Brands that Book with Davey Jones

Somehow, in nearly 60 episodes, we haven't chatted about SEO. Mostly because I find it is easier to share on a blog post or video tutorial, because of the visual element it provides. Regardless, we are chatting all about Search Engine Optimization on today's episode. Specifically, Vanessa and I are discussing 5 quick SEO fixes that you can make today on your website. There is a guide in the show notes that is associated with this episode. I highly recommend checking it out for a more streamlined look at what we are discussing. Make sure to also check out the other resources mentioned in this episode.

This week Vanessa and I are continuing the discussion around content marketing. Specifically we’re chatting about strategies for making the most out of the content you’re creating. One of the biggest mistakes we see people make is spending hours on content, only to share it once. So we try to answer the question, how can we get the most out of our content?

Before we get started, we’re going to start experimenting with “live” Brands that Book episodes. Basically, the plan is to stream some of our episodes live so that you can see the behind the scenes of the interview, hear some of the pre-and-post episode banter that is usually cut out of episodes, and ask questions in real time! Just to be clear, this will not effect the podcast format—each episode will still be edited and released as it has been for the 60+ episodes. This is an opportunity for those who are interested to get some bonus content... and to get your own questions answered. More details to come soon.

And last announcement before we get to the episode. Our friend and past Brands that Book guest Shay Cochrane is giving away a FREE YEAR of Social Squares, an incredible resource for styled stock photos for female business owners, to celebrate the launch of their website! If you’re interested in entering head on over the Social Squares Instagram for the details—but hurry, because the giveaway ends October 24th 2019. You may remember Shay from episode 41 where she chatted with us about Productizing a Service—if you’re interested in learning more about her, you should check out that episode.

If creating content has been a struggle for you—or maybe you’re not even sure this is something you be spending time on—this episode is for you. We chat about why she creates content and how it has impacted her business, how she creates so much content and manages so many different channels—we cover a lot.

It’s one of my favorite discussions to date, and I really appreciate Elizabeth’s approach. Another episode that would pair nicely with this one, is my interview with Lauren Carnes, so be sure to check out that episode as well.

Nearly everyone has an email address. Your audience may be scattered throughout different social media channels, using one or two more heavily than the rest. But most probably have an email address they check at least once per week if not more frequently.

The people on your list—if setup correctly—have opted-in to receive your emails. They want to consume the content you're creating. And you know this because they've asked to receive it. This is a stark contrast to social media marketing, where one is constantly battling algorithm updates in an effort to interrupt someone's scroll. (But having a presence on social media is important!)

And because people generally opt-in to a mailing list to receive an offer or to learn more about a topic, they're often pre-qualified. This is one reason why email marketing is usually one of the highest converting channels.

There are so many possibilities when it comes to starting a mailing list. If you're a wedding photographer, you could use an email list to connect with recently engaged couples and stay in touch with past couples (the latter is especially helpful if you also offer family photography services). And if you have an online store, email lists are a great way to send educational content and keep people informed of recently added products.

Want to grow your wedding business to 25 events a year?

What about 50?

What about 250?

Today I am chatting with Jake and Ryan, the founders of Freedom Edits, the outsourcing solution for photographers and videographers who want their lives back. But before they started Freedom, they were photographers who grew their wedding photography business to about 250 weddings a year.

So, of course, I wanted to know how they were able to grow their business to that volume. As you can imagine, a lot of it had to do with hiring and outsourcing. We talk about how they used similar strategies to scale Freedom, and what they’ve learned along the way.

I mentioned a few times in passing on the podcast, but I started another business at the beginning of 2019 with two friends of mine, Jesse Morquecho and Ryan Atkins. It's a Facebook Ads agency called Till and it's been a lot of fun to build over the last 3/4 of the year. We've also had the opportunity to work with some amazing businesses that many of you are probably familiar with.

Anyways, we finally launched our website, which y'all can find it at till.agency. To celebrate, I thought it be appropriate to do a podcast episode on the 4 components of a successful Facebook Ads campaign. To help me dive into this episode, I've invited back Brands that Book regular and Pinterest extraordinaire, Vanessa Kynes.

We’ve discussed this before, but being good at what you do is simply not enough much of the time.

For better or worse, people don’t compare products and services objectively. Instead a variety of factors—many of which we are not conscious of—impact our purchasing decisions.

And at least a hot few of those factors have to do with pricing, such as how we assign or perceive value, and how services and prices are presented to us.

I’d argue that crafting the right offer is one of the most important aspects of becoming a profitable, thriving business. An effective offer is easy-to-understand, demonstrates clear value, educates and overcomes objections.

This podcast episode (and corresponding blog post) explores tips for service providers who want to craft effective pricing ‘collections’ or ‘packages’ for their business.

Erin and Jeff are based out of Southern California, but they have shot across the US and around the world.

They also manage two other photography brands that photograph weddings, portraits, and commercial work. If you’re counting, that’s three different photography brands each with a different clientele. This makes Erin particularly knowledgeable about our topic today, which is learning more about your ideal client, or as she refers to them, your ‘dreamies.’

This episode is jammed pack with practical information, and honestly Erin’s approach to discovering your ideal client is among the best I’ve heard. She moves beyond the typical client avatar and provides practical tips for better understanding your clients “why”—and then she goes one step further and explains how this can you better connect with your ideal client.

The official bio: Jeff and Erin Youngren are the husband and wife wedding photography team known as The Youngrens. For over a decade, their deeply emotional style has led them across the U.S. and around the world to photograph extraordinary weddings with couples they love. Along with The Youngrens, Jeff and Erin also own and manage two other photography brands that photograph weddings, portraits, and commercial work, and host the Creative Rising podcast, a behind the scenes show about what it’s really like to run a photography business. As the owners of three businesses with a regular team of ten photographers plus a full-time staff of editors, designers, and studio managers, Jeff and Erin have developed highly effective business models and marketing systems to accommodate the needs of each brand.

When they're not shooting, traveling, or speaking, you’ll find them hanging out with their seriously adorable son, James, in their hometown of San Diego, CA.