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00:00:01
Stop Chasing Vanity Metrics, Build a Brand That Lasts!
63 Plays15 days ago
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Empowered, we’re breaking up with the follower count obsession and leaning into what really matters: building a trusted, reliable, legacy brand. Whether you’re just starting or years in, this is your reminder that you don’t need to go viral, you need to show up consistently, serve your clients exceptionally, and think long term. You’ll learn how to shift your focus from visibility to value and why one great client can be worth more than thousands of followers.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why vanity metrics like likes and follower count don’t equal bookings
- How to build a trusted, legacy photography brand that grows organically
- What repeat clients can mean for your long-term revenue and peace of mind
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Transcript
Vanity Metrics vs. True Success
00:00:01
Speaker
This is gonna my empowered episode to empower you to stop focusing on vanity numbers. Do you know what vanity number is? A vanity number is the number of likes that you get on a post, the number of followers you have, et cetera.
Tactics vs. Proven Models
00:00:17
Speaker
A full-time photographer only does 50 to 100 sessions a year on average, sometimes much less depending on what they're charging and their business model, etc. So why the heck are you focusing focusing on marketing tactics that promise thousands of followers or promise going viral?
Ineffective Viral Tactics
00:00:34
Speaker
One of my favorite people to follow on Instagram, I actually really love this account. I'm not going to drop any names or anything, but I do love the account and I love some of the advice that they give, but they shared a post last week about how to go viral by the end of the year with all of these really fun you know, dancing on camera tactics.
00:00:53
Speaker
And that's cute. It is. And going viral does feel good. It's a vanity boost. It's a little dopamine hit. But let me tell you, it's not going to get you clients.
Building a Trusted Brand for Retention
00:01:02
Speaker
What if you instead focus on building a trusted brand that guaranteed you that clients would come back year after year, almost completely eliminating the need to take to the internet, trying to get everyone and anyone to book you?
00:01:20
Speaker
Wouldn't that be amazing? I'm at a point in my business where I 90% only work with returning families.
Creating Legacy Businesses
00:01:27
Speaker
Now my new families are almost always newborn now. And then once they become newborn clients, they're lifers, they're long-term families.
00:01:34
Speaker
I have built a legacy business. Now, I know that if you are a wedding photographer and you're listening to this or commercial photographer, that you might have to do some other things. That's fine. Those are different but those those are different business models.
00:01:45
Speaker
um But wedding photographers also create legacy businesses because their clients come for family stuff and newborns. there're It's just a long-term connection that they make. So it can work for that as well.
Consistency and Systems
00:01:57
Speaker
If you build a trusted brand, you bring value to your clients with consistency, professional systems, and excellent customer service. And of course, by sharing your creative list gifts, your photography with them.
00:02:12
Speaker
So stop screaming at the internet and instead focus on how you can bring value to your
Stable Income through Returning Clients
00:02:19
Speaker
clients. Instead of thinking about how you can get new clients every year, imagine if you only had to have a base, let's say 50 clients that you get almost every single year.
00:02:29
Speaker
That is eliminating that need to constantly be bringing in new clients. and The way I like to think about this is, imagine if I was a business owner and I started a brand new, I mean, sorry, I am a business
Current Clients vs. New Clients
00:02:41
Speaker
owner.
00:02:41
Speaker
Imagine if I was a restaurant owner and I started a brand new restaurant and I took all of this time to create a beautiful environment inside, great ambience, perfect organic ingredients, a top chef, everything.
00:02:54
Speaker
And on opening night, only one or two tables got filled. And instead of giving those one or two tables top service, I was on the street saying, come in, I need you in here, I need more, I need more, I need every single table to be full in order for me to provide excellent service.
00:03:11
Speaker
Well, those tables that were sitting there that trusted me, they're not getting a very good experience. And so they're not gonna come back, they're not gonna bring their friends. And so I am gonna have to every single night be on the street bringing in new clients.
Excellent Service and Organic Growth
00:03:24
Speaker
Now, flip that on its head. Imagine if when you were first starting, you give your clients, the the maybe you have a handful this year, maybe you have 10, you give them excellent service.
00:03:36
Speaker
You make sure that you are the best photographer that you can be, that your systems are impeccable, that you are providing such a top-notch service that they say at the end of the photo shoot, wow, that was so easy. Thank you for being so great.
00:03:50
Speaker
Wow, these photos are amazing. I love how easy all of this was. I love how professional it was. They come back every year and they bring their friends. It will grow organically that way.
00:04:01
Speaker
Think about how you can turn one client into reliable income every single year with their repeat business.
Financial Benefits of Repeat Clients
00:04:09
Speaker
So I think about this, one family, I charge $1,400 a session.
00:04:14
Speaker
So think about how if I have one family that comes every single year for five years, that's $7,000 of revenue in five years from one family.
00:04:28
Speaker
Now, if I multiply that by 50 that I normally get, that's $350,000 of five years. turning repeat revenue every five years Now, I usually have more than those 50 clients a year. I do about 100 sessions a year, although I am bringing that down this year.
00:04:46
Speaker
But
Brand Building Beyond Social Media
00:04:47
Speaker
just think about that. Think about how you can exhaust, and I hate that word, but one client. You can get so much repeat be business out of that one client rather than always thinking about bringing in new clients. Now, yes, you do need some new but your marketing will be organic and it will be about showing what you can do for your people, why you do it and how you do it really well and provide that excellent, excellent service, excellent, excellent trusted brand with consistency, professional systems and excellent service.
00:05:16
Speaker
And you will get legacy clients. So stop focusing so much on social media and start thinking about how you can make your brand reliable and how you can create long-term connections.
00:05:29
Speaker
It will grow organically that way. I can guarantee it.