You can like, you just need to get over the, the sorry, like you need to get over the mindset of like, it’s really icky and gross to sell.
[00:37:25] I mean, you can make it icky. You can make it sleazy, but it’s really like you have to really learn how to get comfortable with promoting yourself because they’re like other people’s opinions aren’t paying your bills. Like you, you have a business to run. You have overhead to do like, to contribute to, you have your family to contribute to.
[00:37:47] And so, and I, I think I got better at selling once I started having kids. Cause I’m like, Oh, like I need to start buying diapers. I need to start buying formula. Like, Oh, other people’s opinions don’t matter as much because I have a business to run. And so I’m just going to keep on, keep on going, keep on pushing towards my goals because it impacts my sons and impacts my, family.
[00:38:11] Sandra: Yeah, absolutely. That’s so important. I love that. Well, before we wrap things up, Dolly, I would love if you could just quickly share where everybody can find you on social media so they can come and give you a follow.
[00:38:23] Dolly: Yeah, definitely. If you are more interested in just The photography side, you can find me @dollydelongphoto, but if you want more systems and workflow education to apply to the back end of your business, you can find me @dollydelongeducation.
[00:38:39] I also have a podcast, the Systems and Workflow Magic Podcast. Those episodes come out every Monday and then I have YouTube episodes that come out every Friday. I love diving into different systems, workflows and SOPs and just making it really tangible for you, the listener, so that you can take more baby steps to be more streamlined.
[00:39:03] Sandra: Love it. Well, thank you so much again for joining me. This was such a fun interview, and I know that listeners are going to have so many takeaways that they’re going to be able to apply regardless of what they are launching this year. So thank you for everything that you are sharing, and I hope that our paths cross again one day soon.
[00:39:17] Dolly: Thank you so much for having me, Sandra.
[00:39:19] Sandra: Of course.
39:20 Conclusion and Next Week’s Episode
[00:39:20] Oh, that was such a fun interview. And if there’s one takeaway that I really want you all to leave this episode with is that launching is essentially just promoting yourself regardless of whether you are a service-based business owner, or if you’re an online educator, everybody needs to be promoting themselves.
[00:39:38] One thing I’ve talked about a lot with my own business coach is how we are the only ones who get tired of talking about our businesses because we have to talk about it so many times for people to actually hear about it, and there are two major factors. There’s probably more, but two major factors that go into play with that are one only about 1 to 2 percent of people are actually seeing the content that we’re putting on social media.
[00:40:02] And I know for photographers, a lot of what we’re doing for marketing, we’re relying on social media for that. Hopefully, after listening to this episode, you’re going to be feeling more confident about leaning into things like email marketing, but I know a lot of people are really focusing on social media.
[00:40:17] So I get that. And then the second thing is that studies have shown that the average person needs to see something at least seven times for it to resonate before they actually realize that they’ve seen it. So if you have to show somebody something seven times, but they’re only going to actually see one to 2 percent of the things that you are actually posting, realistically, like you could be looking at hundreds of times that you have to talk about something before someone is actually going to buy.
[00:40:46] So, the next time you’re putting together an email, or you’re creating a blog post, or you’re writing a social media caption, and you’re feeling cringy about promoting yourself, just remember that. You are the only one who knows you’ve been promoting yourself as often as you have. And if you’re not going to be promoting your business, then you can’t expect anybody else to be promoting your business.
[00:41:08] So it’s time to get comfortable with promoting yourself. Start telling everybody how amazing you are, because we know that you are, and it is time for you to sing that from the rooftops because everybody else deserves to have some of that amazingness in their lives to.
[00:41:21] Now, next week, I am going to be back with a short and sweet little episode. With family photography being such a huge passion of mine and something that I’ve been doing as long as I’ve been doing weddings, I feel like there’s definitely a place for it here on the podcast.
[00:41:35] So if you’re a family photographer or interested in getting into family photography, definitely come back next Wednesday, where I’m going to be talking all about my three favourite family session prompts to get natural emotions in your photos.
[00:41:49] Until then friends, have a great rest of your week and stay cool, however you can, if you’re in the midst of summer like I am.
[00:41:56] Thank you so much for listening. You can find full show notes from today’s episode at simplysandrayvonne.ca/shownotes. In the meantime, let’s connect! You can find me on Instagram and TikTok, just search Simply Sandra Yvonne. And if you love this podcast, I’d be so honoured if you go ahead and hit that subscribe button and leave a review until next time!
This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small amount of money if you make a purchase from any of our affiliates. This is done at no cost to you!
Do you ever feel like your photography business is lost in the masses of so many others in your area? I get it. The market’s saturated, and standing out can feel impossible sometimes. But listen, brand photos are your secret weapon to change that!
As photographers, brand photos are the key to building trust with the best kind of clients, and booking those weddings and sessions you’ve been dreaming of. Wondering how brand photos can elevate your biz and skyrocket your success? On this episode of the Keeping It Candid podcast, I chatted with brand photography guru Angie McPherson. She spills the tea on why brand photos are essential for photographers and wedding pros, how to attract your ideal clients with killer photos, and bring in more revenue in the process. Plus, Angie’s sharing some pro tips on hiring a brand photographer to ensure you get the most out of your next session.
Keep scrolling for links to the episode, show notes, and a full transcript.
Show Notes
Angie McPherson: https://angiemcpherson.com/
Get Angie’s Free Branding Photoshoot Inspiration Cheat Sheet – https://angiemcpherson.com/cheat-sheet
Template Shop: https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop
Save 10% on Aftershoot: https://account.aftershoot.com/referral-signup?referrer=YT1AEQW8
Takeaways
- Brand photos help businesses stand out in an oversaturated market and attract the right clients.
- When hiring a brand photographer, look for someone who provides a planning guide, questionnaire, and shoot plan.
- Brand photos should have variety and consistency to be effective.
- Personal connection is important in building trust and attracting clients.
- Brand photos can lead to increased revenue and opportunities.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Overview
02:14 Introducing Angie McPherson
03:34 The Importance of Brand Photos in an Oversaturated Market
08:08 Tips for Hiring a Brand Photographer
13:42 What Makes a Good Branding Session
23:40 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
About Angie
Angie McPherson is a branding photographer, marketing strategist, and hype-woman for creatives. She photographs entrepreneurs, brands and influencers throughout the country, providing custom imagery to elevate their brand. Angie helps branding photographers build an impactful and profitable business through courses, digital products, and coaching.
Photo by Shannon LeBlanc
What do your taco choices reveal about your wedding photography business? Take my quiz to find out!
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TRANSCRIPT
00:00 Introduction and Overview
[00:00:00] Sandra Henderson: Welcome back to the podcast, everybody. I hope you are having an amazing week so far. I hope that you’re hanging in there this far into wedding season. I know everybody in my area is about a month, month and a half into their season. So I hope that things have been going well. Your couples have been amazing.
[00:00:17] The days have been stress-free. Most importantly, you are absolutely loving the work that you’re producing. Last month on the podcast, I interviewed my friend Yasi Salavatian about incorporating brand voice into your business and your marketing. You can listen to that on episode 50 in case you missed it.
[00:00:35] And today I am talking to Angie McPherson about the visual side of your brand, more specifically your brand photos. Angie is a branding photographer, marketing strategist, and hype woman for creatives. She photographs entrepreneurs, brands, and influencers throughout the country, providing custom imagery to elevate their brand.
[00:00:56] She helps branding photographers build an impactful and profitable business through courses, digital products and coaching. She and I chatted all about how brand photos will help you stand out in an oversaturated market, which I think is something that we can all relate to regardless of where we live.
[00:01:12] We also talked about what to look for when you’re hiring a brand photographer and even how to get the most out of your next branding session. Angie is such a sweetheart And I know that you are going to love every second of this interview. So let’s get to it.
[00:01:26] Welcome to keeping it candid. I’m your host, Sandra Henderson, an international wedding and family photographer and business coach. I help wedding photographers use systems to build out the back end of their businesses to gain control and continue to thrive no matter what life throws their way. And on a more personal note, I’m a strong enneagram 3 wing too who is obsessed with tacos, and my love for travelling combined with navigating chronic illness life are just two of the many things that drive my passion for all things systems, workflows, and beating burnout as a business owner.
[00:01:56] Join me every week for a candid behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like working as a wedding photographer, where I’ll give you actionable steps to take your business to the next level. Absolutely no fluff here, friends. So go grab your favourite notebook and pen, and let’s dive into this week’s episode.
02:14 Introducing Angie McPherson
[00:02:15] Thank you so much again, Angie, for joining me. I am so, so excited to get a chance to connect and talk a little bit more. but before we dive into all things, brand photography, I would love for you to just take a quick second to introduce yourself and let everybody know a little bit more about you.
[00:02:30] Angie McPherson: Yes.
[00:02:30] Hi. Well, thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to chat today. I’m Angie McPherson. I am a branding photographer, marketing strategist, and hype woman for creative entrepreneurs. I’m located in Virginia and I photograph entrepreneurs. worldwide. And I’m just excited to chat with you today. I’ve had a 10-year photography journey from pivoting from wedding photography to branding photography.
[00:02:54] So I know both sides of the coin there and I’m excited to chat.
[00:02:58] Sandra Henderson: I actually did my very first official branding session last year. And I loved it. I can totally see how so many photographers kind of like, it’s like you, you get that spark and it’s like, Oh, I really like doing this before I felt so intimidated to just pose a single person, but getting the chance to do some brand photography.
[00:03:18] I was like, okay, I see why this is so great.
[00:03:21] Angie McPherson: So much fun. It’s so much fun. And just. Less stressful than other, you know, niches of photography. I’ve just settled into it and I’m just like, I love it. I love it. And I just want to. Go deeper and deeper and reach more people and, and have more, you know, more experiences with branding photography.
[00:03:39] So it’s definitely a fun niche.
03:42 The Importance of Brand Photos in an Oversaturated Market
[00:03:42] Sandra Henderson: Oh, I love that so much. So why do you think that brand photos are so important for small business owners, whether that be wedding photographers or really no matter what industry you’re in?
[00:03:52] Angie McPherson: Yeah, I, I think it is so essential because we are, you know, especially photographers, When I was a wedding photographer, this is literally how I pivoted into branding photography.
[00:04:04] I was shooting weddings and, you know, in my local industry, everyone was showing photos of bouquets and rings and their clients. And not a lot of people were showing photos of themselves, the person behind the camera. And so my friend and I actually were like, Hey, and back in this day, it wasn’t called branding photography.
[00:04:24] It was like lifestyle headshots. My friend and I decided to meet up for lifestyle headshots and just swap another photographer. And I swapped and we brought like five different outfits. We’ve got our hair and makeup done. We were very intentional about the photos we were taking because we wanted them to align with our brands. We wanted them to go on our website, social media, and email marketing. So we were very intentional and we were doing this for the sole reason of setting ourselves apart from everyone else who was just posting photos of their work, of their clients. And as soon as I started posting photos of myself, my business just blew up.
[00:05:00] I mean, people were wanting to work. with me, not only because my work was beautiful, but because they wanted to work with me. And those are the type of inquiries you want to get in your inbox when someone’s already made the decision that they want to work with you. They’re not price shopping. They don’t like, you know, just a specific style of your photography.
[00:05:18] They are zoned in on you and they just want to know, how can I book you? And so that was the business that I had gotten into after I started sharing my branding photos. So they’re so important for. Small business owners, because every market is oversaturated. And that’s totally fine because we have our own unique personal brands or our unique personal, you know, personalities are unique approaches in our business.
[00:05:41] And if we share that, if we put that out into the world we’re going to be attracting the right people who can really have a transformation by working with us who can really sing our praises, you know, they’re going to have great testimonials for you. So you really want to connect with people on that personal level so that you don’t get the price shoppers so that you don’t get the people who are, you know, zoned in on something specific people who just truly see your potential.
[00:06:05] Your experience, your personality and your vibe. And you guys can just create magic together.
[00:06:12] Sandra Henderson: That was the best explanation as to why everybody should immediately be getting in front of the camera instead of just sticking behind. But one thing that you said that I really loved was talking about how it sets you apart.
[00:06:24] So when I’m looking to hire someone, I’ll go onto social media and see what kind of profile they have. It really stands out to me when I’m scrolling and scrolling and scrolling on Instagram, and I have no idea who you are or what you look like. For me, that sort of visual connection is really important.
[00:06:44] I want to know who you are as a person. And so that’s one thing, especially in markets. I love that you said that every market is oversaturated because it is so true. But we all know, being wedding photographers, like we feel that in the wedding photography industry, it seems like for every one photographer that leaves the industry, we’ve got 20 more that are joining.
[00:07:02] And so taking really beautiful photos isn’t enough anymore. And little things like putting yourself out there and letting people get to know you are so important in bridging that gap and getting people to see you and remember you as opposed to everybody else.
[00:07:18] Angie McPherson: Yeah. I, I hear so many people say, you know, in their respective industries, Oh, the market’s oversaturated.
[00:07:23] There’s too many, you know, X, Y, Z is exactly what I, you know, what I am. And I’m like, okay, you can’t control that, but what you can control is your narrative and how you connect with your audience and get people to be attracted to what you’re putting out there.
[00:07:38] Sandra Henderson: Focus that stress where it needs to be focused to be stressed
[00:07:43] Angie McPherson: on things that you cannot control. You cannot control the oversaturation of the market, but you can’t control yourself.
[00:07:50] Sandra Henderson: So what do you think makes a good or even not-so-good brand session?
07:55 Tips for Hiring a Brand Photographer
[00:07:55] Angie McPherson: Oh, I love this question. So what makes a good, a good branding session? I mean, both, I’m going to give you the same answer on different sides of the coin. What makes a good branding session is variety. Because there’s, there’s, there’s ways you can take headshots. You can take product photos, but in a branding session where you’re going in for a couple of hours, you have different ideas and different concepts, and you’re going to execute different props and accessories.
[00:08:22] A successful branding shoot is going to give you variety that you can use. across various platforms. So vertical images that you can use for Pinterest and Instagram, you know, real covers and then horizontal photos that you can use across your website, you know, as you’re scrolling down the page or YouTube thumbnails of a good, a good session is going to give you a lot of variety, but it’s also going to be consistent.
[00:08:47] The photos, the lighting, the colours. All of that is going to be consistent, even though you have variety in the types of photos you’re putting out there, lifestyle photos, headshots, product photos, behind the scenes, you know, things like that, that’s, that’s where the variety lies, but you’ve got to be consistent in how the photos actually come out because you want to have that brand recognition.
[00:09:08] If someone goes to your Instagram profile. And you have a gorgeous, you know, headshot as your profile photo. And then they go over to your website and the colours are completely like, it’s like, you almost have like a totally different photographer, your Instagram profiles, all bright and airy from one photographer you connected with.
[00:09:26] And then your website’s dark and moody. It screams inconsistent. And when things look inconsistent, you’re losing that trust factor. You’re losing that no like and trust factor. So a good branding photoshoot is going to give you consistent images with lots of variety. A bad branding photoshoot is going to get you a lot of inconsistency and really, No variety.
[00:09:48] So the same photos, you know, the same exact photos. Imagine you’ve done a branding shoot in your gallery. Everything looks the same. That’s not really a great branding shoot because you didn’t really leverage and maximize the time that you had. So, yeah, both sides of the coin. They can really, you know, make or break a branding photo shoot.
[00:10:05] Sandra Henderson: As you were saying that, my wheels were just turning about how that applies to my own business, but I’ve always done my branding photos, like, on the beach or, in like a white studio and my, My style editing and everything is all light and airy, but I live in Canada and we have four seasons here.
[00:10:23] I don’t just have beach weather all the time. And so I was just thinking, as you were saying that, like, it would make so much sense for me to get some photos in the fall so that I have photos that are consistent with the work that I’m showing to use all year round, and that would really maximize the amount of space I could stretch these photos out for.
[00:10:44] Angie McPherson: Yes, absolutely. And I love that you said that because I recommend people get branding photos done at least twice a year, like four times a year if you want to really do something special, but at least twice a year, because like you said, seasons change in your environment. Seasons change in your business.
[00:11:01] There are different seasons that you want to have different photos, different concepts, and different looks. I remember for myself, I did a branding shoot in the summertime and we went to a pool, I had vacation outfits on, I had magazines, I had, you know, fruity drinks and things like that. And I had, I use these from like May to like early September.
[00:11:21] And come in the fall, I was like, uh, I need fall photos. I need sweater weather and coffee and leaves in the background. And so I recommend at least. twice a year so that you’re able to show up year-round with fresh photos and be very relevant to what’s going on.
[00:11:38] Sandra Henderson: That is such gold. And that actually leads me perfectly to my next question for you.
[00:11:43] Do you have any tips for wedding photographers who are looking to hire a brand photographer for the first time?
[00:11:50] Angie McPherson: Oh, well, the first tip is to hire an actual brand photographer. Yes. So I come from the wedding photography world. I know what it’s like. Like I said, my first branding shoot was me and another wedding photographer.
[00:12:02] We met up, we swapped and that was before I, you know, pivoted. And it was great, you know, but when you’re at this level and you’re already a photographer. You’re going to have, if you’re already a wedding photographer, you’re going to have these preconceived notions in your mind about what you need. And if you connect with another wedding photographer, and of course, if you don’t have the budget for a branding photographer, absolutely fine.
[00:12:22] Go with a friend, go with a photographer, go with a wedding photographer. If you’re looking for an actual brand photographer, make sure that person is actually a brand photographer, and you’re going to know that by not them just saying, Hey, I’m a branding photographer, but their experience, ask them what the process is like, if they’re just going to show up and photograph you on the day of.
[00:12:45] It’s not really a legit branding photographer. It’s more of a lifestyle photographer capturing what’s in the moment. A branding photographer is going to send you a planning guide. They’re going to send you tips for planning and prepping for your shoot. As far as, you know, outfit inspiration, location ideas.
[00:13:01] What props to bring accessories, things like that. They’re going to set you up for success to help you prepare. They’re also going to send you a questionnaire because they want to get to know your brand. They can’t photograph your brand if they don’t know your brand. So they’re going to give you a questionnaire to really help the client.
[00:13:17] Of course, the photographer, you figure out. What their brand actually is. A lot of people are ready for a branding shoot, but they really don’t know what their brand is. And that’s how a branding photographer can help with branding. I call myself a marketing strategist because that’s what I am. I’m not just going to show up and take branding photos.
[00:13:31] I’m going to help you figure out what is the intention for the shoot? What’s your vision for the shoot? How can you use these photos to really connect with your audience and actually sell your services and products? And so when you’re looking for this branding photographer, like I said, make sure they’re sending you some type of guide or prep tips to get ready.
13:48 What Angie McPherson Thinks Makes a Good Branding Session
[00:13:48] Make sure they’re sending you a questionnaire so that you too can really nail down your vision for the shoot. Make sure that you are creating, like a vision board for them, a Pinterest board, a vision board, because there’s one thing about answering questions and there’s another thing about putting the vision into practice you know, a visualization that you can share.
[00:14:08] Sandra Henderson: Hey friends, I’m interrupting this episode because I wanted to remind you that the waitlist for my brand new template shop is now open. This template shop is going to be filled with everything you need to simplify and streamline your business behind the scenes. Including things like HoneyBook Smart File Templates, Email Swipe Files, workflow processes and tutorials to help you get them built inside your CRM. So many good things are coming. So head over to simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop to get on the waitlist and you’ll also have a chance to enter to win a free bundle as well as get a little special something to say thank you for being here.
[00:14:45] simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop.
[00:14:49] Angie McPherson: I’ve had clients send something in a questionnaire. I’m like, Oh yeah, I’ve got it. This is great. And then they send the pinch, the pinch board. And I’m like, Oh, I see. They were going in this direction. And then I didn’t have that. It would not be in alignment with what they’re doing.
[00:15:06] So make sure that the planning guide questionnaire ends up a Pinterest inspiration board, and the number one thing I can say is make sure that you guys have a shoot plan. Most branding photographers will do this themselves but have an actual shoot plan that takes all of what you’ve talked about, the vision board, the questionnaire, the prep, what you’re bringing, and they’re putting into some sort of document that you guys can work from on a photo shoot day.
[00:15:31] So my shoot plan includes literally the addresses for all the locations that we’re going to, down to the street name, the zip code, and where the nearest parking lot is, because you’re working with a limited time. My branding shoots are three hours. We don’t have time to be circling the parking lot for 20 minutes looking for parking.
[00:15:48] And it also includes. This is a brief overview of their brand story. So I can really remember who they are as a brand. This also includes the concepts that we’re shooting. So I usually do 2 to 3 concepts for branding shoots. And by concepts, I mean, for example, if I’m working with a yoga instructor, one of our concepts might be, You know, meditation and, and I’ve worked with the yoga instructor and one of her concepts was meditation.
[00:16:11] So we took photos of her with, you know, headphones and their coffee with a notebook and, and captured a concept of her meditating and getting ready for the day. Another one of her concepts was one-on-one instruction because she does in-home yoga instruction with high-end clients. So she brought in a friend and we had her pose the client.
[00:16:31] And so those are just different concepts that you can have. So when you’re thinking about your own branding shoot. What concepts do you want to have in your business? What type of topics and content are you planning to share? What type of services are you planning to share? And so my branding shoot plan includes those concepts and the shot list for concept number one, the shot list for concept number two, the shot list for concept, number three, the prop list for concepts, number one, two, and three, the locations, and so just having it be thorough, but also giving space for the photographer to be creative. You don’t want them to go and feel like they’re like in the military checking off a checklist, you know, one, two, three, you want to make sure that it’s a guide and it’s a starting point so that you aren’t completely thrown off.
[00:17:16] Sandra Henderson: So two things, one, I need to go and find a real brand photographer immediately, like no offense to all my wedding photographer friends that I have done headshot swaps with, but that sounds like an absolute dream. I am so like, I’m such an organized person. And so type a that like that just, it would be so nice to have everybody just handle all of that for me.
[00:17:38] And then also I was thinking like for all the wedding photographers that are listening to this, I think your big takeaway is that your branding photographer should be treating you the way you treat your wedding clients when it comes to planning.
[00:17:50] Angie McPherson: Yes, exactly. Yeah, we know, we know wedding photographers.
[00:17:54] We know we don’t just show up to a wedding day. There’s a whole, there’s a whole, you know, front end of it where we’re prepping our clients and where we are getting the timeline of the day. And even my shoot plan includes the timeline, you know, if we’re shooting from 12 to 3, my timeline says 12 to 12, 15, we are setting up.
[00:18:14] Concept number one, 1215 to 1245, we are photographing these shots, these props, et cetera, et cetera. It’s not just a, Hey, we’re shooting 12 to three and we’ll figure it out when we get there. We need to know a timeline so that we can stay on track.
[00:18:27] Sandra Henderson: Yeah. That is so important. So for any photographers who are listening and have never done brand photos before, really feeling that hesitation of getting in front of the camera, do you have any words of encouragement to help them get past that intimidation?
[00:18:44] Angie McPherson: Oh boy – to not be intimidated my words of motivation are: It’s only going to help your business having branding photos is only going to help you connect more with your clients. It’s going to help you to stop just showing your work and actually showing a variety of the client experience. It’s going to help people connect with you on a personal level.
[00:19:11] It’s going to bring in more clients. More inquiries, more, more revenue and really more opportunities. Not only has branding photography brought me more clients, but just putting myself out there as a personal brand has. Got me speaking on stages, speaking on podcasts, you know, speaking in different groups, and just building my business that way.
[00:19:33] So having branding photos in your business, intentional branding photos that are just consistent and really showing who you are is only going to benefit you. And so, you know, some people say, Oh, I, you know, You know, I don’t have the time or, you know, I, I don’t think that people are going to care about me.
[00:19:54] Trust me, they will care about you. Think about the brands and the people that you interact with. Are you interacting with them because of what they’re selling, because of what they are, you know, what they’re putting out there for you to buy, or are you interacting with how they, how they give you great education on a specific topic?
[00:20:16] How the, for example, let me think of an actual, of an actual brand. Let’s just say maybe like a nutritionist, you know, she offers. meal plans. She offers things like, you know, like a 10-a-month meal plan or something like that. If I’m looking for a nutritionist, I’m not just looking at Instagram pages with a bunch of pretty pictures of food.
[00:20:36] You know, I want a variety of content. I want to know who this person is. Why should I trust her? Why is she the go-to nutritionist? You know, what’s her background? I want to know what she’s doing on the weekends. Is she going and she picking up local, you know, produce at the farmer’s market, that’s going to put her as an authority in my mind, because I’m seeing how she’s living personally in addition to what she’s actually selling. Now, she was just saying, here’s my meal. Here’s my meal. Here’s how you can sign up. You know, here’s a delicious… I’m just like, okay, great. That’s all great. I can get that from. You know, HGTV, not HGTV. What’s it called? The Food Network or a magazine. But if you want me to invest in you, then I need to be able to connect with you.
[00:21:25] And not only that, I’m going to tell. my friends about you. I’m going to, you know, send your link around to everyone else, especially, you know, with branding photography, it’s a great way to share your education as a business owner. You should be really educating your ideal clients to really show that authority that you have in whatever niche that you’re in.
[00:21:46] And so would you rather educate with just a bunch of like bullet points and text and stock photos and things like that? Or would you rather educate Show your face and say, Hey, here’s what I have to say about X, Y, Z. Like that is going to connect your clients more than just a regular stock photo that you took off of Google.
[00:22:07] Sandra Henderson: And there is nothing better than working with clients. That you just clicked with and connected with. They’re totally your people. You can be best friends with them outside of the wedding. And that happens when you’re able to make that personal connection. And we can even look at like big corporations.
[00:22:23] That’s why they have celebrity ambassadors and things like that because it gives a face for us to relate to.
[00:22:30] Angie McPherson: You’re still right. You’re still right. When you think of, like you said, when you think of brands and companies and you think of like Flo from Progressive. You know, like nobody was talking about progressive before Flo came along, and now Flo has like a team.
[00:22:47] She has like the, like two or three people that, you know, show up in these commercials and you know that look at Jake from State Farm, like I have State Farm, you know, and I’m just like, oh, like I, yeah, Jake from State, like you just connect with people. And if we’re just hiding behind what we’re selling.
[00:23:05] We were losing out on that connection. Branding photography is only going to bring you more revenue, clients, and opportunities.
[00:23:14] Sandra Henderson: Yes, absolutely. I think that is the perfect place for us to end. That was a mic drop moment, anything else that we say cannot top that. But that leaves me with my new favourite part of the podcast.
[00:23:27] I have a little, would you rather question to end things with. And so for any of our listeners who aren’t familiar, Angie was, on the TV show, press your luck.
[00:23:37] So I wanted to know, for your next TV game show appearance, would you rather go on The Price is Right or Family Feud?
[00:23:46] Angie McPherson: Oh my goodness.
[00:23:47] Okay. At this point, I have been on a couple of game shows. It is literally my hobby to apply for game shows. I really wouldn’t go on the strip one. I love that so much. And so, when I lost Press Your Luck, it was a devastating moment in my life. And it really was about luck. And so I think my next, my next game show, I want to pick a show that would have, I would have the best luck.
[00:24:16] So Price is Right. It’s like, hopefully, you get picked from the crowd. Hopefully, you get called up. Hopefully, you win. With Family Feud, it’s literally your family against someone else’s family. And I will take my odds on family feud any best family members that I can bring.
[00:24:36] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, for sure. I also am a huge Steve Harvey fan.
[00:24:40] So I got family here too.
[00:24:43] Angie McPherson: Yeah. And one of my, one of like my, my bucket list items is like having like a video go viral and but not like a video like I put on Instagram but like something funny like on Family Feud so my goal would be to like say something so funny and silly and it’s just like goes viral but hopefully nothing bad you know like something funny not like oh my gosh that was such a dumb answer.
[00:25:07] Sandra Henderson: Love watching the clips of Steve Harvey reacting to men who have said horrible things about their wives and then realized what they did after they said it. And Steve Harvey just looks at them like, no, what are you doing? I could watch this for hours. They’re so funny.
[00:25:25] Angie McPherson: I love it. I love it.
[00:25:27] Sandra Henderson: Awesome. Well, thank you so much again, Angie.
[00:25:29] This was such a fun conversation. I know that listeners are going to have so many takeaways to apply for their next branding session and hopefully they’ll find some inspiration to get in front of the camera the first time. So actually before we wrap up, if you could just let listeners know where to find you on social media and all the places where they can follow you.
[00:25:47] Angie McPherson: Yeah, you can check on my Instagram. It’s Angie Janine. So Angie and then J A N I N E, my middle name. Someone else had Angie McPherson, unfortunately, and then my website angiemcpherson.com.
[00:26:01] Sandra Henderson: Thank you so much again, Angie. This was amazing. You enjoy the rest of your day, and I can’t wait to connect again soon.
[00:26:07] Angie McPherson: Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
23:40 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
[00:26:11] Sandra Henderson: Whether you’re doing a photo swap with friends or hiring a brand photographer, I think one of the most important takeaways from this interview with Angie is that you should be getting a variety of images beyond just new headshots. You also want to have photos that you can use for projects and launches down the road to get longevity out of the photos that you’re having done.
[00:26:29] When it comes to social media and your email list, it is never a bad idea to frequently reintroduce yourself to your audience as it grows, because you have to keep in mind that not every single person is seeing every piece of content that you’re producing. So letting them know who you are, and showing your face in various places on your website to help people get to know you and recognize you.
[00:26:49] These are all places where you are going to find your brand photos really come in handy. Another great benefit is that when it comes to sessions or consultations, I very rarely run into an instance where someone can’t find me because they know exactly who they’re looking for.
[00:27:04] I have my photo in my email signature.
[00:27:06] I have it included in my pricing guide. Everywhere that they could possibly be interacting with me, they’re gonna find a photo of me, so they’re always able to place a face with the name. And I mean, who doesn’t want to avoid awkward situations where people don’t know who you are or you think that someone is someone that they’re not?
[00:27:25] I, After 11 years in the industry have no shortage of embarrassing moments and situations that I’ve run into. And I will never forget waiting in a coffee shop for a consultation. And I saw this woman walking towards me and it was right at the time my meeting was supposed to start. She smiled in my direction.
[00:27:42] So I stood up, I introduced myself, and said, so nice to meet you. Then she replied by letting me know that she was actually there to see the person who was sitting in the booth behind me. She was not my potential client. And. So yeah, who doesn’t want to avoid a situation like that? Right. And having my photo all over my website and social media has definitely helped with that.
[00:28:03] And then being able to include photos when it comes to mini sessions and other launches that I’m doing in my photography business has really just been so helpful. So make sure that you’re getting a variety, especially if you don’t love being in front of the camera, because then you can get the most out of one session.
[00:28:21] And you don’t have to constantly be doing new sessions every few months or every year when you have new things that are coming out.
[00:28:26] And that wraps up another episode of the podcast friends. If anybody needs me, you can send me a DM, but I am laid up on my couch with my phone. So, um, I’m going to be talking a little bit about how I got my feet up, nursing myself through this wedding hangover.
[00:28:40] I had a wedding on Saturday and for anybody who is familiar with my story and my chronic illness journey, my wedding hangover is not just one day. It is usually about three or four days, if not more. And so I am in the thick of it right now and giving myself the time I need. To be able to rest. I plan this into my calendar ahead of time when I book weddings.
[00:29:03] So thankfully I don’t have a to-do list that’s piling up on me. Everything was scheduled around this. Highly recommend doing that. If you are listening and aren’t making time off a priority, it needs to go into your schedule first, but that’s a little side tangent soapbox for another day. You guys enjoy the rest of your week.
[00:29:20] Get some rest if you need it. And I will be back with our first July episode next week.
[00:29:26] Today’s episode of Keeping it Candid is sponsored by Aftershoot. Full disclosure, I took a break from using Aftershoot and have talked a lot about how incredible some other AI editing platforms are. And don’t get me wrong, that hasn’t changed.
[00:29:39] But I cannot deny how amazing Aftershoot’s new features are, and there was no question that I had to make the switch back. Aftershoot is an AI culling and editing platform that learns your style of editing based on the photos that you’ve already done in the past. And then applies that to new photos going forward.
[00:29:57] It’s not like finding presets where you just apply it to your photos and it doesn’t make any changes and you really have to heavily edit each one yourself. This actually learns your editing style and applies Lightroom settings to your photos the same way you would if you were the one who was actually physically moving the sliders yourself.
[00:30:16] With the AI culling feature, it’s able to sort through photos where people are blinking, photos that are blurry, and anything else that you might want to weed out as far as duplicates and things like that leaving only the best of the best for you to have to go through in a few minutes as opposed to a few hours.
[00:30:31] And the feature that brought me back to the platform is that all of this can now be done all in one. There is no more need to upload photos in Lightroom and then cull them an Aftershoot, and then load them back into Lightroom, and then edit them into Aftershoot.
[00:30:47] But now everything can be done inside the platform. The only time you have to bring them over to Lightroom is if you want to make any tweaks to the individual photos themselves. It’s an absolute game-changer and will save so much time. If you’re interested in trying it out, I want you to head over to simplysandreevon.ca forward slash resources to get a 10 percent discount using my affiliate link.
[00:31:07] Thank you so much for listening. You can find full show notes from today’s episode at simplysandrayvonne.ca/shownotes.
[00:39:29] In the meantime, let’s connect! You can find me on Instagram and TikTok, just search Simply Sandra Yvonne. And if you love this podcast, I’d be so honoured if you go ahead and hit that subscribe button and leave a review until next time!
This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small amount of money if you make a purchase from any of our affiliates. This is done at no cost to you!
Let’s talk about the struggle we all know too well: keeping up with social media. Instagram engagement is down, and new followers are few and far between. All in all, it’s exhausting! But here’s a refreshing thought: you don’t need to be everywhere all the time to make a big impact. Imagine focusing on the platforms that truly work for you and using strategic tools to lighten the load. Today on Keeping It Candid, I’m talking to Kara Duncan from The Kara Report, who shares insights on how to create a sustainable marketing strategy, the long-term magic of blogging, and the wonders of AI in content creation.
Ready to transform your marketing game and keep your sanity intact? Keep scrolling for links to the episode, show notes, and a full transcript.
Show Notes
Template Shop: https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop
Wedding Photography Workflow Freebie: https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/wedding-workflow
The Kara Report: https://thekarareport.com/
Kara Duncan’s Marketing Roadmap Freebie: https://thekarareport.com/roadmap
Save 10% on Aftershoot: https://account.aftershoot.com/referral-signup?referrer=YT1AEQW8
Takeaways
- Engagement on Instagram is down and gaining new followers and consistent engagement is harder than ever.
- Being consistent in marketing doesn’t mean you have to be on every platform every day. Choose platforms that work best for your business and focus on them.
- Blogging has long-term benefits and can drive traffic to your website for years.
- Using AI tools can help with copywriting and repurposing content for different platforms.
- Regularly evaluate which marketing tools provide a return on investment and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Chapters
00:00 The Challenge of Instagram Engagement and Gaining New Followers
06:22 Being Consistent in Marketing Without Being on Every Platform Every Day
13:42 The Long-Term Benefits of Blogging
25:07 Evaluating Marketing Tools for Return on Investment
About Kara
Kara Duncan is the writer behind The Kara Report, a content marketing agency serving women-owned service-based businesses. She specializes in website copywriting, along with offering done-for-you marketing services to get your business found in a sustainable search-driven way using Pinterest and Blogging. She’s worked with both six and seven-figure businesses across a variety of industries from wedding pros, course creators, fashion designers, and more.
Click here to get instant access to my brand-new free masterclass!
Other Episodes You’ll Love
042 Next Level Email Marketing Strategies with Candice Coppola
033 Ghosting: Why It’s Happening & What To Do About It with Michelle Harris
041 How AI Can Change Your Photography Business – And Your Life with Cameron and Tia
TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] Sandra Henderson: This year, we have been seeing a really big shift in Instagram, arguably even bigger than when Reels were first introduced and when video started being prioritized. Regardless of what kind of content you’re creating, engagement is down across the board. Gaining new followers and authentic, consistent engagement has literally never been harder.
[00:00:22] I gotta tell you guys I’ve been on Instagram since it first launched. I had all the terrible filters and all the things that went along with it and I’ve had my photography business on the platform since having your business on Instagram became a thing… and I don’t even enjoy being on the platform anymore.
[00:00:40] I feel like my feed is just filled with suggested posts. And if I want to look at things that people I follow have actually posted, I have to jump through hoops to try and find it.
[00:00:48] So for me, it has really just been taking away from that user experience and then from the business side of things, it’s really hard to want to put your energy into something that you’re not getting any return on investment on. I’ve never really been one to care about getting likes on my posts and new followers and things like that, but at the same time, when you put a lot of work into something and there are crickets after you put it out there, it is so frustrating and so so draining.
[00:01:14] And so that is where my guest on today’s podcast comes in. Kara Duncan is the writer behind The Kara Report, a content marketing agency serving women-owned service-based businesses, specializing in website copywriting, along with offering done free marketing services to get your business found in a sustainable search-driven way using Pinterest and blogging. She’s worked with both six and seven-figure businesses across a variety of industries from wedding pros to course creators, fashion designers, and more.
[00:01:42] I am so excited for you all to hear the amazing things that she has to offer during this interview. But selfishly, I knew that I had to have Kara on the podcast because I know she genuinely knows her shit, and any conversation with her always leaves me with a smile on my face, so I will literally take any chance to connect with her.
[00:01:59] We talked all about how you can be consistent in marketing without showing up on every platform every day, the long-term benefits of blogging, and how you can use AI to help you with Pinterest and copywriting. And we’re going to get right to it after the intro.
[00:02:13] Welcome to Keeping It Candid. I’m your host, Sandra Henderson, an international wedding and family photographer and business coach. I help wedding photographers use systems to build out the back end of their businesses to gain control and continue to thrive no matter what life throws their way.
[00:02:28] And on a more personal note, I’m a strong enneagram three wing two who is obsessed with I’m obsessed with tacos, and my love for travelling combined with navigating chronic illness life are just two of the many things that drive my passion for all things systems, workflows, and beating burnout as a business owner.
[00:02:43] Join me every week for a candid behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like working as a wedding photographer, where I’ll give you actionable steps to take your business to the next level. Absolutely no fluff here, friends, so go grab your favourite notebook and pen and let’s dive into this week’s episode.
[00:03:01] Kara, thank you so much for joining me. I’m so excited to have you on the podcast, but before we dive into all the good things that I know are coming our way this episode, I would love it if you could just take a quick second to introduce yourself and let everybody know a little bit about what you’re all about.
[00:03:16] Kara Duncan: Yeah, I’m so excited. I love your podcast. I’m Kara. So my business is The Kara Report. We do a done for you blogging, Pinterest and website copy. And I’m a former destination wedding planner. And actually the business is still open and subcontractors just do the actual wedding planning work. So it’s kind of cool that I get to kind of treat my first business like a client and like experiment with marketing and all that kind of fun stuff.
[00:03:41] But I don’t do any of the planning. I’m full on marketing now. So it’s been super fun.
[00:03:46] Sandra Henderson: That’s awesome. I absolutely love. I mean, I’ve been in the wedding industry for about 12 years now, and so one of my favorite things at this point is just seeing how people’s careers progress, the things that change the things that were important to people at one point that aren’t important at another point.
[00:04:02] And so it’s super cool to see, like, What being in the wedding industry can lead to without it, like, you know, you going from planning weddings to planning birthdays, like you were able to still stay in the wedding industry and be a part of it all without having to keep planning events over and over again.
[00:04:21] Kara Duncan: Yeah, I totally agree with you. Like it’s, it’s so interesting to watch people’s careers progress in like unexpected ways, like I feel like a natural trajectory is like you said, like you go from wedding planner to maybe more event planner or coaching or like you progress that way. But it’s really cool when people do not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s just really cool when people branch off and like, like you do systems and blogging and that kind of like, it’s fun to see people like explore different interests and then do what they like.
[00:04:49] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, I totally agree.
[00:04:50] Kara Duncan: I know, possibilities are endless.
[00:04:51] Sandra Henderson: Right? Yeah. I mean, as like, more and more we saw over the last few years, people are just Flocking towards opening small businesses and being entrepreneurs. So there has, there’s definitely no shortage of avenues that you can take when, you know, if you ever reach the point where you’re just tired of what it is that you’re doing right now, which I can totally relate to.
[00:05:13] I, I always, whenever I talk about this, I’m like, God, I hope none of my wedding clients are listening because I love them and I don’t want it to sound wrong, but like, it’s definitely time for me to be phasing myself out of the wedding industry over the next couple of years. So yeah, clients, if you’re listening, don’t worry, everything’s still good.
[00:05:29] You’ll, nothing will happen to your booking.
[00:05:32] Kara Duncan: Yeah. Not tomorrow. Just in the future. Yeah. Just in the future.
[00:05:36] Sandra Henderson: And so I am so excited to dive into all things consistency in marketing with you, because when it comes to marketing and copywriting and all the, that side of like the creative side of your branding, you are the first person I think of.
[00:05:51] So I know listeners are going to have so many takeaways from this episode. But why don’t we kind of like start things off right in the beginning at the very basics and talk about what it means to be consistent. consistent in your marketing. Does it mean that you have to show up on every single platform every single day?
[00:06:09] Kara Duncan: Yeah, I love this question because I also think, okay, so much in marketing is like, there’s the people that are like, consistency is the most important thing. You have to do everything every single day. Like that’s how you get results. And then there are people that are like, consistency can mean anything.
[00:06:24] Like just. You know, blog once a year, like, whatever, as long as you’re consistent. And you’re like, there is a balance where you’re like, okay, how consistent? Like, first you have to choose something that is consistent. You know going to be possible for you to actually execute on but you also have to look at like what consistency means to actually get results.
[00:06:44] So like and it’s different per platform which is something you should think about when you choose your platforms. Like for example, one post per week on Instagram is consistent but it’s likely a waste of your time because in my opinion with the algorithms today like it’s not going to go. Grow your followers.
[00:07:00] It’s not really enough to nurture your followers. Like, it’s like, if that’s all that you have the time for, that’s all you have the time for. And there’s no judgment around that, but it’s like, maybe explore other avenues where that time could be better spent. Like one blog post per week, for example, is more than enough to be consistent.
[00:07:16] So by doing like less platforms, well, you know, you can be more consistent while still getting the results that you want.
[00:07:25] Sandra Henderson: I think it’s so important what you were just talking about, about kind of like thinking what you have the capacity for and not necessarily having to show up on the same platforms as everybody else.
[00:07:35] Because like you said, like one post on Instagram a week is probably not going to get you very far, but one blog post a week could be giving you a return for years after this. And so just kind of like, Exactly. And so I think just give it people giving themselves permission to do things differently is something that I am always advocating for because you don’t, you don’t have to be on Pinterest or sorry, I shouldn’t, you should be on Pinterest, but like, you don’t have to be on Instagram.
[00:08:03] You should be in all the places, but you don’t have to be in all the places. Like, I think there are so many successful businesses out there that are not on all the platforms every single day. So I’m so glad that you brought that up.
[00:08:14] Kara Duncan: Yeah. And I think like we see as like. Confirmation bias, right? Like, we’re seeing that everyone’s telling us we have to be on Instagram, but it’s like, where are people telling us that on Instagram?
[00:08:26] Right? So you’re like, you’re listening to people that believe Instagram is the best way, but there are a lot of people that are just not active on Instagram that are still running profitable businesses, but you’re not there. Seeing them because you’re only looking at on Instagram.
[00:08:38] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, absolutely. And I always think too, when I see people saying like, you have to post two reels a day and you know, a static post and show up in your stories 10 times, like they come up with all these numbers on how many times you should be on Instagram in a day or how many times you should be posting on TikTok in a day.
[00:08:56] But the goal and like the information they’re giving is not wrong, but the goal is to get more followers. And so when I hear photographers like focusing so heavily on like, well, I’m not showing up on this platform enough. I always ask them like, well, what is your goal? Is your goal to have 10, 000 followers or is your goal to book clients?
[00:09:15] Because these tips that they’re giving you are, if you want to. Yeah. 000 followers. It’s how to succeed on Instagram. It’s not how to succeed in your photography business.
[00:09:25] Kara Duncan: Yeah, I totally agree with you. There’s such a pressure to hit like a certain metrics and especially in the wedding industry. I know you have listeners across, you know, industries, but sometimes it’s like, how many clients do you need?
[00:09:38] Like we don’t need a thousand followers to get the amount of clients you want.
[00:09:43] Sandra Henderson: Oh, such a good point. And I think that like. The amount of clients that would come along with having like a million followers on Instagram, I don’t have the time for that. I don’t know anybody else who has the time for that.
[00:09:55] So if that, if that applies to you, then all for it. But I definitely do not want the client influx that may come along with having that many followers. I’m current, well, words are going to be a struggle today. But I am like totally okay with not like being an influencer and not going viral, my client load that I have.
[00:10:13] Coming from my blogs and word of mouth and things like that is totally manageable. So I think just like your overall capacity is super important to think about too, when you’re vying for goals, like having all these followers and things like that.
[00:10:26] Kara Duncan: Yeah, 100%.
[00:10:28] Sandra Henderson: We talked a little bit about if it’s important to show up in all the places every single day.
[00:10:34] And one thing that was a huge game changer for me going back to Instagram again, cause I think that’s like the platform that we all think about the most when it comes to our marketing. With somebody saying like, if you’re in your stories and you’re replying to messages and you’re posting, those are all forms of showing up on Instagram and being consistent.
[00:10:54] It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to have a static post seven days of the week. You could have a static post. Three days of the week and be showing up in your story six days of the week responding to DMs. And that is still you active on Instagram.
[00:11:08] Kara Duncan: Yeah, I totally agree. Yeah. I think there’s like so much pressure.
[00:11:12] Yeah. To, like you said, mean that showing up means posting and it doesn’t necessarily, there are so many other ways. Like, I like to think of like, I think a lot of this. Stuff that goes like viral on Instagram or advice on Instagram is about using Instagram as like a top-of-funnel strategy, right? Like, it’s like, how can I get the absolute most people to find me?
[00:11:36] Which is like, okay, reels. I feel like that’s a general thing that people are agreeing on. If you want more people to find you, reels are kind of where it’s at. But it’s like where I find Instagram to be so effective is like as a nurture. Right. So that’s in your stories and in your DMs and like commenting on other people.
[00:11:53] Like I don’t really use Instagram that much for my business. And I just like literally only pop on like every couple of days to like check what my clients are doing. And. That’s a good one for me to connect to them. And like, even though they’re already clients, I’m not getting extra clients from it, it’s like a great way for me to like nurture that relationship and stay in touch with their business and show them that I care about them and your clients might feel the same way.
[00:12:20] And even in the wedding industry, like I kind of said, I use my other wedding business to test things. And like our Instagram strategy is literally like, we’ll do a post whenever we book a new client. Yay, the countdown begins. Do you know what I mean? And so it’s like, that is sometimes very, very infrequent.
[00:12:38] And also We just like to update old blogs because we wrote a ton of blogs in like the first few years and now we just update them. Like we haven’t really published a new blog in three years, like since COVID. Oh, that’s amazing. And it’s like, Google’s our number one referer. It’s amazing.
[00:12:57] Sandra Henderson: I hope that gives everybody listening a little bit of motivation to hit their blog because some of my most successful blogs like I have one for fall mini sessions that written back in 2017. And now it’s 2023. And these are still. sending hundreds of people to my website. We have Magnolia trees in London and I have actually keyworded all of my blog posts for Magnolia trees to cherry blossoms because that’s what people are looking for in the spring.
[00:13:27] And we don’t have any cherry blossom trees here, but most people don’t know that they’re not cherry blossoms. And so I, this. April and May had 1500 people come to my website from two blog posts that I wrote back in 2016. So I hope that, like, it gives people a little bit of motivation to see what the power of taking that time that you have instead of, you know, Trying to force yourself on Instagram seven days a week, maybe take some of that energy and pop out a blog post and just reap the benefits of that for a long time going forward.
[00:14:00] If you’ve done it strategically, I should say.
[00:14:02] Kara Duncan: Yeah. Well, you know what? Yeah, to add to that, I totally agree with everything you just said. I would also say that like blogs don’t necessarily always have to be perfect to rank. Like I look at my wedding business and I started it as a blog and You know, like my first blog post I look and it’s like, how are these ranking?
[00:14:21] And many of them aren’t right. But if you’re like, some of them are, and you’re like, sometimes it doesn’t need to be perfect if people find it helpful and stuff like that. And then also I kind of relate it lately to like, I don’t know if everyone else’s TikTok is blowing up about this, but I get a lot of like print on demand, like get rich with print on demand or like, whatever.
[00:14:42] It’s like the latest trend. And one of the big things that they say is like, you’re going to create a hundred designs and like two designs will make you rich. Right. Or whatever. And it’s like, I find the same with blog posts. Like you can’t just write, you know, it’d be nice if every single blog post you wrote brought in like hundreds of hundreds of people every month or whatever.
[00:15:02] But oftentimes it’s like, no, but you wrote once a week and like, let’s say that’s 52 blogs. And then like five or six brought you enough to fill your calendar for the year. Right. So.
[00:15:14] Sandra Henderson: Yeah. And that would be an amazing return on investment. Is it true that publishing these blogs, like we’ll keep going with this once-a-week reference that if you did publish these 52 blogs in a year and only five or six of them were actually like generating revenue for you, doesn’t Google and other search engines take it as like a green check in your favor that you are constantly posting onto your website?
[00:15:36] Kara Duncan: Yeah, totally. Google like any other platform values consistency.
[00:15:41] Sandra Henderson: I know that a lot of people are feeling the weight of Instagram and especially in the wedding industry, feeling the weight of like, things being really quiet this year for bookings in comparison to how it has been the last few years. So I’m hoping that people will take advantage of this lull in bookings and really focus on blogging because that is, I know for me anyway, and for a lot of other businesses out there, it’s been such a game changer.
[00:16:06] Kara Duncan: Yeah, I think like, one of the reasons I like love blogging or like Pinterest, like you said, I kind of consider the two hand in hand, because like if you’re blogging, you take the time to also put it on Pinterest, but you’re like thinking of like the frame of mind people are in, like when people are on Instagram, they’re just like scrolling, and when people are on Google or Pinterest like they’re looking.
[00:16:26] Right. I’m like catching people at a much better time. And one of the things like, let’s say your website ranks without a blog. It’s like a blog can keep them on your website and like warm them up. So like if I found your website, I read a few blog posts and I hit your contact form. I’m like much warmer than if I just found your website, and hit your contact form.
[00:16:48] And then maybe I’m like, Oh, you know, I’m having fun planning my wedding. Like, I’m going to go back to Google and just like, look at other options. Right. It’s like really good way of keeping people in your orbit. And again, in like a sustainable way where like, it’s not like Sunday morning and you’re like, okay, what am I going to post on Instagram today?
[00:17:04] Like interrupt family time or like, whatever.
[00:17:07] Sandra Henderson: Right. And for me, like, if I’m posting on the fly, that means I’m not posting because I just, I will sit there. I’m like, I don’t know what to say. I don’t have the energy to think of something to say, or I’ll start writing and then I’ll be like, okay, I’ll post that later because, you know, trying to think of the good time to post, which.
[00:17:24] I go so in and out of like, there’s no such thing as the good time. And then maybe there is a good time. And I’m back into like, there’s no such thing as a good time. But I would save these posts and like, I’m going to post it in the evening when Instagram says it’s better. And then I would just forget about it.
[00:17:37] And so like, I’m totally like I have to plan out my content. And I usually plan it for a whole month. If I can get it. Halfway through that month on schedule, then I’m pretty happy with myself but it just feels good to at least have it all laid out so that I can come in and out as my energy flows and schedule allows so that I always know what’s going, even if I haven’t posted for a couple of days,
[00:18:01] Kara Duncan: totally.
[00:18:02] Sandra Henderson: You actually mentioned I want to dive into this a little bit further, but you talked about if you are blogging to please also be putting that up on Pinterest. And then I was going to raise my hand and be like guilty because I’ve done it a couple of times. I’m definitely not doing it every time, and it’s one of those things that, like, when my schedule gets busy, I’m like, Pinterest is gone.
[00:18:20] Like, that’s gonna free up at least some mental space. But I would love to talk about how you are able to utilize content on multiple platforms, and how that can help photographers be more sustainable when it comes to their marketing efforts.
[00:18:36] Kara Duncan: Yeah, definitely. So, like, like you said, using a scheduling tool definitely helps.
[00:18:40] I love Tailwind for Pinterest. I wish other platforms Did what tailwind could do But basically, it’s like yeah when you write a blog depending on how consistent you are with blogging if you’re blogging sporadically, please still keep doing it. Google doesn’t penalize not being consistent as much as other platforms But then maybe you’re gonna create like five or ten pins and like just schedule them You know, manually on Pinterest or using Tailwind. Tailwind is nice cause you can kind of do multiple boards, which gives you more pins for your bang for your buck or whatever.
[00:19:16] Sandra Henderson: And I think you get like 20 free pins a month on there for you or something like that.
[00:19:20] Kara Duncan: Totally do. And, it doesn’t need to be up the second that you post, like if you are blogging once a week, like, you know, schedule your pins once a month or something like that.
[00:19:29] And don’t forget to do all the blog posts too is what I always tell people. So like when I’m doing Pinterest for a client, I’m not just like looking at their new stuff. I’m looking at like, what are their top performing blogs like last year during this season, or like, what’s going to be, what are people going to be searching for in the winter and like prioritize those.
[00:19:49] But Pinterest is a super easy platform to batch and they don’t require you to show up every day. Another thing that I do for Pinterest clients is I will download their Instagram Reels, especially the ones that don’t look Instagram-specific. So like if you’re putting like, read the caption on your Reels, it’s a little harder to reuse.
[00:20:07] On Pinterest, you can put it in the description, but it’s not a super great user experience. But for like, Ones where photographers specifically it’s like, you know, there’s like two seconds of a video or something and then it’s like 85 different photos Like you could definitely download that and put it on Pinterest.
[00:20:23] I like to use it as a video pin Instead of an idea pin it’s kind of up in the air what they’re doing with idea pins They kind of said they’re getting rid of it. And now they’re saying they’re merging it So honestly, I’ve seen better results with video pins lately So
[00:20:36] Sandra Henderson: yeah, yeah, I have to quickly interrupt you because I admit I’m not a huge Pinterest user.
[00:20:43] I go on like every now and then to update inspiration for what my clients should wear to their family sessions and to look for the odd recipe. But I, so because of that, I actually, I’ve heard the term idea pin so many times and I keep meaning to find out what the hell an idea pin is. And now you’re saying that they might actually potentially get rid of it.
[00:21:02] So please quickly explain to me, even if they are getting rid of it, what is the difference between a regular pin and an idea?
[00:21:09] Kara Duncan: So idea pins, you couldn’t add a link So they weren’t okay for business owners. They were You know, maybe good for content creators, but at the same time, Pinterest followers are not as like highly valued as like Instagram followers.
[00:21:24] So like if your content, you’re trying to leverage your metrics. I don’t know. It wasn’t really a win-win for everyone. Anyone except maybe the consumer because the consumer can have access to like zero click content like where they don’t actually have to go to your website and you’re sharing the recipe in like An idea pin could be like a mix of video and pins.
[00:21:43] So like think about like an Instagram stall or something like that like you so you could like in theory Pinterest wanted you to share like a how-to or like You know a whole wedding so people can swipe through and stuff like that And then they never have to go to your website But business owners didn’t necessarily love using it because people business owners want it Up to their website, right?
[00:22:05] So right it was something I feel like they tried and they tweaked, you know to make work But ultimately I don’t think I don’t know I don’t think it was super successful because then they tried adding idea pins, but it was only in beta And now I think they’re gonna just get rid of it, but I could be wrong
[00:22:20] Sandra Henderson: Today’s episode of Keeping It Candid is sponsored by Aftershoot.
[00:22:25] Full disclosure, I took a break from using Aftershoot, and I’ve talked a lot about how incredible some other AI editing platforms are. And don’t get me wrong, that hasn’t changed. But I cannot deny how amazing Aftershoot’s new features are, and there was no question that I had to make the switch back.
[00:22:43] Aftershoot is an AI culling and editing platform that learns your style of editing based off the photos that you’ve already done in the past and then applies that to new photos going forward. It’s not like finding presets where you just apply it to your photos and it doesn’t make any changes and you really have to heavily edit each one yourself.
[00:23:02] This actually learns your editing style and applies Lightroom settings to your photos the same way you would if you were the one who was actually physically moving the sliders yourself.
[00:23:13] With the AI culling feature, it’s able to sort through photos where people are blinking, photos that are blurry, and anything else that you might want to weed out as far as duplicates and things like that, leaving only the best of the best for you to have to go through in a few minutes as opposed to a few hours.
[00:23:28] And the feature that brought me back to the platform is that all of this can now be done all in one. There is no more need to have to upload photos in Lightroom and then call them in Aftershoot and then load them back into Lightroom and then edit them into Aftershoot. But now everything can be done in
[00:23:45] inside the platform. The only time you have to bring them over to Lightroom is if you want to make any tweaks to the individual photos themselves. It’s an absolute game-changer and will save so much time.
[00:23:58] If you’re interested in trying it out, I want you to head over to simplysandrayvonne.ca/resources to get a 10 percent discount using my affiliate link.
[00:24:08] That makes a lot of sense. Like from the consumer standpoint, it’s nice to not have ad generated content. But. I feel like all, if not like 99 percent of the people creating the posts going on Instagram are business owners that want to redirect off the platform.
[00:24:25] So from our standpoint, I can definitely see how like that doesn’t make sense and would cause a lot of problems for people.
[00:24:30] Kara Duncan: Yeah, like it’s kind of like if you go to get a recipe and you have to like scroll through the food bloggers like stuff. Story first. Life story. But yeah, it’s like, okay, nobody actually wants that.
[00:24:40] So if IdeaPens just like skip to that, but then at the same time, yeah, food bloggers have to make money. Otherwise, what’s the point of them doing it? Right? Right. There has to be somewhat of a win-win, because it’s like, you as a business owner, like, we don’t want everyone to stop creating content. And like, that’s kind of how I feel about like, Google is making some changes. So people are like, a little nervous about it, right, especially if they rely on SEO.
[00:25:04] And it’s like, ultimately, like, Google is Just testing things, right? They’re not like permanently changing anything. Algorithms are always going to be changing. And if you like, because I think one thing that they’re testing is like just an AI generated answer at the top, right? And you’re like, that’s fine.
[00:25:21] But if everyone that is creating the content that is ultimately like giving Google that answer if they stop because it’s not worth it to them. That’s not going to be good for Google, right? So it’s like, it really has to be this like win win we have to do. We have to serve our customers. And then we also have to make sure that we’re doing things that give us an ROI.
[00:25:40] So just balancing that and then one quick tip that I’ve been doing more that I want to share with repurposing your content. If I’m writing a blog post, I’ve started using AI to be like, create a caption from this one paragraph. Cause I think I know you have AI people coming on the show or maybe have already been on the show.
[00:26:01] But I feel like there’s like a lot of like, AI is unethical or stealing other people’s content or whatever. And like all valid, but it’s like, you can also use it for your own content and be like, can you just make this paragraph of this blog post? You know, if your blog post has like three or four, you know, the meat of the paragraph or whatever, it’s like, that can be three or four Instagram captions and you can like, and it’s your own content, own ideas and that kind of stuff.
[00:26:26] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, I am totally with you. Like, all the hesitations and concerns around AI are totally valid, but I absolutely love what, like, something like ChatGPT is able to do with your own content. Like, I’ll take something, a paragraph that I’ve written that says, It’s two, three, four sentences long. I guess two sentences are not a paragraph.
[00:26:47] The English nerd in me was just raging as I said that, like two sentences is not a paragraph, but like if I have a paragraph and I want it to be longer and I’m just like struggling to elaborate on what I want to say, it’s nice to be able to put it into chat, chat, GPT and just see what it says. Like I’m never using anything word for word, but it’s saving me so much time getting me out of ruts that I get stuck in.
[00:27:08] And I just, I love it. I could go on forever, but the photography side of AI,
[00:27:13] Kara Duncan: I know I’m like pro AI as well. And yeah, like you said, sometimes I’ll literally be writing like three sentences. Cause I’m like looking through, you know, like if I’m blogging for a photographer, I wasn’t at the wedding.
[00:27:25] Sometimes I just have to think like, okay, how am I going to put this all together? So it’ll be like, you know, bridesmaids wore green dresses, the couple had a first look, this was the venue. It’s like, can you turn this into a paragraph?
[00:27:40] Sandra Henderson: Right. Turn it into a story that people actually want to read, not point form with like random thoughts about the day.
[00:27:46] Kara Duncan: Right. Yeah. It’s super helpful. And like you said, it’s like, literally, can I just copy and paste that? But it’s like, sometimes it will give me ideas on how to like flow these like things together.
[00:27:57] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, absolutely. Or like there’s times that I’m like, no, that’s 100 percent not what I want to do. And so it’ll like, there’s been times where it’s just reframed the way that I’ve approached things.
[00:28:07] And so, yeah, I think there’s so many benefits to it. And I’m excited to see it because this is just the beginning. At the start of it we are not even at the tip of the iceberg. So yeah,
[00:28:15] Kara Duncan: I totally agree like I had what was I writing? I wanted something about like being a wedding copywriter, like to rank on that keyword.
[00:28:22] So I’m like, Oh, write a blog about this or whatever. It wasn’t chat GPT was a different one. And it literally like wrote me an entire 3000-word blog post on like But it was geared toward couples hiring a wedding copywriter for their wedding website, which you’re like, to my knowledge, that’s not a thing.
[00:28:40] Thank you for the 3000 words, but like, none of this is usable. Not one word.
[00:28:46] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, when I first started playing around with it, it was definitely like writing everything to like the couple that was looking to hire a photography coach. And I’m like, no, like, that’s not quite what we’re going for here
[00:28:58] Kara Duncan: and we’re using it. I feel like, I’m excited. And like you said, I feel like a lot of the Instagram stuff that we see is all about, like how you can use AI to write stuff. And it’s like, I’m so excited about the non-writing stuff we can use AI for, like you said, for photography and like, you know, like a fathom note taker is one that I see in almost every zoom room now.
[00:29:20] And it never used to be a thing, right? And you’re like, there’s like tango for SOPs. You’re like. All of those things I’m like, so excited about.
[00:29:29] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, I’m totally with you and just like, There’s so many different ways we can use it. And I’m excited about all of it. So just kind of like, going back to like, we’re saying, use this as inspiration and a tool to get you started.
[00:29:40] When I was first playing around with chat GPT, I was saying how, like, it was really just making everything geared towards the couple that was looking for a photography coach, which did not apply. I did ask it to just write out a workflow for wedding photographers because I was just curious as to what it would see what it would say to do versus the workflow for wedding photographers that I already have shameless, plug.
[00:30:02] I will include the link for that in the show notes because I do have a freebie for that. But the workflow that it wrote for me had the couple reaching out to the photographer to confirm their contract details one month before the wedding day. And so when I saw that, I was like, okay, guys, we don’t need to worry about AI taking our jobs.
[00:30:22] Like, totally fine. We are still years away from a point where we have to worry about that because if couples are taking this advice and they are trying to finalize a contract with a wedding photographer one month before their wedding, they are going to be sorely disappointed. So, yeah, I definitely do not have any concern whatsoever at this point that AI is going to be taking my job in any capacity.
[00:30:44] Kara Duncan: I totally agree.
[00:30:46] Sandra Henderson: So that wraps up all the questions that I have for you, but if you could leave listeners with one final takeaway that will help them stay consistent with their marketing, what would that takeaway be?
[00:30:56] Kara Duncan: I think it would just be like regular check-ins on what marketing tools are providing you an ROI. And considering the best practices of a whole platform and not feeling like you have to be on one platform. Right. So like if. Like, for example, TikTok. I love TikTok. I think it’s a great marketing channel. I do not have the bandwidth for, like, what it demands.
[00:31:19] Maybe I will in the future, right? And, like, the busier you are, the, you know, the more dialled in I think you have to be. Like, if you’re in the start of your business, I like to say, like, Do try everything. Like, don’t do everything perfectly, but try everything. Because a lot of times I think people start their photography business, obviously they start on Instagram, and they are, you know, then surrounded by people who tell them Instagram is the only way.
[00:31:42] And it’s like, consider the source, right? And like, be open to other ideas. Because like, if anyone’s going to tell you, you can’t run a business without Instagram, like you absolutely can. Many people are, and you’re just not seeing them because they’re only looking on Instagram.
[00:31:59] Sandra Henderson: Such a good point. And you were saying like, you don’t have the capacity to do all the things that TikTok they claim to require.
[00:32:07] I literally just like, take, I saved my Instagram reels and I posted over on TikTok and I don’t change anything. And it’s been so interesting to me to see how completely differently they perform. And like, there’s yet to be a reel slash TikTok that has seen It’s performed equally on both platforms. It either does really well on Instagram and does horribly on TikTok, or it does really well on TikTok and it’s just like mediocre on Instagram.
[00:32:34] So that has been…
[00:32:35] Kara Duncan: which I feel like is like, where it’s hard, right? It’s like when you’re comparing things, you’re actually comparing them with data instead of like, well, I like sharing photos of my coffee more than I like blogging, which same.
[00:32:48] Sandra Henderson: Yeah. And I think it just like, hopefully, it will give people permission to show up a little bit messier. And just kind of evaluate what is working best for you to make educated decisions in your business. And if you don’t have the capacity to show up in all the places, that’s okay. I think like we’ve driven that point home a few times in this episode.
[00:33:07] And I know that that’s something that I think is super important as a business owner. So I’m glad that we got to touch on it so much.
[00:33:13] Kara Duncan: Ya absolutely.
[00:33:15] Sandra Henderson: I just have one last fun little, like, would you rather question for you? Now I know you are retired from the wedding planning industry, but would you rather plan a celebrity wedding, which like we can all imagine would probably be one of the most stressful, difficult weddings to plan, or would you rather copywrite for someone who hasn’t taken the time to figure out who they are, what they do and who they want to work with?
[00:33:42] Kara Duncan: Oh, I think I would rather copywrite and the reason is because sometimes I will have people come to me like that. And even though I try and get it out of them, sometimes it’s like, well, I’m just not good with words or whatever. And it’s like, that’s great because part of my job as a copywriter is like, I’ll invent an angle that I think will work for you.
[00:34:04] Sometimes people are like, they think that they’re bringing me all this not to go on another tangent, but they think they’re bringing me a lot. But it’s like that their ideal client is between 25 and 35 and makes 200, 000 a year. And you know what I mean? You’re like, This is like, and it’s so much and like, how helpful is it really?
[00:34:20] So sometimes I’m like, Oh, Hey, like after I like stalked your Instagram for the last four years, I decided that this angle is actually like what makes you different. Even though, you know, cause it’s an outsider. I’m like, I’ve never seen that before. But as you as a business owner, sometimes you’re like, I don’t do anything special.
[00:34:37] Whatever.
[00:34:38] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, for sure. It’s nice to have a different perspective on it because like I was saying earlier, like, I feel like I, my consistency is all over the place. But then I have someone like you following me, we follow each other and you’re able to see that. And you can give that like, different insight into how things look because.
[00:34:55] We are definitely our own worst enemies when it comes to running a small business. I think we are all going to be guilty of that. So that’s nice to know that working with someone like Kara for copywriting, they’re going to come in. And if you aren’t quite sure what’s going to happen or what you should be doing, you’ve got a professional to help you steer you in the right direction.
[00:35:12] I know, like for me, my ideal client was totally like the 25 to 35 for up until about a few years ago, for everybody that’s listening, Kara and I work with the same business coach, Candice Coppola, I give her a little bit of a shout out. But yeah, it was like every single person who teaches ideal clients in the photography industry is like, how much did they make?
[00:35:32] What gender are they? What’s their name? Like, let’s come up with just a basic dating profile for them. And it wasn’t until I started working with Candice and took a workshop with someone else that taught Just kind of like diving in really deep to think about what their concerns are and like what their values are in life and things like that, that I was like, oh, okay, now I understand why this is such a game changer.
[00:35:54] Kara Duncan: Yes, yeah, totally. Because you’re like, well, I don’t get it. I’m filling it out. Right? How come it’s not working? Yeah, right. Yeah, I would vote that unless it’s like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, then I’ll come out of retirement, but anyone else is not worth the stress.
[00:36:08] Sandra Henderson: This, I, I am all for little tangents, so now it’s my turn to do a little tangent.
[00:36:12] But it has been like, I live for making fun of sports. I am not a sports person by any stretch of the imagination. And so like my good friends who are really, really sporty and like my best friend is like so into sports. And so like I get my entertainment from just like kind of poking the bear and making fun of it a little bit.
[00:36:31] So this whole Taylor Swift Travis Kels thing is like. Raining down from the heavens for me and like, I saw a t-shirt that was like something about here to see Taylor Swift’s boyfriend play I saw another thing about how, like, Taylor Swift is visiting all these stadiums before they get turned into Mojo Dojo Casa houses, and I’m like, oh, this is everything I need in my life.
[00:36:51] So thank you, Taylor Swift, because I’m going to be, I’m going to be looking at this for months. It’s just so much fun.
[00:36:58] But thank you so much, Kara. This was such a fun interview and I know listeners are going to have so many takeaways that they can apply to their businesses.
[00:37:04] Sandra Henderson: It was so great chatting with you. Thank you so much again. And I look forward to connecting with you again in the future.
[00:37:11] I recorded this episode with Kara back in October when the media entirely revolved around all things Barbie, Taylor Swift, and Travis Kelce. And honestly, as I was listening back and doing the editing, I was seriously patting myself on the back for being able to drop the words Mojo Dojo Casa House during an interview about marketing.
[00:37:30] Now, if you want to find Kara online, you can find her on Instagram at TheKaraReport, and you can also listen to her podcast, also called TheKaraReport. It is one of my favourites to listen to, and I know that you guys are going to love it as much as I do. Now, my own takeaway from this episode confirms what I’ve already been feeling.
[00:37:48] I need to start putting more energy into marketing platforms that have a long-term return, like Pinterest and my blog, because it’s how I will be able to stay consistent no matter what I’m dealing with health-wise. That’s what drives everything I do in my systems business, that drives so much of what I talk about here on the podcast, and so it’s time to start practicing what I preach and really embracing those long-term marketing strategies this year.
[00:38:12] If blogging is something that you are struggling with, I do offer a blog writing creation service. That’s not something that I really talk about a whole lot because it’s just something that I do when I have the free time in my calendar available, but I absolutely love writing. And off and on over the last 12 years, I have actually been ghostwriting blogs for other photographers.
[00:38:31] So what this looks like, it can be just content creation. Whether you are doing educational blog posts or if you are a photographer or a wedding pro writing about a specific wedding or photos or anything like that, we can do content that is more client-facing.
[00:38:46] And then I also have add-ons for things like doing keyword research and having your post built out inside your blog platform.
[00:38:53] All you really need to do is decide on what topics you want talked about, and give me any photos that you want included, and then I handle the rest. If you’re interested in more info on that blogging service, just send me an email at hello@simplysandrayvonne.Ca and I would love to talk more.
[00:39:10] All right friends, that is another podcast episode in the books. Thank you so much for being here. Have an amazing rest of your week and I will be back next Wednesday.
[00:39:20] Thank you so much for listening. You can find full show notes from today’s episode at simplysandrayvonne.ca/shownotes.
[00:39:29] In the meantime, let’s connect! You can find me on Instagram and TikTok, just search Simply Sandra Yvonne. And if you love this podcast, I’d be so honoured if you go ahead and hit that subscribe button and leave a review until next time!
This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small amount of money if you make a purchase from any of our affiliates. This is done at no cost to you!
Building a successful photography business isn’t just about technical skills and stunning photos; it’s about creating a brand that truly resonates with your clients on a personal level. This week on Keeping It Candid, I’m diving into the transformative power of storytelling and authenticity in your brand with Yasamin Salavatian. We talk about how showcasing your personality, sharing your unique process, and connecting on a deeper level can not only set you apart in a competitive market but also attract clients who genuinely appreciate your work. Get ready to rethink branding, embrace your individuality, and learn how to make every client interaction memorable and engaging! Keep scrolling to listen and read the transcript.
Show Notes
Template Shop: https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop
Freebie from Yasamin Salavatian: 5 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand From Scratch
Takeaways
- Photographers should showcase their personality and build relationships with clients to set themselves apart.
- Luxury brands can still have a personality and connect with clients on a personal level.
- Photographers should incorporate their process and expertise into their brand messaging.
- Believe in the value of your stories and use affirmations to shift your mindset.
- Utilize the contact page and footer of your website to provide valuable information and connect with potential clients. Infuse personality and authenticity into social media captions and websites to create a memorable and engaging experience for potential clients.
- Share personal stories and experiences to establish a deeper connection with clients.
- Be specific and unique in your messaging to attract the right clients rather than trying to appeal to everyone.
- Embrace community over competition and refer clients to other professionals who may be a better fit.
Chapters
02:01 Introducing Yasamin and the Importance of Storytelling in Photography
03:04 The Changing Definition of Luxury in the Wedding Industry
05:32 Incorporating Personality and Connection in Brand Messaging
07:49 The Importance of Process and Expertise in Branding
09:31 Believing in the Value of Your Stories and Shifting Your Mindset
11:45 The Power of the Contact Page and Footer in Building Connections
25:10 Infusing Personal Stories for Client Connections
26:07 Specific and Unique Messaging for Attracting the Right Clients
27:41 Embracing Community Over Competition and Referrals
About Yasamin
Yasamin Salavatian is a Storytelling Strategist and Positioning Coach who partners with transformational coaches, educators, and creative entrepreneurs to bring words to their vision. She willfully challenges traditional marketing rhetoric, personalizing brand communications to fit like a glove. Her raison d’être? Differentiating brands from the sea of well, let’s face it – DRAB!
Click here to get instant access to my brand-new free masterclass!
Other Episodes You’ll Love
029 Content Strategy vs. Content Planning with Amanda Warfield
030 Breaking Into A New Market with John Mansfield
042 Next Level Email Marketing Strategies with Candice Coppola
TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] Sandra Henderson: Before I get started with today’s episode, I am going to just quickly take a minute to give some space to something that I think is really important.
[00:00:08] Today I am holding space for the humanitarian crisis happening in Gaza. I’m not here to speak on anything that I don’t know, thousands of innocent people are being caught up in this mix, losing their lives exponentially, and it should not be happening. If you are able and interested in doing more, please visit www. pcrf. net to make a donation to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund and write a letter to your representatives to insist on their support and action in calling for a ceasefire.
[00:00:43] Welcome back to another episode of Keeping It Candid, and for all of my friends who are in the northern U. S. and in Canada, happy official start to spring! I know the first day of spring is back in March, but like, it’s still snowing here usually then, and Especially where I live, spring really doesn’t start until May.
[00:01:01] So happy official spring.
[00:01:03] It’s finally here and it’s warmer than usual, but I am not complaining one bit. Listen, I know that global warming is horrible. I get it. I do. I do what I can to lessen my carbon footprint and make environmentally friendly decisions however I can. But hear me out. I hate the cold. I hate it so, so much, so much.
[00:01:24] So I have a hard time being mad about the shift in weather patterns. I honestly, I just can’t help it. I was meant to be in a warmer climate, so I am just going to take what I can get. I’m not going to contribute to the problem by any means, but I am going to enjoy it.
[00:01:38] It has been a busy month for me because it is officially my spring busy season in my photography business. So I had a full day of mini sessions, plus a few other family sessions over the last few weeks, which by some miracle have actually all already been edited and delivered. Thank you so much Aftershoot for making that possible.
[00:01:57] and now I’m prepping for my weddings over the summer. I’m meeting with my clients, finalizing timelines and doing all the things that go along with that.
[00:02:04] And then outside my photography business, I’ve also been fully booked with my VIP clients, getting their honey book account set up and streamlined with workflows that will take some of the work off their plate while they’re juggling all the things that go on during wedding season.
[00:02:18] If you’ve never heard about my VIP days before, these are days where I dedicate my time to getting things done in your business. Whether that be getting a HoneyBook workflow set up for you, getting an email funnel set up for you, or creating smart files and email templates to go along with your workflows.
[00:02:36] Think of it almost like a one-day virtual assistant service where you don’t have to sign a contract for long-term work.
[00:02:43] As much as I love systems, workflows and automations, and I think that they are so great and can be so easy once they’re set up, getting them set up requires time. And I totally understand that not everybody has that, but I love organizing. I love piecing the puzzle together. And so it’s absolutely amazing to get a chance to work with photographers and wedding pros and dive into their businesses and help them figure out how to make things simpler so they can get back to spending their time and energy doing what they love the most.
[00:03:14] With a VIP day service, I’m the one that’s actually implementing all these things for you. If you have preexisting email templates, I go in and I make sure that they are all consistent and on brand and utilizing automation features. If you have any templates that are missing, I create those for you.
[00:03:32] And at the end of the day, we check in over a video call so I can teach you how to use everything that I built, and you don’t have to worry about trying to Figure out what the hell is going on all on your own from there.
[00:03:43] If you want more information, just head over to my website, simplysandrayvonne.ca/vip-days.
[00:03:52] Sandra Henderson: I mentioned a few weeks ago that I have a huge backlog of incredible guests that I recorded interviews with back in 2023 that I couldn’t let just go by the wayside.
[00:04:00] So if you’re listening to today’s interview and the dates seem a little bit off, that’s why! Today I am joined by Yasamin Salavatian. Yasi is a storytelling strategist and positioning coach who partners with transformational coaches, educators, and creative entrepreneurs to bring their words to vision.
[00:04:17] She willfully challenges traditional branding rhetoric, personalizing brand communications to fit like a glove. She and I first met back in 2023 at the creative educator conference when we were in the same breakaway group, and she did the most incredible job talking about embracing your authentic self.
[00:04:34] After her five-minute lightning presentation, I knew that we were like kindred spirits. During this super fun interview, we talk about showcasing your personality to help build stronger relationships and to set you apart from the competition, how to incorporate what you do into your brand messaging through storytelling and all the places where you should really leap into your brand voice and messaging.
[00:04:55] Whether you’re a photographer or a wedding pro, this episode is going to be so helpful for you. So make sure you have a notebook and pen ready, or can come back to listen to this episode later because you are not going to want to miss a thing.
[00:05:07] Welcome to keeping it candid. I’m your host, Sandra Henderson, an international wedding and family photographer and business coach.
[00:05:15] I help wedding photographers use systems to build out the back end of their businesses to gain control and continue to thrive no matter what life throws their way. And on a more personal note, I’m a strong enneagram three wing two who is obsessed with tacos, and my love for travelling combined with navigating chronic illness life are just two of the many things that drive my passion for all things systems, workflows, and beating burnout as a business owner.
[00:05:37] Join me every week for a candid behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like working as a wedding photographer, where I’ll give you actionable steps to take your business to the next level. Absolutely no fluff here, friends. So go grab your favorite notebook and pen and let’s dive into this week’s episode.
[00:05:55] Thank you so much for joining me. I’m so excited for this interview. when I saw you speak at the creative educator conference back in January. I honestly felt like I had a kindred spirit up on that stage. So I am so excited for everybody to get to know you a little better.
[00:06:11] So before we dive in, if you could just introduce yourself and tell everybody a little bit about you, that would be awesome.
[00:06:16] Yasamin Salavatian: Yeah, totally. So my name is Yasamin Salavatian, but I go by Yasi and I am a messaging and positioning strategist and I partner with you to bring words to your vision. So what that means is.
[00:06:30] I’m there to help you make sense of what you do and what you’re saying so your client will understand because it’s a two-way conversation and it is the joy of my existence. It is My happiness. It is, it is what I was sent to this earth to do. So…
[00:06:48] Sandra Henderson: I love that so much. And I, I’ve been talking about this a lot in the interviews that I’ve been doing for the podcast this season, in talking about the fact that as a wedding photographer, it’s not enough To just take beautiful photos, so many people can take beautiful photos.
[00:07:04] And so there has to be some other things that you’re putting forward out there and out into the world that are going to set you apart from all those other people that are also taking beautiful photos. And so I think that a way that. I mean, maybe I’m speaking from personal experience just because I love to write, but it’s just such a great way to be able to express yourself creatively and make those connections with people.
[00:07:28] Yasamin Salavatian: So I did a nasty, I did a nasty a few years ago and it was just because I had to prove a point. Cause I had a lot of photographer clients at one point and I, and they were all telling me, you know, like, well, this person’s style, like, Celebrity photographer A, like theirs is the best.
[00:07:44] Celebrity photographer B, like their, their work is so different than mine. Like I couldn’t, you could never tell whose work it is. And I was like, okay, bet let’s play this game. Let’s, let’s play this game. So I took all of these photos from like really well known photographers, like photos that we’ve seen in, in publications.
[00:08:03] And I took photos of people who we haven’t seen. And I was like, tell me which one’s whose. There were like 30 on there and they could, I mean, it was like both of us just staring at each other and me being like, it takes more than photos. Right.
[00:08:16] Sandra Henderson: Yeah.
[00:08:17] Yasamin Salavatian: Like, I think at the end of the day, we forget that this is a service and like providing beautiful photos is a bare minimum. Like you are being
[00:08:25] Sandra Henderson: so true!
[00:08:26] Yasamin Salavatian: Right? Like you were being hired for your talent. Like we know you’re good, but it’s like. We want to see who you are.
[00:08:33] And I think a lot of that depends on the couple that you’re serving. And we can talk about that too. But I think a lot of people when they’re in the industry, they get really caught up about, you know, this is this person’s name, this is their aesthetic. And it’s like, that’s all great. But at the end of the day, when you look at all of these photos, can, if you can’t tell.
[00:08:52] If you can’t, your client will not be able to tell bro, like if you can’t tell and I can’t tell and I’ve been like gathering these photos for five hours, then your client cannot tell. So then what is the next differentiating point?
[00:09:07] Sandra Henderson: For sure. And I think that is where people that I see they jump to that next stage of the brand, but they’re kind of just dipping their toe in the water.
[00:09:18] Like a couple of headshots, a quick little bio, the same catchphrases they use in their captions, which is all good. That all goes along with it. But what are some other things that photographers should be focusing on when it comes to passing that messaging along in their brand?
[00:09:32] Yasamin Salavatian: Yeah, so I think, so I have a, I have a bone to pick with the, the wedding slash photography industry, because I think that, sorry,
[00:09:40] Sandra Henderson: no, that’s okay. I love it. I’m here for it.
[00:09:42] Yasamin Salavatian: Okay. I think that there’s this whole concept that if like, if you want to be high-end and luxury and sell this experience, then you need to remove yourself from the equation. You need to be talking in the third person and pretend that you have, you know, accolades and elevate yourself to a place that nobody can read your copy because it’s meant for You know, right?
[00:10:05] Like you have to have a PhD to be able to read this. And the truth is that other than, other than luxury, you can think of luxury, how, how you want, but luxury is being redefined. On a daily level, like your new generation is coming in. We think about money differently. We think about luxury differently and no offense, but like most of the people that I know that are luxury, like, yes, there’s a subset of people that are luxury that like, just want you to show up and do your job.
[00:10:32] Right. Like they just want you to show up, and take beautiful photos. Don’t say hi to them. Maybe say hi maybe once and then leave. But there’s like a whole bunch of other people who want to like know you and like have a relationship with you and like want you to be a part of their wedding day and want you know you to be a part of the experience and like I feel like we just ignore that.
[00:10:54] Huge subset for the sake of being luxury. And so I think my biggest thing is, is like, you can have a personality and be luxury. They are not two separate things. Like, and I think that just really bothers me because it takes away from the identity of the photographer. It takes away from like, it just makes us fully, solely focus on skillset, but owning a business is so much more than that.
[00:11:20] And I like. I like it when people put their personalities out there because, at the end of the day, this is the person that’s going to be staring at you on your wedding day. Like, right. Like, it’s like for a lot of us, that person is important. We want that person to have a vibe with us. We want them to have a vibe with us during our engagement photos.
[00:11:42] And when they’re talking to our families, like it’s so much more than, you know, I came out of the womb with a camera and I’m really good at shooting now. And I think In the wedding industry, a lot of times we try to condense that narrative for the sake of being luxury, and that just, like, pains me.
[00:12:01] Respectfully.
[00:12:03] Sandra Henderson: I am here for all the hot takes, but I love that. You said that the definition of luxury is changing. That’s something that I’ve kind of thought a lot about just on my own. This year is just changing what it means to be professional and what it means to be like a luxury brand and all these things.
[00:12:19] things. There was a point in time where to be professional, you had to write like essay quality letters and dear sir and madam and yada, yada, yada. But we don’t have to do those things anymore. It can be totally different. And that’s one thing that was a huge hesitation for me for wanting to get into the luxury market was wanting, not wanting to be treated like I wasn’t a person.
[00:12:42] And so I love that you brought up the fact that you can, it’s, they are not two separate things. You can still have a personality and be yourself and work in the luxury market. There’s not like a dividing line that says at this point, if you use your name instead of the third person or use me instead of the third person, that you’re no longer professional.
[00:12:59] Yasamin Salavatian: Right. And I think, you know, I was on Clubhouse once and I was listening to one of the top wedding planners and one of the top photographers and they were talking about how they were doing this wedding and everybody, all the service providers had to show up wearing the same outfits and the same shade of outfit and how they didn’t want to see the service providers before the time of the wedding and how they were just, you know, they were just there.
[00:13:24] They were there to be seen and not heard. And that to me, I like really took that to heart. Cause I was like, is that actually your ideal client? Like, is that actually who you want to work with? Like, if it is great, like you do you queen, but like, if it’s not, I don’t want you to feel forced into that because that is such a subset, you know?
[00:13:43] And it’s like to brace your base, your whole brand on that for the sake of luxury aesthetic is just like, You’re not going to like your job anymore.
[00:13:52] Sandra Henderson: I could not agree more. I will never ever forget. I always wanted to do Disney weddings. Like it sounded like a dream ideal, like I will have made it if I shoot Disney weddings.
[00:14:04] And then I did a Disney wedding with a friend of mine and we ate our dinner on our laps on chairs in a back room away from all of the guests because we were not allowed to be seen eating food and we were sitting Where the catering staff was pulling plates and getting all that set up to be served.
[00:14:24] And I know there are so many venues that operate that way, but in my area, they don’t, we, like, I am always sitting with the guests and having a conversation and building relationships that way. And so it was such an eye-opener for me. What, like the different levels of like. The way vendors and other staff are treated can like how that can vary too.
[00:14:45] So I love that you brought that up because it definitely does not have to be that way.
[00:14:49] Yasamin Salavatian: I just think it’s important to be honest. Like there are so many people who take such beautiful photographs and I feel, and I meet with them and they tell me, like, they tell me about a club they’re in or a community they’re in that teaches them how to be luxury.
[00:15:03] And it’s like, there’s so much more to luxury than this. This to me is not luxury. This to me is rude. Like, you know, like this, this is, this is rude. Like there’s a different, and it’s a lot of these people have those bubbly personalities, or maybe they’re a little bit more introverted and they want to develop that connection.
[00:15:21] And it’s like, you need to trust yourself when it comes to that. Like, you know, who your ideal client is better than. Any expert because it’s your business and you have to find a way to fall in love with your business again and again and again, right? Cause owning a business is not easy, right?
[00:15:38] So it’s like, how do you fall in love with it again by working with people you love? How do you work with people you love by putting material out there that will attract them? Right? It feels like A to B to C, but I do, there’s a lot of, there’s like a lot of wording out there and narrative out there about how you really need to distance yourself from your brand.
[00:15:57] If you’re trying to be, Luxury and it just it makes my blood boil.
[00:16:02] Sandra Henderson: understandably. I totally agree with you. So do you have any pointers for listeners and wedding photographers out there who are wanting to start incorporating more of who they are personally into their brand and the messaging that they’re putting out there?
[00:16:17] Yasamin Salavatian: Totally. So I think the most important part is like, so let’s say we’ve covered skill set, right? Like you obviously need a good skill set and that’s, that’s not what I’m here for, right? Like you need to, you need to go on that personal journey, develop your photography skills and like, like that is, that is your journey, right?
[00:16:35] But when you’re done with that, what, the first thing I ask people is what’s your process like? What do you want to do throughout your contract? What’s the type of relationship that you want to build, right? I want to see that on your website. Because guess what? You may be the person who just wants to show up, not talk to anyone, take photos and leave.
[00:16:54] But then I want to see, I want to know that. Right. If you’re not that person, I want to know that and that’s something that you can put on your website and you can make it an infographic. You can make it cute. You can make it a joke. You can, I don’t care how you do it, but there needs to be somewhere there because I need to understand how you work and how you prefer to work.
[00:17:13] And when you show that, that. Command of your process and that command of your expertise. It lets it not only lets me know how you do what you do, but it makes me feel a lot more comfortable. I’m like, this person knows what they’re doing and I am, I’m going to be safe and I’m going to be good.
[00:17:30] Sandra Henderson: Things like that are so important in so many industries, but especially in the wedding industry, where it is, there is a lot of emotion that goes into a wedding day.
[00:17:38] And so we feel that emotion. when we are dealing with our clients. And you were talking about how, like, if you’re going to be the photographer that just shows up and takes your photos and leaves for the day, that’s awesome. There are definitely couples who are looking for photographers like that. But make sure you are making that known.
[00:17:53] And the first thing I thought of was, this was actually something that I saw on threads the other day, where someone had requested a quiet Uber ride and their Uber driver at 5 a.m. On the way to the airport would not stop talking. And I think that’s something that’s such like paints, such a great picture of like what our clients are going to be experiencing on the receiving end if our messaging doesn’t align with what we are doing and what we’re putting out there, because if they’re expecting someone who’s really bubbly and take charge and going to handle all the posing and everything, but you’re someone who does documentary style and you’re just going to be a fly on the wall, then there’s going to be a major disconnect.
[00:18:31] And you mentioned this already, like, not only are you going to end up hating your job, but people are not going to be happy with their experience and they’re not going to be referring you. So in the end, nobody ends up being happy because you simply just didn’t let people know what you were all about.
[00:18:45] Yasamin Salavatian: Totally. And I think that. You know exactly what you said, there is a person. It’s not like there’s no person for that. There are so many different types of people. There are people who want to take that quiet Uber ride. If I was sitting in personally, if I was sitting in a car with someone for an hour and they didn’t talk, it might make me really uncomfortable.
[00:19:03] Like at least a hello or something. I’d be like, I am not, you know, Like a Bridgerton here. Like this is really uncomfortable, you know, but that’s just me, but I think putting it out, it’s, it’s better to put it out there and I’m not saying drown them with information. You need to, you know, find a way to put it out there.
[00:19:20] That’s informative but concise and easy to digest, right? And I think that’s how you find the people that you’re going to, and exactly what you said. Referrals, referrals are so important in this, in this business, not just from your client, but from your vendors, you know, there’s so much cross-collateral marketing opportunity.
[00:19:40] And it’s like, you want to work with people that have the same vision of a successful wedding of a successful experience that you do, because then you’re working with your best friends all the time too. Like what’s better than that? So, and I think another, another thing that I thought of when you were talking about the documentary style is like, you know, not to, not to be weird, but like grandmas, right?
[00:20:03] Like when we take those family photos, is your photographer, the person who’s going to help grandma walk up the stairs and, you know, fix her hair? Or is she just going to be standing behind and being like, yo, that’s a you problem. Again, there are two different types of families. There are two different types of people.
[00:20:20] Sandra Henderson: Hey friends, I’m interrupting this episode because I wanted to remind you that the waitlist for my brand new template shop is now open. This template shop is going to be filled with everything you need to simplify and streamline your business behind the scenes. Including things like honey book, smart file templates, email, swipe files, and workflow processes with tutorials to help you get them built inside your CRM So many good things are coming so head over to simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop to get on the waitlist and you’ll also have a chance to enter to win a Free bundle as well as getting a little special something to say thank you for being here. That’s simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop.
[00:21:03] Yasamin Salavatian: I come from a very. Big, loud Persian family. Right. And it’s a lot like my big fat Greek wedding. Right. Like that’s, that’s us. Right. And it’s like, that’s what we want. Like, we want someone who’s going to be nice to grandma. You know, we want someone that’s going to make grandma feel beautiful. Like that’s important to me.
[00:21:24] So I just think you never know. And by guesstimating or by kind of not discussing what luxury it means to you and your brand. You’re really doing yourself and your clients a disservice.
[00:21:38] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, absolutely. for everybody who is listening, that is a gold takeaway. So I hope that you are writing these takeaways down because that was so, so good.
[00:21:47] So we’ve talked a lot about, how Utilizing different aspects of our story can help set us apart and help even just set the tone of what our brand is going to be. What are some bits of encouragement you might have for photographers who are still hesitant, even though they know how important it is?
[00:22:06] Because something that I see in photography groups a lot is people are like my life’s not that interesting. I don’t have anything to talk about. I don’t have any stories to tell. I’m sure you hear that all the time. So I would love to hear your takeaway on something like that.
[00:22:19] And any encouragement you have to help get people out of that mindset.
[00:22:23] Yasamin Salavatian: Okay, I will give you a really great example. I was in corporate, I had no clue what being a photographer was about, what the creative industry was about. Like, it was foreign to me. The whole concept was foreign to me.
[00:22:35] And this idea that your life isn’t interesting blows my mind. Because when I joined the creative industry, I was like, I cannot believe people like this exist. Like, I, I was. And I’m from the Bay Area, you know, there’s like definitely a stigma of the type of person that lives here. Like, right? And I was just like, shocked.
[00:22:55] And not just like for a month, for like three years, I was like, I cannot believe this. There’s this other type of person out there living their life so intentionally, so beautifully, so aesthetically, like it was, it was bonkers. And, I think what comes off to you as not being interesting or as being every day is so not what your client is experiencing.
[00:23:20] For them, it’s a window into a new world. And you’re never going to get, you know, you have to believe that you are worth it and that you are special. You know, there’s this whole thing going around on TikTok about being Delulu, but there’s like a kind of a component of a significant component of self-confidence and self-belief that goes into it.
[00:23:41] So I, if you’re having that problem where you’re thinking, you know, I’m not interesting or my stories aren’t cool or my life is boring. Let’s reframe that. Like what a part of today was cool. What part of today are you texting your best friend who lives 10 hours away from you, right? There’s always gold in there and sometimes you have to search for it and that’s absolutely okay.
[00:24:02] Like, yes, I get it. None of us are Kardashians, but That’s fine. You don’t need to be, you know, on the front page of Vogue to have an interesting life. There are levels to it. And it’s just about finding that point that you intersect with your client. And the first part of that is believing that you have something to say and that you have something to share.
[00:24:23] And I always recommend my clients, cause it is a mindset shift. It is a, it is definitely, especially if you were in, you know, in an environment before you started your business where they value. Um, like, what is it, like a homogeneous, like, presentation, you, they don’t really want you to be an individual or have an identity.
[00:24:45] It is a total mindset shift. And what I recommend, it’s going to sound bonkers, but I really like those affirmations, waking up every morning and telling. And like five, limit it to five. It doesn’t need to be a novel, but like telling yourself that what you have to say matters that what you’re writing on your website, someone’s going to connect with, like, I’ve had so many photographer clients come to me after we’ve worked together and say, my bride or my client or my groom has specifically picked this line of copy from my about page and said, this is what resonated with me.
[00:25:20] And it’s like, how, how beautiful is that? Right? That it’s like, you’re literally talking to, you are literally talking to them. Like this is not, this is so much more than like a marketing thing. This is about you having the opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation on a public page.
[00:25:37] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:25:38] And it really just helps people feel seen like we all share memes all the time and there’s the best part about sharing memes is how relatable they are. And like, they’re all, I’ll be scrolling on Instagram meme and I’m like, Oh my God, I thought I was the only one who felt that way. And there are 350,000 likes on this post.
[00:25:56] And so those little things, it might seem mundane and it might seem silly, but those are the things that we love to connect with.
[00:26:04] Yasamin Salavatian: Totally. And I just, you know, I am a sucker for, I always call this out. I am a sucker for a footer and I’m a sucker for a contact page that doesn’t suck. They’re like the parts that nobody cares about.
[00:26:15] And it’s like, dude, you can put so much gold in there. Like your contact page can be bopping. That is the last chance you have to say something to your client before they end up in your email box. Please make it a non-excruciating experience.
[00:26:30] Sandra Henderson: Oh, I love that. It’s like you said, it’s the last point of contact before they reach out to you. So I love the idea of filling that with personality and different takeaways that aren’t just, you know, your information.
[00:26:43] Yasamin Salavatian: Right. And it’s like, If I was a client and I just literally had to post my entire life, right?
[00:26:48] Because they ask that, I mean, understandably, right? The questionnaire is usually quite extensive, but it’s like, give me a gift after that. Give me, give me a smiley face. Give me something. Like I just like, give me just something, just something for a reward for going through this experience. Right. Cause it’s like, I’ve probably done this.
[00:27:10] Like how many people do you reach out to you when you’re interested in a service? Like at least three. Mm hmm. At the most, I mean, I guess, like, three to fifteen, I would say, if you’re really thorough. Three to five, if you’ve narrowed it down. Right? Yeah. Like, that’s a lot of contact forms. You know, and it’s like, what would it take for yours to stand out just a little bit?
[00:27:29] Not a lot.
[00:27:30] Sandra Henderson: Um, that was amazing. You’ve already got my wheels turning. It’s really my favourite part about being a podcast host is kind of like getting all the juice myself first and getting the wheels going. so do you have any like, fun stories? Final tips or takeaways that you want to leave listeners with to encourage them to go out and hit their social media captions and their websites with that authentic personality that they all have, that uniqueness that they all have inside them.
[00:27:59] Yasamin Salavatian: Yeah, totally. I think get specific, right? Like even a meme, super specific, right? Or, you know, like if you’re like, if I’m a, okay, I’m just going to use my name, but I know that I’m not a wedding photographer. I wish, I wish. Um, but it’s like, You’re Yasi bride if you might have like 10 varieties of sprinkles in your cabinet, right?
[00:28:22] You’re a Yasi bride if every salt shaker and pepper shaker in your house is filled with salt. These are things that are unique to me that are weird, but I know the people that I connect with Also have this weirdness and it might not be the same weirdness, but they’ll see a piece of themselves and be like, Oh my gosh, that’s my person.
[00:28:42] Right. And that’s all you want on your wedding day. You want people who can reflect back to you the experience that you’re trying to create for your guests. So don’t be afraid to say your favourite flower is a Dahlia, but Oh, you know, I also know it’s poisonous to dogs. Because your client’s probably thinking the same thing.
[00:29:00] Sandra Henderson: Right. Exactly.
[00:29:02] Yasamin Salavatian: So I don’t, I don’t think there’s any harm in talking about what you like and what your experience is like. I think I encourage you to, what you think is oversharing is not oversharing. Someone needs to hear something. A hundred times, at least seven times, I think, according to like the marketing statistics for it to even go across the membrane, right?
[00:29:22] And it’s like, you’re not boring. Like, you are your own I mean, I literally just talked about a salt and pepper shaker. Like you want to talk about boring? That’s right. Like, it’s like, you know, you, you can make anything fun. You can make, and it’s, you know, I think another misconception is like, Oh, well, if I’m going to have a personal brand that I need to be extrovert and I need to be this bubbly person.
[00:29:44] I want to tell you that like 99 percent of my clients are introverted. And I think I just, you know, there’s that, speaking of memes, there’s that, that thing they send you that, that they’re like, um, raise your hand if you’re an introvert. An extrovert found you and became friends with you. And like, yeah, that’s me.
[00:30:00] Sandra Henderson: Took you in.
[00:30:01] Yasamin Salavatian: Yeah. Took you, that’s me. Right. So it’s like. It’s not even that your client will be the same person as you, but they will have the same values as you. They will have the same thought process as you and being able to show that in your social media captions and your graphics and your podcast and your, on your website, the depth is another level.
[00:30:22] It’s another level of depth that you just don’t see out there. And I think, especially if you’ve been in the game for a while, like. This is the time to differentiate. This is the time to really hone in on what makes your brand yours. Like, is it the experience? Is it that weird thing you hide for them under the table when they’re getting married?
[00:30:43] I don’t know. Like, I, I don’t know. That’s the thing. It’s like, and I won’t know unless you tell me. So, you know, there’s an argument to be made that if you’re newer in the industry and you don’t really know what your process is and stuff, yeah, it’s going to take some figuring out. It’s going to take some exploration to find out what you want.
[00:31:02] Little Goldilocks. Activity as you would say, right? Like a little like, Oh, this is, this is not fun. This is as with any industry, but if you’ve done that work, you owe it to yourself to narrow in. And I’m not just saying like wedding photography. People think that wedding photography is a niche. It’s like, is it?
[00:31:20] We just talked about like 30 different types of wedding photographers, right?
[00:31:23] Sandra Henderson: Yeah.
[00:31:24] Yasamin Salavatian: Yeah. It’s like, that is not enough. That’s like telling me that like, Oh, I want to buy a cracker. It’s like, okay, great. Like what type of cracker? What kind of cracker? Yeah.
[00:31:31] Like there’s a million different types of crackers. And if I pick up like a garlic onion cracker, I’m going to, that’s going to hurt my stomach, you know? So I just feel like there’s such an opportunity to dive in. And the first thing you have to tell yourself is that it’s going to be scary until it’s not.
[00:31:46] And then when you start, like, and there’s that trajectory, you know, like, I don’t want to, I don’t want to like freak people out, but it’s like, usually when people work with me, there’s this, there’s this curve. It’s like, they’re getting all these inquiries, they’re getting inquiries with people they don’t really want to work with or aesthetics that they don’t really like.
[00:32:03] And then we work together and we come up with a super specific message, right? And the first thing that happens is that their inquiries tank.
[00:32:10] And they freak out. And I tell them, I like, I have a graphic at this point. I’m like, I’m like, yeah, this is what’s going to happen. So just brace yourself. Okay. Just everything is going to be okay.
[00:32:21] Yeah. But what’s happening is you’re telling people who are not a good fit for you to stop inquiring. So you really, you’re saving yourself some sanity and some time and some paperwork and some email work. So after that happens, after that they get super specific and they start leaning into it and leaning into it and sharing more and sharing more, then we get the inquiries coming back up.
[00:32:44] The difference now is that it’s the right inquiries. It’s the people that you’ve been wanting to work with. It’s the people that you, as soon as they tell you their wedding story on their inquiry page, you’re like, like so excited to meet with them on Zoom. Like, And that whole watching someone’s, someone’s entire demeanour and their, their kind of relationship with their business shift over that, I just got goosebumps.
[00:33:10] But it’s like, it’s such a beautiful, it’s such a beautiful transformation because it’s like, you can really, you can see in them that it’s like, there is a place for me. And now, because there’s a place for me, there’s a place for my client.
[00:33:23] Sandra Henderson: And I think it’s important to remember not to assume that people are just going to know things about you and that they’re just going to know about your business.
[00:33:30] Like you were saying before, like, your potential clients are not going to know this is something that you do differently from anybody else if you don’t tell them that. So that’s super, super important.
[00:33:40] Yasamin Salavatian: And also, like, how do we even, I mean, specifically with wedding photography, I mean, maybe with other types of photography, we can argue, like, oh, well, I’ve done 35 boudoir shoots, right?
[00:33:51] How many people have had 35 weddings? Like, I don’t even know what industry standard is at this point, or what industry behavior standard is. Like, I can’t tell if yours is different if I don’t even know what the baseline is. So, and I’m not telling you to educate your client, that’s not your responsibility, but it’s certainly helpful.
[00:34:08] Sandra Henderson: I actually have a salt and pepper story that I’m going to throw out here so that you don’t feel so alone. I don’t have a weird, like, salt and pepper thing in my house, but I don’t know if you remember, we’re roughly the same age, but like, way back when we were little, there was the Ikea commercial that had the little salt and pepper shakers and the pepper started crying and I literally used to cry at this one.
[00:34:31] And also the Ikea commercial with the lamp that got left on the side of the road out in the rain. That one really did it for me too. So Ikea commercials used to make me cry as well. Inanimate objects, but like, especially the salt and pepper.
[00:34:43] Yasamin Salavatian: But like that, that story, like immediately what I’m hearing for that is like, you’re an empath.
[00:34:48] You’re someone who really really cares. You’re someone who’s gonna go above and beyond. And I know that this is, but this is just what I’m like, this is, this is the vibes that I’m getting. Like you’re someone who’s going to go above and beyond and you’re going to cop a vibe, right?
[00:35:01] And these are just things that I know from you talking about an ikea commercial from like what the 90s like, right. It’s just like, there’s so many different, you know, people are like, this story isn’t relevant. The story is. And it’s like, it’s not about the story. It’s not just about the story. It’s about the emotion.
[00:35:18] It’s about what we’re learning about you. And it’s like, Even the most randomest, weirdest things that you think are like, weird, right? And like, same. Fair. Same. Like, we’re all, we all have that, that initial like, Huh! Like, do I want this to be out there? But it’s like, It just opens a window into a new depth.
[00:35:39] So yeah, that’s so true. I have goosebumps now too. That was amazing. I love that so much. well that, wraps up all the questions and everything I had for you except for one final one. so I have a little, would you rather question for you? So let me find where I wrote yours down. Okay. So if you had to pick someone from Vanderpump rules to be your next client, to help them out, fix their brand and get their messaging right. Are you going to go with Ariana or Tom?
[00:36:12] Oh my God. I can’t work with Tom. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
[00:36:16] Sandra Henderson: Right. I feel like his brand is a lost cause.
[00:36:19] Yasamin Salavatian: I just feel like for me that this is, and this, and I say this, like, I say this on the call, like when people inquire, it’s like, I can’t build you something fake. Like, that’s against my code.
[00:36:30] Right? And that’s my right. As someone who works with personal branding, like, you will meet people, and it’s wild, dude. You will meet people on Instagram and then meet them in real life, and you’re like, Who created this person? Fictional character that is on Instagram, because this is not what I’m seeing IRL.
[00:36:46] And like, you, you’ve seen me now, you know, me, I’m the same person across everywhere. And it’s like, that’s the vibe that I want for my clients. I don’t want some of my clients to show up somewhere and be like, Oh my God, is that really her? Cause I really her like, Oh, right. Like, no. And I’m sorry, Tom. I just like from a personal person, like, just like our vibes are different.
[00:37:07] I can’t. Totally off. I just, honestly, like, yeah, like there’s no way there’s, I, I would fire him before I hired him. There’s no way. I’m sorry.
[00:37:18] Sandra Henderson: I love that. 19-year-old Sandra would have fallen for his bullshit, but thankfully 36-year-old Sandra has learned a thing or two. And so I am right there with you. I could not deal with it.
[00:37:27] I would absolutely be firing him as a client.
[00:37:30] Yasamin Salavatian: And listen, I want to say, like, there’s someone out there for Tom, right?
[00:37:33] Sandra Henderson: Oh, for sure.
[00:37:34] Yasamin Salavatian: Someone is dying to get on this personal branding journey, right? Like someone is dying for this project. It’s just not me. This is a project that would make me gain 15 pounds, question my sanity, and really reevaluate my feminine energy.
[00:37:48] Like it’s just like, I don’t need that. And you know what? He doesn’t need that either.
[00:37:52] Sandra Henderson: No. And if I’m going to put on 15 pounds, I would like it to be because I’ve been eating sandwiches from Ariana and Katie’s shop.
[00:37:59] Yasamin Salavatian: Like not even comparable, like not even like a different universe, right? Like happy weight.
[00:38:05] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, exactly.
[00:38:07] Yasamin Salavatian: Not like I’m questioning my values weight. Yeah. So, and, and you know what? And at the end of the day, we can even take it a step further and say that he doesn’t deserve to have someone on his team that doesn’t wholeheartedly believe in him. You know.
[00:38:20] Sandra Henderson: yeah, that’s so fair. I love that. I think that’s something that a lot of small business owners, we get into a mindset of, like, we just want to bring in more money.
[00:38:29] And so we’re willing to make all these allowances and accommodations for people. And we end up being miserable about it. And so, when we don’t put that money factor forward, and we work with people whose values align and make sure that they are going to get the same experience that somebody who you really click with will get, then that’s when you’re really going to start seeing and even finding comfort in saying, no, you’re not the right client for me, but also like, I’m not the right photographer for you or whatever the case may be.
[00:38:56] Yasamin Salavatian: Totally. And I, you know, I think there’s a, there’s almost like a,, a liberation in that.
[00:39:01] Like, I’ve come to the point in my business where it’s like, I’m really, really open about whether we’re not a fit. And I’ll, I mean, it’s not that it’s right or wrong. Like, I think assigning it a right or wrong brings a lot of judgment into it. It’s just like, does it fit or doesn’t it fit? And if it doesn’t fit, like, I actually have like a roster of other people that I’m obsessed with that I’m like, you should look at this, this, and this person, because they might be a fit for you.
[00:39:24] Yeah. And guess what? You just made another industry friend by sending over someone that you actually think is a good fit, right? Right.
[00:39:33] Sandra Henderson: Yeah. It brings back that whole community over competition thing to like, some of my best friends are where I send all of my referrals to. Some of them are because I’m not available.
[00:39:42] Some of them are because I just don’t want to do it and it’s not the right fit, but there’s nothing wrong with them as a person. We are just not. the right vibe to work together. And so here are some amazing people that you’re going to have a great experience with that are going to offer you the service that you’re looking for.
[00:39:56] So we have to kind of take a step back from wanting to work with every person to fill our bank account and take a look at the bigger picture.
[00:40:04] Yasamin Salavatian: Yeah. And it’s like, not only am I not the right person, but like, I can tell you a hundred percent that you’re going to laugh with this person. You’re going to, you’re going to vibe with this person.
[00:40:12] Y’all are going to be friends. Like. I know this person and I know that you guys are going to have a vibe and I don’t want to rob you of that vibe and I don’t want to rob me of a perfect fit client who is that vibe for me either. So like, why are we doing this? Like we shouldn’t be doing this and it’s okay.
[00:40:27] It’s okay. It’s just about, again, the self-belief and the confidence that there is someone. It’s like finding your romantic partner, right? It’s like there is someone for you. You don’t have to settle. Right? Like, keep going. I promise you, you’ll find the clients that are right for you.
[00:40:45] Sandra Henderson: This was the best conversation. I know listeners are going to have so many takeaways. Before we jump off this call, I would love it if you could just let everybody know where to find you on social media and online so they can give you a follow.
[00:40:57] Yasamin Salavatian: Totally. And thanks for having me.
[00:40:58] So, my name, my business name, and my full name is Yasamin Salavatian. And I have an Instagram @yasaminsalavatian, and I also have a website. YasaminSalavatian. com. And, I also have a LinkedIn. I’m not really sure where I’m going to be in the future, but those are my, those, those are my most probable places.
[00:41:16] Sandra Henderson: I love that. Well, everybody that’s listening, definitely go and give her a follow. You will not be disappointed with all the amazing things that she has to offer when it comes to figuring out your brand and your messaging and everything like that. Thank you so much again, Yasi. Enjoy the rest of your day and I can’t wait to chat more soon.
[00:41:32] Yasamin Salavatian: You too.
[00:41:33] Sandra Henderson: I really do believe what I said during this interview. It’s not enough to take beautiful photos anymore. There are too many photographers who take beautiful photos for that to be the differentiating factor on why someone should hire you. Show people who you truly are and give them the opportunity to connect with you on a deeper level.
[00:41:51] Not only is it going to set you apart in business, but you’re also going to like working so much more because you’re going to love the people that you’re working with. When I started sharing more about my personal story with endometriosis and chronic illness, I was really worried that people were going to hear it and they weren’t going to want to work with me. That they were going to be worried that I was going to be flaky and all the negative things that swirled around in my head, right?
[00:42:15] But I’ve actually been able to make so many incredible connections and talk to so many amazing people since I started sharing my story that it really just gave me some validation and made it easier to keep going with it. I also make sure that everything that I am putting out online in captions or in the copywriting on my website, I make sure that it all sounds how I speak in real life.
[00:42:38] Now the way that I do that, and I highly recommend everybody do this, especially if you feel like you’re really struggling to write in a way that sounds natural to you, is once you’ve written something, speak it out loud. And if it feels weird as you’re saying it, that’s because that’s not how you’re normally used to talking.
[00:42:55] If you’ve written in a way that you normally speak, it is going to flow off your tongue, and there won’t be any sort of issue feeling like it’s not really you, and that’s going to help you lean into your brand voice as well.
[00:43:06] Since most of you listening to this episode are getting into the thick of your busiest season, start with places that you can control on the go, like the way you approach your reels or the things you’re writing in your captions on social media. But the big projects like changing your website copywriting and things like that, save that for the off-season when you’ve gotten a little bit more comfortable and a little more practice under your belt using social media for this. And when you just have more time to be leaning into something like redoing your website.
[00:43:32] All right another episode done friends. Thank you so much as always for being here Enjoy the last of your may and I will be back with our first June episode next week.
[00:43:43] Thank you so much for listening. You can find full show notes from today’s episode at simplysandrayvonne.ca/keepingitcandid. In the meantime, let’s connect. You can find me on Instagram and TikTok, just search SimplySandraYvonne. And if you’re loving this podcast, I’d be so honoured if you’d go ahead and hit that subscribe button and leave a review. Until next time.
Today I am joined by Candice Coppola, author, podcast host, business coach, and entrepreneur have to do business or happy hour alone. Call me biased, but I can confidently say that she is the best business coach out there. I’ve been working with her since 2021 and it’s easily one of the best decisions that I have ever made.
I absolutely adore this woman. I could sing her praises a million times over. I’m a little bit of a fangirl, but it’s okay.
As a successful entrepreneur who grew a business from the spare bedroom of her home into a multi country multi six. figure company. It’s safe to say that Candace has navigated the bumpy road of entrepreneurship.
She started her first company Jubilee Events during the great recession in 2008 with no experience and no contacts. She grew it into a recognizable brand and team over 12 years. She worked with clients from all around the world and produced events in excess of a million dollars. [00:01:00] She launched the Power In Purpose podcast in 2008, a show that explores how to build a profitable business with purpose and the stories behind the successful entrepreneurs who have Candace and her audience have meaningful conversations about business and life as they explore the strategies and techniques that build profitable businesses. Her podcast is rated five stars and sits on the Apple podcast charts as one of the top 100 podcasts in the entrepreneur category.
Her work and voice can be seen in many publications, but most recently, and most notably in her two books, The White Dress & Color Inspiration for the Modern Bride and The White Dress Destinations, The definitive guide to planning the new destination wedding. Candace joined me for an interview to talk all about email marketing and how wedding photographers can utilize it to generate sales in their businesses and take some of the pressure off themselves to always be showing up on social media. Everything that Candace has to teach is absolute gold and she has no bullshit approach just like me. So I know you’re going to love it.
Transcript of my interview with Candice Coppola
[00:02:00] Sandra Henderson: (Intro Music) Welcome to Keeping It Candid. I’m your host, Sandra Henderson, an international wedding and family photographer and business coach. I help wedding photographers use systems to build out the backend of their businesses to gain control and continue to thrive no matter what life throws their way. And on a more personal note, I’m a strong Enneagram three-wing too who’s obsessed with tacos.
And my love for travelling combined with navigating chronic illness life are just two of the many things that drive my passion for all things systems, workflows and beating burnout as a business owner. Join me every week for a candid behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like working as a wedding photographer, where I’ll give you actionable steps to take your business to the next level. Absolutely no fluff here friends, so go grab your favourite notebook and pen and let’s dive into this week’s episode.
(Music Fades Out)
Well, thank you so much for joining me for an interview. I’m so excited for the shoe or like our roles to be reversed and to be on the other side of this. But anybody who has been following me online for any amount of time over the last couple of years knows all about you because I talk about you all the time and how much I love being a part of your mastermind.
But for any listeners who are maybe new around here, why don’t you take a quick second to introduce yourself and let everybody know what you’re all
[00:03:12] Candice Coppola: about. Well, Sandra, thank you for having me on your show. It’s a great honour to be here. I’m so flattered that you wanted to have this conversation and the feeling is mutual in terms of love and respect and admiration.
What you’re doing here is amazing. And I just think the world of you. So thank you so much for having me on this show. For those of you guys who don’t know me, I’m Candace Coppola. I’m a business coach for wedding pros, and I help you build a profitable business with purpose in a former life though. I was a wedding planner, so I understand all the weird things about the industry firsthand because I lived it myself growing a business over 12 years.
Uh, I help clients all over the world celebrate moments that matter in their lives. And in 2019 I [00:04:00] decided to sell my business and to go all in on helping wedding pros build their business. And that was like a long time coming. I had slowly started to not love my job as much as I used to when I started and in those growth years, my lifestyle had changed pretty dramatically, which definitely played a role.
And I just loved doing stuff like this, talking to Sandra, talking to you guys and just exchanging ideas and helping people build a business that really supports their life.
[00:04:32] Sandra Henderson: Well, I, for one, am very grateful that you’ve made that change because it brought us together. So sorry for everybody who’s missing out on you planning their weddings, but we love having you over here.
[00:04:43] Candice Coppola: And I’m happy to be here. Trust me.
[00:04:45] Sandra Henderson: So I wanted to connect for this interview to talk a little bit about email marketing. I would love to kick things off by just hearing your thoughts on why you think that email marketing is so overlooked in the wedding industry as a whole, especially for wedding photographers.
[00:05:01] Candice Coppola: You know, I think wedding pros are just getting by with the marketing that they can muster. You know, we’re really focused on Instagram. That’s kind of like our place where we focus and network. I like to call marketing for wedding pros this holy trinity of Instagram, networking and blogging/SEO.
I think those are the three things that work best for wedding pros, but I feel like email marketing is one of those things that wedding photographers might find to be scary. Maybe you tried it before and it didn’t work and I can understand why because it is something that you have to be very strategic about and you can’t just, you know, throw something on your website, ask people to sign up for your newsletter and then expect to be Making thousands of dollars from your email list. It requires that you understand how email marketing works, but once you get the gist of it, then you can see the opportunities and the possibilities. But it needs to be better described for wedding pros because my email marketing is a lot different than what a wedding photographer would do, right?
Email marketing is like the backbone of my business, to be honest. Email marketing is one of the oldest forms of marketing. Before there was email marketing, there was direct mail marketing, which everybody remembers getting catalogues in the mail as a kid, you know, and like just getting direct mail, which still happens.
I don’t get a lot of it, but I know a lot of people’s mailboxes are full of bullshit. Well, email marketing is the new generation of direct mail marketing. It’s one of the oldest forms of marketing and it works for a wedding photographer. You need to think about it differently than what I would do as a coach and maybe what a store would do that’s selling products or something like that.
[00:06:51] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, I totally agree. And it’s so true. That was kind of like the, the key that flipped everything for me was just kind of thinking about how it’s different than the average businesses, email marketing. And something triggered my thought process to go this way. But my husband actually the other day was like, could you please stop spamming our family email address with all of your email marketing?
And I was like, no, how am I supposed to test it out? I need it.
[00:07:16] Candice Coppola: And also PS, you should be encouraging me to send it so that you can see what I’m doing.
[00:07:23] Sandra Henderson: I’m going to bring that back to him. It’s his birthday, so I’ll wait until. tomorrow.
[00:07:26] Candice Coppola: That sounds like, that sounds like a fair thing.
[00:07:28] Sandra Henderson: He gets a day off from me giving him a hard time.
So why do you think that email marketing is so important when it comes to making sure that your business is sustainable long term? Like I know a lot of people start to feel so burnt out when it comes to social media, and especially Instagram. I feel like I’m saying this all the time more and more as the years go on. But it’s never been harder for businesses to get their info out there on Instagram.
[00:07:54] Candice Coppola: Yeah, it’s true. Instagram has become more difficult to stand out because everything kind of looks the same over there. And Instagram has moved in the direction of serving creators. And let’s be honest, we didn’t open our businesses to become creators.
It’s sort of a byproduct of having a business these days; you need to create content, but what you really want to do is photograph weddings. You want that connection with your client. That’s where you want to spend your time. And so Instagram has evolved into this almost unsustainable channel for marketing. We have to be there. It’s sort of a necessary evil. And I think that if you can diversify your marketing channels and really make that top of funnel broader where you’re bringing people in…
So think of your marketing – and just for somebody who’s like, what the heck is she talking about? I want you to think of business sales like a funnel and you have your top of the funnel and that’s what’s feeding in all of these potential leads.
And for most photographers, the top of their funnel is going to be word of mouth. Okay. So you’ve got that networking vibe, you’ve got Instagram and then hopefully you’re blogging. If you’re not blogging and doing SEO, that’s a separate conversation that I’m sure Sandra will have with you, but those are the top of your funnel.
We’re looking for interesting ways to add to that, that don’t take too much of your time or don’t require you to be front and center like Instagram does daily, multiple times a day. So email marketing is great for wedding pros in the sense that it’s something that you can, you can kind of set and forget. You can’t set and forget anything. You have to pay attention to all areas of your business, but you don’t have to pay attention to it. Even closely though, even what you do with blogging, you don’t have to pay attention to email marketing the same way you could essentially set up a funnel, an email funnel that you create and that automatically.
It helps to bring in leads, helps to nurture those leads to help them go through that know, like, and trust and that leads to bookings. But you can also use it for the very same purpose on your existing clients. Here’s it’s something that wedding photographers really mess up – product sales. You guys, like I’ve coached so many of you and we go through your pricing and we go through your revenue streams and I’m like, okay, so how much are you making on products? And everybody’s like, Oh, I don’t make anything.
[00:10:27] Sandra Henderson: I remember when I was first starting my business, word for word, I was like, I literally don’t care where people print their photos. I’m just giving them their digitals and be on their way. And Oh, do I regret saying that.
[00:10:42] Candice Coppola: it’s a missed opportunity, right? It is one of the fundamentals of sales, is it’s easier to sell to an existing customer than it is to acquire a new one.
And so if you take anything out of our interview today, out of our conversation, aside from email marketing, I want you to really get serious about how you can increase the value of every customer you already have. And you might be doing this by having shoots beyond weddings after the wedding. So offering yourself up for family or portrait sessions, things like that.
That’s great. But product is something that a lot of photographers fall short on, and you can easily sell products and even add-ons to your services using email marketing in an automated way. So email marketing adds a layer of sustainability to your photography business marketing and when used well and when used strategically can really help to increase your revenue.
[00:11:40] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, that’s so true. Now, what are some ways that you think that photographers can actually grow that list and gain inspiration for those top-of-funnel steps? One thing that I see a lot of photographers doing that are in my little network, is doing like tips for engagement sessions and things like that. So is that the right kind of like path that photographers should be thinking along?
[00:12:02] Candice Coppola: Right. This is a great question. And this is where I think email marketing gets, it’s a make-or-break situation because how you bring people on your list really matters. And we need to be very strategic about this. Think about it like this.
You have this funnel. You want people entering the top of your funnel at or around the point where they’re ready to buy and if they’re entering your funnel with, you know, 10 things to have on your wedding day to get ready or how to prep for your engagement session, they may be entering your funnel with a photographer already.
It’s guaranteed, right? Somebody is Googling engagement session ideas. They’re looking for ideas to use with their photographer who P. S. is not you. So, it’s kind of like you want to think strategically about getting somebody on your list at or around the point where they’re going to be ready to buy a certain product from you.
And for this instance, we’re going to talk weddings, but we can also think through a variety of other shoots that you may do during the week or to diversify your income. We also want the opt-in or the way that we’re bringing them into the funnel to be location-based. The locations in which you serve if you’re a destination wedding photographer, cool. There’s a lot you can work with on that. Speaking to the destinations that you are known for want to be known for, but if we just throw out an opt-in, like how to get ready for your engagement session and you’re based in Connecticut, anybody can download that across the world and then what you’re doing is you’re bringing in leads who are in your area.
It just doesn’t make sense to support them. Right? So when you’re thinking about your opt-in, I want you to think, okay, first, what are some topics that somebody might be searching for using Google that I can rank for? The questions that they have or things that they’re looking for that are around the time that they are going to buy from me.
And what do I want them to buy? Is it wedding photography or is it something else? And then how can I tie that to my location that acts as a filter and makes it very location-specific, which honestly is fantastic for people who are searching in that location. That information is like insider information based on where you’re located.
[00:14:20] Sandra Henderson: Oh, that’s such a good point about being insider information. Do you think that it matters if photographers create something that other photographers in their area have already done? That’s the one hindrance that I hear a lot of people say, ‘Well, I don’t have a unique idea and this person and this person have already done this.’ What are your thoughts on that?
[00:14:40] Candice Coppola: It is absolutely not a problem to create something that somebody else has already created because first of all, if you see a lot of people using a certain type of opt-in the likelihood that they’re using it is because it works. And so that’s validation. It shouldn’t be something that, you know, that you feel restricted by like, Oh, I can’t do that because she’s doing it.
See it as validation, but what you’re going to do is you’re going to put your brand on it, your approach on it, your thought process process on it. You know, maybe you see another photographer doing like the 10 best wedding locations in insert your area and you do the same. You may not mention the same locations.
I wouldn’t even download the opt-in. I would just be like, okay, I’m seeing that a few people are doing this. That must mean it works. Let me just take that concept and then do it with a fresh set of eyes and not see what anybody else is doing inside their offer. But no, that, that to me says, ‘Hey, this is viable. This means like, it’s been vetted.’
[00:15:38] Sandra Henderson: So when wedding photographers are creating these opt-ins and thinking about how they’re going to lead people through their funnels, what are some ways that they can make sure that that exchange is profitable for both sides, like both for the client and for them?
[00:15:52] Candice Coppola: I think one of the biggest hang-ups around email marketing is that we don’t want to bother people, right? This is what detracts people from getting into email marketing because, and even I, sometimes I’m like, ugh, hitting send on this. I’m like, I hope I’m not bothering anybody. This is kind of ridiculous because it takes this mindset shift to say, you know what? Maybe I’m helping someone. Maybe sending this email and whatever I’m saying in it or whatever I’m telling them in it or sharing or giving them information about is actually being of help and of service to them rather than being a nuisance.
So I think first before we go any further, you need to recognize that when people opt-in to hear from you when they download a freebie; when they say, ‘Hey, I’m actually searching for this information. I’m interested in it,’ that’s them telling you that they want to hear from you and they’re interested in this subject. So you have permission to speak to them.
There’s also an unsubscribe button. So at any time, people can tag out, they can be like, you know what? I don’t need this anymore. And then you don’t have to pay to have them on their list. So it’s a benefit for everybody. They can self-filter themselves.
When we think about email marketing though, I want you to think of it like this, and this is something that I heard somewhere, maybe in some Clubhouse room or maybe, I don’t know. I heard it somewhere, maybe on a podcast. It was from a copywriter and they were like, ‘Write emails that people want to read.’
And when you think about the best emails that have come across your inbox, they tend to do a bit of storytelling. They have humanity behind them, probably a bit of humour, the personality of the writer. It doesn’t feel formulaic. It doesn’t feel like, you know, some of those emails. I don’t need to describe them, but you know what I mean? Emails that just feel detached. And they’re speaking to the crowd as well. They’re like, Hey guys, or Hey everybody. But. The best emails are ones that tell stories, they show your personality, they’re relaxed, they’re not too professional or corporate in any way, and they speak to the one person reading.
[00:18:00] If you’re not on Sandra’s email list, you should be because she writes great emails. And I’m not just saying that. Sandra understands how to write and she also understands how to write an email that people want to read. They’re engaging with their storytelling. They offer support and knowledge. There’s a point to it. You kind of get lost in the story she’s telling. It makes sense to what she’s sharing with you. And it’s just a pleasure to read. If you want your email marketing to be successful, you need to do it with strategy. And I want you to feel comfortable writing. In a tone and in a way that connects people to you.
[00:18:41] Sandra Henderson: I think that’s so, so important. And thank you for those kind words about my email marketing. It’s one of my favourite things to do now that I’ve kind of learned some of the things that you’ve been talking about in this episode. And the one person that I was thinking of that I know you love getting these emails to is Jen from Tonic Site Shop. That’s another email list, if you guys aren’t on it, you definitely want to go and sign up because even just her subject lines are so funny. They’re a major inspiration for me, for sure. Now, we’ve talked a lot about opting in and things that people can do to get people to opt in comes next. What are some things that wedding photographers should be keeping in mind in those other steps of the funnel?
[00:19:25] Candice Coppola: Right. So I also want to say, do not put up a form on your website and say, subscribe to my newsletter. Nobody wants to subscribe to you. Literally nobody, unless your newsletter is about gossip or something juicy, you know, nobody’s interested in your newsletter.
And also you’re never going to send the fucking newsletter. People are going to be opting in for this newsletter that never gets sent. I’ve been there too. And I’ve also been on the other end of opting in for something from somebody and never hearing from them, and then suddenly they email me a year later and I’m like, who is this?!
[00:20:03] Sandra Henderson: Right?! Oh, that happens to me all the time. I’m like, why are you in my inbox? I don’t even know your name and unsubscribe.
[00:20:09] Candice Coppola: I know. I know. So when somebody opts in to hear from you, what I want you to do is think, how can that opt-in be connected to a product or service that I offer?
So let’s just take the 10 best wedding venues to get married in Connecticut as an opt-in, right? The person is looking for a wedding venue, which means they definitely haven’t hired a photographer yet. So they’re like in the right moment to know about your services.
They download this guide and you’re sharing with them your favourite venues from a photography perspective. Why they’re so great, images of your work that are throughout this guide are fantastic. You deliver it to them and then through a series of automated emails over several days and even weeks, you’re going to email them related to the opt-in and then related to your services. So you’re going to think first, okay, this person downloads this opt-in. Maybe I check in with them three or four days later and ask them if they had a chance to review it, or if they have any questions about the venues that are in the guide, and just be of service, right?
So you’re going to serve them. And then a few days later, you might be like, Hey, I have some cool blog posts that I want to send this person in case they want to kind of check out some other options. Maybe let me serve them again in another email, direct them to some of my work and maybe say like, Hey, you should really check out Candice and Jason’s wedding at this venue.
Or, check out my work there, just check out how they designed it. Blah, blah, blah. So you’re serving, you’re serving, and then the next email you send, you might say, Hey, why don’t you schedule a consultation with me? We can talk more about my photography services, and I can maybe answer some of your questions about the venues you’re looking at.
So do you see how we are serving them information? We’re guiding them. We’re guiding them to more resources. Maybe we’re even answering some frequently asked questions that your couples have before they book a venue or before they find a photographer. We’re trying to raise brand awareness. We’re trying to kind of leave an imprint on them, and we’re trying to help them get to that date so then they can get to us and book our services. So we talk, I talk about this model of serve, serve, sell. And so in your emails, just think about how can I serve, serve and then sell. How can I serve, serve and then sell? How can I offer support and value and feel really good about doing that?
But then also give them an option of something that may help them it. Get to where they want to go faster, right? Which is booking a photographer, and maybe shouting out some of your favourite planners that can help. Like all of that is just goodness for the client. So to me, that is what email marketing is not sitting down on every Tuesday and having to think about like, what the fuck am I going to send these people-
[00:22:56] Sandra Henderson: – talking about the weather at the beginning of the email, which is what my go-to was.
[00:23:02] Candice Coppola: hope you’re doing well. You know, these automated emails, everybody who downloads it goes through the funnel and then you can start to get feedback from people and you can maybe even get on a call or two with people and you can feel out some things and then add to your nurture sequence. And that’s what this is called. It’s called a nurture sequence.
Now in your nurture sequence, you should definitely introduce yourself. You should share more about yourself and invite them to come follow you on Instagram or wherever it is that you would like to draw their attention to. Instagram is probably going to be one of those places.
And don’t be afraid to share with them about you. Why you do what you do, your photography style, and then information on how they can book a consultation with you. Information on how they can connect with you multiple times throughout your nurture sequence. And you can have many nurture sequences, so you can have different nurture sequences for different opt-ins.
And that kind of makes sense because if somebody is opting in for the 10 best venues in Connecticut and another person’s opting in for a checklist for hiring your Connecticut wedding photographer, they’re in two different stages. So it makes sense to have two different nurture sequences that speak to the problem they’re experiencing that led them to your opt-in.
[00:24:24] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, that is such a good point. And I love what you were saying about serve, serve and sell. That was really the key thing that flipped my approach to email marketing and helped it feel a lot more authentic was just removing that. And I think that whether you’re in the education space or in the wedding industry, in the photography space, there are ways that you can help your clients out or help potential clients out without just constantly selling to them over and over again.
Sandra Henderson: Friends, I am interrupting this interview because I am so excited to tell you that I just launched a brand new quiz called Let’s Talk About It, What Your Taco Preferences Reveal About Your Wedding Photography Business.
When I was growing up, I loved nothing more than taking quizzes in the back of teen magazines. If any of you listening were born in the 90s, you know exactly what I’m talking about. They were in the back of teen magazines, they were in the back of Cosmo magazines. And now if I’m being totally honest at 36 years old. When I see a quiz pop up on my Buzzfeed, there is no better way to waste a few minutes of my day than to take that quiz. I just love them.
So if you are like me and you love taking quizzes or you’re just interested in finding out what your taco preferences reveal about your wedding photography business and what the hell the two of them have anything to do with each other at all, I want you to head over to my website, simplysandrayvonne.ca/quiz and you can find out, and then don’t forget to pop over to my Instagram – @SimplySandraYvonne – and let me know what your results
[00:26:01] Candice Coppola: Yeah. I mean, listen, it’s about the human connection, the experience, so make it authentic to you. But what I want you to know is there’s nothing wrong with asking for a sale and you have to recognize that you’re in business to solve problems for people. It’s why you opened your business with folks who are getting married and who want a photographer. That’s a problem that you solve. And maybe you even have more of a niche. So maybe you serve the LGBTQIA+ Community. And that’s you so you are friendly to that community. Or maybe you understand a certain culture or background for certain types of clients, and so you serve them at understanding that nuance. Either way, you’re in business to solve your customers’ problems. People are coming to you with this problem and you’re in business to solve it. Don’t feel bad about saying, ‘Hey, I can solve this problem for you. It’s why I opened up my business.’
I feel like we have to be more comfortable and confident in our sales. You know, we need to feel more empowered that we’re here to help people. And we do that by having a transaction, which is when money gets deposited in your account and then you help the people, right? But you can also help people by just being supportive in your email nurture sequence. You write it, you might test it and pay attention to it, and then you can kind of forget it.
Another thing that I want you to think about too, and this goes back to the product sales. You can create nurture sequences that trigger for your clients at certain stages of their wedding planning or post-wedding where you are gently trying to get them to purchase albums and prints and other things that you might sell.
And they might even bring awareness to the fact that maybe you only shoot things outside of weddings for your past wedding clients So if they buy a new home or they maybe they decide to start a family; those are things that you can come in and photograph for them. But this nurture sequence raises that awareness
The problem is, we’re all so busy and this is what I hear from photographers all the time. I’m too busy to worry about the products. I’m just trying to edit and get things out in a timely fashion. Well set up an automated email sequence at certain stages of the client journey that helps them buy additional hours for their wedding. Add an album on before the wedding, give them a print credit. I don’t know. There are so many fun things you can do that help to increase that value per customer with email marketing, too. And you don’t have to sit at your computer every Tuesday and type out some email. It’s already banked, it’s there, and you schedule when you want it to go out.
[00:28:47] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, that’s such a good point. And I think it’s important for photographers to remember, and this is something that I was so guilty of, is that you can’t just expect people to know. So if you’re offering other services outside of wedding photography that are exclusive just to your clients, or even if they’re not exclusive just to your clients, you can’t assume that people are going to know. I get emails from past clients all the time asking me, do you do family photos or do you do maternity photos?
And like, even with me posting that and having done it the entire time I’ve been in business, they still don’t know. So there’s so much opportunity to just continue using your email in a way that can increase your revenue without you having to do all that extra work. I know I am all about more money.
[00:29:29] Candice Coppola: Yeah, and sustainability, right? So I mean, that’s something that I know is really important to you, Sandra, for a variety of personal reasons and also professional reasons, you know, we need to be looking at how we can safeguard our business for life circumstances that may arise that are outside of our control.
And when it comes to marketing, if for some reason you couldn’t get on Instagram or you couldn’t blog; if you couldn’t continue doing the same thing you’re doing right now, wouldn’t you like to know that there’s something working for you behind the scenes to help your funnels still gather leads? I think that’s really important to consider when we think about sustainability for our business and what life has in store for us, you know, because it’s, there are some years where things are really rocking and rolling and things are great and we’re able to keep all of our commitments and we feel good about the work we’re doing.
And then something happens in life. You no longer are able to keep that frequency, but with something like email marketing, SEO, and blogging, those things live on despite you not tending to them like you would have to with Instagram.
[00:30:39] Sandra Henderson: And I think everybody, regardless of what your life was like in 2019, like we’ve all learned that lesson in 2020 and 2021, like having those backup plans for when we just physically and mentally don’t have the capacity to be posting on Instagram and things like that. Those are key for sustaining your business through those rocky times. So I’m so glad that you brought that up.
Do you have any final takeaways that you would love to share or that you hope that like, if there’s one thing that you take from this episode, this is what I hope you walk away with?
[00:31:14] Candice Coppola: Oh, wow. I hope you walk away with a few things. Don’t be scared to sell. I want you to know that the easiest way to make more money is to sell to the people who already have bought from you.
And I also hope that you consider email marketing and you consider it doing it strategically. And trying to come up with an opt-in or more than one that helps to bring the right customers to you. The opt-in needs to be something that people are searching for or a problem they have, a question they have that you can then answer.
And then all you need to do is create a nurture sequence that shares with them more resources and more support, answers more of their questions and leads them to book a consultation with you or leads them to learn more about your brand. So when they’re ready to buy, you’re one of the people on their list.
[00:32:03] Sandra Henderson: One thing that I have loved since I implemented an opt-in funnel sequence for my business is the amount of people that actually reply to these emails. So I wrote these emails, I think the end of 2020 or spring 2021.
Basically, whenever you released The Client Cocktail, a little slight plug guys, if you have not checked out Candice’s Client Cocktail, and you want to get into opt-ins, a hundred percent go and check that out because it was such a game changer for me. But when people are going through that sequence, I actually get emails from them as they’re going through it, where they’re emailing me and thanking me for answering questions that they had not even asked me yet, or telling me how helpful the information was and they’re excited to book a consultation. So that’s been a really interesting after effect that I’ve noticed from implementing my business.
[00:32:54] Candice Coppola: And I love a good chance for conversation. I get so many people responding to my origin story email. It feels weird saying origin story. But you guys know what I mean? That’s like a business term of this how I started my business, being on the couch with appendicitis. It’s a very relatable story, you know?
And people respond to that all the time; telling me their story of why they might be getting into wedding planning or wedding photography. Like what was the catalyst? It’s so great to read those stories and you actually glean a lot of information and insights that you can leverage in your marketing and in understanding your ideal client sort of frame of mind.
So here’s a bonus thing to think about. I’m actually speaking about this at the Book More Weddings Summit coming up probably after this airs. But anyway, maybe I’ll make this presentation available in some form or fashion, but It’s data mining. It’s looking at information and allowing that information to help you make better decisions in your business.
And those emails that you get back with people responding, saying, ‘Thank you so much for answering this question. Here are some other questions I have,’ that gives you information that you can then use to sell, to serve, to post on Instagram for the next email you write. We don’t just take it at face value. Take it as information that you can use to get inside your client’s head to better understand what they’re thinking and the challenges they’re facing.
Boy, wouldn’t we love to know more about why it’s been so quiet this year directly from the source, not from gurus? You know, I see people talking about the wedding gap and all this stuff. And like, okay, but you’re not economists. Like, you don’t really know what’s going on here. I don’t know what’s going on. I just know a lot of people aren’t getting married right now. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could talk to some people and really understand why. We have our theories, but we don’t know. When people respond to your emails, you’re getting in their head and you’re starting to kind of unravel things that maybe you hadn’t considered.
So when people respond to your emails and really with any interaction you have with an ideal client, see it, not just at face value, but also ask yourself, what are they trying to tell me in their questions? What are they trying to tell me about the conversation that we’re having? But that’s a whole other podcast episode.
[00:35:22] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, we could dive in forever, but that was so amazing. Thank you! I know that everybody listening is going to have some amazing takeaways. I do have one last question in store, something that I am doing for season two of the podcast, a little fun ‘Would you rather?’ question, and I’ve been especially excited for yours.
So if you were to go out for dinner with one TV star, would you go out with Jax from Vanderpump rules or The Situation from Jersey Shore?
[00:35:57] Candice Coppola: Why are you making this so hard?
[00:35:59] Sandra Henderson: Which train wreck would you rather go out for dinner?
[00:36:05] Candice Coppola: Well, first of all, listen, I’m leaning towards The Situation, ’cause The Situation loves foods, right? Right. You know that you are going to order the whole menu, right? But Jax, he’s like, an absolute prick and I would, I actually kind of like him in some weird ways.
Like I can actually relate to him on some stuff.
Sandra Henderson: Honestly, me too.
Candice Coppola: And I would want all the Vanderpump Rules tea. Like I would want the real lowdown tea.
[00:36:34] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, and you know he’s gonna spill it like without any hesitation.
[00:36:36] Candice Coppola: He is. I mean, what do I want more? Food or tea? I want tea. So I’d probably… Surprisingly, I would probably pick Jax from Vanderpump Rules.
[00:36:48] Sandra Henderson: I have to agree. I would go the same. No matter which you chose, like you’d be in for a good time, but with The Situation, it’s like the food and the life quotes, and then with Jax, it’s all the tea, but yeah, I got to go with the tea. I love some good tea.
[00:37:03] Candice Coppola: I don’t know if I need the T-shirt quotes, you know, like, I’m good on all of that, even though I love Mike The Situation, but I definitely think Jax. Like I don’t even need to eat, to be honest. Like we can have a couple of drinks. Like I don’t even need to eat. Skip over the food. Yeah.
[00:37:25] Sandra Henderson: Yeah
Candice Coppola: Oh my God. What a fun question. I love that.
Sandra Henderson: Well, thank you so much again for joining me. I absolutely loved this interview and I’m sure we will talk more soon.
[00:37:34] Candice Coppola: Well, thanks for having me.
[00:37:35] Sandra Henderson: I cannot believe that I had THE Candice Coppola on for an interview. I know I’ve known her for a few years. We’ve had the chance to work together, but she is still is just like on a pedestal for me. Candice, if you’re listening, I love you. Thank you for everything!!!
Okay. Okay. I will get back on track. I’ve been using email marketing in my business for as long as I can remember, but I really started to lean into it in the fall of last year, and when I did, I honestly was mind-blown. More than 80 percent of my bookings for my fall mini sessions, and 90 percent of my bookings for both my tree farm and holiday studio mini sessions, came through my email list.
I sent out four emails. The initial open for booking, Some encouragement on why family photos are important because I want to build a know, like, and trust relationship with them outside of just selling. I sent a reminder just over halfway through, and then one last email with a last chance to book. And from those four emails, I was able to generate $5000 in sales.
Social media just doesn’t have that kind of return on investment. And in this scenario, your investment is your time. The time you’re using to create and post online versus the time you’re using to write and send a few emails.
For all my chronic illness friends, this is the secret ingredient you need in your business this year. It’s so hard to show up on all the socials when you’re dealing with another flare and trying to juggle so many things that are so much more important. So now that we’re in off-season, it’s the perfect time to set aside a day or two and draft up some emails for 2024 and schedule them throughout the year.
I use Flodesk for this and I have ever since it launched. It’s the perfect platform to easily create aesthetically pleasing and on-brand emails that won’t land you in people’s spam folders. If you head over to simplysandrayvonne.ca/resources, you’ll find my Flodesk affiliate link there to save 50 percent on your first-year subscription!
Thank you so much for listening. You can find full show notes from today’s episode at simplysandryvonne.ca/keepingitcandid. In the meantime, let’s connect. You can find me on Instagram and TikTok, just search @SimplySandraYvonne. And if you love this podcast, I’d be so honoured if you’d go ahead and hit that subscribe button and leave a review. Until next time.
About Candice
Candice Coppola is an author, podcast host, business coach and entrepreneur who believes that you shouldn’t have to do business (or happy hour!) alone.
As a successful entrepreneur who grew a business from the spare bedroom of her home into a multi-country, multi-six figure company – it’s safe to say she’s navigated the bumpy road of entrepreneurship.
She started her first company, Jubilee Events, during the great recession in 2008. With NO experience and NO contacts, she grew it into a recognizable brand and team. Over 12 years, she worked with clients from all over the world and produced events in excess of 1M.
She launched The Power in Purpose Podcast in 2018, a show that explores how to build a profitable business with purpose—and the stories behind successful entrepreneurs who have. Candice and her audience dig in and have meaningful conversations about business and life, as they explore the strategies and techniques that build profitable businesses. Her podcast, rated 5 stars, sits on the Apple Podcasts charts as one of the top 100 podcasts in the entrepreneur category.
Candice’s work and voice can be seen in many publications, but most recently and most notably in her two books The White Dress in Color: Inspirations for the Modern Bride, and The White Dress Destinations: The Definitive Guide to Planning the New Destination Wedding.
Her favorite color is pink, she’s obsessed with all things skincare + bravo TV, she’s always overdressed, and now lives in beautiful Barbados with her husband and two pups. Catch her on Instagram for business advice and tips–but stay for the island life and house plants.
For tips and updates follow me on Insta @simplysandrayvonne
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