Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.
Bernie Griffiths of berniegriffiths.com is responsible for the episode of PhotoBizX that has produced more leads, sales and discussions than any other – The Facebook Ad Challenge episode. I contacted Bernie for a follow up interview to ask him to share what listeners felt might have been the missing link when approaching the FB Ad challenge – how to sort the spenders from the non-spenders when offering free portrait sessions.
NOTE: To be clear and upfront, this episode was recorded purely for Premium Members and was never going to go live as a free episode but Bernie shared so much more than “the missing link.” As a result, there's a BIG chunk of this interview reserved for members only. In addition, I wanted a chance to wish you a Merry Christmas and happy new year which would have been tough without an episode going out today.
If you're new here and want the full story of the Facebook Ad Challenge, how to structure your ad, what copy you'll need to maximise results, which images to include and how to generate a lot of leads, shoots and sales. Go and trial the Premium Membership for $1 and check out episodes 136 and 138 in the Premium Area. Then jump into the secret Facebook Group to see a lot of examples and discussion around these ads which have been used to book portraits, engaged couples and weddings for a lot of members.
Here’s some of what we cover in this interview:
What’s on Offer for Premium Members
If you’re a premium member, you should have received an email with links to your version of this episode where you can hear lots more content and we dive deeper into some of the earlier topics plus some new ones that I pushed for and include:
If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interview with Bernie, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.
Once you get your mindset, once you expect people to spend, they will. Once you expect them to spend a lot, they will. – Bernie Griffiths
Plus, access to a members only Secret Facebook Group where you can connect with other members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take what you hear in each episode and put it into action. You will not find more friendly, more motivated and caring photographers online.
Premium Member Questions for Bernie
In addition to my questions for Bernie, some premium members also had questions… you can see the questions below and hear the answers in the premium version of this episode.
Anita Watkins – I struggle with the bait and switch notion of these ads, what are your thoughts on this Bernie?
Maz Pedersen – I would love to know what Bernie thinks of adverts compared to targeted boost posts? I hear most people say that ads are more effective, but I have had the opposite experience.
I would also like to know what steps he recommends in “closing the sale”, so sending the customer to a page on your website or other ways of converting the advert to a booking/sale?
Chris Seddon – I ran my first ad a couple of months back. Got a Good response for the ad, but then when I shared the post on my FB page it went nuts! Would running the ad first have helped the post do well?
Secondly, the offer of the free shoot attracted a lot of people who didn't have a wedding date set, a lot of low budget couples and generally a lot of people who just seemed to be after a free shoot with no interest in buying anything. I tried to create an audience based on certain page likes to qualify them a little, but the audience size was too small. Any tips?
Wilson Cheng – How do you get the non winners to take any action? I emailed 10 non winners a consolation prize which was a paid shoot, at a heavily reduced price with extras and didn't hear a thing back.
How long should the window be for the couple to book their shoot with you? I've only ran this ad once and I gave them a 6 month window which I feel is a tad long.
Melissa Katherine – I'd love to know how to create a much more evergreen campaign. Perhaps a “like campaign” that doesn't suck. I always get bogged down with the copy of those and also whenever I've done them I usually get random ‘likefarm' followers, even when I have specifically set locations for my target market etc. In the end it just seems to dilute my reach.
Debbie Smith – how do I target the right audience using “interests” inside FB? Are pixels relevant here?
What are your thoughts on responding to comments on the ad post while the ad is running?
Ben Potter – How do you qualify the clients who are more likely to spend? What sort of questions do you ask them?
What is your big takeaway?
Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what Bernie shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below, let me know what your takeaways were, what you plan to implement in your business as a result of what you heard in todays episode.
Portraits allow you the flexibility to really control your life and your lifestyle and your work-life balance. – Bernie Griffiths
If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Bernie or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.
iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs
Each week I check for any new iTunes reviews and it's always a buzz to receive these… for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they really are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!
Secondly, iTunes is the biggest search engine when it comes to podcasts and it's your reviews and ratings that help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners means more interviews and ultimately a better show.
If you have left a review in the past, thank you!
If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.
Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast and email me your key words or keyword phrase and where you'd like me to link to.
Here is the latest review for the PhotoBizX Podcast:
An amazing podcast not to be ignored
In iTunes by Gladstone fashion, wedding and portrait photographer, Ralph “Rafael” Alquezar from Australia on December 12, 2016
WoW!! I’ve been a premium member for just under a year and the return on investment from this podcast has just been phenomenal.
I ask my little six year old boy if he would like to listen to music or Andrew’s podcasts on the way to school and he chooses Andrew’s podcasts every time.
I love Andrew’s style of interviewing, asking the right questions that count, and the calibre of business and marketing information, from the top photographers in the world, that you would only get from paying thousands of dollars in workshops, is second to none.
If you want your photography business to reach unprecedented levels and you are on the fence about becoming a premium member, I absolutely highly recommend that you take the chance and do yourself a favour.
The NEW Photography Xperiment Podcast is live and available
Following the success and support shown by listeners after the experimental format of the recent interviews, the new Photo Xperiment Podcast has been launched and is available on this site and in iTunes now.
Interviews are underway and I'll be looking for new guests, not restricted to wedding and portrait photographers. If you have someone you think would be a good fit, let me know in the comment area below or email me, andrew@photobizx.com.
The idea behind these interviews is to get into the headspace of the photographer and find what makes them tick, what drives them, their thought process, philosophy on shooting and how they achieve what they do with their photography. So yeah, a little technique type content too.
These interviews will not focus on the business of photography – that'll be preserved solely for the weekly and unchanging format of the PhotoBizX podcast.
To hear these interviews in your podcast app, you will need to subscribe to the podcast – these interviews will not be delivered automatically if you're subscribed to PhotoBizX. Open your favourite podcast app and search “Photography Xperiment Podcast” or enter the feed URL, https://photobizx.com/feed/xperiment/ into the search field of your podcast app.
The last episode featured Brian Aris who began his photographic career as a photojournalist covering assignments around the world.
He then decided on a complete change in direction and broaden his studio work to include pop and rock stars such as Blondie, The Jam, Madonna, The Clash, The Boomtown Rats, Roxy Music, The Police, David Dewey, The Beatles, The Rolling stone, Sting and actors such as Meryl Streep, Anthony Hopkins and Sophia Loren.
After 3 years, Brian turned away from the model world to concentrate on the music industry. Glamorous weddings followed including the marriage of David Beckham to Victoria in an Irish castle.
Brian went on to photograph Her Majesty The Queen Mother, Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret. And he was commissioned to produce the official portraits, marking Her Majesty the Queen's 70th Birthday. Later, the Golden Wedding Anniversary of her marriage to his Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh.
I like the idea of just going in with a camera and a blank canvas and see what we can turn up on the day – Brian Aris
Check out the interview and learn more about a photographer who has a portfolio most will only ever dream about.
The interview is available here: Brian Aris Interview
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
Episode 136: Bernie Griffiths – A Challenge for You to Book More Portrait Photography Sessions
Episode 138: Peter Myers and the AIPP + Facebook Ad Challenge, the follow up
Thank you!
Thanks again for listening and thanks to Bernie for coming on and sharing his thoughts, ideas and vision.
Anything that we do will work better if we have that separation and that positioning so always be aware with your marketing. Stand away from the rest. – Bernie Griffiths
If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!
That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business!
Thanks and speak soon
Andrew
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