With Laura Esmond

Hello and welcome back to the podcast you are with Laura Esmond. Today we are going to talk about creating a buzz around your business. Creating a buzz around your business is one of the most important parts of running it. This is marketing basically, it's about putting a tiny bit of spectacle out there, something beautiful, something intentional, so people stop and look at what you're doing. And it's also a numbers game When you're searching for the right clients, not just any clients, but the ones you genuinely want to work with, you have to reach a lot of people to find the few who are going to hire you. That's the numbers game side of it. But then there's the spectacle side. Now, by spectacle, That might make you think, Ugh, I don't wanna be a dancing clown on reels dancing around, putting noise out there that has no meaning. No, thank you. That is not what I mean. Your spectacle can be something curated and polished and intentional. Something that catches the eye and feels like you, your brand, your voice, rather than just jumping on a trend, you know, like a beautiful light show, if you will. But it's got to have purpose. Where people often go wrong with their business is they just assume build it and they will come is enough. They build a nice website, they post it occasionally, maybe they comment on other people's posts and then wonder why is nothing shifting? Instead, give your audience something to look at. Give them a reason to engage with you, a reason to hire you maybe before they have a big need. So let's talk about five concrete ways you can create a beautiful spectacle around your business that actually draws in people that you'll love working with. Starting with, number one, create the work you want to be booked for. Now, this is an easy one here, but I'm gonna take it just a step further. If you're not getting booked for what you want, then go create that work. I even, every winter, I start to get really excited about creating something special, just something that would be meaningful to me, but I also wanna really get it. Out there is maybe something people would hire me for So do some portfolio sessions for friends, or you can hire models, style the entire thing, buy the clothes, do the things it takes to build a portfolio of what you dream about doing. And it could be just something brand new. This doesn't matter how long you've been in business. I've been in business. For what feels like forever, and I still love doing this. Have a vision behind it. Put your spin on it though. You know, you might pull a lot of things off of Pinterest or maybe you're, you know, tagging things on or saving things on Instagram, but make it yours. Then go in and practice it. Maybe you practice a pose or a prompt until it feels really natural and part of your workflow and you create these really beautiful pieces for your portfolio. So create work that makes someone look at it and say. Wow. Yes. That is gorgeous. That's what I want Because that kind of visual pull, that is your spectacle. But we don't stop here. Once you've created it, you have to go share it. I don't want these images that you create to just die in one Instagram post that only lives on Instagram for what? 24 hours. create an ad. You can write a blog post about the inspiration behind it. Share the photos on social with a story, and maybe also a tip. Send an email to your list showing what you made and who it's for. The point isn't just to create beautiful work. It's to get that work seen by the people who will also want it. That's how you start attracting more of what you love. So create those images and then start sharing, sharing, sharing in all of the different ways possible over and over and over again. Okay. Idea number two, host a fun portrait event such as Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, as Santa Session Headshot, um, to get people talking about you while you're waiting for them to need you for your full session offer. When they think of photographer, you want them to think of you. When you host fun events that are on brand and beautiful and well done, you will attract your ideal client and then when they have a lifestyle change such as a new baby, they will think of you. You have a relationship with them that you've nurtured through this event, plus maybe other ideas that we're going to discuss today. So now when their life changes a little bit, baby number three, I want to document this milestone. You've already been on their radar or maybe even worked with you through this event or something else. So when you plan an event like this, remember you're, you're doing this for two reasons. First, you'll bring in a little extra revenue. That's the thing people often think of when they create an event. I would say even more importantly, you are drawing eyes to your business. So even if only a couple of people hire you or book that event, let's say you had spots for 10 and only three or five people booked it, that's okay. You, you repeat those events, you'll get more people and you'll earn more money. But I guarantee you a lot of people had eyes on you as you were promoting it, and then they will remember you when something big happens in their life. So you're building buzz. Number three, use an email newsletter. It's still one of the best ways to stay in someone's orbit. Aim for at least once a month and do it really consistently. Honestly, you could probably create 12 emails in one go and just face them out one a month. Or ideally, if you can swing it, do two a month. Then when it comes to building out that email, you want people to learn what to expect from your newsletter. So keep them really consistent, and here's a simple structure that you can use. Start it off with a short, relatable story from your life or business. If you're a mom, just like they are, speak directly to that, you want them to feel like they're getting to know you and your life. Then in a second section, you can share a tip or a craft or a recipe, something relevant to your audience. Keep it casual, just something fun, and I would be consistent. Maybe you always share a recipe, maybe it could always be recipes that are easy to do with little kids at your side and, and they're, your little helpers or a craft. Crafts to me are so easy because they can always be seasonal depending on the month that you're sending out. Then you can share something that's going on in your business. Maybe what offers do you have? Maybe you can share about a client, uh, that has a local business. Maybe you have an upcoming event. The key is most of this should not feel like a sales pitch. We're not really using the email newsletter to sell. You're sharing value connection. These are just reasons to engage with you. Then when you have something to sell, you send out a. Separate, shorter, just quick email that goes out maybe later in the month just selling that session or event. I really stand by the email newsletter. This is one of the most important ways that I book business. I don't have to spend as much time on Instagram for my portrait business. I actually book most everything through just sending my email newsletter. Number four, host an annual or flagship event. And this can be something that has nothing to do with photography. This is more a community event, something that you're going to invite people into and not something you're going to do every month. That's too frequent. something that you're just going to do once a year. Maybe you have something you do two times a year. So one memorable event. can really build quite a bit of buzz. You can partner with a boutique or a friend in a complimentary business. You know, someone who's also working with your ideal market, like a real estate agent or someone that works in a local mom network. Think about what your client really wants, what are they into, and what would be just something totally different and fun that would surprise them. Here are a couple of examples. You could do a mom's day out where you assemble a beautiful photo album together and you have mocktails or even champagne and the evening, Or you could do a speaker series for expecting moms where you have mocktails and scones and you have experts, like a sleep expert or a breastfeeding consultant. Another really fun one, I think would be to do like a sourdough expert where somebody comes in to one of your client homes and they invite all their friends, and this person teaches them how to bake bread. Another fun one could be an annual floral arranging class. I'm emphasizing again and again, this is something that you want to grow and do. Annually. So again, it is something that your client base comes to expect, and the idea is you invite new people, you're having a lot of fun together. You get to know their friends and subtly you're showing them your brand over time. This builds visibility and credibility and trust so that then when they're ready to hire someone, they will think of you. And number five, this is my last one here. Run a seasonal value added offer, not just a discount. Doing a sale is fine. There are some people that love to do maybe an annual frame sale, something like that. But what I believe is even better is a limited time offer that adds value Rather than just lowering your price. For example, you could have a specific time of year that you offer maybe a session fee that includes a an eight by 10 framed print for grandma and grandpa, and that's how you advertise it. Maybe mom and dad keep it for themselves. Whatever. Whatever they choose to do with it is fine, but I think maybe that could be something that you run around the holidays. So that session fee, which is of course a little bit higher than your normal, but it includes an eight by 10 framed print and you say, this is the perfect gift for grandma and grandpa. So great thing to run around the holidays. and make it a limited time offer. So that creates urgency and it's just something delightful. It's something they might look forward to. So you're not just trimming your price, you're adding value to something that you already do. So pick one of these five, choose the one that feels most doable right now, or something that you can build off of at the start of the year. Just roll it out. Measure how people respond, and then stay consistent so that when life changes for your ideal client, they have a baby, a big birthday, or a milestone, they'll think of you first because you have kept showing up on their radar. You've given them something to look at. You've created a beautiful spectacle around your business. If that's all I have for you today, I will see you next week.