EP 55: Show Your Face! Using Video to Connect with Clients

00:00:00 [Alison]
This kinda touches on my big pet peeve when it comes to how we onboard new leads or respond to new leads is you wanna be memorable.
00:00:08 [Alison]
Hey.
00:00:08 [Alison]
I’m Allison, family photographer, military spouse, and business mentor for photographers.

00:00:13 [Melissa]
And I’m Melissa, also a military spouse, lifestyle newborn photographer, and SEO expert for photographers.
00:00:19 [Melissa]
Between the two of us, we have a combined years in photography and have lived through nine business relocations.

00:00:24 [Alison]
We’ve coached each other through all these challenges privately on Marco Polo, and now we’re bringing our polos public.
00:00:30 [Alison]
On this podcast, we’ll give you actionable steps to help you keep it moving.
00:00:36 [Alison]
All right.
00:00:36 [Alison]
Hey guys, welcome back.
00:00:37 [Alison]
So this episode is all about showing up with your face, almost like you’re in real life person with videos in your business.

00:00:46 [Alison]
And so, but first we wanna talk about our tool time and that is Loom because this is one of the best ways to use video in the back end of your business.
00:00:53 [Alison]
Melissa and I both use it, but, she’s a pro.

00:00:58 [Melissa]
Yeah.
00:00:58 [Melissa]
I love Loom.
00:00:59 [Melissa]
You can do a free up to five minute recording without paying for anything.
00:01:03 [Melissa]
So it can be really budget friendly if you’re just trying to get started in video.
00:01:08 [Melissa]
And then, you know, I think I pay, like, $10 a month, I wanna say.

00:01:11 [Melissa]
That’s it?
00:01:12 [Melissa]
Yeah.

00:01:12 [Alison]
Because I’ve only ever done the free one for that exact reason.

00:01:15 [Melissa]
Yeah.
00:01:15 [Melissa]
I think it’s I mean, I’m not gonna lie.
00:01:17 [Melissa]
I don’t think having a five minute cutoff is a bad thing.
00:01:20 [Melissa]
Yeah.
00:01:20 [Melissa]
When you start getting over five minutes on stuff, people’s not really caring so much.

00:01:25 [Melissa]
Right.
00:01:25 [Melissa]
But, I mean, I’ve used Loom forever because you can screen record.
00:01:28 [Melissa]
You could just talk to camera.
00:01:30 [Melissa]
You can not show your face and just show the screen kind of thing.
00:01:33 [Melissa]
You could show a picture in the corner.

00:01:34 [Melissa]
But, you know, I’ve used it all the time for client videos that are longer than that and stuff recordings, like recording meetings and stuff even.
00:01:40 [Melissa]
But, yeah, if you go to Loom, it’s loom.com.
00:01:42 [Melissa]
You can get it as a plug in for Chrome.
00:01:45 [Melissa]
So then you just go and click the little plug in for Chrome.
00:01:48 [Melissa]
You can download it to your desktop and have it there.

00:01:50 [Melissa]
Like I said, it lets you just, I’ve done it for just recordings.
00:01:53 [Melissa]
Just straight up, I need to make a recording.
00:01:55 [Melissa]
I’ve done it for, I wanna do a presentation.
00:01:58 [Melissa]
I’ve done it for, I’m gonna share my screen type of scenario where you’re gonna see the page I’m I’m looking at, and I’m gonna talk to you about it.
00:02:05 [Melissa]
You know, you can embed the videos.

00:02:06 [Melissa]
You can get code for embedding.
00:02:08 [Melissa]
You I mean, obviously, you get the link that you share.
00:02:10 [Melissa]
And when you paste the link into an email, it, like, has, like, a little GIF kind of thing that comes up and shows the video.
00:02:16 [Melissa]
It does have a little, like, a at least mine does.
00:02:18 [Melissa]
It has, like, AI in it.

00:02:19 [Melissa]
And it’s Yeah.
00:02:20 [Melissa]
It’s not great AI guys.
00:02:21 [Melissa]
I’ll just do it.
00:02:22 [Melissa]
Oh, the transcript.
00:02:23 [Melissa]
It’s not so much the transcript.

00:02:25 [Melissa]
It’s the, like, when it tries to summarize said and give like, I always delete that blurb because it’s never, it’s never correct.
00:02:31 [Melissa]
Or I feel like the tone of voice on

00:02:32 [Alison]
it doesn’t sound right.
00:02:34 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:02:35 [Alison]
I can see the tone of voice.
00:02:36 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:02:36 [Alison]
It’s very on this episode.

00:02:38 [Alison]
It’s very professional on

00:02:40 [Melissa]
the right.
00:02:40 [Melissa]
Yes.
00:02:40 [Melissa]
I would like you to blah, blah, blah, or whatever.
00:02:43 [Melissa]
And I’m like, that’s not at all what that was about.
00:02:45 [Melissa]
So I ignore some of that parts of it.

00:02:47 [Melissa]
Other areas I like AI, but not Loom, but it’s just, it’s super easy to use.
00:02:52 [Melissa]
And I think, especially if you’re dipping your toes into video, like it’s gonna be a great tool for you to test out and, and get started.
00:02:58 [Melissa]
And then if you start finding yourself using it more, you may need to pay for it.
00:03:02 [Melissa]
You may not, I mean, you may be able to go in with some of the stuff we’re talking about and record one off videos, and then you’re good.

00:03:07 [Alison]
You know?
00:03:07 [Alison]
I’ve never I’ve never paid, you’re limited to 25 videos at a maximum of five minutes long each, which I found completely fine.
00:03:15 [Alison]
I, I’ll just go in and delete some.
00:03:17 [Alison]
Totally fine.
00:03:18 [Alison]
I used it most

00:03:19 [Melissa]
I’m laughing because I think I have like 10,000 videos.
00:03:22 [Melissa]
I feel like, or something.

00:03:23 [Alison]
Oh my God.

00:03:24 [Melissa]
Like, I it may not be I’m gonna look it up.
00:03:25 [Melissa]
It may not be 10, but I think it’s a lot.

00:03:27 [Alison]
I use the the most for sending visual instructions to a VA who was, not local.
00:03:33 [Alison]
And so it I mean, if a photo is worth a thousand words, a video is worth, like, what, a 10

00:03:39 [Melissa]
Right.
00:03:39 [Melissa]
Yeah.
00:03:40 [Melissa]
I have over 1,500 videos.

00:03:42 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:03:42 [Alison]
Click here.
00:03:43 [Alison]
Click this.
00:03:43 [Alison]
Do this.
00:03:44 [Alison]
Do this.

00:03:44 [Alison]
And then the transcription will actually, like, put it in writing so she can rep like, it was awesome.
00:03:49 [Alison]
And then I used it too for, for something really big with my pricing guide, which we’ll get into later.
00:03:54 [Alison]
But, yeah, Loom is a great, great place to start.
00:03:58 [Alison]
I’ve never embedded them, but I might have to look into that.

00:04:01 [Melissa]
Yeah.
00:04:01 [Melissa]
One other one I can throw out I’ve heard about is, I think.
00:04:04 [Melissa]
And that’s more of like, like talking almost like how you I think didn’t you used to record, like, videos on your phone and then, like, you

00:04:11 [Alison]
can play.
00:04:12 [Alison]
And that’s the context I’ve heard people using in almost like, for texting on a mobile app, not so much for desktop.
00:04:19 [Alison]
I don’t think.

00:04:20 [Melissa]
But that is another one, like, if you just wanna record, like, on your phone, like, hey, talking to the camera real quick kind of message.
00:04:26 [Melissa]
Yeah.

00:04:27 [Alison]
But

00:04:27 [Melissa]
I don’t know much more than that.
00:04:28 [Melissa]
I’m sure people will be like, oh, what about this?
00:04:30 [Melissa]
So I just want Yeah.
00:04:30 [Melissa]
Yeah.

00:04:31 [Alison]
Let us know, guys.
00:04:31 [Alison]
If you have better different apps for video recording, we’re we’re here for it.

00:04:35 [Melissa]
Loom has an app for your phone too.
00:04:37 [Melissa]
So because I’ve looked things up on it, but I haven’t actually recorded

00:04:40 [Alison]
on it.

00:04:40 [Melissa]
But you could probably do the same style.
00:04:41 [Melissa]
So yeah.

00:04:42 [Alison]
I just use my phone and then delete it later.
00:04:44 [Alison]
I could show you really funny, like, when it comes to having to manage the storage on my phone, I’ll go through and delete large attachments.
00:04:53 [Alison]
It’s all

00:04:53 [Melissa]
my face.
00:04:54 [Melissa]
Yeah.
00:04:54 [Melissa]
That’s true.

00:04:55 [Alison]
All my face.
00:04:56 [Alison]
Just my face, my face sending client intro videos, like but anyway, so let’s get into it.
00:05:01 [Alison]
So why do you need to use video and why do we use video?
00:05:04 [Alison]
We use it for several different reasons.
00:05:07 [Alison]
One, this kinda touches on my big pet peeve when it comes to how we onboard new leads or respond to new leads is you wanna be memorable.

00:05:15 [Alison]
In my own, what should I say, history or experience with trying to find a photographer, I’ve done this in multiple states, multiple times.
00:05:22 [Alison]
I have been a client seeking a photographer, a extended family, for a crazy family, for my own four boys.
00:05:28 [Alison]
I’ve been in this position many times.
00:05:29 [Alison]
And what I typically do is I shoot off inquiries to two or three photographers who are very promising looking at the same time.
00:05:37 [Alison]
And then I don’t remember which website with what face.

00:05:39 [Alison]
Yep.
00:05:39 [Alison]
Yep.
00:05:40 [Alison]
It just it all blurs together.
00:05:41 [Alison]
So if you use video and you show your face, they’re gonna remember you.
00:05:46 [Alison]
You’re gonna out.

00:05:46 [Alison]
They’re automatically, oh, I remember her face.
00:05:49 [Alison]
It was on this website.
00:05:50 [Alison]
I did like her stuff the best.
00:05:51 [Alison]
She had that one location nobody else had or whatever it is that may make you different.
00:05:56 [Alison]
Like, show up and stand out so they can remember who the hell you are.

00:06:00 [Alison]
Pardon me.

00:06:01 [Melissa]
Yeah.
00:06:01 [Melissa]
I mean, I had a client.
00:06:02 [Melissa]
I remember that it was an extended family session like what you’re talking about, and I made a video, an inquiry video, where I just, hey.
00:06:09 [Melissa]
This is what it’s like to work with me.
00:06:11 [Melissa]
This is who I am.

00:06:12 [Melissa]
Blah blah blah.
00:06:12 [Melissa]
And I remember we were standing at the session because I booked it, and she was like, that video was amazing.
00:06:17 [Melissa]
She was like, else did anything like that.
00:06:19 [Melissa]
And then immediately, I was like, we wanna work with you.
00:06:22 [Melissa]
And I remember I had a guy too that he owned his own small business down in South Florida.

00:06:26 [Melissa]
Mhmm.
00:06:26 [Melissa]
And he had inquired with me, and I sent a video talking about my baby plan membership.
00:06:30 [Melissa]
And so he booked the whole baby plan membership for his wife, and he sent me all these glowing messages.
00:06:34 [Melissa]
And he was like, oh my god.
00:06:35 [Melissa]
I am showing this to the people that work for me.

00:06:37 [Melissa]
I want them to implement this type of thing in our business.
00:06:40 [Melissa]
That’s awesome.
00:06:40 [Melissa]
And I was like, that’s amazing.

00:06:43 [Alison]
That’s really cool.
00:06:44 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:06:44 [Alison]
And I mean, so it it’s technically two different things.
00:06:46 [Alison]
Show your face so that you stand out, but also so that they were moving forward as they continue to vet photographers or find somebody else or are compelled to choose one person or the other.
00:06:56 [Alison]
Like, you’re gonna stand out because you connected with them.

00:06:59 [Alison]
And that’s the other point.
00:07:00 [Alison]
You’re gonna connect on a personal level so much more than you will via text or email.
00:07:07 [Alison]
The tone of your voice, your excitement, your expression, your personality, everything’s gonna come out on a much deeper level even in one minute.
00:07:16 [Alison]
And I know this because I get all kinds of comments where, oh my god, I loved your video, or you look like you’re so or did it like I love that you have four boys too.
00:07:24 [Alison]
Like, they immediately connect with me, and I only send one minute videos to my inquiries, but we’ll talk about this.

00:07:30 [Alison]
And then the most important piece, I think, is that when you send a video to your client, they no longer become a third party mediator to other decision makers in the group.
00:07:41 [Alison]
So you’re no longer the mom no longer has to sell you to her husband or, you know, the sister-in-law having to sell you to the rest of the extended family.
00:07:49 [Alison]
She just shows you saying your own stuff and then your own salesperson when it comes to relaying that information.
00:07:55 [Alison]
You don’t have to rely on them remembering some of the finer points or other details.
00:08:01 [Alison]
They just, for the video, sell it first, show it to everybody else.

00:08:05 [Alison]
And then you’re selling yourself.

00:08:07 [Melissa]
Yeah.
00:08:08 [Melissa]
And I think that’s huge, especially, like, for newborn family photographers, like, with dads.
00:08:12 [Melissa]
You know?
00:08:12 [Melissa]
Like, moms talk to us, and then now she has to go sell dad.
00:08:15 [Melissa]
And so now at least she can say, like, hey.

00:08:18 [Melissa]
Watch this video, and she’ll explain everything.
00:08:20 [Melissa]
And then dad probably is gonna be a little impressed that, you know, there’s a whole video thing about just an email.
00:08:25 [Melissa]
But at the very least, you know, now he’s getting to know you too, and now he’s getting bought in.
00:08:29 [Melissa]
Because, like, I remember in weddings, like, that was a big thing that you always wanted to have the bride and the groom there.
00:08:34 [Melissa]
Because if you only had one and the other one couldn’t make it and then they both met with another photographer, they would end up going with that other photographer because both of them got a chance to connect.

00:08:42 [Melissa]
And so this way, it gives you that chance to connect with both of them even if you’re not sitting down live with either one of them, really.

00:08:49 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:08:49 [Alison]
And I shoot a lot of extended families out here in Hawaii.
00:08:53 [Alison]
They’re always on the phone.
00:08:54 [Alison]
Well, I need to go talk to my husband, or I need to share this with my sister or my brother and sister because we’re gifting this to our parents, and we all are partaking in this.
00:09:01 [Alison]
Totally get it.

00:09:02 [Alison]
100%.
00:09:03 [Alison]
I am team no surprises, and I want everybody on board because I know I believe.
00:09:07 [Alison]
Here’s the video.
00:09:08 [Alison]
Share it with them after they’ve gotten on the phone call.
00:09:10 [Alison]
So those are the big reasons.

00:09:11 [Alison]
Show your face, be memorable, connect, and be your own advocate.
00:09:16 [Alison]
Girl, are you still struggling to get profitable?
00:09:18 [Alison]
Are you relaunching your business or trying to refine your profitability?
00:09:21 [Alison]
Allison here, and I’ve been there.
00:09:23 [Alison]
As a military spouse for fifteen years, I’ve moved my photography business seven times, effectively launching a new business with each move.

00:09:29 [Alison]
I’ve never worked anywhere longer than three years.
00:09:31 [Alison]
I’ve had all inclusive, hybrid, and virtual IPS structures, and I know what it takes to adapt and thrive.
00:09:36 [Alison]
I went from barely sub in the early years to generating consistent 6 figure sales, supporting my crazy family along the way.
00:09:43 [Alison]
If you’re ready to break through the roadblocks, attract dream clients, and finally see the profits you’ve longed for, let’s work together.
00:09:51 [Alison]
Visit alisonbell.co to learn more or DM me on the gram at keep it moving pod.

00:09:56 [Alison]
Links in the show notes.
00:09:57 [Alison]
Let’s do this.
00:10:00 [Alison]
So how do we actually do this?
00:10:03 [Alison]
Kinda going in order from inquiry on down to everything else.
00:10:07 [Alison]
The first place I use a video is videos.

00:10:09 [Alison]
When somebody fills out my web form, I get an email.
00:10:12 [Alison]
That email gets forwarded to my phone.
00:10:14 [Alison]
And my timeline is I try to give myself twenty four hours.
00:10:18 [Alison]
No.
00:10:18 [Alison]
It doesn’t always work, but my goal is to respond to that client within twenty four hours with an introductory video.

00:10:25 [Alison]
And it’s a one minute long.
00:10:26 [Alison]
So it’s what I was talking about before.
00:10:27 [Alison]
It’s one minute long, and all I share is, hey.
00:10:30 [Alison]
I’m Allison, mom of four boys.
00:10:32 [Alison]
Fast, fun, done because I know how it goes.

00:10:35 [Alison]
And then I tell them about what makes me different.
00:10:36 [Alison]
But, you know, when you work with me, you get more than digital files.
00:10:39 [Alison]
You get printed heirloom artwork in your how I only work at Sunrise.
00:10:42 [Alison]
If that’s a deal breaker, totally get it.
00:10:44 [Alison]
Next step is jump on the phone with me for a discovery call.

00:10:47 [Alison]
So those key points, who I am, what makes me different, and the next steps.
00:10:51 [Alison]
It’s one minute.
00:10:51 [Alison]
Literally, if it’s longer than one minute, my Apple phone will not send it.

00:10:55 [Melissa]
So it’s a

00:10:56 [Alison]
good cutoff.

00:10:56 [Melissa]
And so that’s interesting, like, for how you do yours, because you are very custom.
00:11:01 [Melissa]
It’s one minute.
00:11:02 [Melissa]
Like, let’s go.
00:11:03 [Melissa]
Yeah.
00:11:03 [Melissa]
I am very similar to Allison in there.

00:11:05 [Melissa]
Like, I want to respond with as soon as possible because I always whenever you respond quickly, I get comments of, like, oh my gosh.
00:11:10 [Melissa]
That was so quick.
00:11:11 [Melissa]
And, like, Allison, they’re top of mind at that point because they just filled out your contact.

00:11:15 [Alison]
Yes.
00:11:15 [Alison]
The iron’s hot.
00:11:16 [Alison]
You wanna strike and not be lost in the fog.

00:11:19 [Melissa]
Now what I have done, I used to do personalized custom videos for everybody.
00:11:23 [Melissa]
But we all know we get those inquiries where they’re just, like, how much?
00:11:26 [Melissa]
Or they don’t give you any information.
00:11:27 [Melissa]
And you’re just like, okay.
00:11:29 [Melissa]
So I did finally sit down and do a prerecorded video that is generic that I will send out to people if they don’t give me any information.

00:11:38 [Melissa]
I mean, obviously, you get their due date.
00:11:39 [Melissa]
That’s not a whole lot.
00:11:40 [Melissa]
I can put that in the first line of the email or whatever.
00:11:43 [Melissa]
So I have a generic.
00:11:43 [Melissa]
They give me any information about, like, oh my gosh.

00:11:46 [Melissa]
It’s our first kid.
00:11:47 [Melissa]
We’re so excited.
00:11:48 [Melissa]
Blah blah blah.
00:11:49 [Melissa]
Then I will go in and record a custom video for them.
00:11:52 [Melissa]
So Allison’s video is, like, a minute long.

00:11:54 [Melissa]
Mine is usually six or seven minutes because I will walk them through my pricing.
00:11:58 [Melissa]
Like, I have a whole page on, like, the step one, booking of single session or a membership.
00:12:03 [Melissa]
Then step two, prepping for the session.
00:12:06 [Melissa]
Step three, the day of the session.
00:12:07 [Melissa]
And then, like, step four, now you’re gonna get your gallery.

00:12:10 [Melissa]
Here’s the pricing.
00:12:11 [Melissa]
And so I walk them through all of that stuff, and I explain my baby plan membership.
00:12:15 [Melissa]
It then gets me to upgrade to the baby plan.
00:12:17 [Melissa]
So that goes out for everybody.
00:12:19 [Melissa]
And then I go through the pricing on it.

00:12:20 [Melissa]
So mine’s a little bit longer because I don’t do a consultation like Allison does.
00:12:24 [Melissa]
But I still want them to feel like I’m putting some effort into this relationship here.
00:12:29 [Melissa]
And I also want to be clear that they have reviewed the pricing.
00:12:33 [Melissa]
And I include a link.
00:12:34 [Melissa]
Loom lets you do, like, a little link that can go up in the corner, and it can go at the end of the video where they click that, and they can go out to the page to see my pricing.

00:12:41 [Alison]
Only.
00:12:42 [Alison]
You can’t do that for free.

00:12:43 [Melissa]
Oh, okay.
00:12:43 [Melissa]
So I yeah.
00:12:44 [Melissa]
I have paid, so that’s why I do it.
00:12:46 [Melissa]
But I was on this podcast at one point.
00:12:48 [Melissa]
This can’t be that hard.

00:12:49 [Melissa]
And another girl and I were talking about it that she also was doing video, and we were very similar in that we were doing these inquiry response videos, But she actually would not send them out to the page.
00:12:58 [Melissa]
She would just tell them they could pause the video, and then they can look at everything there.
00:13:02 [Melissa]
So that’s another option to do.
00:13:04 [Melissa]
Yeah.
00:13:04 [Melissa]
If you’re showing it, they can just pause it and look at it.

00:13:06 [Melissa]
But when I send that email to people of, like, a response, and I include that video link, I call it view pricing and collections here.
00:13:14 [Melissa]
And I I do say I’ve recorded a custom video for you view pricing and collections here.
00:13:18 [Melissa]
But when they, like, they wanna know what the pricing is, you have to watch the video to see the pricing.
00:13:23 [Melissa]
Yeah.
00:13:23 [Melissa]
And that helps me connect with them.

00:13:25 [Alison]
So I do something similar just in a different order.
00:13:28 [Alison]
So after I do that intro video, we get on the phone, I tell them all that stuff verbally myself, but then I also have a five minute generic video.
00:13:37 [Alison]
I’ve did mine on Canva this time.
00:13:39 [Alison]
So Canva is cool because you don’t have that time frame.
00:13:42 [Alison]
I still try to keep it at, like, five, six minutes, but you can still screen record.

00:13:46 [Alison]
And what I do there is I go through like, I’ve already gone through the kind of Veric stuff on the phone with them verbally.
00:13:52 [Alison]
But then what my video is about is about the nitty gritty differences in all the artwork.
00:13:57 [Alison]
Like, this is a Folio box, and they can see me.
00:13:59 [Alison]
So I can say this is a Folio box.

00:14:01 [Melissa]
When you’re recording on Canva, are you doing, like, a screen record of, like, something is it on your website or is it, like, a Canva p you know, like a guide on Canva?

00:14:10 [Alison]
It’s my pricing guide.
00:14:11 [Alison]
So my pricing guide is a live Canva

00:14:14 [Melissa]
Okay.
00:14:14 [Melissa]
Gotcha.
00:14:14 [Melissa]
Yeah.

00:14:15 [Alison]
Review link.
00:14:15 [Alison]
And so that’s what I send to everybody.
00:14:17 [Alison]
What I love about that is that it works like a website so I can update it.
00:14:20 [Alison]
Anytime I update it, everybody has the update regardless of how old that link is.

00:14:23 [Melissa]
Right.

00:14:23 [Alison]
Same link.
00:14:24 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:14:25 [Alison]
So they’re recording and looking at and what I’m doing is I’m I’m kinda reading, like, this is a Folio box.
00:14:30 [Alison]
This is what a Folio box is, and they can see me on corners saying, this is what it is.
00:14:33 [Alison]
This is what it looks like.

00:14:34 [Alison]
These are what the differences is, and this is why the price is this way.
00:14:37 [Alison]
Or they can see the album or the same thing with the wall art, and I can show them my my frames.
00:14:42 [Alison]
Like, here’s some frame corners.
00:14:43 [Alison]
This, this, this, this.
00:14:44 [Alison]
And what I’m doing there is I’m getting into the weeds about what the collection options are because it’s the same information every time.

00:14:51 [Alison]
I don’t wanna say that that five to ten minutes worth of information on every phone call, they don’t wanna hear it.
00:14:57 [Alison]
And that’s the very specific information they need to be able to relay to the other decision makers in the group.
00:15:03 [Alison]
So they have they have the price guide, and we’ve already connected on a personal level twice by the time they get that video.
00:15:09 [Alison]
So you can do that on Loom and you can do that on Canva.
00:15:11 [Alison]
I wish I can make myself bigger on Canva, but, yeah, it’s okay.

00:15:15 [Alison]
So another way to do video is doing detail, like artwork and product videos Yeah.
00:15:22 [Alison]
And your blogs, and then repurposing that blog into email in order to presale.
00:15:27 [Alison]
So I have a video that I recorded on my phone.
00:15:29 [Alison]
It’s super basic.
00:15:30 [Alison]
It really does need to be better to do a whole blog about albums and album and designs and why I love them so much.

00:15:37 [Alison]
And it’s just posted on Vimeo and then embedded in a blog post all about the album designs that I offer.
00:15:44 [Alison]
And then that’s one of the emails I send out to my clients after they booked.
00:15:47 [Alison]
Like, hey, what to expect to the gallery reveal?
00:15:50 [Alison]
Here’s a sample album.
00:15:51 [Alison]
So that’s a pretty short and sweet two and a half minute video, I think.

00:15:54 [Alison]
And then the very last way that I’ve used product video in my business is designs.
00:16:00 [Alison]
So when it does come down to that album design, some clients have questions like, oh, can we move this picture over here or reorganize?
00:16:06 [Alison]
I don’t think that’s the greatest idea.
00:16:09 [Alison]
I make a little little quick loom on my free account, and then I say, hey, we can.
00:16:13 [Alison]
Here’s what it looks like.

00:16:14 [Alison]
Consider this, this, and this.
00:16:15 [Alison]
It’s your album, so this is what you want.
00:16:17 [Alison]
Absolutely.
00:16:17 [Alison]
We can do this.
00:16:18 [Alison]
If not, I might not do that.

00:16:20 [Alison]
But again, like, a video is a thousand words, and then I can just show them what it looks like.
00:16:24 [Alison]
I haven’t made any permanent changes.
00:16:26 [Alison]
So regardless if they decide to do it or not do it, I’m not causing more issue on myself having to recreate proofs and links and all this other crap.
00:16:34 [Alison]
I just quick video, off it goes, and they can make

00:16:37 [Melissa]
a decision.
00:16:38 [Melissa]
I mean, I was telling Allison, I feel like I use Loom for everything.
00:16:40 [Melissa]
I mean, like I said, guys, I have, like, 1,500 videos in my Loom account.
00:16:44 [Melissa]
It’s insane.
00:16:45 [Melissa]
And I only started using it two or three years ago, I guess.

00:16:48 [Melissa]
So that tells me that I average more than one a day, which it was not surprising to me.
00:16:52 [Melissa]
Like, I’ll record more sometimes in a day because it’s just my go to.
00:16:55 [Melissa]
Anytime somebody has a question, and especially when it comes to SEO stuff and I, like, need to look at something and show them, I’m gonna be able to show it to you way easier in a video than I am in anything else.
00:17:04 [Melissa]
And I do try to remember when I’m sending videos like that, even when I’m going over my pricing, I tell I’m not gonna go into the nitty gritty and, like, read all these paragraphs to you.
00:17:12 [Melissa]
Like, I’ll let them know that upfront.

00:17:13 [Melissa]
I’m just gonna highlight a few things that I think are important.
00:17:16 [Melissa]
I want you guys to check out.
00:17:17 [Melissa]
You guys can read the page on your own.
00:17:19 [Melissa]
Because I used to go, like, more into it, and then my husband who’s taken classes on teaching before, he’s like, nobody wants you to read your slides.

00:17:26 [Alison]
100%.

00:17:27 [Melissa]
That’s what I felt like I was doing.
00:17:29 [Melissa]
And so try to keep in that in mind, but even answering client questions, prerecording stuff too.
00:17:34 [Melissa]
So there’s another tip for you.
00:17:36 [Melissa]
If you are answering a question for a client that is pretty generic, don’t be specific name necessarily, and then you can reuse it.
00:17:44 [Melissa]
Now there are times, obviously, like an inquiry or, know, maybe even a checking in video or something like that where you do wanna be specific with their name.

00:17:50 [Melissa]
But, you know, if they’re just asking, like, hey.
00:17:52 [Melissa]
You know, what time should we get to the location or whatever, something like that?
00:17:56 [Melissa]
I don’t know.
00:17:56 [Melissa]
You could just have a video that says, hey.
00:17:58 [Melissa]
I really recommend that clients arrive fifteen minutes early.

00:18:01 [Melissa]
That way, it counts for traffic, you know, blah blah blah.
00:18:03 [Melissa]
But you don’t have to be like, hey, Sarah.
00:18:04 [Melissa]
I really think you should arrive fifteen minutes early.
00:18:07 [Melissa]
And then that way, you make your videos a little bit more evergreen.
00:18:10 [Melissa]
So you wanna have that personality and stuff on that.

00:18:12 [Melissa]
If you can keep some things for, like, FAQs more evergreen, then that’s gonna be really helpful.
00:18:16 [Melissa]
And like Allison said, like, all of the products and stuff like that.
00:18:20 [Melissa]
If you are somebody who has a wardrobe, like, that could be a really great one too where, like, maybe you pull out your top five dresses and you show them and you talk about why you love this dress, And then you save that as a video, upload it to Vimeo, embed it on your website somewhere, and then you can, like, send, like, these are my top five dresses and this is why.
00:18:37 [Melissa]
You could put that into a blog post.
00:18:39 [Melissa]
You can cut little bits up for your Instagram marketing, share it in your email newsletter kind of thing, like, places that you can put video.

00:18:46 [Melissa]
The more you do it, the more natural it becomes.
00:18:48 [Melissa]
Because I think

00:18:49 [Alison]
100%.

00:18:50 [Melissa]
In that beginning It was like, gotta have makeup on, gotta be like dressed up.
00:18:55 [Melissa]
No.
00:18:55 [Melissa]
No.
00:18:55 [Melissa]
Recording an evergreen video, like, when I have for clients, that was a thing.
00:18:59 [Melissa]
I remember that was a big thing before.

00:19:01 [Melissa]
When I was doing the personalized videos, I was running into the issue of, I don’t wear makeup every day y’all.
00:19:06 [Melissa]
So I would feel like, oh, I look like a hot mess.
00:19:09 [Melissa]
I don’t wanna record a custom video for them right now because I wanna come across professional and polished.
00:19:14 [Melissa]
Like, that’s just Yeah.
00:19:15 [Melissa]
And so I got to the point where I was like, alright.

00:19:17 [Melissa]
I need just a generic one for things.
00:19:20 [Melissa]
And I think at this point now, because it is, like, two years later, I’m just kinda over the whole thing.
00:19:24 [Melissa]
And, like, I just make sure I have good lighting, you know, and I don’t look like a hot mess and that kind of stuff.

00:19:29 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:19:29 [Alison]
No.
00:19:29 [Alison]
There’s there’s been some times where I generally like to look put together, and both days I do, and it’s not a big deal.
00:19:35 [Alison]
But there are sometimes past the twenty four hour mark or I’m really excited about this particular client and what they’ve got going on.
00:19:41 [Alison]
We’re all just I’ll get in there, not necessarily a sweaty mess, but I’m just to work out.

00:19:46 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:19:46 [Alison]
And I’ll I’ll address it.
00:19:47 [Alison]
I’m like, hey.
00:19:48 [Alison]
I’m about to work out, but I did not wanna forget to reply to you.
00:19:51 [Alison]
I’m super excited because x y z.

00:19:53 [Alison]
And I think they appreciate that.
00:19:54 [Alison]
I think

00:19:55 [Melissa]
they Yeah.

00:19:55 [Alison]
Like, and honestly, if they don’t, not my people.
00:19:58 [Alison]
Like, if you don’t appreciate that, like, I wanna make sure I get to you and I’m excited about this and that I’m gonna work out and I have a real life too.
00:20:05 [Alison]
Like, no.

00:20:05 [Melissa]
I think a good task for, like, everybody who’s listening is go try it out.
00:20:09 [Melissa]
Like, you know, go make that first video.
00:20:11 [Melissa]
Like, make whether it’s just a quick introduction video, even if it’s gonna be a generic one or make that pricing video where you’re walking them through so there’s no Mhmm.
00:20:20 [Melissa]
No like, that’s a big thing too.
00:20:21 [Melissa]
Like, I wanted to walk things through so there was no question question of, like, what do you mean digital files aren’t included in the session fee?

00:20:26 [Melissa]
It’s like, no.
00:20:26 [Melissa]
No.
00:20:27 [Melissa]
No.
00:20:27 [Melissa]
Clearly laid out.
00:20:28 [Melissa]
Like, I’m gonna tell you, you cannot get this wrong.

00:20:31 [Alison]
Yeah.

00:20:32 [Melissa]
Explaining that kind of stuff.
00:20:33 [Melissa]
But just create a new

00:20:34 [Alison]
really, really great way to start is get yourself in good video recording mode, write your outline in your script, and do a loom with your price guide.
00:20:44 [Alison]
Like, yeah, start there.
00:20:45 [Alison]
It’s controlled.
00:20:45 [Alison]
You know what you’re doing, and it’s generic.
00:20:47 [Alison]
And then you can use it for everybody, hopefully.

00:20:49 [Alison]
But don’t be afraid to be yourself.
00:20:51 [Alison]
Don’t get behind the the wall of professionalism and prim and properness.
00:20:54 [Alison]
Like, be yourself.
00:20:55 [Alison]
Like, have some fun of it.

00:20:57 [Melissa]
I mean, I think done is better than perfect.
00:20:59 [Melissa]
Trust me.
00:20:59 [Melissa]
You stress out so much with first video and getting it perfect and all of that, only to realize you’re going to rerecord that thing probably a dozen times before the year is up.
00:21:07 [Melissa]
It feels like.
00:21:09 [Melissa]
So by that point, you’re like, I’m not even close to what the first video was.

00:21:12 [Melissa]
So just get over the hump, get the first one done.

00:21:15 [Alison]
In fact, I rerecorded my January 1 with the price change, and I didn’t really love the way I looked at it, and I probably still need to rerecord it.
00:21:23 [Alison]
Oh, well.
00:21:23 [Alison]
C’est la vie.
00:21:25 [Alison]
C’est la vie.
00:21:25 [Alison]
Well, guys, if you do one thing, go get in front of a camera.

00:21:28 [Alison]
If it’s on Loom, on your desktop, if it’s talk to camera story on that you can delete if you don’t like or is gonna disappear after twenty four hours, don’t be afraid to show up, connect with your people on a personal level, and don’t be afraid to be yourself.
00:21:40 [Alison]
Thanks so much for listening.

00:21:44 [Melissa]
Thank you so much for listening.
00:21:45 [Melissa]
If you’re enjoying the show, would you do two things for us?
00:21:48 [Melissa]
First, leave a review.
00:21:50 [Melissa]
Just stars would be awesome.
00:21:51 [Melissa]
And two, forward this episode to a biz bestie, mil spouse, or anyone facing moving their business.

00:21:57 [Melissa]
We’d love it if you share this episode with even just one person.
00:22:00 [Melissa]
If you have questions, you can reach out to Allison on Instagram at Al Botag, or you can find me, Melissa, in my Facebook group, Picture Perfect Rankings.
00:22:08 [Melissa]
Check the show notes for links, and we’re so excited to have you guys here.