Showing up on live video when you’d rather stay hidden

Did you start your online business because you get to stay home in your jammies all day? That may or may not be one of the reasons why I was attracted to the world of online marketing. Being an introvert, it suits me very well to stay hidden behind my laptop all day only spending a few hours a day working with clients on a 1:1 basis.

But if you would like to grow your online business, and have a desire to serve more people, at some point you have to step out from behind the computer screen and get visible.

It's simple

It's not easy.

But it is so worthwhile.

When you're visible, prospective clients get to know you, like you and trust you and people do business with people so the K L T factor is super important. And creating consistent Live Video will make this happen really quickly.

So how do we make it easier to stick to a commitment of showing up on live video? I've outlined some tips below.

Accountability

Announcing that you are going to go live in advance is a great practice, to not only attract more people to join you live, but also to help you stay accountable to showing up. If you have a tendency and self-sabotage and back out of doing your lives at the last minute, announce ahead of time when and where the live will happen. For me this has been committing to doing a weekly Live show - Biz Talk Tuesday - on my Facebook Page. It's on my calendar on a recurring basis and my people expect to see me there - so you bet I show up!

Think of "Your Person"

What you have to say is valuable and someone, out there, is feverousily searching for the help that only you can provide. When you focus your attention on the person who will benfit for the information that you are sharing, it takes the focus off your anxiety and fear. It becomes more important to show up and share when you believe someone out there needs to hear you.

Be You

Dissolve all of the pre-assumed notions that you need to be "Professional" on live Video. This one is all mindset. Your people want to get to know YOU - not the polished up, shiny version of you. When you tackle your mindset drama about being camera perfect you can let it go and the barriers to you sharing what you have to say disappear. This is the REAL work that can make the difference between you staying consistent with your visibility or you staying the internet's best kept secret.

Would you like to use Live Video as part of your client attraction system in your coaching business but feel intimidated about getting in front of a camera?

From March 16th - 20th I'm running the Camera Shy Live Video Challenge to help online entrepreneurs get confident and comfortable doing live video so that they can attract more dream clients with ease - even if the thought of going live is enough to make you eat an entire box of thin mints.

Sign up here: http://ingridkellyowens.com/camerashy-live-video-challenge

Hope to see you there!

Ingrid

Join the Camera Shy Live Video Challenge

March 16th - 20th

Sign up!

Why you need to be doing Market Research in your Creative Business

How to get your first paying clients as a Photographer

I know many of you reading my blog love taking photos just because you love taking photos.  I also know that many of you love photography so much that you want to share that gift with the world and get financially rewarded for it too.  If you have that desire then keep on reading. You’ll see more blog post from me over the coming months about this side of photography and how you can turn your passion into a full time income.

So where do you begin?

Start with your Circle

Sometimes a business can happen quite naturally. Chances are, if you love photography so much, you are THAT mom on the baseball field taking ALL the pictures ALL the time.  At some point, the other parents realize their iPhone photos can’t compare with the beautifully captured images you are taking and they start asking you to shoot their kid’s photos. Or perhaps you’re so excited to use your new lenses you jump at the chance of photographing the preschool Santa photos and business grows naturally from there.  If these types of situations have happened to you now is the time to leverage that.  People already know that you are “snap happy” so make sure you tell them that you are open for business!

Its easier than ever to reach out to you friends and and your family. One click of a button and you can shoot an email to everyone in your address book.  You’re only one status update from declaring your new venture to the world! Use the power of social media to tell your circle that you are doing some mini-shoots or send them a personalized message inviting them to a shoot. Telling your inner circle first will give you the confidence and practice you need to start pitching your services to strangers.

Referrals

You actually have to ask people to share you are doing this new venture. Often times, friends might be hesitant to refer you if they are unclear that you are taking new clients on. Make sure your circle knows that you are open to shooting new people and actively ask them to refer you to their friends.

If you’ve already taken photos of them encourage them to share on social media and tag you or ideally your business’ social profiles.

Sweeten the pot even more by given them something in return for sending you a referral.  This can be a formalized thing such as a free mini session for every three referrals given to you, or something a little more spontaneous by just rewarding those people in your network who you know are good for referrals. Perhaps a free 10 x 8 print or session every so often will help nurture that relationship and keep you top of mind when they are being asked to recommend a photographer.  Personally I like a more formalized solution which is baked into your marketing plan.  Having a system in place for this will ensure that this marketing strategy can essentially run itself and something I help my clients set up all the time.

Social Media

As has been said a bajillion times before, there has never been a better time to get yourself and your business seen for FREE using the internet and social media.  But because of this super low barrier to entry it is harder than ever to stand out from the crowd.  Its important that you fully utilize your social media profiles to represent your business. Make sure the basic information is filled out correctly and for a local business put all of your contact information on there.

Encourage clients to write a testimonial for you on your social sites – e.g. Facebook, as these will be some of the first places people will look when researching your business. A good testimonial is priceless and you should use them everywhere in your marketing.

And of course, it should go without saying, the photography you share should be your absolute best work and an example of the type of photography you love to shoot.  If you want to be a wedding photographer, tone down the baby shoots and most definitely those sweeping landscape shots. Post lots of beautiful brides to solidify your position in the market. If you are not getting the type of work that you truly want to shoot then take a good look at what your social media photos are saying about you.  If you’re lacking the shots you desire set a plan in motion to go out and shoot them!

Local Joint Ventures

Being a photographer you have the luxury of constantly creating content that should sell your services for you. Every photo you take can be a piece of marketing material  –  its just up to you to put it in front of the right eyeballs.  The next time your in your local Dentist Office, check out their wall decor. Does it need updating? Could you provide them with some pretty pictures in exchange for a utilizing their wall space? Think about the amount of people that are going to see your work on a daily basis. Even better if you can negotiate a deal with a very aligned vendor such as a Pediatric’s Office if you are a Newborn Photographer or a florist if you specialize in Weddings.

Also consider joining up with aligned vendors who operate in your industry vertical for cross referrals.  Start to build this network of people who you like to work with and nurture them the way you would your clients.  Word of Mouth Marketing has been around a long time and is flourishing now more than ever thanks to our super connectedness on Social Media.

These best thing about all these marketing strategies is that none of them need to cost you any money – which in any business is a good thing!