7. BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE
Do you have a clear picture of who you are speaking to and what you want to say when you post or send an email?
Do you have a strategy, or do you tend to post on a whim?
Having a branding session with a photographer will help you take a good look at your business, your story, and the message you want to convey. Working with a photographer who cares about and knows what they’re doing, they will take the time to get to know you and your business, and help you figure out your visual story.
And when you have images that truly and beautifully represent your business or brand, you will feel excited and empowered to share about your business, why you love what you do, how your business can serve your audience well, and create real engagement.
Tip: Never post “same day” without strategy. Giving yourself time to plan and strategize your images and captions, you can post with more confidence and certainty that your message and intent is clear.
6. GROW YOUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND EXTEND YOUR REACH
Collaborative sessions with other small business owners and service providers can extend your reach, and create lasting connections, support, and community. Recognize areas where you can work together with other businesses on sessions (maybe a seasonal styled shoot or event).
The people you choose to surround yourself with as a small business owner, entrepreneur, artist, maker, or brand matters. No one knows better than the self-employed how impactful one person can be on your business. Now imagine you form a network of people you can work with, recommend, support and lift up.
By lifting others around you, you build a valuable community.
Tip: Make a point of direct messaging at least one fellow local business per week. Introduce yourself, give them some encouragement and love. You never know whose day you might make with a simple act of kindness and community!
5. STAND OUT AND RISE UP
We’ve seen it happening in many types of markets - you seem to be one of thousands of photographers, coaches, makers, bloggers. How can you compete?
You must elevate your brand to stand out among the crowd. You do this in a few ways: using your authentic voice, providing excellent stand-out service, and putting forth a brand that looks and (more importantly) feels next level.
The quality of your images will speak volumes, and consistency is key. When you have plenty of gorgeous, professional photos to choose from, you will stand out and first impressions can be the difference between growth and riding the struggle bus.
Tip: Create a visual branding board on Pinterest or in a program like Illustrator or Photoshop. Include images, graphics, typeface, your logo and 10 words or phrases that describe your brand. Use this as a guide and for inspiration for everything you post, share and send. Just starting out with branding your busienss? I’ve got you covered with a free personal branding worksheet.
4. TAKE YOUR BUSINESS SERIOUSLY
Do you get that random comment from friends or family that your job “must be so fun” and you don’t have to work hard, or that “it’s nice you can make money on one of your hobbies.” These comments sting, but the hard truth is, to be seen as a business, you need to conduct yourself as a business. This includes (but is not limited to) having a clear brand voice and image. This will differentiate you from “just another mom with a camera and a Facebook page” or someone making some extra cash on Etsy.
Having a clear story to tell through your images and posts will set you apart from sharing whatever random pictures you take on your phone on any given day.
Tip: Use an app like Planoly, Plann or Mosaico to plan and schedule your Instagram posts. You can move your images around to whatever arrangement you like best, write your captions (or copy and paste them from your social media calendar), add your hashtags of choice and post each day according to your schedule.
3. REACH THE RIGHT CLIENTS AND CUSTOMERS
It’s the law of attraction, friend!
We’ve all done the Instagram scroll, right? What makes you stop and double tap a post, or take a minute to read the caption? First and foremost, it’s interesting images that appeal to you. The content, the quality, maybe you recognize the brand quickly and easily for the person, the color story and style.
No one wants to be standing in the middle of crowded Times Square shouting to the masses “LOOK AT ME!” It’s exhausting and pointless. Maybe you’ll get a little extra attention. But before you know it, those people have moved on with the crowd.
You don’t want to be the shiny object of the moment.
But what if you set up shop on a specific corner and show up every day where you know your audience is hanging out, be there consistently, speaking directly to your target audience. They want to stay and chat and hear what you have to say. They come back again and again, bringing friends who they think will like what you have to say.
By knowing who you want to reach, your message is clear, and you establish trust through consistency. Your images reflect your specific business and brand, and your words amplify your message.
Tip: Get to know your “Target Audience” avatar. Give them a name. Specify as much as you can about them so that when you are speaking to them through captions, emails or blog posts, your are speaking to them like you would your friend. You know them that well.
2. GROWTH TAKES TIME AND WORK
I’m just going to say this. You’re probably not going to go viral. And you’re not going to get rich overnight. Growth takes hard work and consistency. For many it takes years. But you can take upward steps each day, and a year from now, look back at how far you’ve come.
Maybe professional photography seems out of reach, or you keep thinking “I’ll do it in a few months, maybe when I’m a little bit bigger and more established.”
What if you invest in your business now and start growing tomorrow, with a professional “starter pack” of images to work with?
You can keep dreaming and planning, or you can decide and act.
Tip: No matter where you are in your business, write down three actionable steps you can take today, this week, or this month, to propel your business forward. Then do them.
