← Book More Photography Clients Podcast | Photography Business, Photography Leads, Marketing
Book More Photography Clients Podcast | Photography Business, Photography Leads, Marketing
How This Wedding Photographer Skyrocketed His Confidence & Landed On The First Page of Google with Mike Ferguson
00:18:28
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- [00:01]
A
Take the leap. Trust in Brooke. She knows what she's doing. There's a reason why she was called to be a teacher. So I had the same hesitations. And I will say after doing the method and taking the course, I realized now that my hesitations were kind of in vain. Brooke knows what she's doing. I would highly, highly recommend it.
- [00:27]
B
Welcome to the book More Clients Photography Podcast. You can stop spending hours on Google and YouTube because you just found your number one resource for growing a profitable and sustainable photography business. Hi, I'm Brooke Jefferson. I'm a believer wife, mama to two and Oklahoma family photographer. I left the classroom in 2018 to pursue my photography career full time. Now I'm here to help you do the same. In this podcast we're covering the most asked about topics including pricing, marketing, client experience, and all things systems and workflows. You won't find any fluff or BS here. Just tried and true strategy. Are you ready? Grab your kids some snacks and charge those camera batteries. It's time to jump in. Mike, thank you so much for being here on the podcast today. I'm excited to introduce you to my listeners and hear your experience with the fully booked method.
- [01:29]
A
So.
- [01:29]
B
So to get us started, can you tell us a little bit about you and your photography business?
- [01:35]
A
Yeah. So I am a Utah photographer. I have been doing photography off and on since 2016. I fell in love with it, just started doing landscapes and just kind of whatever I saw right. And that was when I first bought my my first camera was in 2016 and when I realized that I can finally kind of do it more than just a hobby was probably in 2020 when the world started shutting down. I realized how much I enjoyed it and the only thing we really could do at that point in time was go out and hike and I knew that I'd gotten good enough at my landscapes that I could at least maybe start putting a couple people in there and start taking some photos of people in pretty places and one thing led to the next and here I am now with my own business.
- [02:32]
B
Love it. That's so awesome. I like that you started it out with like landscape photography and then you kind of found your way into your current business. So tell everybody what you have decided to specialize in and who you enjoy working with.
- [02:49]
A
So I started with families and couples and have completely niched down to couples and weddings. I've just found that my love of working with people comes from working with couples because I love love. I love seeing people in love and just helping them be Themselves. And I call myself a professional third wheel. I'm. I'm a third wheel with a camera. I like to join people on their dates and just capture their mom while they are enjoying each other.
- [03:26]
B
Yes. And you're so good at it. I would definitely say you are a great professional third wheel and I'm so proud of you for just like owning. Listen, I love love and that's what I want to photograph. And I think that really just you have like this expression on your face where you just kind of light up because that truly is what you're passionate about. And I think that's why couples will be drawn to want to work with you, truly. So I love that you are all in on them because I think that they will be all in on you for sure. So thinking about your business, you know, prior to, I guess, working with me versus after working with me or still working with me, however you want to say it, what were some of your biggest struggles or challenges in your business?
- [04:14]
A
My biggest struggle prior to working with you was social media. I was so bad at social media before I would post periodically. There was actually one point in time where I had posted and then it was another year and a half before I posted again. And I just, I wasn't consistent enough. I wasn't doing enough for marketing or putting myself out there to try and even show people, hey, this is what I do. And joining the blueprint helped a bit, but I feel like joining the Method has even more so helped. It's, it's, I mean, tenfold more than what even the blueprint was.
- [05:03]
B
Why do you think that is?
- [05:04]
A
I think it's honestly the structure of it. Just knowing that like there's homework involved has helped. Being able to watch the videos and having other people going along with me and I feel like, and I didn't feel like it was just, you know, a course that you do at your own pace. It was something that, like with you backing us up, cheering us on, and then other people in the course, in the method with me, kind of helping motivate me to keep going and seeing their wins and their successes, helping me realize, you know what, I can do this too.
- [05:43]
B
Yeah, I think the community aspect, a lot of people think, oh, I'm going through a group coaching program yet I would rather just do one on one. But I don't think people realize how much you can learn from other photographers in a program with you, especially those that are not even within your same niche. It's incredible how you can collaborate with people and how Just listening to maybe a struggle they had helps you to not have that same struggle and vice versa. One of the things that you put on your forum, and I just want to bring this up because it's such a valid objection, but you said your biggest hesitation about joining the fully booked method was that this is just going to be another course. Tell us what you mean by that and maybe your experience with courses in the past.
- [06:33]
A
So with that objection, it was more of the. So I have seen Udemy courses I have seen, I mean, people offer, oh, join my course force, insert whatever program I can do here and you'll see your bookings double or triple within 90 days or whatever. And so I just. That was my biggest fear is that it was going to be something like that. That knowing what I know now, I am so glad that I joined because it was. It's definitely not that this, the method is something I would definitely recommend to everybody who is either starting out or struggling in their photography business, just needing to even do a refresh on their photography business or if they're feeling like it's. It's gotten stale. It's definitely something I would recommend everybody.
- [07:28]
B
I love that. Okay, well, let's hear a little bit more on why do you like, have you had wins or aha. Moments or seen growth in yourself? Tell us a little bit about personally, what you're walking away from the program with.
- [07:43]
A
So I am walking away with a lot more confidence in doing, like I said, my social media. I'm sure as you've noticed, my social media presence has gone up probably 90% since then. And then everything that I know now as far as marketing and being able to, I completely revamped my website and made it more SEO friendly. Testing out my SEO last night, actually, after launching my new website, I was able to boost my visibility from the fourth or fifth page of Google to now the first page of Google. That is a massive win for me.
- [08:32]
B
Wow, Mike, that is incredible. I was telling the listeners on the previous interview because obviously they know I record all of these interviews back to back, but I was telling them I haven't seen Yalls forms yet because y' all just got them today to kind of round out and tell me your experience to tell me these wins. And so I'm just a shock as they are when I'm hearing Yalls wins in real time. That is incredible because one of the things that I hear when it comes to websites and SEO is I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I don't know why I'm not showing up on the first page of Google and the fact that you were able to figure it out and, you know, fix those things that I taught you guys about your website and about the SEO part. So now you're seeing it before you even left the eight weeks is just, it's incredible. I am so, so stinking proud of you. That is awesome. Interrupting this episode for just a minute to tell you about the fully Booked method. Imagine if you were booking consistent quality clients year round, not just during the busy fall season. Imagine if you were making enough money to pay your bills, cover groceries and save for that family vacation. Imagine if you are being referred by clients and raved about in your community. And imagine if you wake up each day thinking, I can't believe that this is my job. It's time to go from stressed out to booked out. And I want to invite you to save your spot on the wait list for the next round of the fully booked method. This is my 8 week group coaching program that helps photographers clarify their brand with, optimize their marketing and double their bookings in 90 days. So if you're ready to book more clients and find out more information, head to Brooke jefferson.com/fullly booked and get your name on the waitlist. I'll see you in the next round. That's awesome.
- [10:38]
A
That was a great feeling yesterday when I saw that last night.
- [10:43]
B
Yeah. Yes. And the other thing you mentioned was confidence. So when you. And this is just me, because I've paid attention, I've leaned into it with you. I've heard your objections about showing up and stuff. For some people, they're going to be like, oh, it's just social media. But for you, I feel like the fact that you like where you started was you were just unsure. I don't even think it was just social media. I think it was just like your brand as a whole. You weren't quite sure how to like show up and be Mike and how, like, how do I show? Yeah, exactly. And so now it's so fun because I see this huge transformation in you where once you were unsure and maybe even a little fearful to put yourself out there and just be you. And now you're just rocking it. And that is what is going to attract those ideal clients that you have, those couples. To you, it's truly what's going to do. It is you and your brand. So I was excited that you brought up the confidence because to you, I know it's hard because you're like, yeah, I'm More confident. But I'm telling you, and I'm telling the listeners, your confidence has skyrocketed. And it is, it can be seen and felt. And I just, I love your energy so much. So very proud of you for that.
- [11:56]
A
Thank you.
- [11:57]
B
You're welcome. Okay, what would you say was your favorite part of the program? Whether it was something you learned in particular or maybe a structure part, what do you think for you was the biggest help to your business?
- [12:17]
A
I would say for me, the biggest help was all of the marketing information, whether it be social media marketing or email marketing, Building my email list. All of that I love because I had no idea how to do really any of that before social media. I mean, yes, I. I was able to do my own personal social media, but I didn't do it for marketing reasons at first. And then as far as email marketing, I had no clue where to start even building my email list or how to even get people to sign up for my email list. I had no idea how to really do any of that. And all of that information throughout the course has. Has been very eye opening and, and I learned so much from that. And I now started instituting how I can start getting people to sign up through my new website and I'm about to start rolling out next week. Another way to start getting people to sign up through my Instagram account as well. That was huge for me.
- [13:35]
B
That's awesome. That's awesome. Okay, I have two more questions and this next question I love because I get to give a little behind the scenes, but you joined the program as a new dad. You have a sweet little baby as we're talking, which so good. I. I want to know, as someone that is being the primary caregiver during the day, how did you find time to do the program? Stay on track all the way to the end during the eight weeks, it's hard.
- [14:09]
A
Balancing that was a little bit of a challenge, but honestly, my goal entirely was to do it as I had the time. As he would nap, I would get on and watch a couple videos and do a little bit of the homework. Or if I didn't have any more videos to watch and I was done with the homework, I would just work on myself. Honestly, chat GPT, like you've said, has been my biggest assistant. I have been thoroughly enjoying utilizing that as a tool to help me come up with either some ideas for posts on Instagram or just how I can like help be more efficient with my time and everything.
- [14:55]
B
That's so good. Well, I'm impressed, personally I know. Like, listen, life is busy. I. I have learned. I used to say when, when life slow. When things aren't as busy. Guys, I've been saying that since I was a mom at 19 and it's never slowed down. Okay, I'm about to turn 32 and here we are. Life has never slowed down. And if you're doing your business really well, it's really not ever that slow. Like, you might have two months out of the year that are, that are slower. And you have time to do things you don't normally do. But there's never going to be the perfect time. Your kids are always going to need you, your family's always going to be growing. You're other obligations and hats that you guys wear outside of photography. They're always going to need you. And so I have just been so impressed with. I know you're busy. I think there's been a couple weeks too where you were just like last minute trying to get your form in. But I respect that so much because it's relatable for those of us that do wear a mom or dad hat. And we're a photographer and we're fill in the blank. It's truly impressive that you were like, you know what, it's eight weeks. I'm putting my head down. I'm gonna do what it takes to finish this program. And you did. So that has to feel really good on your end, knowing that you were dedicated. Yeah.
- [16:15]
A
Very awesome.
- [16:16]
B
I love that. Okay, last question I have for you would be, now that you've gone through the program, you've kind of explained who it's for, what would you say to the photographer that is just really on the fence? Like, should I do this? Is this going to be a waste of my time? Am I going to get results like Mike and the other that have shared their experiences? What would you say to that photographer that's on the fence?
- [16:43]
A
Take the leap. Trust in Brooke. She knows what she's doing. There's a reason why she was called to be a teacher. So I had the same hesitations. And I will say after doing the method and taking the course, I realized now that my hesitations were kind of in vain. Brooke knows what she's doing. I would highly, highly recommend it.
- [17:09]
B
That is so kind. Thank you, Mike. That is so sweet. And also, I think what has made you successful is the fact that you are someone that when you sign up for something, you are committed and you are going to do the work. So don't sign up for the program. If you think, oh, I'm just going to watch a couple of videos, but I'm not going to do the homework. You will not see success, I promise. But I think that if you are like Mike and, and things that he's saying are really resonating with you, then just take the leap like he said. That was, that was so kind, everything that you said. Okay, where can people check out your work? Maybe send you a dm? Thank you for the interview. What's the best place for them to connect with you?
- [17:54]
A
Instagram at Fergman Photography. I'm also on Facebook, also at Fergman Photography. And then my email is fergman photographymail.com Perfect.
- [18:07]
B
All right. I will get all of that linked up in the show notes. Thank you again for taking the time out of your very busy day to chat with me about your experience. I truly, truly appreciate it.
- [18:19]
A
Thanks, Rick.