Embracing Your Uniqueness with Yasamin Salavatian

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.

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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

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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!

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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.