Priority Pursuit

027. If you’re checking out this episode while it’s still new, then it’s early October. And, you’re likely thinking, “Slow season? Why are we talking about slow season? We’re in the midst of/we’re about to approach my business’s busiest time of year!” 

And, friend, I get it. If you’re a photographer or wedding vendor, fall likely has you busy right now. Or, if you own a boutique, work in retail, or have another business where many of your sales happen during the holidays, your busy season is just beginning. 

That said, your busy season will come to an end, and for many businesses, a “slow season” follows the busy season. But, just because shoots, sales, etc. slow down doesn’t mean you don’t have things to do. In fact, slow season is the perfect time to work “on” your business instead of “in” your business so you can help your business grow and improve. 

To help you plan ahead, set goals, and make the most of your slow season, in this week’s episode of Priority Pursuit, we’re discussing eight ways you can improve your business this slow season! 

1. Create or revisit your ideal client avatar.
2. Update your website.
3. Create content for the next year.
4. Create a social media calendar.
5. Prepare publication submissions. 
6. Address any inefficiencies in your business. 
7. Improve your client experience.
8. Invest in professional development. 

You can find a more detailed version of the show notes at http://victoriarayburnphotography.com/eight-ways-improve-business-slow-season. 

Links & Mentioned Resources

• “Episode 020: How to Identify Your Ideal Customer as a Creative Entrepreneur with Nate Dale of New Adventure Productions” -https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/how-identify-ideal-customer/ 
• Treefrog Marketing https://www.treefrogmarketing.com/ 
• ShowIt - https://showit.co/ 
• “Eight Things Your Photography Website Needs to Convert Visitors into Clients” -

026. Ellie McKinney of Ellie McKinney Photography is a destination wedding photographer and educator who offers mentorship for photographers and business owners. Since 2011, Ellie has strategically planned, set goals, and worked tirelessly to create a successful, profitable six-figure business where she is able to serve her clients well AND sit down at a table for dinner with her family every night. 

In this week’s episode of “Priority Pursuit,” Ellie shares insights and offers practical steps to help you to create a six-figure business and live the life you love by discussing the following topics: 

1. What does it mean to make six-figures & why does it matter?
2. How do you get started creating a six-figure business? 
3. Decide if creating a six-figure business is what’s best for you.

You can find a more detailed version of this episode’s show notes at: https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/

Mentioned Links & Resources

• Ellie McKinney Photography  - https://elliemckinney.com/
• Find Ellie on Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/elliemckinneyphotography
• Find Ellie on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/EllieMcKinneyPhotography/
• Find Ellie on Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/elliemckinneyphotography/boards/
• Facebook Community for Photographers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/189357975311908
• “Episode 011: How to Build Your Team as a Creative Entrepreneur with Jessie Roseberry” https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/build-your-team-as-a-creative-entrepreneur-jessie-roseberry/
• Sprout Studio -

25. Are you feeling like your expectations are getting lost in translation with your clients? Does it seem as if you’re answering client’s emails at all hours of the day and night? If so, this episode of Priority Pursuit is for you! 

Felicia Dale of Emerald Lotus Events is an entrepreneur, wedding event coordinator and educator based in Lafayette, Indiana. With twenty-two years of experience working in customer service combined with eight years of working in the event field, Felicia knows all the ins and outs of how to provide the best services for her clients on their special day. There is no stone left unturned when Felicia works with her clients because she has built her business around setting clear expectations and communicating them with her clients. 

In this week’s episode of “Priority Pursuit,” Felicia offers some practical tips and tricks to communicate and set clear expectations with your clients by discussing the following topics:

1. The reason why it matters to set clear expectations with your clients. 
2. Be honest and transparent when you share your expectations with your clients. 
3. Communicating your expectations with your clients doesn’t have to be hard; it can start with simple steps. 
4. Hold fast to the expectations you’ve put in place even when a client is ignoring them and wanting more than they paid for. 
5. It is all about people; they will remember how you made them feel when they worked with you. 

You can find a more detailed version of this episode’s show notes at: https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/

Mentioned Links & Resources

• Emerald Lotus Events - https://emeraldlotusevents.com/
• Find Felicia on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/emeraldlotusevents/
• Find Felicia on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/emeraldlotusevents/
• Simple Wedding Planning- https://em

What are keywords? How do you identify strategic keywords? How do you use keywords to improve your SEO?

Friend, these are the exact questions we’re answering on today’s episode of “Priority Pursuit”! 

This might sound funny, but I’m crazy passionate about SEO because I know search engine optimization has the power to give small businesses and creative entrepreneurs big results. 

In fact, every year, 40% of my clients find me on Google, meaning 40% of my annual income is a result of the fact that my website ranks well on search engines. 

If you haven’t tuned into “Episode 004: Five Ways to Improve Your SEO for Free” (https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/five-ways-improve-your-seo-free/) I highly recommend listening to that episode before diving into this one. 

But, in today’s episode of “Priority Pursuit,” we’re going to break down how you can identify and use strategic keywords to improve your SEO and get your website, blog posts, and other content in front of your ideal customers, so you can make more sales! 

For a written version of this podcast, visit https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/how-identify-use-strategic-keywords-improve-seo. 

If you’re a visual person, download “A Guide for Photographers: How to Identify Keywords for SEO that Will Help You Book More Clients”: https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/how-to-use-long-tail-keywords/. This download includes screenshots to show you exactly how to identify and use your long-tail keywords on your website. 

Mentioned Links & Resources

• Show Notes: https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/how-identify-use-strategic-keywords-improve-seo 
• “Episode 004: Five Ways to Improve Your SEO for Free”: https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/five-ways-improve-your-seo-free/ 
• “A Guide for Photographers: How to Identify Keywords for SEO that Will Help You Book More Clients”: https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/how-to-use-long-tail-keywords/ 
• “75 Blog Topic Ideas for Photographers”: https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/75-blog-topic-ideas-for-photographers/

Want to move your website up the Google ladder? Today, I’m excited to share five ways you can improve your SEO for FREE as a photographer or creative entrepreneur! 

Before I became a full-time wedding photographer, I worked at a marketing agency. And, a big part of my job was making sure that our clients appeared on the first page of Google. 

So, when I started my photography business on the side, I optimized my website just like I did for agency clients, and it didn’t take long before people were finding my website on the first page of Google, my calendar was packed, and I was ready to make photography my full-time career. 

Today, 40% of my clients find me through Google every year, and I firmly believe that I’m able to be a full-time wedding photographer because my website ranks well on search engines. And, because I have no doubt that SEO could do huge things for your business as well, I’m excited to share five ways you can improve your search engine rankings for free!

1. Add great content (such as blogs) to your website regularly. 
   1. Find your sitemap. 
   2. 1. For ShowIt users
         1. Yoast SEO Plugin
      2. For Wordpress & ShowIt Users (If you use ShowIt, your blog is built with Wordpress. This means you actually need to submit two sitemaps. Submit your sitemap for your blog with these instructions.)
      3. For Squarespace users
      4. For Wix users
      5. For Pixieset users
      6. If you use another web builder, don’t worry! A quick Google search should help you find the resources you need. If not, contact your web builder, and they should be able to help you. 
      1. Instructions 
      2. Google Search Console 
   3. Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console. 
2. Submit your sitemap to Google. 

024. Are you longing to move to a new city, state, or country? Is the fear of having to rebuild your business in a new location holding you back? If so, this episode of “Priority Pursuit” is for you! 

Kayla Bowen of Kayla Bowen Photography grew up and started her business in Portland, Oregon. Then, shortly after she and her husband got married (literally the day after), they moved to Vegas, meaning Kayla—a wedding photographer with consistent bookings in Portland—had to move and rebuild her business in a new city! 

If you’ve spent any time at all building a location-dependent business, the thought of moving might sound terrifying. However, since moving two years ago and despite a global pandemic, Kayla has managed to fully book her calendar and meet her income goals. And, in this episode, she’s sharing exactly how to move and rebuild your business in a new location with seven strategic tactics! 

1. Be open to doing a number of things to fill your calendar.
2. Connect with others in your industry in a way that serves them.
3. Join local Facebook groups.
4. Use location-based hashtags.
5. Take advantage of SEO & blogging.
6. Get scrappy again.
7. Start marketing your business for your new area before you move. 

You can find a more detailed version of this episode’s show notes at: http://victoriarayburnphotography.com/how-move-rebuild-your-business-new-location. 

Mentioned Links & Resources

• Show Notes: http://victoriarayburnphotography.com/how-move-rebuild-your-business-new-location 
• Kayla Bowen Photography - https://kaylabowenphotography.com/ 
• Follow Kayla on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaylabowenphotography/ 
• WIPA - https://www.wipa.org/ 
• “Episode 006: Building Your Business Through Vendor Relationships with Arielle Peters” - https://victoriaraybu

023. If you’ve listened to a single episode of “Priority Pursuit,” you know I don’t believe that work-life balance exists. And, friend, this is largely because there are busy seasons. There are busy seasons in life for various reasons, and as creative entrepreneurs, most of us face busy seasons simply because that’s how our industries work. 

For instance, as a wedding photographer in the Midwest, May through October tend to be very busy for me because we only have six months of nice weather per year, so most people get married during this timeframe. 

This episode is by no means about how to make busy seasons stress free or how to prevent busy weeks, months, or quarters altogether. Instead, this episode is simply about how you can prepare for, manage, and—not to be dramatic—but survive busy seasons in your business when they inevitably come with five tips and tricks:

1. Set boundaries.
2. Front load those who will be affected by your busy season.
3. Put your business priorities—the things that move the needle in your business—above all else. 
4. Outsource what you can. 
5. When busy season is over, reassess your boundaries. 

You can find a more detailed version of the show notes at: http://victoriarayburnphotography.com/how-prepare-survive-busy-seasons-creative-entrepreneur.

Mentioned Links & Resources

• “Episode 002: How My Business Almost Cost Me My Marriage”: https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/how-my-business-almost-cost-me-my-marriage/ 
• “Episode 001: Are You PRIORITIZING What’s Most Important in Your Personal Life & Business?”: https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/are-you-prioritizing-whats-most-important-your-personal-life-business/ 
• Episode 011: How to Build Your Team as a Creative Entrepreneur with Jessie Roseberry of Roseberry & Co.: https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/build-your-team-as-a-creative-entrepreneur-jessie-roseberry/ 
• Join the Priority Pursuit Podcast Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/179106264013426 

022. In this week’s episode of “Priority Pursuit,” Jasmine Norris of Jasmine Norris Photography joined me to break down how having her photography published has helped her business grow and thrive and listed specific steps on how to get published as a wedding photographer. 

In this episode, Jasmine answers the following questions:

1. What does it mean to get published and how can it help your business grow?
2. What steps do I take to get published as a wedding photographer?
3. How can I work publication submission into my normal workflow?
4. How can I talk about being published without sounding braggy?

You can find a more detailed version of this episode’s show notes at: http://victoriarayburnphotography.com/how-published-wedding-photographer-jasmine-norris

Mentioned Links & Resources

• Jasmine Norris Photography - https://www.jasminenorris.com/  
• Find Jasmine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jasmine.norris/?hl=en 
• Find Jasmine on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JasmineNorrisPhotography/ 
• Two Bright Lights- https://www.twobrightlights.com/home.php 
• Receive 50% Off Your First Order with Photographer’s Edit - http://victoriarayburnphotography.com/pe/ 
• Receive $20 Off Your First Pair of Rothy’s - http://victoriarayburnphotography.com/rothys
• Join the Priority Pursuit Podcast Facebook Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/179106264013426  
• Join the Waitlist to Join the 2022 In Focus Marketing Summit - https://www.infocusmarketingsummit.com/ 

021. In this week’s episode of “Priority Pursuit,” Greta Hale, a personal trainer and owner of Healthy As Hale, joined me to share her heart when it comes to mental health and battling depression while running a small business.

Greta is open in sharing about her own mental health struggles and why mental health advocacy continues to be so important. As a teenager, Greta faced serious health concerns that put her under enormous mental pressure and stress. Looking back, she realized she didn’t know how to express her feelings and as a result, didn’t speak up when she was struggling. This ultimately led to a suicide attempt. Her mental health struggles as a teenager have continued to follow her into adulthood as she strives to prioritize her own health, be a wife and a mama, and be a student, manage her depression symptoms, and run her business.  

In this episode, Greta answers the following questions:

1. Why is being transparent about mental health so important?
2. What is your advice for people who think they may need help?
3. What are practical ways small business owners can cope? 
4. What would you tell someone who is running a business and struggling?

You can find a more detailed version of this episode’s show notes at: https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/battling-depression-running-small-business

Mentioned Links & Resources

• Healthy as Hale - https://mailchi.mp/3540f027bc5a/healthyashale/ 
• Find Greta on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/healthyashale/?hl=en 
• Find Greta on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gretafrey13 
• Episode 002: How My Business Almost Cost Me My Marriage - https://victoriarayburnphotography.com/how-my-business-almost-cost-me-my-marriage/ 
• Receive 50% Off Your First Order with Photographer’s Edit - http://victoriarayburnphotography.com/pe/ 
• Save 50% on Your First Six Months of Quickbooks Self-Employed - http://v

20. Friend, I’m going to be blunt for a second. If you don’t know who your ideal customer is, all of your marketing efforts are a WASTE. In order for your business to succeed and for you to be able to make wise marketing and business decisions, you have to know who you want to work with so you can strategically target and reach them. 

If you’ve yet to identify your ideal customer or if your ideal customer needs a brief review, this week’s episode of “Priority Pursuit” is for you! Nate Dale of New Adventure Productions returns to the podcast to share how to identify your ideal customer when it comes to your own business and marketing strategy.

We’ll be answering the following questions: 

1. What is an ideal customer?
2. Why is it critical to know your ideal customer?
3. How to identify your ideal customer
4. Why are you serving this ideal customer?
5. How have you adjusted your business and marketing practices to find your ideal customer?

What You Need to Know About Your Ideal Client According to DigitalMarketer

1. Demographic information
2. 1. Age
   2. Gender
   3. Relationship status
   4. Number of children
   5. Children’s ages
   6. Location
   7. Occupation
   8. Job title
   9. Annual income
   10. Education
   1. General
   2. In relation to your product/service
3. Goals and values
4. Possible objections (in relation to your product/service)
5. Problems and pain points (in relation to your product/service)
6. Sources of Information (media they regularly consume)
7. Role in the purchase process

Join Nate and Victoria in Hawaii for the New Adventure Workshop!

The workshop will take place on the Big Island of Hawaii January 27-31, 2022. This is an education first workshop for photogr