The time is upon us, its Fall Mini Photo Session season!  Many photographers (including myself) are opening up fall family sessions to ensure clients have all the imagery they need for Christmas cards, posts, and just generally updating their home spaces!

1. Plan your wardrobe

Deciding what to wear for your photography session can be one of the most overwhelming decisions about a session.  I mean, you are investing your time and money into capturing family memories, of course you want to look fantastic.  Check out my post What to Wear for Your Family Session for tips on what to wear.

2. Get your beauty sleep

Ensuring you get a full night of sleep and drink plenty of water on the days leading up to your session.  This will not only help you look good, but help with patience.  Which is especially helpful to families with children.

3.  Bring treats to help along sessions with small children

If you have small children, bring snacks, water, and treats!  This is immensely helpful when children will not cooperate.  Also, try to plan sessions around meal and nap times. Don't wait to eat until after your session, empty stomachs means grouchy people! 

4. No "smile" or "cheese"

I want your session to look as natural and beautiful as possible.  The less "posed" the better!

5.  Trust your Photographer

We are professionals, so trust we can do an amazing job for you!  You chose us to capture your family, so relax and enjoy!

And there you have my tips for making the most of your session.  Want to book a fall mini session with me?  Click here to sign up!

Why?

Why would you want to show off your 5 star reviews for your business? Because it can help convert possible customers into new customers!  Reviews don't just belong on your Google or Facebook page, they should make an appearance on your website too!  Below are a few quick tips to get the most out of your 5 star reviews!

Where should I put reviews on my website?

Most people are not going to click through your entire website, so having a dedicated page of reviews is probably not the most effective option.  Placing reviews on each page is a great way to show potential customers that your business is highly rated.  Do you have a great review that mentions your incredible customer service? Place it on your "About Us" page!  A good review about money well spent? Place that on your "Investment" or "Prices" page to show that your business is worth the pricing you have spent so much time perfecting.  Placing reviews strategically makes them more effective at attracting the right customers than if they are all placed on a "Testimonials" page.

Clean them up!

No one wants to read a rambling review paragraph, so if you need to, pare down the words to only the most important parts.  Then the review will make more of a statement on your website.

Bonus tip

Video marketing is an effective tool.  If you have a customer that doesn't mind saying a few great things about your business on camera, make a short video!  

Looking for more reviews for your business? Check out my blog post Increasing your Reviews 

Spending money on advertising is something all businesses, big and small, will have to do at some point.  We have all heard the saying "you gotta spend money to make money" and with the constant advertising online, that seems to ring true.  But how do you stand out from the rest? Check out my tips below to help create and run your next effective marketing campaign.

Find out who your target audience is

Are you marketing to businesses or business professionals?  If yes, then maybe advertising on LinkedIn may be your best choice.  Is your target customer young families? Then maybe Instagram marketing is your best option.  Take some time to look into what social media your target audience is in and run your marketing there.  Taking time to really narrow down your advertising will not only save money, but be more effective.

Utilize targeted filters

Many sites such as Google and Facebook have easy tools to help you "target" your ideal customer by demographics such as age, location, interests, and more. You wouldn't want to waste money on an ad for a brick and mortar store that shows to someone on the other side of the world.  These days, the internet is a big place and seeking out your customer is important to be effective.

Use high quality imagery and captions

Ensure your message is eye catching and clear.  Adding in a personal touch (such as a photo of your team) can also help set your business apart.

Consider seeking out and hiring a high quality influencer

Influencers are a relatively new concept online, but can be very effective.  Reaching out to an influencer who's audience aligns with your ideal customer, could be an effective marketing boost for your business.  Be sure the influencer is professional and credible.

And there are my tips for creating more effective marketing campaigns for your business.  Need more help?  The Daly Brand is here for you and your small business.  Reach out via our Contact Form on the homepage.

Do you have any other tips to add? Let me know in the comments! 

One of the most effective marketing tools is social media.  User generated content is even more valuable.  But how to we encourage our customers to create their own content while tagging your brand?  Check out my tips below for encouraging customers to engage with your brand on social media, including encouraging user generated content.

Before you business starts calling out to customers and fans, creating a buzz, make sure you take time to ensure all information on your sites are accurate and up to date.  The last thing your business wants is incorrect or outdated information to confuse or frustrate your customer. (Or potential customer!)

Is your social media pages user friendly?  Remove any extra “clutter” and ensure your branding is consistent through all accounts.  I recommend setting up the same profile picture for all accounts.  Also, incorporate some of your brands color scheme.  Remove all unnecessary information or imagery.

Do you have your social media easily accessible to your customer?  Think about ways to reach your customer.  QR code signs placed around your office for customers to easily scan and access your accounts.  Consider setting up a “photo booth” set up for customers to post from their social media accounts and tag you in their posts (see June’s blog post, How to Take Better Photos for Social Media).  I also suggest If you are giving your customers receipts, add in information like “Follow us on Instagram @YourUsername”.

Talk to your customer, encourage them to follow you for contests and to stay up to date with office happenings.  Share personal posts, not just stock photography. Your customer wants to know about you and your staff!

Once you have cleaned up and fully branded your social media, consider running some targeted ads in the next months.  

Need help with your social media branding? Send me a contact form and find out how The Daly Brand can jump start your social media engagement!

This month's post is all about how to increase your Google and Facebook reviews.

First, let's start with "Why do I need Google & Facebook reviews?"  Reviews are incredibly important in this day and age with the many, many choices potential customers are faced with online.  A good review can influence one, or many people to try your business over another.  But, a negative review can be a way for your business to showcase it's customer service, always respond to negative reviews in a clear, concise way, and do what you can to make it right.

Businesses with more reviews perform better on searches.  The more consistent reviews you have, the higher up in search results you will land.

How to increase the number of reviews

• Ensure customers can leave a review.  Do you have a Google my Business page? Do you have a Facebook business page? You should claim these pages if you haven't and brand them to match your business.  This is also a great opportunity to update your business pages if you have them, but haven't done anything with them in awhile. Upload new photos, new graphics, and other information to invite more reviews.

• Have lots of Google reviews? Expand your reviewability!  Ask customers to review you on other sites such as Facebook, Yelp, Rate A Biz, or any other review site.  This also will help with SEO.

• Use QR codes to get to review pages quickly.  Place marketing throughout your business and even give out cards with QR codes to encourage customers to write a review.  The easier it is for them to access, the more likely they are to leave a review.

• Offer a review worthy service.  All the marketing in the world cannot replace offering great service that your customers want to talk about.  So take care of your customer, and they will take care of you!

What steps are you going to take to increase your business reviews?  Let me know what's worked for you in the comments below!