In today's episode, we are diving into how to be your authentic self on social media. Stay tuned. Welcome to The Hair of the Dog podcast. If you are a pet photographer ready to make more money and start living a life by your design, you've come to the right place. And now your host pet photographer, travel addict, chocolate martini connoisseur,

Nicole Begley. Hey everybody. Welcome back to The Hair of the Dog podcast. I'm your host Nicole Begley. And today we have an a reoccurring guest back from the very beginning of Hair of the Dog Podcast land. Actually even before that, back to one of our like very first summits,Deb LaFlamme from Market Your, no wait,  For the Love of Your Biz.

Is that your business name? Yeah. For the love of your biz. My gosh, I love it. So Deb is a social media maven maverick, just brilliant strategist and has helped me over the years tame the beast that is social media because truth be told, it is not my favorite thing. I am definitely, it is actually more now. I actually enjoyed a lot more now,

but I was never one of those people that's like, click, here's what I have for dinner, click selfie of me. Oh Instagram wall. Like that's, that's just not me, but doesn't have to be me to succeed on social media. So we're gonna talk about all that today. Deb, welcome back to the podcast. Thank you. I'm so excited.

I have actually loved being a part of your world. Whether it was in the summit or on your early, early, I think it was episode what, 22? Yes, episode 22 guys, www.hairofthedogacademy.com/ 22. And the title of that one was Social Media. Social Media Made Easy and Deb went back and re-listened and everything is still relevant today, so Totally.

Yeah, go listen to that one as well. Hair of the dog academy.com/two two and you'll see it. But yeah, I, and I think, I think the beauty of that is that this is gonna be something that's gonna go even deeper into how your people, your dream people can use social media to market better in a way that feels really good for them and also the people they're talking to.

So glad to be here. Yay. Yeah, awesome. No, super excited. Yeah, let's dive in because I know, gosh, for me, I've had all the stories about social media and like then you see all these people teaching social media and you see all the rules of social media and the engagement rules, and you need to post three stories a day at nine,

12 and three and this and this and blah, blah blah. And it's like, oh my God, how can anyone do this? But that's just not true. Well, I think what's also not true is like the people who are laying down the law or making it look like it's the law, they're not doing it alone. So let's just start there.

Yeah, they have people helping them, right? So when it comes to showing up online, which by the way, yes, you need to show up online in some way, shape or form if you have a business, it's about what does your dream client need from you? And actually in episode 22, we talk about the kind of content that your dream person,

your dream client needs in order to connect more deeply with you. But there's no fast, hard, easy way to be seen to get more followers. Like it does take some level of commitment now, like Nicole mentioned, like post this many times a day, this many times a week. At this time of day on this platform, you can literally lose your mind.

And no wonder social media or even marketing your business can overwhelm you, right? So I feel like think about how you are as a consumer, what do you need to say yes to a brand, to a business, to a photographer? Like what is it that if you were on the receiving end, you would need think of it that way, and then think of how much of that you might need and more importantly,

the way that it's delivered to you. So I personally, I thrive off of seeing people and listening to their voice and watching them tell stories. If you send me a video or if you send me an email that has a link to a video or a blog or something that is gonna take me a lot of time to consume, I'm probably not going to open it.

Probably not gonna read it. But if you're gonna entertain me, if you're gonna tell me a story, if I'm gonna learn a little something from you that gets me to take the next best step, that's perfect. And that's how you create content for your dream people is knowing what they need from you and when. Awesome. So yeah, so go listen to episode 22 because that is all laid out on there.

But yeah, so today we're gonna talk a little bit more too about, well I hear a lot from people that I've been posting and it's just not working or you know, and it's just they want to blame the algorithm or they wanna blame. It's because I can't show up as often as this expert saying, or they're just finding these other things. So do we wanna start to dive into kind of what other reasons Yeah,

that it might not be working that has nothing to do with the algorithm or when you're posting? Yeah, So first of all, we are quick to blame the platforms. We're quick to blame meta, we're quick to blame the algorithm. And, and in my world, you know that song from Encanto, we don't talk about Bruno. Yeah, we don't talk about the algorithm.

Like I literally, Bruno is the algorithm and, and where I am, we don't talk about it because there is a way that it actually can help you, but you've gotta be doing it correctly. So this isn't about quantity, this is not about your frequency of posting. This is truly about the quality of what you're giving your dream client where you're posting.

And also you don't need to be everywhere. I really think that's an important piece for people to take away. You don't need to be on all the platforms. What I always recommend is go deep where you feel the most comfortable, where it feels easy to talk about your business, where it feels easy to share inspirational content and where it's easy and like light.

That feeling of, oh my gosh, that feels good to share something. Like start there and then then expand if you need to. But when people say to me like what they say to you, I'm doing all the things like Deb, I'm doing all the things. Why is it not working? Well, first of all, marketing is a long game.

It is truly a marathon. It's not a sprint most of the time. It is that your dream people need to hear you and what you have to offer multiple times. So if you think that you can post once or for the next five days and convert leads, you might be able to get one or two people to join your email list if you hit 'em at the right time.

But chances are you're gonna need to be doing it over and over again for, for the next 30, 60, 90 days. Because humans have a lot of information coming at them. And it's not just your content. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So if you Think, right, if you think that your dream person is just sitting with their phone open on Instagram waiting for you to post,

they're not because they've already scrolled past that part of their newsfeed. And we'll use Instagram as an example. 'cause I know you and I are both marketing on Instagram, so it sounds like it's just an easier conversation to explain Instagram from the newsfeed to the stories to your grid, right? So your dream client, as much as you think that they're waiting for your Tuesday two o'clock post,

they're not like, they don't even know when it comes out because chances are, they may not see it till the next day if they see it at all. But when people come to me and say, I'm doing all the things that, all the courses and all the classes and all the downloads that I've done purchased and gotten for free, tell me to do,

and nothing's working. Can you audit my, my content? I, it's always two things that I see, like within moments, and I can do it pretty quickly. You're either not talking about your business, so you're showing me your, your salad, you're showing me the view off your deck, you're in sharing other people's content. But in the last three weeks of your content,

you maybe talked about your business once, you didn't tell me how to learn more, you didn't invite me to join a free group, you didn't tell me about a testimonial even from a client that's worked with you. So that's one thing, and we're not gonna even talk about that today because I feel like if you're listening to this podcast, you probably know that you need to talk about your business to have a business.

And maybe that will be our third episode, Nicole, I don't know. But that's the truth. You've gotta talk about your business to have a business. And so if you're not, then you're just on social media like everybody else who doesn't have a business and you're just ha you're just looking to play around on it, which is fine. Yeah. And the other thing I wanna add to that too is I think a lot of people feel like they're talking about their business way more than they actually are.

Or they feel like, oh, I already said that like yesterday, the day before. They just feel like they're gonna spam their audience where, dude, I barely remember what I posted yesterday. And also I'm the only one that has seen a hundred percent of my content. And actually that's not even true because Venus repurposes stuff from this podcast. Totally,

totally. Yeah. So That's good. That's good. A very good point is like if you think, and we're gonna get into repurposing a little bit of your past content, because the fact is 98% of your followers didn't see it the first time it went out. And we're gonna talk about that in a minute. So there's the, you're not talking about your business,

which your services, the ways people can work with you. So that's another podcast. But today I really wanna focus on what sets you apart and how you stand out. That's typically the other piece that people are missing. And it's like, what sets you apart? So if Nicole and I both were offering the same services, this, they cost the same,

they look the same, they, they can be deliberate at the same time. What would get your, our dream person to say yes to either Nicole or to me? And I always use the Red pen as the reference. And you know, I could have two red pens here. Actually I have them right here. So I'll just use them for visual purposes 'cause it's very helpful.

But Nicole and I are on a stage and we're at an event, and the room is full of our dream client. There's 30 people who need both of our services and we're both selling these red pens. This is our service. They work the same, they cost the same, they can be delivered. You don't have to wait for two days for Amazon Prime.

Like you can get them right now. You can line up and get Nicole's pen or Deb's pen. And so our dream clients are like, oh, I, I, yes, I want, yes, I need a red pen, I need a pen that's gonna write like that. It's gonna smell like that. It's gonna cost like that. It's gonna make my life easier.

And we're making it hard for them to decide whose red pen they want. So Nicole might get up and she might say, Hey guys, like who wants to meet up for Chocolate Martinis after the event? Right? Like, 'cause we know that about Nicole, we know that she likes martinis, but not just any martini. She likes chocolate martinis. And I know that because she's talked about it,

she shared about it. She's, when she's in the lounge at the airport, she posts a picture of her chocolate martinis, like this is what sets her apart. And Deb is over here and Deb is like, Hey guys, like let's meet up for coffee. That's my jam. Who wants to go for coffee? And so what happens is we're giving our,

I have the chills right now. We we're, what happens is our, our audience is like, yeah, I, there's a bunch of people probably split right down the middle that want the chocolate martini with Nicole and there's just enough people lining up for the coffee with Deb. And that's okay. Give your dream person what they need to make the next best,

the decision to take the next best step with you by giving them something that lets them decide we're making it too hard for our customers to decide who to work with. So, and the beauty of this is there's enough people for the red pen that Nicole is selling and there is enough people for the red pen that Deb is selling. So when you think about setting yourself apart,

I don't want you to ever think that that's gonna limit your business because there really is enough for me and there is enough for Nicole. And if somebody comes up to me and says, I really like what you offer, but I don't drink coffee, I could say, but do you drink chocolate martinis? And they're like, heck yeah, and I can send them to Nicole.

That's the beauty of knowing which pen you sell and what sets it apart. So I love that visual of that. How does that make you feel? Nicole? Oh my gosh, I love that. I love that so much. But I do wanna caution because as pet photographers, especially when we're getting started, we think that like what sets us apart is I love dogs,

I love photographing dog. I had a dog, I had a camera in my hand since I was five. Like, no, that is the red pen. Yes, yes. That is not what's setting us apart at all. Yes. And we need to go deeper. And I mean, we're gonna talk about that too, about going deeper, but like,

even more so than, okay, I have my superficial, I like chocolate martinis, but then I also have the deeper of like, I used to be a zoological animal trainer. I have a conservation fund. I have like, so I'm like shining this light of like, Hey, you know, if you love the planet and these animals and this,

and like all of these things, that's like attracting my person where if somebody's like, you know, whatever, screw you, I don't believe in global warming or this or that, whatever, like, whatever. They're not gonna care. They're not gonna be turned on by that message to wanna connect with me. And like you said, that's right, that's fine.

They can go get somebody else's pen, but You're making it easy for me to decide if you are the person I wanna take the next best step with. Yep. And that is a true gift to the people who do need a red pen. And the beauty is that like, you just made it so easy for them. And in a time where there is so much information coming to our dream people,

that's the gift. Make it easy for them to say yes to you. And then the deeper part is like Nicole can talk about her nonprofit and she can talk about her travels and what's coming up and the things that she's learned when she's gone all over the world. 'cause now there's a common thread. The common thread is really what starts to divide the market,

but yet lift up everybody because there's a place for me and there's a place for Nicole and there's a place for Susie and there's a place for John. And it allows you to really be confident in the service that you provide your dream client because you, you gave them what they need to say yes to you, right? So I think the community piece in the,

in the photo world is powerful, but yet it can feel competitive. Yeah, you can feel like, well, if I stand out too much, they're gonna want these people over here and never want me. But, but I believe, and like you said, there's the superficial things, you know, you could talk about, you know, maybe I,

in my coaching business I use a more more holistic approach. Approach, right? And so maybe I help people create content based on the faces of the moon, which is very different than another marketing coach who's just like, here's 30 days of content, go do it. Right? Some people want that, some people wanna be handed that I wanna be there to help guide my people on how it feels when they create content.

And to use the time of day or time of week or time of month that you're feeling more energetic energetically alive than the time that you're feeling drained. Because when you create content, when you're drained, it doesn't come out the same way. So find the things that fill you up the, I mean fun. Like there's so many ways for us as business owners,

service-based business owners that can set us apart. So we're gonna go deeper into that. I'm gonna actually give some examples. 'cause I think that oftentimes when people listen to podcasts, they wanna have actionable Oh Yeah, for sure. Actionable things that they could do. And so I thought that it would be fun for me to kind of like go through my cheat sheet of like,

what sets you apart? So, you know, for Nicole, I think Nicole can kind of answer these questions for us and she can give us the examples. But like if I was to her, her background, her history, the way she grew up, the number of animals she's had through the years, her horse, Yeah, there's a lot of my horse.

But see that that allows people to connect more deeply. We're not talking about giving your social security number or your phone number or your address. Like that's not going deeper. Deeper is peeling back the layers that bring Nicole joy that remind her to get up every day to do the work that she loves. It's these little, like, I'm looking behind her,

the books, the travel, the, you know, life live a what, what does that live a great story? Oh Yeah. Live a great story. Right? So what does that mean to you, Nicole? Oh, just like you got one, you got one life. And I'm not gonna toil it away till I'm like retired to then try to live my great story for 10 years until I can't do what I wanna do anymore.

'cause And I actually remember you, I remember a shift of you with your business, right? And your ability to say, I wanna guide pet photographers. They can have this too. 'cause you are a guide. You know, and, and I think it's StoryBrand. He says, you can be a, a villain, a victim, a hero,

or a guide. And you are a guide. You are leading the way. You are, you are paving the way for pet photographers to build a, a business that's full of freedom and the things that they love, right? So if you don't express what it is you love, you can't attract more of those right people. And I don't wanna get all woo,

because that's not what this is about. This is about just really being open to sharing more about yourself. And so let's, if, if you're okay with, it's kind of, we'll do a couple prompts, let's, okay, great. So again, when I look at people's content, it's, it's either that you have a business or what sets you apart.

And so if you are listening to this podcast and you're like, I've already done that. Like I've already told my story, like I want you to look at the bio on your website. If you have a website or a blurb about you that's on your speaker sheet or on your booking page. And make sure that what sets you apart is in that copy.

You know, we all build the website and then it's up. And then we've got our booking link and we've got our calendar and we've got our pricing. When was the last time you looked at your bio? Does it speak to your dream person? Or was it something that you created a year ago or 10 years ago that doesn't truly define why I should buy your red pen.

So think of what we talked about. Like what is it that people keep coming back and saying, I referred you because make sure that's in the about you section of your website and make sure that's in your copy. Okay? So when we talk about what sets you apart, I always have to bring up to the relationship ladder. So the relationship ladder is a tool that I use with in my space about creating that journey for your dream client.

And I actually have a picture of it 'cause I use it so much that it stays on my desk. But the relationship ladder is like what you offer your dream person so that they can go from not knowing you at all or maybe just hearing of you to engaging in like maybe your highest priced offer or service, right? Maybe it's like quarterly shoots or hiring you for an event.

Or maybe it's not only do they have the photos done, but they also purchase really big wall canvases for every room in their house. Like, yeah, it's a deal. Those are the clients I want. It's a big deal. Yeah. Yeah. Right? So we go from hearing of you and then how do we get to there? And do we need every single rung for every single client?

No. But there's going to be people that need to dot every I and cross every t. And so you wanna make sure that the rungs on your ladder are super clear and defined. And these could be your offers. This could be like just a a, a mini session could be at the bottom, right? And the next one could be like a whole family shoot.

And then this could be like just digital prints. And then this could be like all the canvas and, and the photo albums and all the things. That's just a very simple yeah, yeah. Example for photographers, right? Yep. But what happens in between each rung, how do I get from the first rung to the second, or the first to the third,

or first to the fourth is the content that we share so that people know the next best step to take. And so what I wanna do is like, the most important piece of content, I think is like beyond your title. So you could be a wife, you could be a mom, you could be a sister, you could be a friend,

you could be a photographer. But like, those are just titles, right? So what do you love? I want you to take a minute to really brain dump the things that are passionate that make, make you get outta bed in the morning. You know, for me it is the coffee and the kind of coffee I drink and the kind of coffee maker and the mug that I pick.

Like these little things people remember when they're out in the community. I get texts all the time, was like, I saw this mug, it reminded me of you. Right? Another thing that people recognize of me is like the metaphor of a, of, of a lighthouse. And I am very passionate about the lighthouse and restoring lighthouses. I'm involved with organizations that are dedicated to keeping the lighthouses in New England,

which is, you know, iconic for New England and Maine and New Hampshire and Massachusetts. And there's some in Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Like, there's just a lot of lighthouses and it's a beacon, it's a thing. And people connect me with the symbolism of a lighthouse, which is just, you know, being the beacon and shining your light and getting your dream clients to you.

So what do you love? The beach, the ocean, the mountains. I'm just kind of giving you some examples to open up your, your vault of what's inside you. And I want you to just take a piece of paper right now while you're listening and think about it. Like what season? When, what season do you connect with? What summer?

A hundred percent? Yeah. Oh yeah. Well I knew that about you. Like you would literally, you would travel across the world to be in summer during this winter. This is my goal when these kids go to college, I told him, I'm like, listen, I'm living like by hemisphere 'cause I'm living summer all the time. I refuse to live in Winter.

That's, yeah. And maybe they'll go to school where that is. And you can have half the year with one kid and half a year with the other kid. Right? But like, so d so brain dump this stuff. I'm gonna give you guys some prompts so that while you're listening you can do this exercise. And what this does is it really cracks you open.

I also think that the prompts, if you're out on a walk listening to this podcast or you're, you know, walking your dog or you're listening when you're in the shower or working out, trust that some of this stuff will come up more easily than when you're sitting down with a piece of paper and a pen. Oftentimes I'm in the shower or I'm out working out,

or I'm in the woods, or I'm on a, I'm driving. Ideas will come at the most inopportune times. Let them come and be prepared to take them and put them into a voice app or pull over safely and write 'em on the back of a receipt. Whatever you need to do. But it, they'll come. So here's some prompts, places that you love,

places that remind you of joy, places that remind you. And it could just be, you know, a local restaurant that you went to with your dad when you were little, right? So think of those places. Could be restaurants, it could be places in the world. Like I said, the seasons and Nicole said right away summer, right?

So what about summer? Go deeper into that. What is it about summer for me? Those first few warm days remind me of like school getting out. But also I went to summer camp every year for like 10 years. Oh, summer, overnight camp. My parents were so smart. Sent us away for eight weeks every summer. Oh My gosh.

I, I know I celebrated my birthday away from my parents every year from the time I was eight. Well, probably seven I think, because my birthday's in the summer. So I think I was seven till I was like 16, 17 years old. I was away at summer camp. So like really good memories of summer. Plus my birthday's in summer.

Plus my birthday is August eight, which is eight. Eight. My favorite number is eight. Like see how it spiraled from summer into all these things, favorite colors. Everybody who's in my world knows that blue and green are my thing. Like, especially like very preppy, bright, like Kelly Green flavors, foods. We don't wanna waste too much time chocolate.

But I, yeah, I know that about you. Right? And what kind of chocolate? Let's, let's get into it dark. You love dark? I do. And and what country does that dark chocolate come From? That you're like, oh, oh, any single origin. Fair trade. Amazing. So here's the thing I wish, and actually I need to share this.

Like, I wish I'd drank coffee. Like I'm kind of try but don't wanna try to like it. 'cause I know the only way I'd really like it, it was with all the sugar and all the creams and all the things to make it not really taste like coffee. Yeah. So I'm like, I just don't need that habit in my life.

But like, I love the idea of the morning ritual of the mug and the coffee and the delicious and the sitting. But yeah, I just, I mean I guess I could have a Chocolate martini that early, but that would be starting the day off quite, Quite on something. Well, you cacao is, have you ever tried cacao? Because cacao is a ritual.

No, You should try the ca and like there's the fair trade. Really good. So here we're having this conversation, right? And like we're having this common thread. Cacao is a ritual like in itself the way that it's poured and, and then you sit and like, it's like for Me, like the tea we had that it doesn't taste great though.

It doesn't taste like chocolate. What cacao? Yeah. Well at least like when I was in Ecuador, we were, we went up to go bike riding down cotopaxi, which is like, I don't know. Yeah. I forget how tall This freaking out. Oh, we have the brand in our house. My kids, my kids's got the Cotopaxi brand.

Yeah, I know all, I know all the origins of it. I think the mountain's like 20,000 feet. But we went up to like 15,000 feet to ride bike down the side of the volcano. Nice. And so when we were going up, they had like a cacao tea. 'cause the cocoa leaves are, you know, help with the altitude.

Yeah. And, but yeah, that, that was not ideal. But I, but I, I do know that it's, there are versions. All right, I'll have test it out. Would It would feel. But like what you just said is really important. The ritual of it. There are things that we do and everyone's listening and they're like,

I do that every day. That's the stuff that your dream people wanna see. It's a side of you that, that they're not gonna see in session. And pss, I know more photographers than not are hiding behind their gear. Oh, a hundred percent. And so like, we're getting into it right now. Like this is not about sharing selfies every day,

but you with your gear side by side versus behind it is important. I wanna see who I'm hiring, not because I'm gonna pick you based on what you're looking like, but I wanna see your eyes. There is something that humans need to connect with. We need to see it. I Would go even further and my personal little soapbox is people need to embrace video more than they do.

Mm. They're terrified of video. And I think part of it is they're terrified that they're gonna get judged because what do we do? We judge people. We're humans. Yeah. That's what we do. Yeah. And they don't wanna be on the receiving end of it. But what if that video makes the people that want to hire you and like it attracts them 8,000 times better and then you're their only choice and they don't care about price 'cause they've already connected with you at such a deep level just from a video,

such a deep level. Whereas the people that maybe don't love you right away, like aren't connected with you, well they're never gonna hire you anyway. So isn't it better for them to figure this out now and move along and not follow you? Right. Well and you, there's so many ways to do video now that aren't so polished. Yeah. And You know,

you could, I think for people who are afraid to be on camera, which is a thing, it's a real thing. And it's something that, you know, I love working with people on. I think that if you are afraid of being on camera, the best way to start, especially 'cause you are a photographer, is take 10 to 20 seconds of something that you see in video form and put your voice over it.

Mm. Share your favorite quote, share what's happening in your world. Share where you were when you saw X, Y, Z. So let's say I'm at the beach this summer and I know that I need to start being more visible. This is what this, this entire podcast is about. How you could be more visible so that your dream client can say yes to your pen and no to someone else's pen because they have a connection with you.

So you could be visible by showing a ten second clip of the ocean that you are at with your camera. And you could do your own voice over it talking about what the ocean means to you or how you are so excited that you're able to provide for a vacation for your family this year. Whatever it is. I mean, I could come up with a hundred ways to to put a voiceover,

a video. But, so then we go back to the list and it's like activities that you like. You know, things that that mean something to you. Whether it's biking, hiking, exercising, maybe you're a CrossFitter, maybe you're a triathlete. You know, these are things that like, people are like, whoa, wait, my photographer is a a marathon runner.

How cool is that? Right? That's not me. Spoiler alert. That's not me either. But your horoscope, I know it's weird, but like, if you're someone who like checks your horoscope, people wanna know. Yeah. Like that you're kind of into that Right skills, your superpowers. What would your best friend say your superpower is? Talk about that.

Like go and ask your best friends, your board of directors, as we say, the people that know you best. What is it about you that they tell people? I love this. Your favorite movies. Oh, I think I know your, one of your favorite movies. Nicole. I think we've done this before. Oh man, this is really hard.

'cause I like don't watch movies anymore. 'cause I don't wanna commit two hours to something that may or may not be good. Be good. Okay. So what are you, what are you reading or watching? Screaming. Well, Ted lasso just ended and I'm really sad about that. Yeah. Yeah. And I guarantee there are a lot of people that will have that common thread.

I, we, we tried to hold off as long as we could for the finale and I was like, all right, we just have to watch it 'cause someone's gonna spoil it for me. But I loved it. I loved it. Yeah. So things like that. Your movies, books, the genre of the type of books that you read,

because I know that you're not just reading photography books, like your dream client needs to know that little side of you that might, maybe it's fiction, maybe it's nonfiction, maybe you're a history buff. Maybe you're, you're so into like World War II history or memorabilia. Like it could be anything that is outside the realm of being a pet photographer. Like,

it's just something, just something a little bit different. Your music. Like what's on your pod, your, your playlist, what's your favorite go-to playlist? Like Nicole. What, what genre of music do you go to if you're like, wanna wanna change your, your shift, your energy. Oh Man. See that's a hard one too. 'cause I like a lot of different ones.

Okay. So if you were writing, let's say if you, if you were editing photos, what, what do you think you'd be listening to? Gosh, I'd probably be listening to a podcast. Perfect. Yeah. Perfect. Yeah. So because music with anything that you're, that you're playing Totally good. Yeah. And the other thing that I put on what actually people out here would probably enjoy that my friend Charlotte Reeves hooked me up with,

which I didn't realize was a thing. It's called Down Tempo. It's basically like chill techno. So it's just like, just chill electronic music that like I just put on my office when I'm working. 'cause I don't wanna be distracted by words. I love that. You know what I always do is like I say, you know, I call out my little person over here.

Yeah. Name begins with an A and I say coffee shop music. And so what it is is like almost instrumental versions of some of my favorite songs. Yeah. But there's no words. So it's perfect. Or bridger, if you, if you ever watch Bridger Tin, if you ask her to play the soundtrack from Bridger Tin, it's all the violins and the cellos.

Oh yeah. Playing some of the best music in the world. So yes. Like this is the fun stuff that like, people are like, oh, and then they learn something. They're get inspired by you, but it's like there's this deeper connection. Yeah. So it's kind of like dating, kind of like dating, right. You share the but you're not hiding and you're not nervous.

Yeah. And it'ss Okay. To own your Emily in Paris Addiction. Yes. That's my favorite. I, I have to tell you, I remember when my mother and sister were like, you have to watch this. And I was like, what? And like the first episode, there's like some raunchy stuff and I was like, okay. Like I,

I'll get by the first episode and now I'm obsessed. That's cute. I follow, I follow all of them on Instagram. I love the entire cast. They're so amazing. That's my dream job. Well, not really. I mean, I'm kind of old for that, but like, like I can see how that would be a fun job. Right?

I love it. How about your trainings, your certificates, things that, awards that you've won. Don't be shy. Share your accomplishments. You can't do that on a sales page. You don't do that on your website where it says like, book your session. But you can do it when you're on social media and you're on podcasts or you're part of a conversation in a community.

It's okay to to brag a little bit. All right. So I think that's good fodder for now. So it's, you know, I think it's important for people to see that. Like you can peel back the curtain, you can share a little bit more about yourself. You can go deeper, right? And so for those of you that are like,

I've already done that, right Deb, I did that, I wrote a blog, I shared it on social. And I would say my answer would be like, how long ago? Like was it six months ago? Was it six weeks ago? Because content on social media goes fast and furious. So if you are really gonna brain dump these things that set you apart and you've taken the time to edit or your bio on your website,

start making it a priority to share more about you. Like every fourth, four to six pieces of content, that would be the safest like number that I would say. And like, that's my advice is like, if you're posting four times a week or seven times a week, one of those pieces of content needs to be more about you than it is about photography,

than it is about your services, than it is about something that inspires me. Right. And I feel like photographers have this library of content because they have photos. Like there are people in the service industry like myself that wish we had that kind of content. And I know you're like, some days you wake up and you're like, what do I post today?

Well, you've got a library of photos like you, I, I just, people it's eye candy, especially on Instagram. Like it's, people love it. They wanna hear the story of the dog Nicole. Do you follow the Dogist on Instagram? I don't know if I follow him, but I know who he is. Yeah. So like, there's that account.

I think that's a good example for photographers just to see like, he walks up to strangers. They're not paying him. I mean, I'm sure they probably buy the photos after, I'm sure that's probably how it works. But he walks up to people in nor in New York City and he is like, Hey, can I take a picture of your dog?

And then he asks like three questions to every single dog owner. Like what's his name, what's something special about him and what's his backstory? And I know that every pet photographer listening probably has two or three of the answers to those questions for every single dog or pet that they've ever photographed. And so that in itself is content. Like that's a deeper connection with the dog,

with the breed. Like what breed is he? Where is he from? Oh you would you rescued him. Okay. Is he from Puerto Rico? Awesome. And then he is like, what's fun about them? Like he's doing that in every piece of content. And I feel like you guys have that. So now we're gonna talk more about you and less about the pets,

less about your work. Bring it together. Stand out from everyone else like you. So back to the, I've already done that. Like Deb, I've already shared that there is always going to be someone looking at your newsfeed or your website that hasn't seen what you posted last week, last month, last year. So like Nicole mentioned the whole, I don't wanna burn out,

I don't wanna bore, I don't wanna burn out my audience, I don't wanna bore my audience. I don't wanna sound too salesy. I don't wanna, you know, repeat stuff. If anyone remembers that you shared that last week, last month, last year, they're not following anyone but you. And it's probably just your mom. Hundred Percent, right?

Because she's the one that's watching all your content. She's the first one to like your content. So you can repurpose all of your content. But specifically the about you pull one line, pull one story, you've spent that time to create that bio, go to your website, grab a snippet of of that and put a picture of you or a picture of you and your mug,

or a picture of you and your chocolate martini or a picture of you donating a check to the organization to which your business supports make it about you. And I know that's crazy 'cause you're used to being behind the camera and you're used to having it be about the pets, but now is the time for it to be about you. We are going into a phase of marketing that that is the only way you're gonna get clients is by standing out.

Everybody is doing the same thing. They're all posting pictures of their pets, they're all posting the pictures, they're all talking about their services. The only way you will succeed in this online space with other people like you is to stand out. That's really a great thing to think about too, because you hear, and it's, it's different, right? So like on your website,

it's supposed to be all about your client and how your services are going to impact them and help them and serve them. But on social media it is more, I mean, we're still keeping the client in mind because we're being about us to attract that right client. That's right. So it's a little bit of a, a little bit of a, you know,

it's, Here's the thing that I, this is a great prompt for everybody. What does my dream client need to know today to take the next best step? Chances are they already know about your services, chances are they've already seen your work, right? And so they need to know why they need to hire you. So it is for them. It is for them.

And so like I usually do the exercise of like who you love working with, what problem they have and why they need to pick you to solve it. Yeah. Yep. So you've got the first two, you know how good you are, you know how people can work with you, but why do they wanna pick you? Why should they pick you over Nicole or over me?

And this is not bragging. This is giving your dream client what they need to take the next best step. I love it. I love it. Yeah. So good. Hopefully you guys are getting some inspiration here. I would definitely recommend if you guys were out walking or driving that you come back and kind of go through some of those prompts. Just pop those headphones in,

go through those prompts. Like just let your pen write. Like just truly brainstorm. Don't judge it. Don't say, oh, I don't know if I wanna share that. Like literally dump it all out on the paper, like whatever, it's embarrassing, this or that. Like no judging. And then you can go through and be like, all right,

maybe I don't wanna share that. But this is great. This is great. This is great. Yeah. And it might lead some other things, but yeah. Don't self-censor before you even get a chance to look at it. Right. I actually have a client that had like a jar and every time an idea popped into her head, she would just dump it in the jar.

And then when she would sit to curate her content, like she would try to do, you know, at least 10 days ahead. Yeah. She would sit to curate and she would go into the jar and she'd pull a couple pieces of the paper and she'd be like, this one feels good right now and this one feels good right now. And she'd put the other one,

put 'em the other ones back in. And I feel like that's, that's because when you know who you serve and you know how you help them, you know exactly what they need. Right. Now, this isn't about planning the next four months of content. This is what does your dream client need right now to take the next best step to buy your pen?

Yep. And, and the buying of the pen Nicole, just like for clarification, it could mean that they say yes and follow. You could mean that they opt into your email list. It could mean that they refer somebody to you who happened to be at a soccer game talking about getting their pet photographed. This doesn't necessarily mean engaging in a high price contract.

This is about that relationship journey and giving me what I need to go up the ladder to get what it is I'm, I'm here for. Oh my goodness. I mean, I've had clients, I've had clients that literally joined my freak group because of a video they saw because I, you know, when Facebook allowed you to do like side by side,

I used to do a ton of fi Facebook lives. She literally went from the bottom rung right up to my v i p one-on-one coaching. Didn't even know I had a podcast, didn't know I had downloads, didn't know I had group programs, but something I said or did got her to go from here to here. Is that always gonna happen? No.

But it can, if you show up and you're more visible and you give her or him what they need at that exact time, I love it. So good. Yeah. So yeah. So as we wrap up here Yeah. Where can people find you online and get more of this amazing goodness and motivation? Yeah, I mean, I think the easiest thing to recommend would be my Instagram account.

I go live there, I do stories and share more about me. And like, you can basically copy me. You can take my content ideas and make them your own, which I love. I'm always for being the person who inspires you. So Instagram, my handle is for the love of your biz, all one word. And you'll find me,

you'll see Deb Lale. I'm a content coach and I think in the notes we'll probably have my website, but it's f t l o y b.com, which is for the love of your biz. So perfect. I hope to connect with more women and men in your community. I've had the pleasure of being in your space for I think five years now.

Oh my gosh, it's been a while. Yeah. And I just, I'm a, a huge admir of your academy Nicole and the community that you've brought together. And I just really feel like community over competition every day, all day, we all can support each other and there's enough people with pets who need your services. Yeah. So be visible,

let it feel good, lean on these content ideas and actually watch it shift. Watch people start to say yes to you because you peeled back a little bit and you shared something that they could connect more deeply with. Yes. Oh my gosh, so good. Thank you Deb, so much for taking the time to be with us. Thank you. Really appreciate it.

I know everyone will really get a lot out of this conversation and like I said before, if you guys wanna go back to episode 22, www.hairofthedogacademy.com/two two, of course also in all your podcast players. And that is where Deb's breaking down how to make this more easy and kind of, I think we're talking about pillars, like your pillars of social media.

Yeah. The content pillars, the con. Yep. Yeah. And so this really, this, this really was focused on one of the pillars. So yeah, that episode is a, is a high, high level overview of the kind of content your dream client needs. But if you feel like something's missing, it's probably that you're not using the content pillar that I call you.

Yeah, no, it's really easy, especially as pet photographers. I'd say 99.9% of pet photographers are very introverted and, you know, don't, like, I wanna work with dogs because they're not humans, but like, you still have to, it's the Humans that hire Us paycheck, they have to hire us. That's making that connection. And it's amazing when I start to see the change in my students when they just like take a deep breath and say,

all right, let's just, and no one's asking you to be anything other than yourself, you know, and it's just, you start to be yourself, you start to show up as yourself. You start talking to people, you start actually telling people that you're a pet photographer and not even just a pet photographer. Like, I specialize in creating, like we spoke art for your home.

Like you start talking about exactly what you do, then it just, people are just attracted to it. It, it shifts, right? I mean, we can get into the woo, that energetic shift that it occurs, but like that, but it's true. It's an energetic exchange. Yeah. That's all it is. Yep. And so, yeah,

I mean, let's, let's just wrap this up in, in what it is. It's an energetic exchange. E everything that you put out, people are like, I like that, or I don't, and it's okay if they don't, but the ones that do, you're making it easy for them to say yes to you. Yeah. And then once they get connected with you again,

it doesn't matter what you cost, it doesn't matter who else comes along like they are in and Yeah. Whether they're buying And they refer to you, right? Yeah. They, they tell more people about you. They invite you to be in collaboration, whatever it is. Yep. It's a, it's, it's a total no-brainer. Yeah. So as they say,

hashtag winning. Absolutely. Yeah. All right. Excellent. Thanks Deb. Appreciate you. Yeah. Being here again, you guys go connect with Deb. Let her know what you found most impactful at your Instagram. What's that Instagram handle again For the love of your biz. Perfect. All right guys, and we will catch you next week. Thanks for listening to the Hair of the Dog podcast.

This was episode number 206. If you wanna check out the show notes for access to any of the resources that we mentioned, simply go to www.hairofthedogacademy.com/ 2 0 6. Thanks for listening to this episode of Hair of the Dog Podcast. If you enjoyed this show, please take a minute to leave a review. And while you're there, don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss our upcoming episodes.

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