270 – Increase Sales by Showing What Makes You YOU! with Nikole Marie

Gift biz unwrapped episode 270.

You're going to want to have photos that show who you

are within your brand that tell the story of what makes

you, you within your brand attention.

Gifters bakers,

crafters, and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.

Whether you have an established business or looking to start one.

Now you are in the right place.

This is gift to biz unwrapped,

helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.

Join us for an episode,

packed full of invaluable guidance,

resources, and the support you need to grow.

Your gift biz.

Here is your host gift biz gal Sue moon Heights.

Hi there.

Thanks for joining me here today.

We just completed a four part series around ways to sell

online. And if you haven't checked that out there,

the four episodes right before this one really great info,

not just during a time of quarantine,

but for the future too.

Also, I want to make sure if you're an existing handmade

product business owner.

So in business for at least two years that you know

about your new opportunity called maker's MBA accelerator.

If you're feeling like you're not getting the sales or something

just feels off in your business right now,

jump over to gift biz,

unwrapped.com forward slash makers,

MBA, and then click on the link for established businesses.

Let's get you back on track and excited about the results

you're seeing.

Remember, you don't have to figure all this out alone.

Now we're moving onto a new two part series on personal

branding. What's that?

Well, you're the owner behind your business and the designer of

your products,

right? That means you have as much,

if not more power to attract sales than even your product

itself. Did you get that as a small business maker?

You can make the difference in someone buying from you or

not. And the best way not to have people buy is

staying behind the scenes.

Non-existent. So today and next week,

we're going to be talking about how to create a strong,

personal brand and persuade you about why this is so important

for your business.

I mean,

really, let me continue with a story.

So as you know,

in the normal times,

quote, unquote,

I'm out at trade shows a lot like maybe six or

80 year.

My favorite thing is to interact with people about ribbon printing

or when I'm teaching a class.

So last year I'd been communicating with someone online for a

few months and we agreed we'd meet in person at the

Philly candy show.

So that was last September.

I was so excited to meet her and to get to

know her better.

You know,

the way you can only when you're in person,

I wasn't prepared for what happens next.

Don Don thought add a little drama.

A woman came up to the booth,

smiling and jovial acting like we were old time buddies.

And I was completely caught off guard.

Who is this?

How do I know her embarrassed?

I played along until finally I figured out that it was

the woman I'd mentioned earlier.

Why didn't I make the connection right away?

Because the avatar,

so the photo that she was using online,

didn't look at all like the person who was standing in

front of me,

different hair color,

a few pounds heavier and at least a 10 year age

difference. Well,

of course,

once I figured out that it was her,

I was much more comfortable with our conversation,

but still I felt a little bit deceived.

Think about doing this to your customer.

Do you think it could affect her interest in buying from

you? You bet your booty at can you see even that

subtle disconnect can create a level of unconscious mistrust,

a feeling that something just isn't right.

That's how important representing yourself correctly and genuinely online is so,

so very valuable.

Let's get into how to do this headshots and all Today.

I am so excited to introduce you to Nicole Marie of

Nicole Marie photography.

Nicole is a film inspired wedding and personal brand photographer who

followed a very winding path to work.

That truly fulfills her.

She serves couples filled with love and joy by creating images

that capture the connection and beauty of their relationships.

It's then documented for them to share for a lifetime.

Nicole also creates branded imagery for female entrepreneurs looking to grow

their brand strategically by sharing the story of their businesses through

photos. Nicole,

welcome to the gift biz unwrapped podcast.

Thank you so much for having me.

I'm so excited to hear what you have to tell us.

I think this is going to be a great,

great episode for everybody,

but before we do that,

I like to do a question.

That's become a traditional thing here on the show.

And that is to have you describe yourself by way of

a motivational candle.

So if you were to tell us what color and a

motivational quote that resonates with you,

that would make up this candle,

what would it look like?

Oh my gosh,

I love this question.

It's so different.

My ideal candle would be probably this like a soft,

dusty blue,

like you would see in the sky when the sun first

comes up,

I do a lot of sunrise engagement sessions.

So if there's this really pretty dusty blue that comes at

that time of day and it would probably say it starts

with love.

I truly believe if you do everything from a place of

love, it'll all work out,

like to bring it to business.

I would say,

if you're creating with love of the product and your customers

in mind,

then your business will end up serving you and your customer.

I so agree.

And when I first started talking with people about creating a

business, if they're doing it just because of the money part,

it's never going to work out in the long run.

Yes. You have to have that.

What you're calling it,

the love element,

right? Yeah.

But you've got to have something stronger than just the money.

So that's what I thought of when I heard your quote

there. Totally agree.

So share with us.

Now you say in the interim and it was a winding

path. So that made me be like,

Hm, what's that all about?

So fill us in.

Yeah. So I didn't start out necessarily thinking I was going

to be a photographer.

So it really was a journey for me.

I was premed when I took a photography class for the

first time in college.

And I remember standing in the dark room,

developing film,

dunking photo paper,

into the solution,

watching as my images would materialize and thinking,

I absolutely love this,

but I couldn't make this a career like this.

Isn't something I could do for,

for life,

like to do this.

I would have to be an artist in a gallery and

I would be a struggling artist.

And so I had all these like inner dialogue of what

it would be.

And so I ignored that inner voice.

I didn't follow it.

I ended up finishing out school and with all the prerequisites

to go to medical school,

but instead got a master's in education and became a teacher.

And it wasn't until I was planning my own wedding and

had children that I came back to photography.

Okay, wait,

way, way,

way, way,

wait. So what was the premed?

And then instead of teacher,

how did that happen?

So I was in school and I was a psych major

and we had this internship class and I was at a

school for children with autism and I was absolutely loving the

work that I was getting to do.

And so I decided I don't want to be a doctor.

I'm going to go and get a master's in special education.

And I became a special education teacher.

Oh, that's so cool.

But you know what that was saying to me,

I think is that this whole premed thing wasn't really settling

with, you know,

because you saw photography,

but you're like,

no, no,

no, can't do it.

Right. And then you went into teaching.

And so what was the transition then from teaching?

The transition from teaching?

It really came.

It really was when I started planning my wedding and I

started having children,

like when I started playing my wedding,

I saw,

Oh, there's another type of photography.

Like I really only saw photography as this like artist in

a gallery.

And I didn't see myself in that way necessarily.

I've always loved documenting life and documenting interaction and connection.

I was always that person who had a camera on me

before you had a cell phone to actually capture it.

And so I loved the idea of being able to capture

that. And so when I saw wedding photography,

I saw that there was something different.

And then I had my own kids and I wanted to

be able to take these beautiful photos.

And I would be out with my camera,

photographing my family.

And I actually got asked by somebody like,

Oh, will you photograph my family and dove into learning more

and more about being better at photos being better with my

camera. And then once I got asked to take photos for

people, I was like,

Oh, I need to figure out the business side of this.

Interesting. You know what I'm thinking,

as you're telling the story is what I'm seeing as the

common thread throughout all of this is you're caring about people

because pre-med is caring for the health of people or the

mind of people.

Like, I'm not sure which direction you were going there,

but with your psychology degree,

right. And then special needs is caring for children.

And then moments is caring about special things in life or

photography. Yes,

I, you nailed it completely.

I always knew that at the heart of what I wanted

to do was to be able to serve people in some

way. And so I think in all of the careers path,

that is the thread that ties it all together.

Yeah. I love that.

There are a lot of people who are listening here who

are thinking that there may be something else that they want

to do.

And they're in another job right now.

And that's why I like going through people's journeys,

but we've never really talked about that.

There was a common thread,

like we're seeing here with yours.

So I think that's interesting.

So I'm just thinking,

give biz listeners that may be something to consider if you're

thinking what's next or what do I do or there's something

more, don't just think of what that business is,

but what's the thread.

What's the deeper drive that you have,

like Nicole was just describing.

So we're getting into some good stuff from the top.

So you say that then with photography,

you decided,

okay. I got to now know more about the business end.

Were you having any pushback about making that transition,

like from your husband or other people in the family or

was it smooth acceptance of the idea?

I think for the most part,

it was,

we are definitely we support what you want to do.

I think there was definitely fear about what that would mean

and what that would entail for the family.

But I would say that as we've transitioned to,

I just went full time in my business two years or

a year and a half ago at this point.

And I think what we've seen is that yes,

on the weekends,

if I'm shooting a wedding,

there's not a lot of flexibility,

but during the week I have all of the power in

what my schedule looks like.

And so that has only been a benefit to our family.

Sure. Okay.

So you answered a question that I was going to follow

up on,

which is you kind of wound your business up before you

released your other job,

which was still teaching,

right? Yes.

Okay. All right.

Good. And how did you know what point was a good

point to make a full jump over?

I would say I was looking at,

we are very big budgeters we followed the Dave Ramsey plan

and got ourselves out of debt.

And so like I knew exactly what our family needed in

order to feel comfortable,

what we needed to be better off.

So I knew all the different transitions that we would need

to make,

and I knew what we needed to get by.

So I decided for me,

I would feel most comfortable leaving at what point I knew

we would be fine to get by and then I could

continue to ramp up from there.

Then I would have all the time to work on it.

And not just my after hours.

Yeah. I think that's so smart because if you would have

to kind of speculate,

well, I'm not even going to go there.

I'll tell you why.

I think it's so smart is number one,

there was a specific line in the sand that you drew

that said,

okay, when we get to this point,

it was very black and white,

right. Cause you were looking at numbers,

this is a time that I can release.

It will make sense and feel comfortable,

but also you can kind of speculate,

like if you stopped earlier,

how stressful that would be because you weren't at that spot

yet. Right.

Exactly. And I tell people all the time that I'm not

an advocate and it sounds like you're not either of how

they'll say,

Oh, well just jump in with two feet and you'll figure

it out.

Like you have to figure it out.

I think that is so stressful.

And it comes across to potential customers for sure.

And the overall experience that you have with the growth of

your business,

To me,

that's way too scary.

And I think it does put you in this position,

like you're saying where maybe the way you're marketing isn't necessarily

how you would Mark it.

If you feel comfortable with where you're at,

it might come across more insincere because you're driving after the

dollar. Right.

I agree with you.

Totally. So any comments or thoughts or observations because you were

doing two jobs and you had a family at the same

time, right?

How was that time and the balancing there for you?

It was difficult.

I think having a family and then specifically being a teacher

because the hours are physically set,

but emotionally unset because of how much you invest into your

class and your kids and the stories that you take home

with you.

So I think that trying to navigate that,

I had to be very clear with what my hours were

for my business,

so that I could spend that time on there.

And oftentimes it was once my kiddos were in bed.

And so that meant that I had to communicate very clearly

with my husband when those hours were going to be so

that I can make sure that those hours regarded.

Oh, that's really good advice.

Yeah. So it's not just like when you find free time,

but specific hours that you set aside for working on your

new business and building the business.

Yes. As much as I can try to make my schedule

standard and standardized in some way,

the easier it is and the easier it is to get

it done.

Like especially,

I mean,

we're talking about this at a time where our schedules are

completely off kilter and I have found,

I have made an,

it has had to transition several times because my kids' schedules

have transitioned several times,

but we have a set schedule of when things are going

to happen throughout the day and they know where they're going

to be and they know where I'm going to be so

that I can get the work done.

Right. Well,

I think it's healthier for everybody,

your husband included because then you guys know when you're available

when you're not and why you're not.

And I think it's important for children to understand too,

that you're driving to something and you're working towards something and

this is the time that mommy's working on that.

And then right after that's done,

then I'm all in with you,

with the kids.

Right. All right.

So you do a lot with weddings in life.

Special moment.

I know all of that.

I want to focus today on business owners who need to

have imagery and photos for their business.

Okay. Yes.

So when somebody comes to you,

I'm gonna create a scenario.

Okay. It's a soap maker and she does craft shows and

she's had her business for maybe about a year.

Okay. And so she has a logo and she does her

soaps and she has some promotional materials,

business cards.

And maybe a little bit of a website has never really

thought about like photos of me.

Like, why would I do that?

What's the importance of that?

How would you talk to this person?

I would start with,

I think it's important to,

hopefully that's what we're doing now is to educate yourself around

what personal branding is and what the power of that can

be for your business.

So it's,

what's going to set her apart from every other soap maker.

So is she just the soap maker or is she this

artistic soap maker that puts pressed flowers into the soap and

there each scent is picked based on the feeling of what

she's doing.

And I think when you nail down those smaller parts of

what makes her unique,

that's, what's going to help her stand out and that's,

what's going to help with her branding.

And so you wouldn't just want then a headshot of yourself.

You'd also want some photos of you actually pressing those flowers

into the soap that you're taking to your trade show.

Yeah. You know,

I think a lot of people to your point about,

okay, so she does flowers within her soap.

A lot of the pictures then are always just the product

because let's face it.

Also, when we are a new business owners,

who's taking those photos into us.

We can't in the picture when we're taking the picture and

even trying to put like your hand in the picture,

balancing a camera is kind of awkward.

I don't think those pictures would normally come out so well,

but I like what you're talking about.

That it's more than just,

you need to make and want to make your product unique

and different and set apart on its own.

But it's also so much about the maker of the product

and what better way to start sharing what that means then

having pictures,

Right? Because the you of the business is going to certainly

help you stand out because there isn't another,

you, I don't know who said that,

go for it,

but there's only one you,

right? There's no way anybody else can top that because they

can't be you.

Exactly. And I talk about this.

I don't know if you were in my talk when we

were at Lakeside,

but I talk about this a lot because that is the

way you can stand out by identifying something that is uniquely

you, that nobody else can mimic.

And you know how it is.

If you respect somebody and you watch what they do,

and then you try to do what they do,

it comes off as fake.

Right. Cause you can't do it cause you're not them.

Right. So I think the very first part of it is

we have to just own who we are.

Right. We just have to own us own ourselves.

Like I think of you,

I'm looking at your picture right now because we interview gift

biz listeners.

We interview over Skype,

but I don't have the visuals on because the audio file

goes better when we don't do that.

But so I'm looking at you,

Nicole, with the picture that you have just on your Skype

account, not looking at you in life person right now.

And you're so adorable.

Your hair makes a statement.

Right? Well,

first off you're super cute.

Thank you.

You're so sweet.

Your hair makes a statement.

You are a personality just by how you look.

And I think everybody is right,

right. Yes.

Everyone looks different,

obviously. So everyone has things.

If you just own who you are,

I think that's how you also make the best photos.

Like it makes it so much easier for you as the

photographer. Right?

All completely,

Definitely. Anytime I'm photograph someone,

they come out.

If they are willing to release to the process and be

a part of it,

then they come out.

Like when I photographed you,

like you are so fun.

And effervescent went in front of the camera and it comes

out. If you're willing to show who you are.

Yeah. Well you made it easy.

Let me just start with that.

But I had to learn that over time,

right? Like it took me a while to understand,

and this is so much better.

And you tell me what you think about this,

Nicole. But what I've learned is those photos.

Now I get for headshots that you want to have,

you know,

your head and it's more of a blank background and all

of that,

but you've got to show some personality.

You know,

it's not like the school pictures of old where you sit

in a chair and smile and take a shot.

And the best way to get pictures is if you're interacting

or talking or moving and then let the person who's taking

the picture of you capture those images.

Not totally in motion,

obviously. I don't know exactly how I'm saying this.

You can probably say it better than me,

but not just that standard frozen face to the camera click.

Right? So I like to think of your personal brand shoe

as it's kind of like the umbrella of what multiple different

kinds of photos are going to come out of it.

So you would get,

if you're doing a personal brand,

you're going to need that headshot.

Right? Cause that's you see my headshot as we're sitting here

talking on Skype,

you have that standard photo and you want to make sure

you have a fresh one out of it,

but you're also going to get other images.

You're going to want to have photos that show who you

are within your brand that tell the story of what makes

you, you within your brand.

You're going to want to have like photos of you and

action. You're going to want to have photos of you behind

the scenes of things that you do within your business.

Things like that.

cause you're trying to tell a story,

right? Yes,

exactly. I heard it Something lately that I've really been trying

to push forward to everybody.

Specially our,

our business,

the handmade business is once people know you,

they buy products because they want to support the creator behind

the product.

It's still about the product and you have to have a

good, solid product to start with for sure.

But it becomes more about the interaction and the relationship and

things they know about the creator that actually reinforced coming back

and supporting,

being loyal and telling other people about you and the best

way to do that.

For me,

I think after you've seen people face to face is the

photos. I would agree because if you can't put a face

to the business,

I think we as humans more likely do business with people.

And so if you don't have that face to put it

too, it's hard to do business with that person.

You're just doing it with the logo or the characters and

you don't get that personalized feeling.

And so why would I buy from one soap owner when

I could just buy from a different soap owner?

Right. Okay.

Uh, Oh,

I'm hearing a lot of people saying,

Oh gosh,

because their logos are what they have probably on social media,

on their websites and probably not much of their own face.

Oh no.

Where should we change that out?

Are you thinking,

I mean,

you still want your logo also of course,

but where would be places where we'll get into like how

to do the photo shoot and I have some questions for

you there,

but where would you put these photos?

So you're going to need photos for,

I would have it on your homepage of your website.

Usually there's like an about section within that.

You're going to need it on your,

about section.

So having different styles of photos of yourself is helpful for

that. You're going to use it within your actual social media

platform when you're actually posting.

But then I would even change out your icon photo to

you instead of your logo.

I agree with you.

I was hoping you would say that.

So if I'm the soap maker,

we're going to stick with that throughout.

Perfect. I like it.

So if I'm the soap maker,

I still have the logo of my business,

but I should probably show myself as the maker on social

media. Cause the soap isn't talking to potential customers,

you are like the maker is right.

Yes. Yeah.

I really agree with that.

And I know that's a hard concept to get over.

I think for people,

but the more people feel comfortable and close to you,

the more likely they are to purchase the whole know like,

and trust that's so overused.

I get it.

But this is one way of making people more comfortable with

you and feeling like it's more genuine,

Right? I mean,

I get it.

I get that struggle to want to be,

or not wanting to be in front of the camera just

to put a story behind it.

I think it was three years ago.

I noticed that for two years straight,

there weren't any photos of me and not just within my

business, like within my family life.

And it was because I was avoiding to be in front

of the camera at all costs.

Well, I got to say why I have to ask why

It's that insecurity.

I get why my clients don't want to be in front

of the camera.

It feels revealing.

And it feels vulnerable.

And I was in a place where I didn't feel beautiful

in front of the camera,

so I didn't want to be in front of the camera.

And I think a lot of that,

like a lot of the not wanting to be photographed comes

from those insecurities.

And you got to work past that because one for me

on my family side for two years,

my kids wouldn't have had,

if I continued,

they would have never,

ever had photos of me with our family.

And that's just,

that's tragic.

And then on the business side,

people are going to want to know who you are and

why they should do business with you.

Right. And I don't think we need to be perfect.

In fact,

I think if we try to be perfect,

we come across more false anyway.

And fate.

So here's the worst Nicole,

I think is when somebody has a photo that they've used

for a while.

Maybe it's been on their LinkedIn and they had it taken

when they were in corporate.

So the hotel was like 10 years old.

Let's say,

then you meet someone in person.

And they look nothing like the images that they've have all

over social media because social media to younger more professional version

of themself.

Right. And I feel like when that happens and I've had

it happen to me a lot.

And what I feel like is this person is not as

genuine as I would want them to be like,

if that's what they're representing,

that it's still down.

Cause, but it's them from a while ago.

Right? What else?

Isn't quite represented as it is.

Right? I mean,

it takes away from the honesty of your brand.

Exactly. I love the way you just put that agree a

hundred percent.

But I think the other challenge that people will have,

let's just say they're okay with having their face there.

Okay. Look at the big brands.

But the big brands do put their logos.

Right, right.

And so if you're aspiring to be a big brand and

you're looking and following a bigger brand and it's the logo,

How big of a brand are we talking?

Are we talking like the apples of the world or,

Well, right.

I guess that's my point is if you're not that now,

right? You want to be selling as a person,

not a logo.

Yes. That is completely,

the point is we're I am not the Apple of the

world. I am not an Amazon and I'm not a JC

penny like rate JC Penney photos.

Right. And one,

I know my clients,

that's not what they would want.

Of course.

I think that puts another layer between you and your customer.

If you're hiding behind or we won't even say hi to

my logo,

but if you're aspiring to be this bigger brand that carries

weight, I think part of the way you're going to do

that, especially when you're small to begin with is by growing

a personal brand first,

that doesn't mean that at some point you might not grow

your brand to something bigger to where the logo is known,

but I think you are going to be the person that

gets it.

There Absolutely agree.

I totally agree with you.

And you're still always the owner behind the brand.

Yes. And like,

I don't think there's anything wrong with owning exactly where you

are in your business development and not trying to be something

more than you already are.

Right? Like if you're just genuine and let's face it,

there's a lot of value with working with small businesses,

not larger businesses.

You're talking directly with the owner,

it's more personable.

There's I'm going to say less structure in a good way.

Like you can adjust.

It's not like when you have a big company,

there are certain structures you have to go by like by

the line,

you know,

writing or whatever,

small businesses are more nimble,

flexible. So there's so much value.

It doesn't hold true.

And I think more and more we're seeing this,

that just because it's a bigger brand,

a products more valuable or the services are better because we

all know that's not always the case.

Right. Okay.

So I'm trying to make a point with everybody and get

people who have never considered doing this,

thinking along these lines.

I think this is a great opportunity for you to differentiate

yourself as we were talking about before making people fall in

love with your brand because they feel more connected with you

and you just have to show up as you are now.

Yes. Are you probably going to get your makeup done and

your hair done?

And you're like,

you're gonna want to represent the best you,

but still be truly you it's the same hairstyle you would

normally wear.

So people recognize you and know who you are.

You know how sometimes people will get pictures taken and it's

like, Oh my gosh,

that's you.

Right? Cause they've been all dialed up in different,

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So let's say Going back to our soap maker,

who's only been in business for a year.

Doesn't have any photos at all.

Okay. And they are deciding that they're going to do a

photo shoot with you.

Yes. Okay.

So how do they prepare?

What should they be doing beforehand?

Because I'm thinking this will make people feel more comfortable about

potentially doing it.

So what happens?

So I signed the dotted line.

We're doing it,

or I made my appointment now what happens?

Okay. So for my personal clients,

when we're doing a full brand shoe,

I like to walk them through or give them a questionnaire

that lets me know more about them and helps them think

more strategically about their business and how they're going to use

the photos.

I'm actually working on creating a guided workbook for people who

don't necessarily get to work with me,

but that's not out yet.

Okay. But when it is,

will you let me know or give me a link?

Cause I'll put it in the show notes of this episode.

Sure. Of course.

Okay. But I thought I would share six questions that you

should ask yourself so that you can help get yourself ready

for your shoe.

Does that work?

Yes, that's wonderful.

Okay. Okay.

So the first question is how are you going to use

these photos?

So we kind of talked about it a little bit already,

but like you run to start thinking about what places that

you're going to use the photos.

Do you need a fresh headshot?

Like I said,

I think would be,

have a good personal brand photographer.

They will get you a fresh head shot along with all

these other strategic photos that you need.

I don't think you can ever have too many headshots to

be quite honest.

I agree.

And then you're going to want to look,

are there any visual holes you've seen in your biz right

now? Like,

are there any places that you were thinking I needed more

for the about section on Facebook?

I needed something different.

So it's not the same photo in every single place.

So you want to start thinking about where those visual holes

have you and then what color is express your brand the

best. So if you have brand colors for your business,

I suggest either choosing to wear them,

yourself thinking about like maybe the location that you're taking.

Maybe it's going to have pull in some of those colors

or possibly just sticking to more neutral colors.

But thinking about other ways that it'll be incorporated color wise,

I totally made this mistake.

One of the very first photo shoots I ever did.

I wore a color.

I had just gotten this sweater.

I thought it was really pretty,

he had nothing to do with my brand color.

It was like the stupidest thing to do now.

Can I use it in social media post here or there?

Yeah. But the pictures were good,

but I couldn't use them for like the big banner photos.

Cause it wasn't my color romantic class with my color.

I was so mad at myself.

So I'm so glad you say that.

Yeah. And I think some people,

especially when they get very like honed in on their Instagram

feed, they choose to make,

like to have like a color consistency within their photos and

it's, so that really helps to already know ahead of time

going into your shoe.

Right. And it doesn't mean that you're going to have like

always all the same colors,

but like if you're muted or more pastorally versus bright or

like, you know,

just think of that.

They all come together.

Like in my brand knows people who follow me,

bright purples Browns,

neither of those have anything to do with my brand.

Never now a lighter topi beigey could fit or isn't right.

My brand.

But like I could slip that in,

but there are some that are so obviously obnoxiously,

not, not that I don't like those colors,

but no exactly.

Can you see that?

I'm still mad at myself about this when you hear it.

I wasted that money because even though the photos are great,

I can't use them as much as I would've wanted to.

So Exactly.

If you're going to spend the money in your business,

you want it to help your business.

Right. You want to be able to see what the growth

will come from it.

So definitely consider those colors.

Yeah, for sure.

For sure.

Sorry. I interrupted your questions,

but I had to,

I think that's powerful.

I think that's a powerful story to share.

And then you're also going to want to ask,

what does your ideal client love about your brand or if

you're not there yet,

what do you want your ideal client to love about your

brand? So maybe that's some stories that you're sharing and so

that you need that captured or things like that.

Oh, so that's interesting.

So if there are certain things,

like maybe it's the story of why you started your business,

right? And so you might want some types of photos that

you could use as your telling that story.

And so the photo relates the story in some way,

maybe Exactly.

Because you're going to keep sharing that.

Like it's not just a one and done that story is

going to continue to come up within your brand and within

your social media feed,

you're going to continue to come back to it.

It's not just,

you're going to tell it in different ways.

So you'll want fresh imagery to do that.

And then the fifth one that you should ask is what

do I share about most often on social media?

So what are the things that you consistently talk about for

your brand on social media or if you're not consistently doing

it yet,

what do you think you need to be consistently talking about?

So that way you can pull in images and you have

stuff available,

you have this backlog of stuff that you can use to

then have.

So your feed,

isn't one thing the whole time,

not just your soap.

It's what do I need to share about this soap?

Right. Would you also say then for a brand shoot like

this, you could do behind the scenes.

Like, you know how I was saying that somebody could take

pictures of,

let's say them making the soap,

but they can't take a picture with their hand in it

right away like themselves.

So we're to do some of those types of things.

So it's not them even in full screen,

maybe not even always their face,

but their hands or something else.

100%. It depends on your photographer,

but if they know what you need for social media,

they're going to talk to you about that.

They're going to make sure that those stories that you want

to bring up.

So if it's exactly that it's just a closeup of your

hands of you doing or making or pressing the flowers or

creating the soap in some way,

I don't know the process you're going to want maybe some

of those images of closeup,

not just your face,

you're going to want to have the actual activity that's happening.

And it's so much,

like you said,

it's so much easier to have somebody else do it.

Then try to like prop up a phone in some way

or a camera and try to get it while you're trying

to navigate also doing the activity.

Absolutely. So how do you feel about,

let's say you're going in,

you're doing this photo shoot and it's so baking still.

So you're going to learn all the process,

Nicole, during our imaginary modem.

But so they're pouring the soap,

let's say,

and you're taking a picture of them head-on or from the

side, but a full body image of them making the product.

You could also crop those photos down then of just being

the hands and pouring too.

So you could get multiple photos out of one large photo.

Yes. Oh 100%.

You can.

Totally. Especially if you get a high resolution photo,

it gets more difficult when it's not,

because the more you crop it down,

you're going to change the quality of the photo.

But I'm saying like,

I think it's really powerful for you to have a photographer.

Who's going to think strategically with you and actually get that

full body in and then zoom in weather or walk in

and get that tighter shot for you as a separate photo.

yeah. So you're strategically because you know what to do,

but I'm saying if you have a good photographer there to

support you,

you don't necessarily have to do that work.

You just need to tell them the stories you want captured.

Right. I was just thinking of also other people who are

listening, who have done photo shoots,

they might be able to go back to some of their

photos again,

if they're high res images,

right? Yes.

But they may have something that they can crop.

They've used a picture a long time,

but they may be able to use it in a different

way now.

And let's be honest.

I mean,

there are a lot of photographers,

not sliding anybody in any way,

but who aren't thinking of taking pictures in this way.

Right. But there may be some pictures you have that you

can already use.

Very, very smart idea.

Very smart idea.

You could definitely go in and crop in to get that

tighter image.

And if you're just sharing it on social media,

you've most likely the photo that you crop,

even if it's not like professional quality will crop in really

nicely, just like she said.

And a lot of people don't even know that there are

images you've already had.

Right. It completely changes the dynamic of your photo.

Your one photo can become so much more.

Right. Okay.

I think we have one more.

Yeah. The last one relates back to what you share the

most often.

It's what do you need to share more often?

What is missing from your brand that needs to be shared

on social media?

Okay. Share more often.

I'm writing these down.

Very good.

Cause I need them.

Cause this is going to give me some training to hear

that's one good thing about doing these interviews because I learned

too at the same time here.

Yes. Okay.

Really good.

So these are things that you should be thinking about before

you go in.

So you're prepared because it's so easy.

Like once you start doing the photos to forget,

because you're so busy trying to look good,

smiling, maybe changing out an outfit or something when you and

I just did photos recently because I've done them now a

couple of times I was wearing a cardigan,

but also a sleeveless black top underneath so that I could

just pull that off real quick.

And it almost looks like a separate photo shoot.

Yes. So,

I mean,

depending on the time that you book with your photographer,

I think it's definitely smart either to wear layers like you

did, or to have just maybe a couple of different tops

that you can switch out quickly.

And that way you can get a totally different look for

yourself. And I also think I've taken two now wearing my

glasses when I do photos too,

because most of the time when I'm working or people are

going to see me,

I'm going to be in glasses.

Right. So I shouldn't be without glasses for a professional image.

If the way people are going to really see me as

now with glasses.

Yes. You want to show,

like you said earlier,

you want to show who you truly are.

Okay. So let's review really quickly,

these six.

Cause we had commentary in between.

Make sure everyone captures them.

So do you want me to review them or do you

want to review them either way?

Okay. You go for it.

Okay. So let's review the six questions you should be asking

before you go in.

Let's do a summary.

Okay. So you're going to first ask yourself,

how are you going to use the photos?

What is the use you want to get out of them?

Two is,

are there any visual holes you've seen in your business right

now? Like are there places that you need to add more

in the third one is what colors express your brand the

best. If you've decided on brand colors,

then you're going to want to incorporate those in some way.

The fourth question is what does your ideal client love about

your brand?

The fifth question is what do I share most often on

social media?

And the last one is what do I need to share

about more often on social media.

Beautiful. And especially now that we've been talking about the story

and that maybe you should be sharing a little bit more

about how you started or a little bit more about you

as a person or all of that,

that might be missing and you don't have any photos for

that. Exactly.

Okay. So here you're going to be my consultant right now.

I have a question.

Okay. Part of my story is having worked in corporate forever

and I loved my job.

Like for me it wasn't that I was escaping corporate.

I really did love it.

The thing is I had children and I can't press pause.

You know?

Like I wanted some of their childhood,

me not traveling at all.

Right. But so that's part of my story.

But when I'm doing like in a presentation,

you talk about,

you know,

who you are.

I have no pictures,

zero pictures of me in my corporate life.

What kind of pictures could I create now that I could

use for that?

So you could do more of a corporate headshot type photo

and have like one of that.

And then one of you now,

and like the arrow going that way,

like arrow going into my life.

Now you could do more of a desk type photo of

yourself. Cause that gives off that corporate feel.

But maybe still have it set up to where you are

now, but just talk about how,

like that was something you loved.

And so you still show yourself behind more of like the

corporate aid type desk,

but doing it in a new way.

Oh, that's a good idea.

Yeah. Maybe more corporate thing,

like maybe even dress up in more of a suit type

thing. Maybe something like that.

The only thing I thought of is I was traveling so

much that I have a picture of me pulling a suitcase,

you know,

traveling. That would be great.

Yeah. I've used that,

but I didn't know what else to do.

So you've given me some ideas.

So that is perfect.

Okay. So we get our photos taken and I know,

and I'm talking for people who have never gone through this

process before.

So how long does it take to get them back?

Do I get every single photo?

Like how does that work?

Okay. So it really is going to depend on your photographer

and the timeframe that the photographer you're working with does,

I would say that the majority of photographers wouldn't take any

more than 30 days to get photos back to you,

but that's not everyone.

So you definitely want to ask that of them and then

you're going to get back.

That's also something that's going to depend on what you agree

upon to begin with for a photo shoot that I do

when I do personal brand,

I want to make sure that ideally in that shoot,

you have enough for 90 days worth of content.

And so that's the collection I create for my clients because

I think that there's power in doing a quarterly personal brand

shoot. So that way you have fresh imagery to use.

Okay. So you're thinking three times a year or so you

should do a shoot.

Yeah. Okay.

Interesting. All right.

So I get my photos back and lots of times they'll

offer digital files.

Maybe you want some prints,

but really you want digital for media,

for sure.

Exactly. Yes.

What are the right best practices for using the photos?

Should you be always referencing the photographer or what do you

do with that?

So personal branding is different than what I would say for

wedding photography.

You're going to want to talk to your photographer upfront,

but ideally what you would want to do is to be

able to get commercial license.

So you don't necessarily have to reference the photographer unless you

want to credit them.

I mean,

it is nice at some point along the way to say

it, but maybe not on every single photo.

Exactly. You don't want to feel obligated to do it on

every single photo you're going to want to know,

are they watermarking their images?

You want to make sure that the images that you're getting

back does not have their logo on it.

If you're trying to use it for your business,

right? You're going to want to ask if you're getting high

resolution photos,

because online,

you don't necessarily need a high resolution photo,

but if you're going to do any print media,

you will.

And if you're paying for your shoe,

I believe you should get your high resolution photos.

If you're paying for the digital file.

Well, that goes to them,

understanding what you're going to be using the photos for too.

Exactly. And then you'll need to ask them to make sure

that you can actually make edit to the photo and like

overlay stuff over it.

If you want to,

these are all things that you need to find out ahead

of time.

Because if you don't know that ahead of time and you

sign your contract and your photographer says no,

Any of that,

no touching my photos.

You're going to be a little frustrated.

Right? So you're talking about like,

if you want to do text overlays or maybe you want

to do a montage of a couple of the photos or

you want to zoom in,

like we were talking about before you want the flexibility of

being able to do all of that 100%.

What about adding filters or any of that?

Also a question or Also a question,

personal branding.

It's still kind of a developing field.

And there are more photographers who are learning that,

especially in the online space,

in an online world brands and businesses,

creators and makers,

they need to be able to have more flexibility over their

images. So it might cost more than a family shoot because

you are getting more control over the art that we create

as it is scary for a photographer to say,

like, I did all this work for you and created something

that I think is going to be beautiful for your brand,

but go ahead and change all of it.

Right? Well,

no. And what if you don't like it,

it's not your style and then your name is connected to

it. Right.

And you'd be like,

this is not what I do.

Right. But my guess is that most people they're more busy

working their product.

Right. And talking with customers then adjusting all of the images.

I'm just thinking like,

if you go,

you know how you can go on to Instagram and then

they've got all the filters and all of that.

But mostly then we all know it's a filter like from

an app.

Right, right.

Geez. Okay.

So what about,

how long does a photographer keep your pictures?

Like let's say I did not buy all the pictures that

were done because I couldn't afford it,

whatever. And now I want more.

Is that possible or is it,

is that another question you ask or what It is possible

and generally your photographer will tell you upfront how long the

images are available for you to choose from or how long

they will keep a backlog of it.

So I generally tell people that I have it on my

own hard drives available easily for at least a year.

And then after that,

like sometimes it's archived.

And so there's more,

it's more difficult to go back,

to get to More difficult.

And like when you're in business for 10 or 15 years,

you're still keeping your one photos.

Like at some point,

I don't know.

I mean,

I don't guarantee it for my clients,

but because of who I am,

yes. I could go back to my very first photo and

find it,

but because it's archived on like hard drives that's Right.

It would take awhile potentially.

Yeah. Okay.

All right.

Good. All right.

Wonderful. Well,

what final partying advice would you have for somebody who has

never done their photo before is now listening to us and

saying, okay,

that doesn't sound so bad.

Maybe I could do that,

but now tomorrow they're going to say,

Oh no,

it sounded good.

Then not now.

What would you say to that person?

I would say that when you can do it,

cause I have been there where I haven't wanted to be

in front of the camera and you pick a photographer that

you feel comfortable with and who will make you feel comfortable

and you've got this for sure.

And then the second thing is,

is your brand needs it.

So go out and do it.

And I think it gets easier.

The more you do it,

the easier it gets to 100%.

I mean,

if the only thing you did at first was your headshot

and maybe a couple of other pictures real quick from a

professional. I'm not talking about when you drag your husband out

into the backyard and take a picture because I mean,

I get that there's room for that as well.

But we're talking about,

these are more professionally done pictures with an intent following Nicole

six questions.

So it's more strategic than that.

Right. And where would you direct people to go to know

more about you Just definitely go head over to my website.

It's Nicole marie.com

and it's Nicole with a K.

So it's N I K O L E murray.com.

That's where you can find everything about me or come and

hang out on Instagram.

I'd love to chat with you guys.

So it's Nicole Murray photo.

Beautiful. And you're in the Chicago area.

So those who are local listening to us.

And if you're interested in a photo shoot,

then Nicole might be at your ready,

wait in Rio.

Super. So what do you see as the future of your

business? Do you see yourself gravitating more weddings or branding or

both or something new?

Where does your mind and your heart right now?

I definitely see myself doing both still.

I feel in my heart that like both of them really

fulfill me.

I think I would have answered this question very differently prior

to being on quarantine.

But the more I've been on quarantine,

the more I've been talking to other business owners.

And I find that I definitely love the talking with businesses

about what they need to do strategically to move forward.

So I think I'm going to continue to explore some of

what that means.

And if that means like more intention,

even more so in the packaging of personal branding,

that includes some coaching,

maybe it does,

but we'll see.

I think I'm excited to see what's going to come out

of this time.

Love it.

Well, I can clearly see that you're observing what's happening around

you and adjusting and tweaking and then deciding what feels good

for you too.

Yeah. So wonderful.

Well, Nicole,

thank you so much for being on the show today.

I really appreciate it.

And I think we've convinced some people that maybe they're going

to add their face to their brand and that will be

a great thing.

Right? I hope so.

Yes. Okay.

Thanks again for being here.

Thank you.

This was great.

If you didn't catch them,

jump into the show notes for the three questions to ask

yourself before your next or your first photo shoot.

Now next week is part two of this personal branding series

you're covered on headshots and still images.

And we're going to move on and talk about how to

feel comfortable and make the best impression when you're on video

or live streaming,

we'll be getting direction from a former actress and an on-camera

coach. So make sure to join me next Monday.

And a reminder when you subscribe to the show,

you'll automatically have the next episode ready and waiting for you.

The minute it goes live,

I'm looking forward to being together again,

then be safe,

be well and bye for now.

I want to make sure you're familiar with my free Facebook

group called gift is breeze.

It's a place where we all gather and our community to

support each other.

Got a really fun post in there.

That's my favorite of the week.

I have to say where I invite all of you to

share what you're doing to show pictures of your product,

to show what you're working on for the week to get

reaction from other people and just for fun,

because we all get to see the wonderful products that everybody

in the community is making my favorite post every single week,

without doubt.

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