PhotoSpark

Did you guys know that March is Women's History Month? We wanted to take advantage of that, and chat a bit about what it's like to be a female business owner. Women tend to face obstacles and challenges that men don't always face. We invited San Diego photographer Monica Royal to be a guest this week & she was the perfect person to chat about this topic with! Monica has experienced many of these hurdles herself, and talks with us about how to be assertive and quit apologizing, which leads to more effective communication. Download from iTunes Here DISCLAIMER: While we recorded this particular episode with women in mind, we are well-aware that there are also many men out there who struggle with effective communication and suffer from these same obstacles! This episode isn't intended to exclude anyone, so you'll likely get some great tips from listening, no matter your gender! Photo Credit: Monica Royal Key Takeaways

1. Quit apologizing!! We are ALL most likely guilty of apologizing way more than we need to. Have you ever received the incorrect at a restaurant and apologized to the waiter about wanting to return it? We have! It makes no sense, but as women we oftentimes feel like the peacemakers of awkward situations, both in business and in our personal lives, so "I'm sorry" tends to be a go-to phrase in those cases. Instead of apologizing, try to reword your apology as a thank you. For example, "I'm sorry I'm late" can turn into "Thank you so much for being patient with me." This will help you appear stronger, and will also make TRUE apologies mean more!
2. Communicate better... by saying less. Monica tells us a story about a situation where she presented an art package to a large biotech firm. The price she came up with for the proper size artwork that fit the space ended up being a couple thousand dollars more than the company had anticipated. Long story short, she KNEW when she presented the package price to the CEO that she HAD to hold her breath & not speak. If she had started to speak, she would have rambled off reasons and excuses for the price (maybe even apologies for it), which would have weakened her stance as a professional photographer & business owner. Spoiler alert, the sale went in her favor. She stresses the importance of knowing when to shut up. This is KEY in being successful in sales & in business, and not something that always comes naturally to us.
3. Fake it till you make it. If you struggle with effective communication, and you don't have time to start therapy sessions to figure out WHY you are the way you are (undervaluing yourself, apologizing often, etc), Monica suggests the ever-popular "fake it till you make it" approach. Find a role model who is assertive, tough, and unapologetic, and model yourself after that. It's most likely going to be VERY difficult and uncomfortable. However, in the end, you'll probably come out alive, and better for it.

If you guys haven't listened to this full episode yet, you really should. Monica is a freaking hoot, and she's extremely knowledgable and informative about this topic. You ALSO should check out her work. She's a very talented macro photographer and she creates stunning works of art. Check her website out below & thanks for tuning in!! Relevant Links

• Monica Royal
• FB: monica.royal3
• Twitter: @monica_royal
• Instagram: monicaroyal
• PhotoSpark on Facebook

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No matter how long you've been in business as a photographer, it's a guarantee that you will be asked to work for free at some point. Whether it's a friend or family member looking for a hook up, a wedding vendor looking for photos of their product and offering "exposure" in return, or a charity looking for a donation, we're constantly bombarded with opportunities to give away our time & photos for free. Local photographer Cavin Elizabeth (Cavin Elizabeth Photography) knows this struggle well! In fact, in 2015 she calculated that she gave away thousands of dollars in free photography services. This is obviously a crippling amount. She learned a lot of lessons about working for free in this year, and she's on the show to chat with us about what she learned! Photo Credit: Arielle Levy Key Takeaways

1. How could working for free HELP your business? Make sure the job you are taking benefits YOU. Figure out criteria to help judge these jobs, and run every potential free shoot through your criteria before saying yes. Is there a possibility to make money from this experience (whether directly, in the future, or via referrals)? Is it an opportunity you could benefit from? Maybe it's a unique venue you want to shoot, or a florist you want to network with. Make sure it's an experience you can benefit from as well, and you'll prevent burning out by working for free.
2. How could working for free HURT your business? Well, if you're doing a free shoot, you are blocking out time on your calendar that could be used for paying clients. So if you do that too often, you'll be hurting your business by not making money. Also, some people who search out photographers for free work are looking to take advantage of them. Working with these people repeatedly will drain your energy. Cavin noted that many vendors she provided free images to in the past didn't even write her a thank you email. The lack of communication in turn made her self conscious & question her work, which is emotionally draining in itself!
3. What are some alternatives to working for free? We've spoken about this on the show before, but we LOVE offering trades in lieu of working for free. Ashley trades for all sorts of things... fitness memberships, hotel rooms, even her dog's recent eye surgery! Trades are an amazing way to show the person you'll be working with that you value your time, but you still want to work with them. Plus, you'll be less likely to burn out if you are getting something from the deal also!

Cavin is seriously a plethora of knowledge on this topic and was such a great guest! We loved her energy in studio, and she made so many great points about working for free! Be sure to tune in! Relavent Links:

• Cavin Elizabeth Photography 
• PhotoSpark on Facebook

Photo Credit: Arielle Levy   Download from iTunes Here Download from iTunes Here

We think one of the hardest aspects of working in the wedding industry is staying inspired and ahead of the current trends. It's so easy to browse wedding magazines & inspirational, styled blog posts, but by the time you figure out what's currently trendy, it's probably almost too late to actually use it! Kim Sayatovic is the founder and chief creative officer of Belladeux Event Design, a full-service wedding and event design firm based in New Orleans. She was the perfect person to chat with about staying inspired in the wedding industry because she is creative, artistic, and full of advice! Tune in to the podcast to hear some tips about staying inspired (along with some hilarious stories about New Orleans & the south in general... including some wacky bride ideas), but feel free to read our favorite points below! Key Takeaways

1. Don't look for inspiration... create inspiration! The best way to be unique & stay ahead of the trend is to find your own inspiration! Pinterest & blogs are great, but they're full of ideas that have already been done. Kim mentions she looks at the world as if she's looking through a lens. She finds inspiration from nature & often figures out ways to incorporate different things she's seen outdoors in her wedding designs. She's constantly creating a vision in her head that hasn't been done before, which is key to staying inspired in the wedding industry!
2. Pull inspiration from the fashion industry. One of the reasons why the fashion industry is a great method of inspiration is because they also stay ahead of trends. Thumbing through fashion magazines is an excellent way to find new styles, see what's trendy & popular, and create some awesome designs and portraits based off these styles! Textures, colors, and materials that show up on the runway are typically up next in the event world as well!
3. Consider your geographic location & find inspiration around you! Kim is lucky enough to work in New Orleans, which is full of rich history, vibrant colors, and (as we learn on this podcast) AWESOME wedding traditions! Seriously, is there anything cooler than a second line?! Anyway, a traditional New Orleans wedding will probably be styled very differently from a San Diego beach wedding. Play to your city's strengths when drawing inspiration for your wedding or your photoshoot and you'll likely come up with something unique & awesome!

Tune in to hear more tips & stories from Kim & be sure to check her out online! Thanks for listening! Relavent Links

• Belladeux Event Design
• Belladeux Event Design on Facebook
• PhotoSpark on Facebook

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Ok this episode was hard to do... why? Well, we were stuck in a studio on a rainy day while our interview-ee was hanging out on a freaking beach in Mexico!! MAN! We were so jealous. Isn't technology awesome?? Anyway, our lucky guest this week is Adam Fried from Simply Color Lab & ShootQ! He came on the show to chat about tools for automation, and we definitely had some questions about how to make the most out of client management software. ^^ Ashley and Julie had the chance to hang out with Adam in Las Vegas last week at WPPI! Key Takeaways

1. Why should we use automation software? Photographers are super creative, but oftentimes that makes running a business a little difficult for us. These days, it's not just about who can take the best photo, it's also about who's the most organized, who can respond back to a lead faster, etc. Using tools for automation helps us rise above the rest of the pack, because we look more professional, stay more organized, and thus book more shoots. Ashley has mentioned that clients constantly tell her how easy the booking process was from start to finish. They've even mentioned that in Yelp reviews. ShootQ's client management software makes for a great customer experience!
2. What are some "out of the box" ways to make your client management software work for you? Once your business is organized and you're using tools for automation, there are a number of ways to use it to your advantage. For example, Adam mentions you can single out certain families according to information from your client questionnaires... so if you wanted to do a sibling shoot, you could set up your ShootQ to find families with over 2 kids and create an email list from that information. Having all that info in the software saves a TON of time!
3. Get excited for the "new" ShootQ! We didn't intend this episode to be a ShootQ commercial, haha, but it's hard to not get excited about all of the changes coming to ShootQ VERY soon! Adam talked a bit about the new systems, and they sound fantastic. First off, they're taking their time on launching it because they want to make sure it's perfect. Secondly, they aren't forcing users to switch over, but if a user decides to switch, ShootQ will help them transfer everything over to the new system. There aren't plans to turn the old system off anytime soon, which is AWESOME. There are updates to make client pages more mobile friendly, email templates easier, improvements to the app, and so much more!

It was great to chat with Adam about tools for automation & ShootQ. We will probably have him back on the show once the next-gen ShootQ is launched to give us updates & chat about any questions we have about the new software, so stay tuned for that! Relavent Links:

• ShootQ
• Simply Color Lab
• PhotoSpark on Facebook

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We are SO excited for WPPI next week (well, Ashley & Julie are... Kate ended up bailing because of mom reasons) and we're brainstorming ways to get the most out of it! We're excited to hopefully meet some listeners, and there are some very cool PhotoSpark plans in the works! We thought this would be a perfect time to have Anne Simone & Kayla Harrison on the podcast! These two work for Shoot Proof; Anne is a content developer & Kayla is a community builder, and they recently collaborated on an awesome blog post all about getting the most out of photography trade shows and conventions. We chatted even more in-depth with them on the show... check out our three favorite tips below! Key Takeaways:

1. Figure out your priorities. When thinking about photography trade shows and conventions, it's easy to get overwhelmed with all the things to do, people to see, and fun stuff to buy. Take the time to put together a top three list. You can actually do a lot of these (top three products to purchase, top three classes to attend, top three people to meet, etc) but start with one. What are the THREE things you most want to get out of the convention. Think about purchases, speakers, and experiences. Once you have your top three list figured out, you can fill in the rest of your time & feel comfortable knowing that your three biggest priorities will be met. This will help you relax once you're there & have fun too!
2. Prep yourself before you go. While it's pretty obvious that you'll want to look at the class list before you go and decide exactly what classes and lectures you want to attend, not everyone does the same for the trade show! The WPPI trade show is HUGE and it's easy to get distracted from your main goals and/or totally lost! It's a great idea to do some research on what vendors will be present beforehand, and once you get there, Kayla & Anne suggest doing a complete walk of the floor before committing to anything. This way you know all the deals that exist & you're able to make the right decisions for your business. Before you even GET to WPPI, it's a good idea to have a list of priorities. What exactly do you NEED for your business? Once that's purchased, you can move on to things you might WANT and fun gadgets/gear that you have money left for.
3. Step out of your comfort zone. Something we chatted about a little before the show is how easy it is to go to WPPI and only talk/hang out with the photographer friends you already know. While this is fun, it isn't the best way to take advantage of your time there. We suggest setting up lots of dinners, coffee dates, happy hour dates, etc with people you don't already know & can form new connections with! Apart from the networking aspect, WPPI has a LOT of other opportunities for connections with new people! Photo Walks are a great way to shoot new material, practice techniques, and learn from the best. By stepping out of your comfort zone, you can learn new skills and meet new people that you might be able to do business with or get business from in the future!

Tune in to our episode to hear even more tips on how to get the most out of photography trade shows and conventions! It was a pleasure chatting with Anne & Kayla and we hope you liked it! Hit us up on Facebook and let us know if you're going to WPPI! Looking forward to meeting some of you there! Relavent Links:

• The Truth About Success & Savings At Photography Trade Shows
• shootproof.com
• blog.shootproof.com
• instagram.com/shootproof
• facebook.com/shootproof
• WPPI 2017

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Hello there, loyal listeners! We can't wait to share this week's episode with you guys. We'll admit, when we first thought about having a LinkedIn expert on the show, we were a bit nervous about whether or not we'd find the topic relevant for photographers. I mean... LinkedIn always seemed like a great resource and networking tool for people in the corporate world, but it never really occurred to us that we can and SHOULD be using it for our photography businesses! We invited Mary Fain Brandt, Owner & Chief Inspiration Officer at Mary Fain Brandt Career Coaching & The LinkedIn Bakery on the show to give us some LinkedIn advice relevant to our field of photography. Tune in to hear her awesome tips (we could have chatted with her ALL day, seriously), but here are three of our favorites! Key Takeaways

1. There are over 460 MILLION people on LinkedIn. We could stop right there and not even talk any further about this and that ALONE should be the reason to create and perfect your LinkedIn profile. That's a LOT of people!!! These are typically professionals, so they tend to be the type of people who have the budget for photography. These people are used to using LinkedIn on a regular basis, so it's only natural for them to turn to it when they have a photography need. If you're not on LinkedIn, you're missing out on a ton of opportunities to connect with potential clients!
2. Write articles. LinkedIn offers a chance to do what many other websites don't, and that's the chance to publish articles. Anyone has the ability to publish, and it's a fantastic way to establish your role as a professional (and expert!) photographer within the LinkedIn community! Consider posting an article that is interesting and relevant to the LinkedIn crowd. Mary gave us the example of an article on how to get the perfect headshot. Not only will this article give you a chance to help people look great in their photos (talk about outfit choices, makeup tips, etc), but you'll be connecting with business professionals who are interested in getting headshots done. If you can figure out an article that is helpful to the general LinkedIn population, you'll be on your way to quite a few connections & hopefully some business!
3. Have a well-established LinkedIn page. We are so used to Facebook and Instagram that the three of us weren't really sure what LinkedIn was all about. Ashley has a pretty well-established page, Julie has a page but it needs a bit of work, and Kate's not even on LinkedIn at all. So we asked Mary what we need in order to be well-established on LinkedIn & here are a few of our favorite tips
   1. Have a professional headshot. This goes without saying, right? I mean... we are professional photographers. We know we need professional headshots to represent ourselves and our businesses.
   2. Make connections. When you're used to being picky about who you add as a friend on Facebook, this part can be tough. You have to get over the hurdle of being nervous to add people, and just go for it. All of your past clients should be added to your LinkedIn, as well as anyone you meet at a networking event. Your family, friends, past co-workers too. Remember to seek out people with a lot of connections. The more connections they have, the better chance you have of linking up with someone who can use your services! The magic number you want to hit is 500. LinkedIn shows the exact number of connections you have up to 500, but once you hit 500, it just shows that you have over 500, so you look well-established & well-connected.
   3. Be professional, but be yourself. One of the things we struggled with when thinking about making our pages was that we felt the need to be SUPER professional with our language in our bio sections. LinkedIn is definitely a bit more formal than Facebook or Instagram, so you do want to have a fairly formal bio, but it's TOTALLY okay to let your own language and personality shine through! You don't want to be AS quirky as your "about me" section on your website maybe, but you don't want to come across as impersonal and stiff. Don't be afraid to be yourself... just make sure you keep that bio up to date!

Seriously there are a million more tips from Mary in this episode, so we highly suggest you download it ASAP & get your LinkedIn pages updated & perfected!! And if you need any help, feel free to check out Mary Fain Brandt online; she has some fabulous resources for you! Relavent Links:

• Mary Fain Brandt
• Mary Fain Brandt on Facebook
• PhotoSpark on Facebook
• Julie Ferneau Photography
• Ashley DuChene Photography
• Chasing Daylight Photography

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There's a really interesting trend when discussing profitability as photographers. It seems very black and white. Half of photographers talk about how money isn't important. They talk a lot about being super picky with jobs you take, shooting for passion, not profit, and being sure not to work too much because you might "sell out." On the other side, the other half of photographers talk about money money money. How to make more money, get more clients, and be more successful. We've definitely noticed this split before... and truth is, neither of these business models make sense for most people!! Of course we'd all LOVE to be super picky and only take jobs we're ridiculously excited about, but at the end of the day we have to turn a profit... and there's nothing wrong with that! Jasmine Fitzwilliam is an amazingly talented photographer and business owner here in San Diego. She has spent a LOT of time making a "brand plan" (we'll talk about that more below!) and knows exactly where she wants to be in her business. She chats with us this week about the gray area between the two mindsets we discussed above...profitability without selling out! Key Takeaways

1. Don't be afraid to make money. There seems to be something taboo about making money as an artist. There's a stigma behind profitability... it's as if people think as soon as one makes money as an artist, they've sold out. This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, there's a much greater risk of burning out when you aren't profitable.
2. Have a BRAND PLAN. Have a short list of checks and balances you can refer back to when making a business decision. When an opportunity arises in your business... whether it's a chance to advertise, an expensive business purchase, a new client, etc, you can refer to this list. You'll never have a difficult time making these decisions because you can check back & decide whether or not that decision is smart for your business. This is a big picture view of your business. What's your business's personality? What's it like? A brand plan is a bit more big picture than a business plan... and less scary!
3. It's never too late. You can always readjust and improve your business. As your business grows, you'll be re-defining your goals for the life of your business. A lot of people make the mistake of watching their business heading in the wrong direction, but feeling like it's too late to make changes. While it might be harder to define your brand once your business is already established, it's always a good idea to make sure your business is still working for you. This is key to profitability without selling out. You can't be profitable unless you know where you're going & what goals you have!

Relavent Links:

• Let's Frolic Together
• Check out Jasmine on Facebook
• Julie Ferneau Photography
• Ashley DuChene Photography
• Chasing Daylight Photography
• PhotoSpark on Facebook

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Photo Cred: La Vida Creations

Hello everyone! We are hoping your 2017 has been going great so far. We've been super busy here at PhotoSpark so far this year. We've been recording episodes, planning new show topics, discussing our WPPI strategies, and more. We figured this is a great time to remind ourselves about the importance of keeping our clients happy, and who better to chat about that with than Bethel Nathan! She's the awesome wedding officiant/business-woman extraordinaire who runs both Ceremonies by Bethel and Elevate by Bethel. She is also an absolute EXPERT in the customer journey (I mean... have you SEEN her Wedding Wire reviews?!) so we knew she'd be the perfect person to have on the show! If you think about it, your clients' journeys begin the moment they know they need your service... that part is mostly out of your control. Once they reach out to you, you are in complete control of how their customer journey unfolds from start to finish. We want to make sure this is a positive journey! Tune in to hear the full episode, but feel free to check out some of our favorite talking points below! Key Takeaways

1. Find your weaknesses. Take a look at your business from the customer's perspective. Pretend you're your own client & you're on your customer journey. What parts of your experience are lacking? For example, Ashley feels like the gallery selection process could be a little confusing for her clients, while Kate feels her email response time should be better. Taking time to determine the weaknesses in your business model will help keep you on track to fixing them. Sometimes it's a super easy fix that can make a world of difference in the customer journey!
2. Remember this is a BIG DEAL for most clients. It's easy for us to forget how special, exciting, and crazy photoshoot day (or wedding day!) is for our clients because it's something we do every single day. However, to your client, this is an experience they're not likely to forget! If you're a portrait photographer, your client has likely spent days or weeks figuring out the perfect outfits, making hair & makeup appointments, and imagining what her photos will look like. If you're a wedding photographer, we DEFINITELY know your client has been dreaming of this day for a long time... sometimes their entire life! So we definitely have to slow down & make sure our clients feel appreciated, special, and significant during their shoot.
3. Make sure their expectations meet your expectations. Clients likely have different expectations according to what they're paying for a shoot, and you might not even know what those are! Make sure they know exactly what to expect from you. Behind the scenes videos are a GREAT way to do this (hello 2017 goals!!). If expectations are clear from the get-go, you're ensuring their customer journey is as successful as possible.
4. Don't underestimate work done behind the scenes. Oftentimes, the networking you do and connections you make within your industry (and related industries) benefit the customer journey without them even knowing about it! Bethel gives the example of how she always hand delivers marriage licenses to the county. This isn't a required thing, or even something all of her couples even really care too much about, but it's something she loves doing. Because of this, some couples have benefitted from her connections at the county clerk's office when they've needed a service above and beyond what they would usually get. We can't forget the importance of everything we do to improve the customer journey, even when they don't know we do it!

If you enjoyed this episode and are local to San Diego, check out Bethel's upcoming workshop ALL about the Customer Journey on 1/25/17 at The Bash Boutique in North Park. There's more info on the event's Facebook Page... take a look! AND THERE'S MORE! Bethel is awesome and put together a quick one page summary on the customer journey FREE for you guys! Just click here & download! (You'll also find free downloads from her other two shows with us as well!). As always, thank you for listening & have a great week! Relavent Links:

• Elevate by Bethel
• Bethel's Freebies!
• Upcoming Workshop- The Customer Journey: Their Path to Your Success
• The Elevator (Bethel's Facebook accountability group!)

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If you're a wedding photographer, you've likely worked hand in hand with wedding planners and coordinators to achieve the best wedding possible for your clients. This can always be a tough relationship to navigate though... how much contact is too much? When should you contact the coordinator/planner? What do you do if you have a problem with the timeline? The ever-amazing Courtney Tibbets of After The Engagement joined us in the PhotoSpark studio to help us learn the secrets of working with a wedding planner! Not only is she a breath of fresh air (this chick DEFINITELY knows her brand & runs a seamless, amazing business!), but she's also a wealth of knowledge in all things wedding related. Tune in to hear her awesome interview, but check out the post below to hear some of Courtney's tips regarding working with a wedding planner! Key Takeaways:

1. Figure out what you can do for them. If you're interested working with a wedding planner, it's not a bad idea to get on their good side. The best way to get their attention is to contact them and offer them something! As photographers, we are lucky that we rarely have an out of pocket cost for shoots, so it's a great idea to offer your time! Ask the wedding planner you're chatting with if there's anything THEY want to do. Not only will this get their attention, it's a great way to show off your skills & make a connection! As long as everything goes smoothly, they're very likely to want to work with you again in the future!
2. Ask them what package their client booked. When working with a wedding planner, don't automatically assume that their (your) client booked them for every aspect of their wedding. Courtney suggests researching their packages & asking which one the client booked so you know what questions you should go to the planner for and what questions you should go to the client for. For example, sometimes wedding planners have a hand in selecting & communicating with other vendors and sometimes they don't. So if you need to know something about the DJ's setlist & you want to ask the wedding planner about it, it's a good idea to know if that's even something they're involved in or not.
3. Do your research! When working with a wedding planner or trying to work with a wedding planner, you should be sure to visit their website & learn a little bit about them! Courtney loves when photographers contact her & mention her name (and maybe a little something about her style or her website/blog!) and HATES when photographers send an over-generalized, likely CC'd email without actually addressing her by name.
4. Give them your images. This is an obvious one... the wedding planner spent tons of time with your couple helping them plan and carry out their dream wedding, so of course they want to see photos from the photographer. They also want to blog the wedding, so you need to give them images in a fairly timely manner so they can blog quickly. Ask your wedding planner how they prefer their images to be delivered, what size images they'd like, and how many. AND THEN GIVE THEM TO THEM. Wedding planners shouldn't have to chase you down to get the images; they're basically offering you free promotion via their blog too, so it's a win/win situation!

We hoped this episode helped you guys learn some do's and don'ts of working with a wedding planner! We know we have a lot of wedding photographer listeners, so we are thrilled to have Courtney on this week for you guys! Do you have any questions for us? Any show topic ideas?? Shoot them our way! Like us on Facebook & post them on our wall. We'd love to hear from you guys! Thanks for listening; see ya next week! Relevant Links:

• After The Engagement
• After The Engagement on Facebook
• Ashley DuChene Photography
• Chasing Daylight Photography
• Julie Ferneau Photography

^^Photo Credit: Chris Wojdak Photography   Download from iTunes Here

It's no secret that when it comes to the planning of family photos (or let's be honest... most everything), moms are typically the ones contacting photographers & organizing everything. So it's SUPER important that we don't forget the importance of networking with moms. To chat about this, we invited Jillian Darlington to join us in the studio. Jillian is a mom herself, and the CEO of MomCo App. In addition to running her own company, she is also a SheKnows Expert, a member of the Today Show Parenting Team, brand ambassador, and regular parenting expert on Fox5 and CW6 News in San Diego. MomCo is a FREE app that allows moms to locate and connect with potential mom friends that live close to them with similarly-aged children and common interests. It's a fantastic resource for moms, and also a great place for networking with moms, as Jillian discusses in our episode! We have picked our three favorite tips for networking with moms from Jillian... check out the blog below! For more awesome tips, be sure to tune in to our full episode! Key Takeaways:

1. Find the Queen Bee. When you're interested in getting the word out about your business (or a special offer like mini sessions), don't just look for individual moms, aim to reach out to someone who is in a place of authority. For Facebook, this would be the admin of whatever mom group you're in. This person likely has a lot of influence over the members in the group, and the members are more likely to trust her opinion. She can also spread the news quickly to other moms.
2. Consider offering a referral incentive. This isn't a bad idea for pretty much any client you have, but since moms love to chat with each other about their experiences (good and bad!), offering a referral incentive is a great way to make sure moms are spreading the news about you and your business! This means other people are kind of doing free advertising for you & is a win/win for you & your client... you get more business & they get discounts or free prints!
3. Build mutually beneficial relationships to spread your brand. The more people you can have working for you and spreading your name around the better. A great way to do this in your area is to do a themed shoot representing a local business. For example, if there's a cute donut shop in your city, consider doing a mini session featuring their donuts. Be sure to tag them in Instagram posts, and aim to get them reposting and tagging you. By doing this with local businesses, you're also attracting the attention of moms & other potential clients without actually networking with them directly.

Jillian gives tons of advice for networking with moms, and she's fantastic with all things business-related, having started her own very successful company herself. Be sure to tune in to hear her entire episode! Relavent Links:

• MomCo App
• Julie Ferneau Photography
• Ashley DuChene Photography
• Chasing Daylight Photography

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