Dear Jenna,

I have a confession: I suck at blogging. I don’t get it, I don’t really see why it’s important, and it always seems to hover at the bottom of my to-do list, never to get done. It’s just never really been something I’ve gotten into and I struggle to really understand how it will impact my business. Isn’t sending my clients their gallery enough? I mean, happy clients keep coming back, right? Help me “get” it, because frankly, I don’t really understand…

Sincerely, Bummed Out Blogger

Hey friend, I have to giggle a little as I share my journey as a blogger. Why? Because it’s a little hilarious but I can officially say I’ve been blogging before it was “cool.” It all started in 2009 when Drew and I were dating “long distance” – which was our way of saying two hours apart as I finished my senior year of college. I created a blog for us to write letters back and forth (and that blog was discovered by my best friend who sent it to his – this blog is now private, so don’t even try to find it!)

A few years after that, armed with my Craigslist camera, I started my photography blog. I didn’t have enough funds to get a website, so I kicked off my career on a blog. It became a place where I would share my photos and I posted my logo. This blog has significantly evolved in the last few years (I mean, this space you’re on looks wayyyyy cooler than when I first started) but the blog has served as a place for me to serve my clients and share my life.

Here are three ways blogging can change your business:

1.) It’s a story-telling place to share your portfolio: 

We’ve all heard a photo is worth a thousand words but what happens when you take a collection of images and partner it with meaningful words? I mean, that’s got to be worth a million words. Not only can you curate a story with words and photos, you can you give your audience a chance to connect with you beyond pretty pictures. You get to choose what shows up on your blog so every selected image can be on brand and trust me, your clients will take notice in the fact that you were connected to them beyond just their session or wedding day! Your clients expect good photos but what they don’t expect is for you to be able to tell their story just as good as they could.

2.) Search Engine Optimization: 

Yes, yes, those words strung together can sound scary, intimidating even. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is something that hangs out at the bottom of our important “to do” lists and never seems to get accomplished or understood, but when you blog regularly, Google and other search engines see you as an “expert” or an “authority” in what you are sharing and your rankings will go up! Also, you can use keywords and phrases that will help people find YOU when they search for the services you provide. Blogging is a great tool to boost your SEO (and while it might sound overwhelming, there are small, easy steps to take to get your rankings up!)

3.) It’s the perfect “sneak peek” for your clients:

I use my blog as a tool to share my images with my clients BEFORE their entire gallery is complete. It’s my chance to share the “wedding day story” while the excitement is still high. When I shoot a wedding on Saturday, it will be blogged on the following Wednesday (yes, four days later.) My clients look forward to the blog post, they are so excited to see their images, story, and slideshow on the blog. It also allows them to share their wedding day story while people are coming off of the wedding high and allows guests who weren’t able to attend see their wedding day. I have always used my blog as a tool of delivery and it’s such a fun way to share my weddings with my clients, their families, friends (and of course, potential clients!) When you invite people off of Facebook and onto a blog, you are more in control of the user experience and that experience can be the thing that make people choose YOU to document their lives!

Blogging is an amazing way to share your life, images, and words. It isn’t for everyone, definitely not, but it’s a tool that can be utilized rather easily in your business! If you’re located in Wisconsin, I’ll be teaching more about blogging at tomorrow’s Tuesdays Together meeting in Madison! (If you aren’t sure what this is, check out The Rising Tide Society, an incredible group started by sweet friends of mine.) The pursuit is community over competition and these meet ups are entirely free and packed with good content! I’m sure I’ll be seeing some of you, sweet blog readers, tomorrow.

Crescendo Espresso Bar + Music Cafe on Tuesday, October 11th from 7-9PM