540: Katie Donnelly – How to partner with influencers to grow your photography business

PhotoBizX The Ultimate Wedding and Portrait Photography Business Podcast

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.

Katie Donnelly of www.katiedonnellyphotography.com is a Paris-based family portrait photographer with a different approach to marketing and lead generation to most photographers… she partners with Instagram influencers to get the word out about her beautiful photography services around the iconic locations of Paris.

When I introduce most guests for the podcast, I usually pickle together a bunch of tidbits I learn about them online. While doing that for today's guest, I read a pinned post on her Instagram feed that I felt was THE perfect introduction.

Here's what she says – I'm picking out the parts I think you should hear…

Ten years ago, I moved to France from New York. I moved for love and adventure. I married that same French guy who I came over for.

Life is normal but in 2020, everything was so clearly put into perspective when simultaneously the world shut down. I was told I had stage 4 cancer, and my dad was also diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. The world came through, I lived, my dad died.

What got me through? Well, modern medicine and luck. But also my family.

I now know what is most important in life: time and memories with the ones you love. Our work, making family portraits, has a real meaning now. It’s important to have portraits and art with your loved ones. I know it deeply.

In 2021, after chemo ended, I gave myself two options:

1. Quit. Close down shop.

Or

2. Build a team – because I couldn’t do it alone.

I started building.

It’s been, so much work.

Building on your own is easy, building something for others to grow with is so much more complex. And always, always, with the client being the centre of it all.

That post was by Katie Donnelly of Katie Donnelly Photography, who has been Voted the best Paris Portrait Photographer! And in this interview, Katie shares details of how she's built the incredible business she has.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:

• How Katie started her photography business in Paris
• Katie's target and ideal portrait photography clients
• Katie's revenue
• The difficulties of setting up a business in Paris
• Client's average spend
• Reflections on Katie's life as a cancer survivor
• How are clients finding Katie's business
• Are influencers effective marketers for your business
• How Katie's partnerships with influencers work
• How to choose the right influencers to work with your business
• Metrics to consider when partnering with influencers
• What kind of deals do you offer partnerships when asking to promote your business
• Different ways to do giveaways
• Seeing influencers as lead sources
• How to make believers out of non-believers with wall art prints
• How to find space to hang wall portraits
• Dealing with unvoiced objections from society about wall art
• How Katie does her same-day sales sessions

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I always tell my clients, “Have you been to the Louvre before? Have you been to any museum? How many portraits are up there?” “What are you talking about?” “France has a history of beautiful portraits on the wall, family portraits. There's these hundreds and hundreds of years of these incredible oil paintings. How can you possibly say that we don't do this. Yes, you do. You started it.” – Katie Donnelly

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access and instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable and build friendships with other pro photographers with similar motives to you – to build a more successful photography business.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Katie 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, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business due to what you heard in today's episode.

We have a bunch of lead sources. – Katie Donnelly

If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Katie or if you want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

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iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

I check for any new iTunes or Google reviews each week, and it's always a buzz to receive these… for several reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

Our Google leads, those are our golden leads. We absolutely love our clients who find us through there because we know they really seen our website. – Katie Donnelly

Secondly, iTunes and Google are the most significant podcast search engines, and your reviews and ratings help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean 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 or https://photobizx.com/google, 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. Email me your keywords or phrases and where you'd like me to link them.

You just can't generalize about a group. You just have to find your people within the influencer community. – Katie Donnelly

Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy, and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has impacted you and your photography business.​

Here's the latest review…

★★★★★ Such a great perspective shift!

Via Apple Podcasts by Atlanta family portrait photographer Katie Campbell, in the USA on November 13th, 2023.

I cannot thank you enough for all of this wonderful education! All of your interviews and courses are fantastic.

The Lead Qualification course was everything I dreamed it could be!

So many little nuances will surely increase profits in our studio, and I LOVE the idea of getting to the “no” quickly! Such a great perspective shift!

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Katie Donnelly Photography Website

Katie Donnelly on Instagram

Katie Donnelly Photography on Facebook

Katie Donnelly Photography on Pinterest

Episode 534: Mary Beth Wood – Setting expectations leads to big portrait photography sales

Thank you!

That’s it for me this week; I hope everything is going well for you in life and business!

Thanks, and speak soon
Andrew

The post 540: Katie Donnelly – How to partner with influencers to grow your photography business appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.