Whilst searching for an Instagram expert for the Photography Business Xposed podcast to cover the topic of Instagram marketing for photographers, one name kept popping up… everywhere! Sue B. Zimmerman. Also known as the #InstagramGal and #TheInstagramExpert.
Founder of the online course Insta-Results, author of the Book Instagram Basics for your Business, Speaker and Business Coach, Sue is a master at utilising Instagram marketing for business and teaches entrepreneurs how to harness the power of Instagram.
Here’s some of what we cover:
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 something different this week… more from me. 🙂
I'll share exactly what we do at Impact Images to encourage and mostly achieve terrific wedding album upsets. I know the word “upsell” can be seen as a dirty word in the wedding photography business but I believe a lot has to do with how these sales sessions are conducted and if they are at all a surprise to your clients.
No matter your view, I'll share what works for us and has been for a long time. This strategy alone is what I attribute a large part of the success in my photography business.
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 Sue B. Zimmerman, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your podcast app.
What is your big takeaway?
Following this interview, I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you’d like to implement or learnt from what was shared? Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.
Have your own look and your own brand. Do not copy what everyone else is doing – Sue B Zimmerman
If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Sue or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below.
If you’d like an easy way to show Sue your thanks and support for the show at the same time, tag Sue in an Instagram post with the hashtag – #SueBMadeMeDoIt
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 your website URL just like I have with “Lollies Lauren” below.
The best photo biz education you can listen to!
In iTunes by Ed from Maine in the USA on July 9, 2015
I've been behind the camera as a serious hobbiest for over 30 years. I've pursued other careers during that period. I'm now following a business plan to move my photography as an income generating passion. This is accelerating due to this podcast.
That said, the lessons in these podcasts don't just apply to photography. I have extracted elements from these interviews that I have implemented in my practice as a Financial Advisor. Just the customer service lessons alone are worth it, let alone the marketing nuggets.
These interviews obviously centre around photography as a BUSINESS. These interviews are study worthy. Listen, digest, learn and listen again. It's impossible to pick up all the nuances and great info from one pass though. The information is bountiful and is THAT good.
I've sent friends of mine that own other businesses to take a listen to select episodes. You can replace the word photography with any client centric business and you WILL benefit from this. If you're a photographer, then it's just an added bonus. The material is not so esoteric that it only applies to a limited audience. If you don't live in a cave, then there's something here for you.
Give it a go, you'll be glad you did.
Mini Mentor sessions
In iTunes by Adam from Raconteur Photography in Brisbane Australia on July 8, 2015
Thank you so much Andrew for putting this together for photographers. It is seriously like a mini mentor session every week on different parts of running a business, everything from marketing, sales, pricing, SEO, shooting , inspiration and more.
Each speaker brings their own story and inspiration and hints to every episode. Each photographer or industry expert that you have interviewed has not held back from answering your questions and giving away some of their secrets.
It is honestly one of the best investments you can make for your photography business.
Thanks heaps again. Adam
The Premier Photography Business Podcast
In iTunes by Houston Head Shot Photographer Chris Gillet on July 14, 2015
Hellmich is amazing.
He is extremely responsive to listeners and somehow manages to get successful photographers to candidly discuss their business secrets.
Well worth the subscription to receive the top tips. Order now to avoid disappointment.
Sales Without Shame – Photography Sales Course by Kristen Kalp
Kristen Kalp was our guest a couple of weeks ago and I shared details about her Sales Without Shame course. After hearing about her strategy to use printed proofs for the sales session (part of the course) I promised to give it a try and have since ordered three lots of proofs and we've completed two sales session using Kristen's strategies – more about them in today's episode but the signs are very positive!
Since the interview, I downloaded Kristen's course and there is so much more to it than printed proofs! It's a complete strategy for portrait sales including:
- Products to sell and show
- Overcoming and dealing with rejection or resistance to your prices
- Questions you need to be asking during the session to give your client what they actually want
- How to move quickly and completely through the session
- How to deal with discount hunters
- How not to give everything away
- Using incentives to make the sale happen and actually get paid
- What to do when the decision-maker isn't at the session
In addition to the tactics, you'll find cheat sheets and forms to use during your sales sessions with everything laid out in order so you don't miss a step.
I've since passed the course onto Linda to follow for this weeks sales sessions. Usually, it would be Tenneille but she is heading off on holiday for 6 weeks!
I was also pretty excited to see a complete module for wedding photography too! Topics include selling albums to disc only wedding bookings, selling extra pages to clients who have ordered an album and doing it all easily and without fuss.
Honestly, if you're someone who struggles with sales and selling, you give too much away, feel intimidated by some clients or don't feel you're worth what you need to (and want to) charge, have a look at Kristen's course and make use of the $200 saving for the next 3 weeks only.
Here's the link again: Sales Without Shame
I've been asked if Kristen has a FB group for users of the course. She doesn't but she encourages you to email her directly if you have anything you want to ask, discuss, question or clarify.
The Photographers SEO Course is Coming Next Week
After months of work and planning and recording, the Photographers SEO Course will be available next week! This is the course I asked Gabriel Machuret to create for PhotoBizX listeners after engaging him to help me with my new website.
I've been looking at the course outline and the content is amazing. What I love most from what I've seen is the videos, over 30 of them are so easy to follow as Gabriel walks us through the exact steps on a real website as he makes changes and optimises the site.
If you want to see your website rise higher through the search engines, know what to prioritise with SEO tasks and not have to be a blogging machine (no photographer I know has time for that, I know I don't), this course will suit you perfectly.
Keep an eye out for an email this week with links to the pre-launch videos to get a better idea of exactly what's included or you can save the URL – learnphotographyseo.com
Oh, and the course will only be available for 3 days at a super special price, then 7 more days before it's taken down. Gabriel will explain why in the videos but there's a great reason… something about one on one support for 3 months!
Special Website and Consulting offer for PhotoBizX Listeners
Julius Garofali of The Creative Plan Agency in Sydney is a regular listener to the show and has made a very generous offer for us with the following vouchers 4 x 50% off, 8 x 25% off, 12 x 10% and 5% off for Photobizx members indefinitely.
The Creative Plan Agency have Google certified SEO services available for those who wish to have a managed service. There is also training available to manage and update your website with Julius if you wish to take things into your own hands.
Julius likes to develop a professional and friendly relationship with his clients so you can comfortably depend on his service. His aim and responsibility will always be to know what technology is giving people the best value. Most importantly Julius is a photographer himself and will be able to relate to your needs.
You can get in contact with Julius here – julius@thecreativeplan.com.au
Looking for an Instagram Photography Challenge?
May-Jun is a regular listener to the show and is kicking off a free 21 day photo challenge starting today.
This challenge takes up to 5 minutes a day to do and you can learn more and get started here: 21 Day Photo Challenge
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
Sue B Zimmerman on Creative Live
InstaResults Online Course by Sue B. Zimmerman
The Instagram Expert by Sue B. Zimmerman
Sue B. Zimmerman on CreativeLive
The Daily IG Quotes by Sue B. Zimmerman
Instagram Results Facebook Group
Instagram's New Application Layout SlideShare by Sue B. Zimmerman
Instagram Basics For Your Business Kindle Edition by Sue B. Zimmerman
Immerse Photography by Cyrissa Carlson
Sparkle Society by Cyrissa Carlson
Thank you!
Thank you again for listening to the show and thanks to Sue B. for being a fantastic and thought provoking guest!
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
It was nice listening to this interview. I will surely try out the “adding value” method to my posts. Till now I’ve posted only clinets shots.. will see.
Love to hear about your results if you give it a try Michal.
I’m sure your followers will love seeing some behind the scenes shots and some of you and you life outside work.
That was an interesting interview with Sue B. my three remaining brain cells are on life support.
I tried, I really did try to let Sue’s information sink into my thick skull but once again I realized that I’m just plain old and Instagram is not for me. Yes, I even took a selfie with my Instagram App and I was able to see other’s pictures on SueBMadeMeDoIt but I couldn’t get my pic in there. I considered a hammer at one point. Instagram has always been a huge mystery to me similar to UFOs or Easter Island….
Thank you Sue for bringing valuable information however, I think I’m sticking to the good ol’ word of mouth and building my business that way as it has done pretty well for over 25 years.
As for Andrew, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – dude you’re a badass interviewer so keep it up and a million thanks for your podcast. Now go take a walk with your wife with your puffed out chest and head held high (love when you say that with your Aussie accent) for a job well done.
Noel
Haha, love it Noel – hope those brain cells are recovering nicely.
There’s no way Instagram is for everyone as with any social media platform but it’s nice to know what’s available.
If you’ve been doing well for over 25 years on word of mouth, I wouldn’t be making many (or any) changes either. Why complicate life unless you’re having fun doing it. And it definitely shouldn’t take a hammer! 🙂
I had more to say here Noel, instead, that’s my back you can see as I walk away… Chest out, head held high! Thanks mate for the kind words, so good to have you listening.
Speak soon
Andrew
I just finished listening to this podcast. Sue had some great information, as she is the expert on Instagram, but I feel that Instagram is not really the best tool for my business. I say this because I get new clients based on the photos of past clients and my personality. It is hard to have a page that has no photographs of my work, but photos that show people the type of person I am or behind the scenes of my shoot. I realize ultimately that people do not care who my clients are in the photos but they do care about how the photo looks and that they think it’s fantastic and they want a photo like that for their family or event. That is what I was understanding from the podcast. I did enjoy listening to it, however, Facebook has by far, been the best online method for my increased business exposure. I do agree also with Noel de Christian, the poster above, that word of mouth is totally awesome and is usually the most proven method of getting new clients. I am glad Sue shared so much information about Instagram because I am still trying to figure it out. Perhaps in the future should I change my mind, I can follow her instruction! Thanks for having her on the show Andrew! Hey, I’m following you on Instagram! LOL :_)
Hi Evelyn – great to read your comments!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the interview and like you say, if Facebook and word of mouth are working well for you, definitely keep doing what you’re doing.
I think Sue was suggesting to add some behind the scenes and more personal stuff to your Instagram feed as well as photos of your past clients. And I think the same applies to Facebook, your website or any of your marketing material – try and reveal a little of you, your personality and what makes you tick or floats your boat so followers get a better idea if you’re the person (photographer) for them.
As you suggest, the last thing I want to be posting (and I expect anyone wants to see) is countless selfless and what you’re doing every minute of the day.
See you on Instagram Evelyn! 🙂
Hi Andrew,
thanks for the podcast, and thanks for sharing Linda’s sales experience, keeping it real is inspirational !
I’m new to Insta and have only been posting adhoc and feeling my way through. I’d have to listen to this cast a number of times to get it enough to start an action plan. There is lots in there, lots!
One thing is clear, Insta is still in a fast growth phase which is different to a few other sites I’m on.
Oh and thanks for the shoutout (blush) and thanks to David Roma from Bathurst NSW for the heads up on my shout out 🙂
O
Haha, no worries Orlando – I seriously love the direction you’re taking to attract new clients – great idea!
And thanks for mentioning Linda’s sales experience, you’re the first. I was worried about sharing those figures but if you found them helpful, I’m happy.
Speak soon
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the podcast episode this week. You can always find some value if you look/listen hard enough. Without coming across too negatively, I felt as though Sue approached this interview with a scripted presentation that simply pushed her brand and services on the listeners without actually taking into consideration her audience (us). I got the sense that Sue was not expecting (or willing) to answer “real” and practical questions regarding anything technical, and let the listeners “in” a little.
Thanks Ahmad – yes, you’re absolutely right, there is value form every guest, even if it’s a matter of looking a little more closely at some and figuring how things might apply in your business.
Appreciate your honesty and I don’t feel you’re being too negative. Sue is a branding machine and her approach won’t be the best fit for many photographers. I was hoping she’d be able to tailor her answers, help and advice more effectively for you (and other listeners).
I talked a little more about my takeaways in todays episode with Antti Karppinen but adding a little more of myself into my feed is something I’d like to experiment with and improve my branding that way.
Are you going to be trying anything?
Hi Andrew,
The one take away I will implement is the use of my couples hashtags before, during and after the wedding. It’s such a simple thing that could be very effective.
Slowly catching up on a few podcasts I’ve missed over the last few weeks, so apologies for the lateness of this comment Andrew.
For starters, there were some great tips in here. I’ve personally found Instagram particularly difficult to get enthused about as a social media tool or, more accurately, a tool to generate more potential bookings from wedding clients, so I now have a greater understanding of what I’m doing wrong. I’ll definitely try and implement a few of the strategies suggested…hopefully I might get mentioned at a few more cocktail parties than I am currently. Ok, so that was a little tongue-in-cheek 🙂
However, I was glad to hear your post i/v comments Andrew – because I was starting to wonder if it was just me, as I listened. I think in some ways Sue may have been struggling to understand where your listeners are coming from. I doubt many of us want to get to a certain number of followers so we can then monetize our Instagram feeds – it struck me this is what Sue specialises in really. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll have enough followers for a wedding dress manufacturer to want to get some credibility by me posting their products on my feed (or me “endorsing” them – but this is nowhere near the reasons why I am using Instagram.
I know my wedding couples are not a “product” per se – but the those final wedding images very much are so and most of my wedding couples love seeing images of other weddings I’ve shot, it’s the one thing they really DO want to see (I know this from consultations and feedback.) So I felt Sue was being a little hypocritical saying no one is interested in seeing our couples but then going on to about how she posts lots of images of her shops “products”.
The other area I felt she was struggling to understand the question you were was asking Andrew, was around the use of a specific #hashtag for a wedding, for example. I’m not convinced it’s always wise to use the same hashtag as the guests. I’ve had weddings where this has happened and it can be quite worrying that people think all those badly composed images from guests are actually mine. I got the feeling you may have been of this opinion and is why you pushed the question a few times. I definitely think for a photography specialist its better to have your own specific hashtag for a wedding/session/event rather than using the generic one others are using. I’m sure for someone in the product business this isn’t such an issue. Sometimes the interview seemed confused between using Instagram to see straight product based business and/or ways to make Instagram itself a money making enterprise – when all I (we?) wanted was to know how to use it as a marketing tool.
All that said, there are definitely things I will now change about how I use Instagram and it was a great i/v simply for the fact that it made me think about how I approach Instagram more – even if I didn’t agree with it all. Thanks to you both though.
Hi Darren – in all honesty, I’ve seen no (or none that I know of) bookings as a result of Instagram. I know they do happen but I haven’t seen it yet.
I guess it doesn’t bother me too much though because I’m using IG to simply share the photography I like. I get tired of producing “content” for the sake of attracting bookings, boosting SEO and generally working at doing the right thing for my business. IG was meant to be somewhere to simply have fun with photography. It’s probably changed a little now but I still reserve the right to post for me first. 🙂
I’ve just written the above paragraphs before reading your 3rd paragraph 🙂 I think we’re on similar wavelengths which are vastly different from what Sue preaches and teaches.
In regard to the line of questioning about wedding hashtags – I think I just wanted it to be very clear what Sue was encouraging. I haven’t done a lot of that style of promoting but I think I’d be ok with using the same general wedding hashtags in the hope my images would stand out from others in that feed and be clicked on and checked out.
I never considered viewers may think the crappy photos are mine though… food for thought there.
All in all, I know Sue is amazing at what she does but feel she just wasn’t the right fit for us photographers/small business owners looking for better ways to market ourselves.
I appreciate your thoughtful comments Darren. Thanks.
I was really excited about this podcast as Ive been using instagram personally for years but only since September professionally after listening to one of your guests… DJ Paine? Maybe Zach Parez talked about its SEO benefits? Anyway I’ve struggled to make it stick. I post consistently with hashtags for my local market but only find success when using a couples hashtag at a wedding, and even then the content is essentially the same as what im posting on my FB page. One thing I am going to try is combining my professional and personal instagrams into one account. What Sue said about just posting clients makes sense, even though I would think thats what people are expecting after all wedding photography is the service Im offering. We will see!
Hey Ray – I haven’t seen any positive SEO aspects to Instagram (they might be there but not obvious) and I’m not sure that’d be the best reason for using it.
My advice is to keep posting the stuff you like – same as blogging and what you post to your website, keep using the local hashtags and see where it leads.
If it’s not something you enjoy using though, don’t. If your time can be spent on other networks you enjoy and you’re not seeing any return from IG, get off and save yourself the trouble. (Not saying this is a snarky way either – I just think life is too short to and there’s not enough hours to be doing EVERYTHING). AS KK says, do and share what you enjoy. 🙂
In regard to combining the personal and business accounts, I like that idea and liken it to combining your website about page with your photography work. Surely that’s a good thing when treeing to make a connection with prospective clients or anyone else.
I hope this hasn’t come across as some “holier than thou” reply – just my thoughts.
Not at all! I completely get what your saying! I definitely signed up for Iconosquare for some analytics to see when I should be posting! I really like instagram and want to utilize it more!
Follow up! I didn’t know until this interview, that searching Instagram will search your About me section. So I immediately changed my About me to start with “Indianapolis Wedding Photographer” Im super excited to say I just booked my first professional athlete engagement session because they found me after searching Instagram for a wedding photographer and I was at the top of the list!
Such a great interview by Sue and yourself Andrew! I’ve been on Instagram for about 2 years and hadn’t ever thought about how to use it with my business. I’ve always used it for my personal means, not so much business. With our new business, I’ve come up with a few strategies from Sue’s interview that I’m hoping to implement, particularly with the idea of the unique hashtags, the wedding hashtag for each wedding we do. I love that idea, because it makes our images really stand out, against the rest of the guests! Great idea!
I also went on to purchase Sue’s ebook, which i’m finding to be really helpful in understanding the ideas behind using it for a business.
Finally, I loved the album design sales idea. Very cool idea! We are only just starting with albums with our packages. To create an upsell, that sounds very exciting from a business perspective! 🙂
Thank you!
Thats Matthew – I felt like I was struggling to get the best info for listeners in this one so it’s great to read your comments!
A couple of great ideas for your account – love to hear how it works out. The wedding hashtag is becoming more popular, I liked that idea!
Glad you liked the extra content on album sales too. Without that part of my business, it would be a real struggle. If you need any help or clarification with anything covered, let me know.