006. Is Instagram What’s Missing In Your Photography Marketing Strategy? With Guest Expert Nicole Riccardo
When I moved to St. Louis, MO and decided to go all in with my boudoir photography business, my focus was Instagram. Very quickly, I was able to grow my Instagram without realizing I was using a photography marketing strategy that converts.
What’s crazier is this strategy is similar to what Nicole Riccardo teaches in The Instagram Marketing and Sales Academy.
Nicole Riccardo joined me for episode 006 to discuss business, marketing, strategy, and even a little bit about St. Louis Italian food.
Who is Nicole Riccardo?
Nicole Riccardo is a musician turned online marketing educator and owner and CEO of NR Media. NR Media is an online marketing agency specializing in branding, web design and social media management.
So, how did a flute player become a marketing guru? Well, she explains her entire back story, which is so interesting in this episode, but it all started in college. She did the normal 9-5, like most of us, as well.
In 2018, she decided she was tired of making money for someone else(and can I just say I felt that to my bones when she said those words – like I literally said the same thing when I quit my 9-5). So, she quit her job, and started in social media management, expanding over the years to where her business is now.
And now, she gets to enjoy the freedom that a sustainable business allows. In the past few weeks, I know she’s been to Florida, Louisville, Missouri, and she’s about to head to New Orleans for a few weeks!
She put in the work up front.
I say this all the time, and I know Nicole agrees with me on this. You DO have to put in a few more hours in the first few years of your business. In the interview, she mentions this quote. “
Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t. — Anonymous
Right now, it looks like she’s living the life. But the thing is, she’s able to travel, take time off, and take care of HERSELF because she put in the hours to have a sustainable business up front.
If you get nothing else from this interview, please understand that sustainable freedom only comes after a year or two of hard work.
A few other topics we cover.
And, of course, we covered a few other things besides her background including:
- Negativity
- The moment she realized her business COULD become her full time job
- How she manages her work/life balance even in the midst of growing her business
- How to cope when you don’t want to do social media(this was for me because I’m such an introvert)
- Websites, branding, and personality
Of course we cover how Instagram can be a piece of your photography marketing strategy.
I’ve always said I don’t care how many followers I have. What matters to me is how many followers could be potential clients.
Instagram engagement is a photography marketing strategy. It’s one of the fastest ways to grow followers that are potential clients because you have control over who you’re engaging with.
In the episode, Nicole covers a few tips to specifically grow followers that can(and will) turn into leads and clients.
NR Media has been doing my Instagram engagement for my @itstracylynn account for almost two years. The first six months, I wasn’t really seeing any conversions. Yes, I was getting new followers but they weren’t warm leads.
With the Instagram Marketing and Sales Academy, I realized that what I was doing was missing MY part of this strategy.
In order to land sales, I need to be engaging and building a relationship with my followers. As soon as I changed my strategy, I saw results.
This can be applied to a photography marketing strategy as well. Like I mentioned earlier, in the beginning of my boudoir business, I was using this same exact strategy. I definitely credit Instagram with some of my success because of the visibility it allowed.
The Instagram Marketing and Sales Academy IS for photographers
A program designed to untangle your current marketing strategy and ACTUALLY help you sell out your offer on Instagram™ consistently.
Relevant Links:
Tracy Lynn is a boudoir photogapher for brides-to-be in the St. Louis area, and a mentor + coach for photographers looking to level up their businesses with better systems and processes.
