The Social Focus

In todays episode, Nat & Ang chat about working from anywhere. Sounds great doesn’t it?

In all reality during the pandemic, many of us have been forced into our current working situation and location. But that reality and or fantasy doesn’t have to end once things start to pick back up again. This episode will share some great examples on how to work from anywhere, whether from home, on a ‘staycation’ or vacation (remember vacation?) sigh. Those were the days. 

The reality right now is that we are participating in a lot of virtual meetings, whether it be through Zoom or Skype. But ask yourself, do you need to be visually and actively participating in every single one? If the answer is no, why not tune into the meeting on a walk outside or during a workout? 

So how do you prepare for time away while having to work from your new destination? One of the most important things you can do is to set the expectation (whether for your team and or clients). 

The ladies discuss how drafting emails ahead of time and saving them to send at a later time can help with efficiencies. 

Staying along the lines of preparation, Nat and Ang discuss the value in using services such as the cloud or dropbox as a way to have access to important files and to ensure that documents and work is being saved. 

Let’s talk about workspace. At the 14:00 minute mark, Nat and Ang discuss the importance of a good workspace while working away. It will keep you motivated, focused but also in better health. As Nat mentions, no working crisscrossed applesauce! 

Lastly, Nat relates back to episode 03 with guest, Natalie Scott and her advice and motto to, “create a life you don’t need a vacation from.” Avoiding the peaks and valleys and simply create and live the life where you can manage your business and your life. 

Always a Good Listen

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"Nat & Ang have created a podcast loaded with amazing information while making it fun the whole time! The information on the podcast can apply to anyone looking to run a business on social media!"
- Pompous Fox Wood Co.

Want the ladies to read your review on air? Then head on over to Apple Podcast and leave your rating and review!

www.thesocialfocus.co

On Instagram we are:
@angela.s.doyon
@natcaronphoto
@thesocial.focus

In today's episode Nat is solo on the show. She talks about a tough topic that has grown near and dear to her...Using the word 'No' in her business. 

Is it even possible to say no without hurting someone’s feelings? 

Nat shares a story that left her in a position where she had to decline a request to be a guest on a podcast. As a mother of two young boys and a demanding business, she was unable to accept an offer and responded with honesty and gratitude. The result of her declining? An unanswered response and blocked on social media. But Nat shared how it was the best decision and although difficult she was able to push past the experience.

Sometimes hearing NO means another YES is often coming down the pipeline.

Nat shares her experience in quoting on many jobs to which 'no' was the ultimate answer.  Which, she admits,  used to bother her. But in her case, more often then not, another job would come along that was aligned more with her dream client avatar. 

Your priorities matter the most. Continue to fill yourself up first, and you will have the ability to say no to so much more. 

Saying 'No' to your industry 

Nat and Ang used to be in the wedding industry. But they both needed to start saying no to taking this kind of work. Saying no to weddings meant saying yes to their families again. 

Saying 'No' to Social Media 

The scroll is real friends! Nat touches on how important it is that you limit your time on social media. Watching others on social media meeting their goals does NOT help you get closer to your goals. 

If you haven't left a rating or review on Apple Podcast yet - now is the time to do so! Right now, if you leave a review you will be entered to win the opportunity to select an upcoming topic for the podcast and have your review read on the show!

www.thesocialfocus.co

On Instagram we are:
@angela.s.doyon
@natcaronphoto
@thesocial.focus

In today's episode, Nat and Ang are joined by a very special guest, @theinstagramexpert Sue B. Zimmerman.

Sue is an insightful, energetic and in-demand online marketing educator, influencer speaker, and a no-BS business coach.  She is a popular CreativeLive Instructor and has been named by Huffington Post as one of the “Top 50 Must-Follow Women Entrepreneurs” as well as “The Top 50 Social Media Marketing Influencers” by TopRank Marketing and “Top Female Business Influencers of 2019” by Fit Small Business. Sue’s blog was ranked as one of the Top 10 social media blogs in 2017 by Social Media Examiner.

Nat and Ang ask what advice would Sue give to those in the beginning stages of utilizing Instagram for their business and how can users stay true to their brand and attract the right audience? And she keeps it honest and real. Authenticity and showing up as you are. You are your brand and she shares how she consistently shows up as she is for her business on social. 

They discuss Instagram Stories and the importance of using IG stories as part of a business strategy. And spoiler alert - consistency is king! Showing up in stories is all about connection and Sue is a big advocate for storytelling in IG stories.

Feeling a little late to the whole Instagram game? Don't! It is never too late and in many cases, it is fear and lack of prioritizing that can make you feel like you've missed the boat. Sue shares her thoughts on eliminating that fear and all the benefits of using Instagram for your business.

If you're looking to level up on Instagram, this is the episode you will not want to miss!

If you haven't left a rating or review on Apple Podcast yet - now is the time to do so! You never know, Nat and Ang just may read yours on the show!


www.thesocialfocus.co

On Instagram we are:
@angela.s.doyon
@natcaronphoto
@thesocial.focus

In today’s episode, Nat & Ang are chatting about the ever dreaded topic… criticism. They’ll be discussing the difference between criticism and critiques, their personal experiences with criticism, unhappy clients and lastly when not to listen to criticism.

What is the difference between criticism and critiques?

Criticism comes from a more painful place. You feel criticism more and it doesn’t typically come from a place of pleasantry. Whereas critique comes from a place of respect with the intention to aid in ones development. Ultimately, they are both related to ones growth.

Nat’s criticism story

At the 3:00 mark, Nat shares a personal story related to criticism with her former wedding photography business and how it affected her and how she was able to take that criticism and make big changes within her business. 

One of the best pieces of advice Nat offers from this experience is to, “never, ever ever, send an email when you are emotional.” To which Ang agrees and goes further to explain that it is best to “sleep on it” before responding back to any negative feedback. 

How do we handle criticism or critiques from close family and friends?

Sometimes family and friends can provide you with feedback that may come across as passive aggression. Many of the times it an come from a place of love but also from a place of not understanding what it is that you do.  

Social Media and online trolling

Unfortunately, when we show up on social media we are putting ourselves and our work out there and sadly it opens up the doors to unwanted negative comments. It’s important to understand that just because someone has criticized you publicly (like in a comment) or privately (like in a direct message) does not make it right. In many cases, it is very easy to drop negative comments. Trust your intuition and recognize the difference between someone criticizing you or offering valuable feedback. 

Nat shares a fantastic quote by Teddy Roosevelt that she found in a Brené Brown book to which she relates it to the social trolls and those who hide behind their accounts to criticize others online. 

Why asking for feedback is so important 

At the 26:00 mark, Nat and Ang discuss the value in asking for feedback from your customers and clients as it is a tangible way to grow. When you don’t ask for feedback, you are missing an opportunity to perform and serve better in your business. 

Asking for a review of your product or a testimonial for your services are both beneficial to our overall marketing strategy.  In most cases, people don’t actively leave a rating or review. Which is why it is so important to ask! 

To round out the episode, Ang notes that if you receive feedback that is more negative or a client / customer is unhappy and it does’t sit well with you. If it doesn’t make you feel good. If it feels upsetting… trust that it is a good sign! Why? Because it means you still CARE! If means you still operate with passion and strive to offer your product or services to the best of your ability.

If you haven't left a rating or review on Apple Podcast yet - now is the time to do so!

www.thesocialfocus.co

On Instagram we are:
@angela.s.doyon
@natcaronphoto
@thesocial.focus

Should you be using stock images for social media? How many is too many? How can I still look like “me” and be authentic with my brand on social media? Tune in as Nat and Ang cover ALL of this!  

In today’s episode, Nat and Ang dive into how you can implement stock photography and images into your strategy. As a Brand Photographer and Social Stylist, they know the importance of creating brand reflective imagery and how important it is for social media. But they also recognize that the struggle is real and sometimes it is hard to constantly create unique images for your business. This is where stock photos can help!

While it is important to invest in professional services, such as a branding photographer and good stylist; there will always be times when new imagery is needed. Stock images are great for small businesses to “pepper” in to their strategy. 

One of the best strategies for social media is consistency. And it can be hard to stay consistent when you’re constantly trying to find new images that work with your message. 

Tune in at 3:24 for a great example of how a service-based business can appropriately utilize stock photos. One of the best ways to do this is by choosing images that fit your brand and themes you share about. Images are visuals to storyteller so when you can create a great message with the right image, you can still reach your audience.

At 6:39 Nat and Ang discuss a burning question…. How many stock images is too many? In short, two. This is the part you don’t want to miss as they explain why two is the ideal number of stock images to share in a certain period of time. 

And don’t forget - stock photography images can be manipulated! You can add text overlays, adjust the image size and add your own filters or edits!

At 9:20, the ladies give a great example for  product-based businesses and how they can also implement stock photography into their Instagram feed or on Facebook. They tie it all back to experience and storytelling. 

If your message corresponds with the image and you’re telling your story, stock images can still work for you! Stock images can be a great opportunity to save time and stay consistent on social.

Where else can you use stock photography? Why not use in your Instagram Stories or for your Pinterest feed? They mention Word Swag which is a great app for creating amazing videos for IG Stories! And they are the perfect platform for stock photos. IGTV thumbnails and cover photos are a great spot for them as well. 

And lastly, using images from someone else’s account without the appropriate permission, that is the same as stealing. Screenshots from other peoples pages and shared on your own is a big no no.

The Social Storytellers Community is open! Want to learn more about this online course and community that will help you create better content and visuals for social? Check it out here!

On Instagram we are:
@angela.s.doyon
@natcaronphoto
@thesocial.focus

In today’s episode, Nat and Ang chat about the strategy to finding and landing your dream clients on Instagram. And one of the first things they mention is that as a business, you do not want to find and attract everyone. You want to find and attract the RIGHT people that align with your business. 

Opening up the show, Nat and Ang reveal that the majority of their dream clients that they have served were connections built through Instagram. This was done by creating content and showing up on Instagram authentically and sharing their best work with the intention of attracting the right clients.
“If you’re not on social media, actively, by 2023… for your business, your business is going to suffer.” And there is no better time than now to be active on social media. Ang references episode 16 where the ladies shared strategies and techniques that are great to implement in growing your following and attracting your ideal client. She reiterates that social media, specifically Instagram, is a business platform.

At 4:20, Nat describes your Instagram feed is like a resume or a portfolio for your audience.  Sharing your previous work from your dream clients you have already served is an opportunity to attract similar clients. Share those images AND testimonials from your work with your current best clients.

At 5:20 Ang provides some examples that help detail what they mean by ‘portfolio’ and ways that service and product based business can be sharing their best content. 

At 6:57, Nat shares another example for businesses to build their Instagram portfolio and shares the strategy of a local promotional product company that constantly shares her ideal clients imagery of them utilizing or wearing her products. 

At 13:00 Ang shares a tip on utilizing IGTV for your business with the intention to attract and connect with your dream client. She describes it to be a great opportunity to share your “elevator pitch.” 

Nat loves IGTV because she notes that it is a great opportunity to educate people. When you have the opportunity to educate people, YOU become the expert in your field. Nat mentions that this is something they will be sharing in The Social Focus’ upcoming membership community.

Got nerves? We get it! But at 14:38, the ladies chat about how showing nerves in stories or on IGTV is actually relatable! Ang reminds you that it doesn’t have to be perfect and references episode 15 of The Social Focus where the ladies address perfectionism in social media. 

(Want more details on writing content that attracts? Tune into Episode 2 - What Your Audience Wants from You and Nat’s solo, Episode 4 - How to Create Better Captions fro Instagram.)

The Social Storytellers Community is open! Want to learn more about this online course and community that will help you create better content and visuals for social? Check it out here!

On Instagram we are:
@angela.s.doyon 
@natcaronphoto 
@thesocial.focus

Money money money, must be funny... In this episode, Nat and Ang are joined with special guest, Financial Advisor, Paula Wilimek. The ladies chat about money mindset, your money story and how it shapes your perception of your self worth.

Here's a glimpse at some of the questions they cover:

Why do you think some people have money issues?

Paula shares the reality that none of us have a financial literacy background,  which is why people have pulled their money beliefs from their family experience.

She remarks that shame around money is learned and that we are ill-equipped as adults because of the lack of financial literacy training. And instead of asking for help, we feel the need to shame ourselves. 

“Your money story doesn’t go away… you have different versions or it evolves.”

What is your take on business owners that are playing small?

Nat asks if she feels that it is based on fear or scarcity? Paula agrees that yes, scarcity and fear come into play and that as business owners, we are forced to handle “all of our stuff.”

Nat shares a quote from the book, You Are a Bad Ass at Making Money by Jen Sincero, “rich is able to afford all things and experiences required to fully experience your most authentic life while the amount of money you will need will depend…”

What are your thoughts on entrepreneurs investing in their business (financially)?

Paula reminds us that the investment is always there. There are (and will always) be opportunities to invest in growth as the landscape of business is constantly changing. She shares her experience in investing in workshops and courses, including Nat’s Social Media Content Workshop. She remarks that even just the landscape of social media has opened up opportunities to learn and grow and how important social media is to our business. 

Shame, guilt, self-worth, your value and money story are all the topics the ladies discuss. Everyone has a money story. What's yours?

Looking for a financial mindset boost? Paula offers fantastic affirmation cards which you can buy here as well as her online workshop details. 

To connect with Paula Wilimek:

Instagram: @paula_wilimekfinancial 

Online: https://wilimekfinancial.com

Babes Books & Bucks - join the BOOK CLUB!

The Social Storytellers Community was just announced! Want to learn more about this online course and community that will help you create better content and visuals for social? Check it out here!

For FREE styled stock images, follow along at @thesocial.focus on Instagram!

On Instagram we are: 

@angela.s.doyon 

@natcaronphoto 

In today’s episode, Nat and Ang are celebrating a social media win… reaching 1,000 followers in less than three months! What’s the secret sauce? Well first off, there are no sneaky tactics, no paid ads and no buying of followers. You heard that right. The ladies are spilling the beans on simple and practical ways that you can start to implement into your own growth strategy! This is one episode you don’t want to miss!

To start, Nat reveals that they had a goal in place from the beginning This is really important because without a goal, you’re really just playing it safe. And spoiler alert - Nat and Ang also reveal that while reaching 1,000 followers is a big milestone; in the long run, it actually doesn’t matter. Find out why at the 3:13 and 3:38 mark. Ultimately, a goal is a good strategy for any business. 

To start, the ladies discuss numbers and how your followers don’t necessarily have to be a big number. Everyones target is different and ultimately, each individual businesses goal would be different based on the number of clients that they can actually serve. At 4:22, Ang gives a breakdown on the strategy behind choosing your social media goals. 

At 5:00 Nat and Ang reveal that there is no trickery behind their growth tactics. No paid ads and no buying of followers. Ang warns that those tactics are never a good idea when trying to grow your social media following. As an alternative, they share their first technique, which is having a CTA (call to action) by hosting a giveaway. At the 6:35 mark, Ang goes into details on the strategy behind what to offer so as it is in alignment with your business. 

As the episode unfolds, Nat reveals their next strategy at 7:55 which involves posting regularly on their Instagram feed. She explains that consistency shows your audience that you are reliable. It is an opportunity to build trust. At 8:33 Ang dives deeper into the strategy around posting consistently on social media and poses the question, what is your ROI?  At 9:45 Nat shares some golden advice, referring to the best content to create as part of engaging and growing your audience. 

At 11:11 Ang declares Nat as (in her eyes) the queen of engagement. Nat dives into the strategies around good engagement and spoiler alert - the first thing she advises is to stop the scroll! 

Moving into the 14:00 minute mark, Nat reveals her strategy around using hashtags as a search engine to finding the right audience to connect with. And before using this strategy, understanding who your ideal avatar is, is so important.  At 14:45, at gives a great example of this and goes into the opportunity to connect with accounts in realtime. At 16:33 Ang shares, “ a really shitty thing to do” and advises everyone to not do this! (ok, ok… she explains that to follow and then unfollow is NOT a good strategy). 

To wrap up the episode, Nat reiterates that these strategies worked but wants to remind everyone that they did take TIME. There was a high level of commitment to the strategy but if you can invest the time, you will ultimately see results.

If you want to keep in touch and know when the next episode drops, be sure to subscribe and visit them online at www.thesocialfocus.co and subscribe to their email list.

For FREE styled stock images, follow along at @thesocial.focus on Instagram!

On Instagram we are: 

@angela.s.doyon 

@natcaronphoto 

Seriously? The perfect episode... you have to hear this. 

In today's episode, Nat & Ang address the word Perfect and the world of perfectionism in your business. 

And to be transparent, they begin recording and decide NOT to edit anything out. You heard correctly - an unedited episode! 

To start, Nat discusses how she believes that most likely everyone has had a time in their life when they feel like they need to be perfect. Especially as they begin their business. She tells a story about when she first started her business. She was young and trying to prove herself. So she tried to be someone else. 

Ang resonates with Nat that she also felt like she needed to appear “perfect” as well. She realized being comfortable and feeling comfortable is more important then looking perfect. Even down to vanity, looking perfect is just not as important as you think it is.  

What is perfect? 

Your imperfect job is someone else’s perfect job! 

Nat goes on and explains her process in her photography studio. For every hour of shooting, their post production is at least four more hours. This could take A LOT longer if she wanted it to. But it’s important to get it done. Nat relates this back to banishing the need to be or produce "perfect" work. 

Ang relates back to a recent podcast they were interviewed on with Michelle Risi, host of The Lifestyle Entrepreneur Podcast. They chat about how Michelle had a pair of Christian Laboutin heels in her photos from a recent photo shoot. Her images were seen by some high school students and a young girl saw the photo and noticed that her shoes were scuffed. And this girl said “wow, she’s so real”, simply because her photos weren’t edited soooo perfectly!! 

As the episode moves on, Ang talks about an article in Maclean's magazine about “Influencers” who intentionally try to appear wealthy on social media. Even going as far as to renting or photoshopping in helicopters in attempt to appear to have a "perfect" lifestyle. 

Nat discusses about the fears people have of not having perfect images to post on Instagram. When in fact, often those are the images that resonates most with their audience.  

The ladies ensure to say a big thanks to all of their listeners for continuing to tune in and listen to this unedited episode. They could have been too worried to post some episodes due to the quality and imperfections but they went forward with them, and learned.  

If you want to keep in touch and know when the next episode drops, be sure to subscribe and visit them online at www.thesocialfocus.co and subscribe to their email list.

For FREE styled stock images, follow along at @thesocial.focus on Instagram!

On Instagram we are: 

@angela.s.doyon 

@natcaronphoto 

In today's episode, Ang takes the mic solo and share her favourite pieces of equipment that she uses for social media. And no, it's not just her cellphone.

There are so many tools out there that can make showing up on social media an absolute breeze. And when using social media to reach and connect with your audience for your business, it is so important to ensure you're doing it in the best possible way.

To start, you want to make sure your audience can hear you... and hear you well. Ang recommends investing in a mic for better audio when showing up on Instagram Stories, lives and IGTV. She snagged the Lavalier lapel mic from Amazon and it makes a world of difference in her audio. And for her styling tutorials, she's added an audio extension cord so as she can keep a good distance from her iPhone camera while still delivering good audio.

Her next piece of equipment that she shares is the selfie ring light. For under $15 the Efanr Selfie Ring Light is the perfect addition to highlighting when showing up on social media.  And it's not just for selfies! The ring light fits right on to the smartphone and provides great lighting and illumination which comes in handy when the lighting just isn't sufficient.

And lastly she shares her secret behind her smooth video... The Ailun Phone Tripod Mount makes recording video seamless and easy! It simply mounts the phone so as she can record handsfree AND eliminate shaky video! What's even better is that the mount can attach to different pieces of furniture which allows for better angles when recording.

Ang signs off the show by reminding you that making small investments in your business can make a BIG impact in how you are showing up on social media.

If you want to keep in touch and know when the next episode drops, be sure to subscribe  and visit them online at www.thesocialfocus.co and subscribe to their email list. 

On Instagram we are: 

@thesocial.focus 

@angela.s.doyon 

@natcaronphoto