It's in the Making

I absolutely adore Christmas! Anyone else? There is something so magical about this time of year. It’s a time when families gather, gifts are exchanged, communities are engaged & life is celebrated, most importantly, Jesus life.

Each year we try and make Christmas special. We have been accumulating some special Christmas traditions over the years, and I want to share them with you. You can hear about them in full on the podcast episode, but here is a quick summary: 

1. REAL Christmas Tree hunting & decorating

2 Christmas Movies

3. Carolling

4. Gifting Books

5. Neighbourhood Cookies

6. The Christmas Story

7. Donation

8. Christmas Lights

I don't know about you, but I'm not the same person today as I was yesterday. There have been many changes in my life & as a result, the name & direction of my podcast needed to change a little. In this episode I give you 5 reasons why I decided to give my podcast a facelift & what you can expect in the future.

Have you been thinking about launching an online course? Well I have the perfect episode planned for you. Today, I have Steph Taylor with me who is a launch strategist. She is going to share with us the 101 on launching a course. Steph has done numerous launches herself that have allowed her to travel and take vacations for months at a time. And today I pick her brain and she generously shares so much knowledge and wisdom on this topic. We talk about:

• Who should launch a course
• When you should launch a course
• Why you should launch a course
• Whether the online course space is too saturated and what to do about that
• What you should do to test your ideas and whether they’ll fly
• The biggest mistakes people make when launching a course
• And how you should price your online course

I think you’re going to love this episode and hopefully it will inspire you to start creating a course of your own.

You can find Steph here on her Website, Instagram or on her Podcast

Struggling with your pricing? I have a free Pricing Formula that will guarantee success just for you.

I just wanted to let you know that my free 4 part video training series, The Creative Cure, is still available. If you’re interested in learning 4 strategies to increase the success of your business, by actually working less and having more time in your life for what’s important, sign up for the free video training at  emmalemke.com/thecreativecure. I hope to have you join me there.

Today on the podcast we have photographer and business educator Emily Magers. Emily is based in LA and has not only established an amazing photography business but now coaches and mentors other photographers through online courses and in person workshops. In this episode we talk about everything, but the kitchen sink, of creative business. 

We talk about how to:

1. Price and know your value
2. Collaborate on styled shoots and excel your business
3. Brand your business effectively
4. Get your work seen and stand out
5. Create community with others in your industry
6. Start a photography business in the wedding industry
7. The benefits of education

You’re going to love this episode and learn so much from Emily. To find her online, head over to her website or Instagram.

Struggling with your pricing? I have a free Pricing Formula that will guarantee success just for you.

I am also hosting a FREE 4-part video training series called the Creative Cure. The Creative cure is 4 x 10-20 minute on how you can transform your creative business & life, almost immediately. So if you’re feeling tired, overwhelmed and overworked and with nothing to show for it? This training series is for you. Go to emmalemke.com/thecreativecure to learn more and sign up to receive the tutorials in your inbox. They are starting on June 1!

Today, I have Kate Wilkinson on the podcast with me and I’m really excited for you to hear this one. Kate is a Pinterest queen. She worked her magic on my very own Pinterest account and I have gone from 12,000 monthly unique viewers to 185,000 monthly unique viewers in the short span of 2 months. She not only talks about Pinterest strategy, but she tests all the strategies out on her clients and gets huge success. In this episode, Kate is going to break down Pinterest for you and talk about how you can start using Pinterest to generate traffic to your business in 2020. We look at what Pinterest is, why Pinterest is so powerful, where to start if you’d like to start using Pinterest for marketing, how to design successful pins, how many pins you should be pinning per day and so much more. 

For more on getting started on Pinterest, Kate has a free Pinterest Makeover Guide to help you out. 

A great tool Kate recommends to help with posting pins to Pinterest is Tailwind. You can get the first month free by heading to Kate’s Instagram bio and clicking on the link. You can use the link below to find her Instagram.

Where to find Kate:

Website | Instagram | Pinterest

Struggling with your pricing? I have a free Pricing Formula that will guarantee success just for you.

I’m excited for you to meet New Zealand's best Graphic Designer, Nicole Macdonald! Nicole is the girl behind the beautiful January Made Design. Within 3 years, her business has taken off and she is one of the most highly sought after graphic designers online. In this episode, you’ll get to hear Nicole’s journey from designing for mechanics and her mum's friends, to now designing for her ideal clients. Nicole shares her challenges and her wins in such a raw and honest way. You’ll love her thoughts on pricing, instagram strategy, marketing, attracting your ideal client and how to stay inspired and stand out to your ideal client and work alongside your competitors. Nicole also gives some solid advice for designers who are starting out. 

Follow the links to check out Nicole’s Instagram and Website.

Just recently I put up a question box in my instagram stories for creatives who are just starting a business or are thinking about starting a business. I asked them what they would like to know or learn from me in a podcast. I got so many great responses from this, so I decided to turn this episode into a Q/A. I’m going to directly answer 5 questions that came through from different creatives in the trenches who are trying to figure out what to do as they’re just starting out. So if you’re new to business and you’re in the same boat, I think you’re going to really enjoy this episode. If you have other questions that you would like to ask me, please do! I’m pretty much always available on instagram in my DMs to dialogue with any of you, I actually love doing that! So make sure you connect with me on instagram @emmajanelemke and i’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.

I’m answering 5 different questions:

• When should I start my business and give up my day job?
• How much money should I spend on my business when I’m first starting out?
• What should I sell in my business?
• What should I put on my website?
• How can I stand out in my industry and establish a unique voice or style?

Links in the episode

• My  “Beautiful Year” course - how to map out a simple project plan for your business
• The Story Brand website is an awesome place for slogan ideas
• About me - check out episode number 12 with Elise Hodge on How to Write a Compelling About Me Page. 

In this episode of the podcast, I am joined by the amazing Tatiana Soash who joins us all the way from Los Angeles. Tatiana is a true creative right to her bones and I am really excited for you to hear all about her journey. She is an incredible Graphic Designer and Hand Letterer - her work is truly phenomenal. She has 5.2 million unique monthly viewers on Pinterest and gives us a mini tutorial on how we too can grow that kind of viewership. She also provides some tips on what she does, how she gets her ideal clients and how she has been getting consistent work straight from pinterest. This is an inspiring episode full of actionable tips that you won’t want to miss!

Links mentioned in this episode: 

> Website

> Pinterest

> Instagram

> Youtube

> ‘You are Badass’ by Jen Sincero

> Tatiana's youtube video on how she got 1 million viewers on Pinterest

> iPad design apps Procreate and Over

Let me introduce you to Jarrah from SBJ Studios. Jarrah is a marketing expert and helps brands stand out amongst the noise. She is a go-to expert on anything to do with social media strategy and that’s exactly what she talks about in this podcast episode. We discuss how to get engagement on social media, why instagram is an effective marketing tool, how to use Facebook groups to build relationships and increase engagement, how to use hashtags and much more. Jarrah is a wealth of knowledge and has gained huge success for both her own business & her clients.

Highlights from the episode:

• Instagram is a relationship building platforms. Its provides an avenue for us, as brands, to connect with our target audience on a human level, educate them on our industry, brand culture, and in-turn, raise awareness and hype around the products and services we offer. All of this ultimately meaning more sales, more customers, more client.
• It is not about the numbers, it's about engagement. The number of followers does not determine your success on instagram, it's the relationships you build with you followers that's important and that will lead to conversions.
• Quality over Quantity - when it comes to content you put out there, it needs to be thoughtful, planned and exactly what your ideal customer is looking for. Jarrah talks against just posting content for the sake of posting. It's one of the biggest mistakes she sees on instagram. A pretty picture attracts, but in the end that want more than just a pretty picture. They want to be educated, inspired or entertained.
• It's important to promote your instagram outside of instagram for growth. You can put your instagram account in your email signature, a flyer, poster, your personal social media pages, pins on Pinterest, blogs, website etc.
• It's important to socialise! Essentially, this means liking, commenting, Dming other profiles that share the same values as you. Don't expect people to engage with what you put out there if you're not engaging with other people. That's not how friendship works!
• Facebook Groups - there are many ways that you can use Facebook groups to grow your audience. You can engage with other Facebook groups or create your own. The key here is to actively engage in Facebook groups, not just passively like posts. Inside these Facebook groups, provide value, and you'll receive new followers in return.
• Digital story telling - tell a story, this is a great way to engage your audience. People love stories. Make your captions into stories and give your audience a reason to engage. Ask them questions and respond to their answers.
• Differentiate yourself - Jarrah says, "In the absence of any other differentiator, your potential client/customer will always decide on PRICE. If you’re like me, and don’t want to have to compete with every other person within your industry on something as frustrating as price, it is crucial to create a personal brand for yourself that puts you on a pedestal as a thought leader within your industry/niche. That “differentiator”? It’s providing value to your audience and allowing them to connect with you on a personal level. Think about it, if your potential client/customer already knows, likes and trusts you? You’ll be the *obvious* choice between you & your competitors".
• Maintain authenticity - Jarrah says, "For me? Authenticity comes back to that overused, white girl saying… “your vibe attracts your tribe”. My transparency on Instagram has been KEY in not only the growth of my following, but it’s also been the catalyst for finding my voice as a brand and attracting the kind of clients i want to do business with".
• Hashtags - they work! According to Jarrah you can get more impressions on your posts by using 30 hashtags. She suggests using hashtags that are relevant to your post and industry. You can read more about what she says about hashtags here.

Where can you find Jarrah/SBJ studios?

Instagram | Website | Facebook

I have always wanted to have an artist on my podcast, and today is the day! Emma White is an incredible Abstract Landscape Artist who has been exhibiting her work for over 10 years now and studied a Diploma of Visual Arts, a Bachelor of Fine Art & also her Masters in Teaching and Visual Art and Design. Her work is unique and her story wonderful! In this episode we talk about what a day looks like in the life of an artist, what inspires her, how she gets her work seen, how she juggles wearing the artist hat and the business hat. I hope you enjoy this chat that we have together.

Links mentioned in this episode: 

> Emma’s Instagram

> Emma’s website