[dropcap]I[/dropcap] have noticed lately that people are sliding into my DMs to ask about business related questions. I always get a kick out of this because, if I am being perfectly honest, I do not have anywhere near all of it figured out! I woke up one morning and decided to be a business owner. I did not go to school for business! I did not even go to school for photography or any other art for that matter. I had no idea what I was doing. I have learned my craft and bettered myself over time. But I do think that the majority of my success has come from how I show up, day in and day out, on my social media.

It is really scary to show your face on your feed and in your stories on social media. It’s much easier to post and hide behind your gorgeous work!! But I do believe that if you want to stand out in the community around you, you need to show your “you-ness”! There is no one else exactly like you in the world. That one statement is how you are going to stand out amongst hundreds or thousands of other people doing exactly what you are doing.

My story is very similar to a lot of peoples. One day I woke up and decided that I wanted to be a photographer. I quickly realized that there was so much more than learning my camera and making a website that I needed to learn. I needed to figure out how to get people to fall in love with ME! And honestly, I am not all that exciting. I am still shocked when people get excited to meet me or talk to me. I realized early on that I needed to post more about myself on my social media. I need people to connect deeper with me! I started with posting headshots, then I started showing up more and more in my social media stories.

When Mike and I decided to move back to Charleston a year ago, some people thought my business would flop. It was too early on in my business to pick it up and move it, right? But we did, and I hit the floor running as soon as we got to Charleston. I quickly got to work on my social media, and my calendar started to reflect this with fully booked months! I am not an expert!! I will repeat, I AM NOT AN EXPERT! But I do believe that I have learned some amazing things that have helped my business continue to grow! I wanted to share some tips that I think you can start today to start showing up more on social media. And in turn, I hope it starts to increase those inquiries and bookings for your business!

1. Show your face in your Instagram Stories. We all know that Instagram is always changing and it can be super frustrating. We will never figure out the algorithm, but we can continue to evolve. I want you to flip your camera around, press the handsfree option and start recording. You can talk about your week! You can talk about your latest sessions! You can talk about your husband eating your Cinnamon Bun with his hands! Just show up and let people get to hear you voice and see your face. Let them connect to you!
2. Connect with another photographer and set up a headshot swap. Your smiling face should be in your grid over and over again. Your clients want to see who they could potentially be spending a lot of time with! And I seriously am a firm believer in community. So you need to build your community and tribe. Find like minded creatives and connect with them. They will help you in so many ways, I can not suggest this enough!
3. Remember to stay positive! This does not mean to only post positive things. But I have an 80/20 rule! 80% of the time, I want to stay positive. I will show the ugly side of this business as well, but I want people to see the more positive side of it. Clients, brides especially, are usually in the most joyous year of their lives. You want them to be able to feel your joy.
4. Celebrate whole heartedly your peers wins! We have all heard it before, “comparison is the thief of joy.” Make a deal with yourself that you will 100%, with your whole heart, rejoice in others wins!
5. Set boundaries! This was a hard one for me, because this year was my “Yes Year”! But I have been learning to set healthy boundaries within my business and social media. No one wants to get burned out on their passion, so make sure to take care of your boundary lines so that you can be in this for the long haul!

 

I full heartedly believe that we can all be successful in our businesses! If we show up, do the work and never give up, then the sky is the limits! I am so passionate about owning your “you-ness” and if this blog helps one creative step outside their comfort zone, then I will consider it a win!!