social media

Aug 24 2016

Stop Focusing on the Wrong Numbers to Grow Your Business

It is time that you stop focusing on the wrong numbers.

It is time that you stop letting others define YOUR success.

It is time to stop playing the numbers game.

No, you do not need 10,000 Instagram followers.

You do not need 5,000 blog visitors a day.

Being on Page 1 of Google isn’t the key to your success.

Stop focusing on the parts of your business that don’t matter, and setting goals that, on their own, count for nothing in your bottom line.

What numbers do you need to focus on to be successful? What are the numbers that matter?

You need to know your financial goal. This is a number that only you can define, and it looks different for everyone. For some people, making 6 figures a year is essential to make their employee’s payroll. For others, they want to make enough to cover the annual family trip and put money in their kid’s college fund.

Whatever that number is, only YOU can define it. Stop beating yourself up thinking that it isn’t big enough if going after a larger number means working yourself to a point of burnout.

You need to know how many things you need to sell to meet that goal. Whether it is how many sessions you need to book, or how many albums clients need to buy, whatever you do to make that money, you need to know those numbers.

You need to know your conversion numbers. For each person that is contacting you, how many people turn in to buyers? Are they spending money, or just walking by the window, clicking Like on the latest post, giving you hearts and moving on?

You need to know your profit margins. For every item that you sell, including your TIME, you need to know what it costs your clients and how much you are profiting from that. If you’re not making a profit? You need to adjust those numbers.

I get it, you worry about charging people too much. You’re in business, and the whole point of being in business is to make a profit. So if you’re worried about charging too much, you need to figure out how to cut your costs, cut your time, or how to overcome this.

You need to know that you’re not working for FREE.

They often say that entrepreneurs are the only people willing to work 80 hours for themselves to avoid working 40 hours for someone else. I don’t think this is a badge of honor, not when so many people are earning less than they would if they worked 20 hours for someone else. Or if they took a minimum wage job at a fast-food restaurant.

You’re working so hard for this business that you love. It is a business, you are the boss, and you need to be paid.

Once you know these numbers, then you can start to think of the other numbers. You can decide if you want to increase how many clients you take on. You can choose if you want to add products to your offerings. You can determine how many website visitors you need each month or how many Instagram followers you need to meet your other goals.

Gaining followers on social media is a quick hit of joy, but it isn’t going to keep your business running if they aren’t converting in to paying clients. Pay attention to the numbers that matter the most – that is the key to a successful business.

Stop focusing on the wrong numbers, and focus on the right numbers to hit your version of success.

Feb 03 2016

The Photographer’s Planner from Colorvale – a Review

I will be the first to admit it – I am a total paper junkie. I love planners. Back in December, I found myself in a store holding no less than 4 planners at once, wanting to buy them all. This is completely unrealistic, because you should only use ONE planner at a time.

The reality is, just a general life planner? It isn’t going to change your business. If you’re a professional photographer? THIS is the planner for you.

Meet the Photographer’s Planner

Why is this the planner for you, you ask?

Because the Photographer’s Planner goes beyond just being a standard planner. This doesn’t just have places for you to note what you need to do from day to day. This is a business guide book! It has all that you need to run your business, the heart & soul of everything that you need to be an effective CEO of your business and your life!

Isn’t it gorgeous? Inside and out, this baby was designed to SHINE. You can start it whenever you want – there are no dates in it, so you can fill those in yourself. Designed to be tossed in your camera bag or laying out on your desk, you will never want to be far from it.

I have the predecessor, the “sister” product, the original Briefcase planner. Honestly, it is always right beside me. It is an extension of my arm practically. I’ve been anxiously waiting for this baby to arrive because it has a new & improved size – the cover is 8.5″x11″ and the inside pages are now 7.75″x10.5″. Colorvale can say what they want, I’m pretty sure that that gold spiral binding, the black & white striped cover, and the gold corner accents were made just for me!

Colorvale never skimps on the paper quality on the inside either. Thick and luxurious, so you can’t see your pen on the other side. No wimpy pages here!

From room for you to organize your photo sessions, schedule time for editing & placing orders, to developing unstoppable marketing strategies, seamlessly managing client workflow, and surpassing revenue goals, this baby has got you got you covered.

This video shows the planner off so well!

The Details in the Photographer’s Planner that Changed the Life of my Business

My favorite pages in mine are my Social Media marketing schedule each month – so I can plan out what I post and make connecting & networking a breeze, and the Social Media Growth Tracking chart – it has been so great to look back at how all of my social media accounts have grown in the past 6 months, all thanks to having everything in one place in an organized system!

Nearly 300 pages to help you organize your business! All printed, prepped and ready for you to go. You don’t have to print your own planner and put it together yourself. Everything you could ever want, right at your fingertips!

I’ve used many planners over the years. I can honestly say that NO OTHER planner has changed my business in such a way like this one has. Each month I kick it off with setting goals, and throughout the month I watch to make sure I’m achieving them. By the end of the month, I have proof of my success! (Part of why I love those social media sections so much! Measurable growth!)

What is Included in the Photographer’s Planner

You can visit Photographer’s Planner site and see what all is included, but here are a few of my favorite highlights of the magic found in these pages – some of them are things I can’t wait for, because they weren’t in the Briefcase planner:

Year at a Glance Special Dates: Easy to use the 12 (monthly) boxes to track things of the utmost importance. Birthday, anniversaries, workshops, and anything else you can’t miss. Plenty of space to write your major goals as well.
12 Month Session Rolodex:: an at-a-glance sessions list for the entire year! (This will be new for me!)
Personal Info Page: Track your business links, favorite sites & resources, and forums & magazines all while jotting down personal growth ideas, possible income streams, and blog post ideas–all setting you up for monumental successes.
Monthly Measurables Page: Because what is measured GROWS, this part is my favorite section! Measure your monthly goals & objectives. You can now track things like your number of clients (and how many of those were referrals), average session turnaround times, and increases in social media followers. Keep an eye on monthly marketing behavior, and ensure monthly office tasks (like bookkeeping, email, ordering, etc.) stay in line, and you’re set for the smoothest running business!
Task Organizer: This was a big life changer for me. I’ve heard all the benefits of assigning certain tasks to certain days, but until I started doing it? I had no idea how powerful it really was! You decide which days get slotted with a particular task. (Editing, family time, meal planning, all the things you have to do – and the things you WANT to do too!)
12 Monthly Calendars: The 12 blank calendar months make tracking progress completely manageable.
Client Workflow Pages: Another one that is completely new for me! I can’t wait! I used to have a big version of this on my wall, but how lovely to have one that I can keep handy with my planner? This flexible element lets you keep track of where your clients are in the processes, from contracts and photographing to culling, editing, and order placements. (Don’t want to track photography sessions? You can also use the pages to track bill due dates or home chores.)
Social Media Schedule Pages: By scheduling out your posts ahead of time, you’ll be on top of your Facebook posts. (Not to mention Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.) This is the page I mentioned above that has helped my social media following – and my client list – grow so much!
Customized To-Do’s Page: This delivers the freedom you crave with the ability to scrawl out your own headers and decide exactly how to make the magic happen. Lists make my heart sing!
Weekly Planning Pages: The heart & soul of your planner: daily obligations, ideas, marketing, daily sessions, culling/editing, orders, sales… the list goes on and on… while your photography biz grows.
Session Income Pages: Another section that is new for me! Cash money reporting lets you track client payments, retainers, and product orders without screwing the pooch or backing up the books.
Blogging shouldn’t be blah. This is the perfect place for you to jot down the long list of blog post ideas that are chomping at the bit to be brought into the world, (and then make note of which ones are drafted, published, and shared).
Brainstorming Zone: No planner would be complete without some good ol’ brainstorming. Whatever your wild & creative heart desires, there’s a delegated place for it.

Order Your Photographer’s Planner Today!

See what I mean? If you’re a photographer? The Photographer’s Planner is THE planner made just for you! Not a photographer? That is ok! Most of the photographer specific language has been removed from the planner, so you can use it as well — or if you prefer, you can pick up The Briefcase from Paper & Prosper, designed for entrepreneurs & bloggers.

The Photographer’s Planner is in route right now to Colorvale, and the minute they arrive? They will head out to mailboxes everywhere. Make sure YOU get yours before they run out! No planner has ever changed my business like this one, and I’m confident that if you use it every month, it will change yours as well!

Please note: The links in this blog post are affiliate links; I will receive a small commission for your use of them. I was not paid for this review, I purchased all products on my own, and my testimonial is entirely my own opinion. I’m not just a fan of this planner, I’m also a client!

Oct 15 2015

“I Don’t Have Time to Blog” – Bullshit Stories I Tell Myself

Things are about to get a lot more real here. More raw. More honest. All of those things I normally post on Facebook, giving them all the good content and keeping things super clean and polished here? YEAH. That. That is going to end.

Last week I was at the Emerging Women Conference in San Francisco, and attending a class with Jackee Holder on the therapeutic impact of personal writing broke the floodgates open for me. (The floodgates were already near bursting, but that is a story for another time.)

The next day I wrote a list of over 40 posts I could write about here. This is in addition to the ongoing lists that I keep all the time with topic ideas.

Then I added them to the list of all the posts that I have never written about.

Then I did nothing with them. Sunday through Thursday, I have not touched the list again.

I could claim that that is because I’ve been traveling. I thought that the fact that I had a red-eye flight on Sunday night and a brief 48 hours in Houston with a lot to do while I was home was why I have not blogged about them.

BULLSHIT.

I talk about these topics all the time. Client calls, workshops and presentations that I give – but I am “sooooooo busy” I don’t have time (truth: I don’t TAKE the time) to write them out as blog posts.

In order to force myself to break this cycle? I’m going to start writing about when I hit that wall myself. Right here, on my blog. All of the bullshit stories I tell myself. Those little things that keep me small? I’m over them.

Just a few minutes ago, I was thinking to myself how I don’t have time to blog. So much to say, no time to write. Nope, no time at all………….

BULLSHIT.

I spent an hour on Facebook this morning already. I answered people’s questions, I wrote witty posts about the things I found online that others had posted.

FACEBOOK EATS MY BLOG POSTS.

The Facebook zombie … it is eating my brain and keeping me from writing HERE.

Before Facebook came along – before Twitter came along – I used to write on my personal blog sometimes 4-5 times a DAY. I had so much to say, my blog was where I said it.

Lately, it just feels so much faster and easier to drop those wisdom nuggets on Facebook and move on. Zip zap, open the app, post, move on.

Good for Facebook. Not good for ME at all.

Once I write them, they are gone within a day. No one sees them again. So many nuggets of wisdom – just tossed aside.

Breaking down the Bullshit – I DO HAVE TIME TO BLOG

Facebook may feel easier, but I *KNOW* that it does not serve me personally, and it doesn’t serve my business. It needs to be in addition to, not instead of, blogging.
I think part of the anxiety is because of the need for a photo for every post. I need to decide how much of that is a choice of my own, and how much of that is a reality. Because of my blog template right now, the photos are required as part of the design, so what can I do to make it easier on myself? I made templates in Canva already, so it is a bullshit excuse. It took me maybe 5 minutes to make the two graphics I needed.
Since I teach people to use their blog for their business, I KNOW that every post does NOT need to be polished or perfect. Not at all. People connect with the REAL. Not the perfect – we love the rough edges. The things that polarize. That is how we find our tribe. I need to honor you by giving it to you straight.

Well, look at that.

A whole blog post, over 700 words … written in less than 30 minutes. About the time I would take to write an email that is this long. All because I put down my iPhone and stopped reading Facebook.

I told my friend Jessica in September that it is GO TIME. I have got to let go of these bullshit stories I’m telling myself. Thanks for joining me in this cathartic therapy. Now go write a blog post too!

PS – There is a fly in my hotel room here at Blissdom Canada. It is making me crazy. It keeps trying to land on me – and I can’t seem to kill it. UGH. So annoying!

About the photograph: While in California last week, my friend Keri Vaca & I took a road trip to the west and went out for a glorious 24 hours in Yosemite National Park. When she asked me where in the park I wanted to go, I knew that Glacier Point for the sunset was a must. It did not disappoint!

Sep 28 2015

Do You Care More About Growing Your Business or Your Following?

It is all about the numbers … or is it? We are all told to spend time focused on gaining as many followers on social media as we possibly can – but are you sacrificing quality for quantity? Are you just gaining numbers and not attracting your true ideal clients? Raving fans? Your TRIBE?

What is the point of having 10,000 Instagram followers if none of them are truly cousednnecting with you?

Are you devoting time to social media that would be better spent cultivating the connections with the people who already love you?

If you are in a service based business, you can only work with a limited number of clients in a year. There is truly only so much time in the day for you to work with people. For most people, that number caps at about 200 people — so why do you need 20,000? Why do you need fans around the world?

If you have a product that you are not limited in the number that you can sell, having 200,000,000 fans & followers makes sense.

The number of followers that Anthropologie needs is very different than the number of followers that I need. Our end goals are very different. I work with a much more limited number of people.

The strategy for you needs to fit with your goals for your business.

If you are looking to connect with your customers, to get to know them, to serve them on a more personal level, how many followers do you TRULY need?

How many followers do you really need? Are you being intentional with your social media strategy? Click To Tweet

I’m not saying to ditch all social media. Just be mindful of the time you spend on it in your business. Make sure it is serving you, instead of taking over your life and your business. Be selective of what you focus on, and make sure you are attracting the people that are the ones you truly want to connect with.

It turns out that it isn’t all about the numbers after all. Growing your business matters more than growing your following.