Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Tried and True with the Dash of Woo, where we blend rock-solid tips with a little bit of magic. I'm Renee Bowen, your host, life and business coach and professional photographer at your service. We are all about getting creative, diving into your business and playing with manifestation over here. So are you ready to get inspired and have some fun? Let's dive in. Hey, hey, welcome back to Tried and True with the Dash of Woo. I'm Renee, your host, and I wanted to do just a quick little episode for you guys this week, specifically about some social media, because we've had a lot going on in the last week concerning TikTok and Instagram, so I just kind of wanted to break it down for you guys a little bit really quickly. Nothing super deep in this episode, just to sort of get you thinking about the changes and also how to prepare for potentially more changes, because more and more, it's looking like things are going to continue shifting at a rapid rate, especially this year.

Speaker 1: 1:09

So if you know me at all, you know that I love TikTok. It is my preferred platform. I've been over there since 2019 and I love TikTok. I prefer it over Instagram for a lot of reasons. I think the algorithm is better. It's just off the charts better and I like the community there.

Speaker 1: 1:33

So, if you're not familiar with TikTok and a lot of people aren't still and I get it there was a lot of this, you know, at first people were like, well, I don't want to be on TikTok because that's you know, I don't want to see dancing kids or whatever. But they don't realize that you can curate your For you page and your algorithm very quickly and very easily by liking and engaging with the content that you do want. And it's really like that's one of the things about the algorithm that I like so much is that it's very quick and easy to customize your feed. So there was this misconception, I think, and a lot of people still have that misconception. They're like, oh my gosh, I'm too old to be on TikTok or whatever. But that is absolutely not the case. Okay, there are lots of people in my age group I'm Gen X. There's a lot of boomers even on that app. It's for everybody, it is not just for young kids. So, first of all, if you're a high school senior photographer, you do need to be speaking to your market and that's where they are, and you also at least need to understand your market, understand your teenage clients, and TikTok will help you do that as well. So, anyway, all that to say, you guys know that I love TikTok.

Speaker 1: 2:54

So, the potential ban we have been hearing about this potential ban for a long time, since like 2020. And it's never really been a real thing, like something in reality that could happen. Most of us are like, yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, it's not going to happen. And this time was more serious because of the actual law and I'm not going to go into all the specifics because you can definitely find all the information about that online if you are interested in the backstory and how it all came about. But essentially, this time was different and I knew it was going to go dark, because they said they were going to go dark. A lot of people still didn't believe that it was going to happen, but it did. It went offline for I don't even know if it was 12 hours, it might've been less, but I expected it to come back pretty quickly because, basically, we kind of all knew that we were going to get an extension and so now we're in this extension. So, basically, tiktok went offline and then it came back on and then now we have like a 75 day extension basically. So Trump has said that you know he's not. He could have done a 90 day, but he's doing a 75 day and essentially just to look over the law and see if we can get a US buyer, because that's kind of the big thing.

Speaker 1: 4:15

Now I'm not going to go into a whole bunch of the politics of all this, but there are a lot, and there's a lot to do with meta, but there are a lot and there's a lot to do with meta, and some of the stuff that you see online is very conspiratorial and you got to be careful with everything. But essentially it really does feel like Mark Zuckerberg is just, he's always wanted to be TikTok, he's always hated the fact that his algorithm is not as good, and so now he's really aligned himself with this administration and so, as a result, instagram is changing and I'm going to talk about that in a second but also TikTok is now sort of changing, and so that's kind of what I wanted to just mention, because my algorithm is not completely reset. Now I don't know if you know this. If you're on TikTok, first of all you can reset your For you page. You can go into your settings and just reset your FYP, so that's good to do if you feel like you're not getting fed the information you want anymore. You feel like the algorithm is just not working for you. Whatever the case may be, you can reset it at any time and it really doesn't take that long to train it. All it takes is you engaging with content, liking it, commenting, sharing the stuff that you like and saying not interested on the stuff that you don't like, or swiping through, and you can do that at any time.

Speaker 1: 5:44

And so for me, when the app came back online, I was able to jump right back in. I've got all my saves, everything looked fine, everything looked normal, but my For you page was different and it wasn't completely reset because I was still getting fed creators and content that I'm in alignment with right, that I like, but I'm seeing a lot of new people that I haven't seen before, that I really like, that you know are in alignment with the things that I want to see, so that's really cool. And another thing is that I'm seeing a lot of creators that I followed like years ago in 2019, 2020, and interacted with then, but I haven't seen on my FYP in a really long time. So it's like it's kind of like for me, my FYP got like re-infused. It did reset some things, but I've only had to press not interested maybe once or twice, like it's already pretty good and it also feels faster and a little bit better in some respects, like it feels to me like a good change.

Speaker 1: 7:00

Now, this could just be my experience. So I did make a video a few hours after we got it back, because I was noticing some of these things and I wanted to see if other people were noticing them too and kind of what their experience has been. And a lot of people are saying like that video has about 7,000 views right now and a lot of comments. A lot of people are engaging with it and kind of giving me their feedback. And a lot of people are engaging with it and kind of giving me their feedback and a lot of people are saying that they are having a similar experience. Some people I would say maybe less than five at this point anyway were saying that their FYP seems exactly the same and then the rest of everybody else is saying that it is almost been completely reset. So it's very interesting and it could have something to do with how often you use it and how you use your account. I am on TikTok entirely too much. I know that. So Maybe it's because of the way that I use it and how much I use it, I'm not really sure. I just think it's interesting.

Speaker 1: 8:00

And the thing that I wanted to let you guys know about, in case you don't know, is that you can curate the things that you see in your FYP, not just by engaging with it, but inside of your settings. This is actually something they launched before the ban. Some people were saying that this has just shown up for them now, but it was there before for me, so I don't think that this is anything new that they introduced with this new version. Right, a lot of people are saying like TikTok is very different. I don't really feel like it is. Again, time will tell. It could be, but you can go into your settings. Under settings and privacy, there's something called content preferences and manage content, and when you click on those things, it'll bring you to a screen with a whole bunch of sliders with different topics like pets, lifestyle, home, whatever. You can tell it if you want to see more or less of any specific type of content. So if you're having issues with your FYP. That might be something that you want to look into as well.

Speaker 1: 9:06

But what I really wanted to tell you guys is that if you're not posting, you really need to right now, just get out there and start posting some content, because right now, a lot of creators who normally don't show up on the FYP are showing up on the FYP, and my videos seem to be getting more eyes and more traffic than they were before. So anytime we get anything new from any algorithm, from any platform, you need to be using it and I'll talk about Instagram in a second. But specifically now, with TikTok, you need to post something. Okay, like, just start getting some content out there, even if you've never really posted before. Just start getting some content out there, because you could have a unique opportunity to get a little bit more reach than you were getting before, perhaps Again, don't quote me on. You know I can't guarantee this for you, but I think you should experiment with this pretty quickly actually. So that's the timely thing I wanted to mention to you guys about TikTok Also going forward.

Speaker 1: 10:14

It is going to be anyone's guess at this point about what happens with the entire platform. So, essentially, the United States wants it to be 50-50, like a US buyer. I don't know how that's going to line up. I don't know. A lot of people are saying that Meta bought it. But you guys, meta is a publicly traded company. That can't happen without people knowing about it. So if Meta had purchased it, we would know. Now. That doesn't mean that they didn't purchase it or want to purchase it under a different name. I have no idea what goes on, but essentially, no, meta has not purchased it, as far as we know yet for sure. We don't know if that's going to happen.

Speaker 1: 11:03

A lot of people think that the app will change in some respect. All that to say. You can like it or not, and this goes for any platform. At the end of the day, we do not own this platform. Okay, we don't own any of these social media platforms, so that's why you never want to put all your eggs in one basket.

Speaker 1: 11:23

I saw a lot of photographers posting the night of the ban that they were, you know. Basically, it was catastrophic for them because they had only built their TikTok by, you know, getting a couple of viral videos, and they had this huge platform that was now gone because they hadn't really nurtured that audience in any other place and they hadn't gotten it off of that platform, meaning their email list and things like that. So if you are not doing that, if you don't have that strategy in place where you are using social media for your reach, to get visibility, to get eyes on your brand and then also nurturing that audience so that you can convert them to paying clients and getting them off those platforms onto your platform, like your website, your blog, your email list, then that is definitely something you need to put on your list for 2025. Because these platforms can go away at any time. You could get banned for something really weird and stupid. You could get your account taken away and not get it back, like I've seen this happen to photographers. So, yes, these are great tools for us to use for marketing, but it should never be the only thing that you're doing for your marketing.

Speaker 1: 12:48

I know I've talked to you guys about this a lot, but there's a reason why I'm talking about it Because you don't own it. You need to be able to control your content, and that's why I created my little mini course repurpose, because I want you to be able to control your content and that's why I created my little mini course repurpose because I want you to be able to start with a blog. There's no magic pill. At the end of the day, you don't have to buy anybody's course to teach you how to do any of this. It's really simple. It starts with you. It starts with your content your blog, your website, your messaging. Now you do have to have clarity on that. You've got to have a really good foundation of what your message is about, based on your purpose, your why and your target clients.

Speaker 1: 13:28

But then you should be able to craft your own content, starting on your blog, and then repurpose that content across your social channels, because you're starting with your SEO optimized content, right, and that SEO optimized content follows to all of those other platforms, meaning, if you put in the SEO work for your blog, you don't have to keep redoing it for the platforms. It follows suit, right? It's a very seamless process. You produce one or two blogs a month and then you use that blog content for your social media content for the rest of the month, and you plan this out ideally at least three months in advance. I would argue that most of you should be doing this at least six months in advance before you go into your busy season in the fall, if you make a point to do this at least in June, before you go into your busy season in the fall, like if you make a point to do this at least in June, before you go into your busy season, to at least start thinking about what those topics are going to be that you're going to talk about and what kind of content you're going to produce. And then you use tools like Chachi, pt and any kind of automations. That's really what you want to think about to make your life easier in the busy time.

Speaker 1: 14:39

But it starts with you understanding that process. Okay, so, like it trickles down, but it starts with you. Your social media should be an extension of your messaging on your blog and your website, and if you are creating clear, consistent messaging, then you don't have to keep creating new content. You're basically saying the same thing over and over again in different ways. It's cohesive, it makes your audience feel good, it makes them feel safe because it's consistent. And also, when you have a really good SEO strategy, that starts with your blog and your website, you are just coming up organically on search for people who are already warm because they're looking for you, and then you can use all of that same sort of strategy with your in-person marketing, just in a different way, obviously, because it's in-person, those three things, just when they work well together your in-person word of mouth, your online SEO strategy and then your social media strategy as an extension of all that. Those three things working together is like the gold standard, essentially for your marketing. It starts with you understanding how to craft that message. So if you haven't done that work, go back to that, but essentially it's really not hard, right, it's kind of simple. It's not to say that it's easy, but it is kind of simple.

Speaker 1: 15:56

Let's talk for a second about the differences between TikTok and Instagram, because there's a bunch those of us who like to spend most of our time on TikTok absolutely hate Instagram, because it's a very different platform. If you've never been on TikTok and you're mostly on Instagram, you have the opposite experience because you're used to Instagram. We're just used to our own experiences. Essentially okay, but Instagram has just come out with a whole bunch of new changes just in recent days, one of the main things being the grid. The grid is no longer squares, it is a four by five and it's actually not even a four by five Like. If you get into the specifics of it. To design your covers, you have to do a specific like ratio. I'll try and find that and put it in the comments for you guys and the show notes for you, because if you do want to have, like, a pretty grid, you're going to need to reformat that and it's not just a four by five. All that to say, I personally do not think the grid is that important and I'll tell you why.

Speaker 1: 16:55

I started to let go of my grid having to look perfect a long time ago, and a lot of that was because of TikTok. Because TikTok doesn't have like a curated grid, like, yeah, you can have the same sort of covers, but for the most part, it's not about that, right? And Instagram has really told us through their updates and things like that recently that they really are kind of trying to be more like TikTok. And here's the thing Most people, if they come across your content, like if they're scrolling let's say, if you're a high school senior photographer and you created a reel and you tagged your client in it and she reposted it on her story, like we all would love for them to do, and then her friends see it and they're looking at your reel and then they go to your profile. Okay, so that's what you want. You want that client to come into contact with your brand, either on their For you page, their timeline, or from another client. You want them to get to your profile.

Speaker 1: 17:58

Usually, the first thing a teenager is going to do is look at your stories. So this is why I tell everybody that your story is really important. Like you need to be populating your story content daily, but especially for high school senior photographers, because you need to be relevant for your teenagers, right? Like they want to know that you're using this platform and that you're not just like some random person. So A you need to look professional. Your site needs to be very clear about who you are, what you do. Your bio needs to be SEO optimized and it needs to tell your client who you are very clearly immediately and what you do. And then they're usually going to look at your highlights. Now Instagram is moving the highlights. They're not taking them away, but they are moving them. So we will see if this changes that behavior a little bit. But this is why your highlights are good. It's a shortcut, basically so that they don't have to go to your website. So if it's a high school senior client, they hit your profile. They're going to look and see okay, they're legit, this person's legit and then they're going to go and look for more content like what they just saw. And if they just saw seniors, they're going to look for more seniors.

Speaker 1: 18:59

If you shoot other things, like, a lot of people always ask me, do I need to separate my content? I'm a big believer that we don't because, let's be honest, you're probably not going to do that. There are some people who like to separate it and have two or three different Instagram accounts. That ain't me. I am never going to be that girl. So I want everything to be on one Instagram. The key is that I have it to where they can find the information if they want it. So I have a highlight for seniors, I have a highlight for branding, et cetera. I have highlights for coaching, reviews, testimonials, whatever you want to just make it easy for your clients and you want them to feel good when they're doing it.

Speaker 1: 19:37

And then, obviously, if they want more information, they're going to click out and go to your website and ideally, that's what you want. You want them on your website, so having those clear links, having something that's going to direct people easily that's always important. Once they get to your website, though, are they going to have a cohesive experience there than what they did on Instagram? Are they going to find everything easily? Are they going to be wowed by your work? What is that experience like? You really need to think about that client journey.

Speaker 1: 20:06

So, with respect to some of the other changes that they've made, like I said, they're going to be moving the highlights and they change the grid, which I really don't think is a big deal, and if you really want a pretty grid, I get it, but realize that that's probably more about you then your client. At the end of the day, if you've got good content and it's converting, it doesn't really matter. I'm more worried about how well your content converts as opposed to like is it pretty on my grid? Because I've seen some really pretty accounts and some really amazing photographers, and they ain't making any money. So I want you to be able to activate the buyer on and offline, but your content really should do the work for you and, again, it shouldn't be the only thing that you're doing. You shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket and, at the end of the day, if all you're doing is just cross-posting the same content on other platforms, like the same video on Instagram Reels and TikTok and YouTube Shorts and wherever else, okay, that's cool, just do that. It's better than not doing it at all. Because if you're going to get really in the nuts and bolts of it, yeah, tiktok is going to respond to some content better than others, vice versa.

Speaker 1: 21:24

And we know that TikTok does not prioritize what they call unoriginal content, meaning if it's coming from another platform. So, if it has any kind of watermark or if they know it's from Instagram, they're not going to prioritize that in the FYP. But that doesn't mean you can't repurpose it. You can re-upload it manually. You can use things like repurposeio. You can use Metrical to kind of just recreate it, however you want repurpose it. You can re-upload it manually. You can use things like repurposeio. You can use, you know, metrical to like kind of just recreate it, however you want to do it. There's a lot, a lot of different ways. I'm not going to get into all of that in this podcast, but you can do that without it being flagged as unoriginal content. But you never, ever, ever want to upload something with a watermark from Instagram to TikTok.

Speaker 1: 22:06

Essentially, instagram also said they're coming out with their own editing app to compete with CapCut, because CapCut did come back as of today. I'm recording this the day before the podcast comes out, which is Wednesday, the 22nd. So CapCut is back, but, just like TikTok, it is not in the app store. So if you deleted the apps or if you have that automatic thing on your phone that just automatically offloads apps that you don't use very often, you may not have it anymore. So you can still use CapCut on the desktop though. So that's good. So we did get CapCut back. Just side note, if you haven't seen that it is back, and as long as you didn't delete it or offload it, you should have access to it. But Instagram is coming up with their own version of CapCut and we'll see how good it is.

Speaker 1: 22:56

The thing about CapCut is the templates. The templates are unmatched, honestly. They've just made it so, so easy, and it does take a minute to get the hang of CapCut, but once you do, you kind of can't live without it. So I'm really glad it's back. It just makes creating videos so much easier. So, like I said, instagram is coming out with their own. We'll see how that goes, and I am sure that we will probably see some more changes to Instagram in the coming months as we see changes come to TikTok, because it could very well go away and go away away. I doubt that's going to happen. I really do. I feel like we're probably going to get a US buyer and that could or could not be something good. We will see. We will have to take this as it comes.

Speaker 1: 23:44

What I'm doing during this time is staying the course. I am posting the heck out of content. I'm actually probably going to double down and post a lot more content on TikTok. I'm also going to be talking about coming off platform more, getting people to migrate over to Instagram more. I know a lot of people are deleting their Instagram and Facebook because of the whole meta thing and, trust me, I get it, but I run a business. I can't do that. So, as much as I may or may not like something that they do whatever, I don't own these apps. I am using it for marketing and I'm running a business, so that's not really an option for me. I am going to be trying to build my YouTube a little bit more. But, again, I already have my Instagram reels moving over there, and another change is that Instagram reels has said that they're going to start letting us do three minute reels pretty soon, so that'll be interesting to see how that is received by the market.

Speaker 1: 24:44

I think that these will be good for educational and it could be for a lot of different things. But with respect to, like let's just say, senior photographers because I know a lot of you guys who listen are senior photographers I wouldn't be making a three minute reel of, like a highlight reel of like a BTS. You still got to make it engaging, right? Remember who you're talking to. Your audience, your teen audience, has a very short attention span, so they're not going to really want to watch a three-minute video unless you are captivating them. If you're telling them a story, if you're grabbing them in the first couple of minutes, if you're teaching them something, if you are nurturing them like hey, you know what. I know that you just booked a session, or you're thinking about booking a session. Let's talk about your clothes for a second.

Speaker 1: 25:27

Like, there are certain things that you can make three minute videos about that will keep their attention and that you can link out to over and over again and repurpose. You can put them on your blog, you can put them in your emails to people, you can use it as educational content, like. All of that is really really awesome stuff to do, okay, and not even just as a senior photographer, a wedding photographer, any kind of photographer. You can create guides and resources and create so many little different pieces that will help your clients that you can then link out to. Those would be really good for those three-minute reels specifically, I think.

Speaker 1: 26:02

But I think we're also going to start to see on both platforms. I think we're going to start to see more storytelling, think we're also going to start to see on both platforms. I think we're going to start to see more storytelling cinematic content, because I think a lot of people are craving more of that right now and they're kind of burnt out on just that aesthetic sort of boring, you know, like aesthetic short reels where you have to go to the caption to read everything. I think we're going to see a shift in that for sure. So the more you can double down on your story, the more you can be creative and out of the box and how you tell it. I think it's going to be important and I mean on all platforms going forward and any way that you can relate to your client, anything that's going to make you feel more relatable, that they can resonate with.

Speaker 1: 26:50

It can't just be like surface stuff Now that's not to say all. Your client needs to be like earth shattering, life changing content. Like that's going to be really hard to do as a solopreneur. I get it, but again, start with your blog. Start with the kind of content you want to be found for. What are your clients searching for when they find you? It doesn't always necessarily have to be like senior photographer in my area, it can be brand adjacent content. But create the content so that you can come up organically for these keywords that you want to rank for and start creating more of a cohesive plan to push that stuff out on social consistently so that you stay in the algorithm's favor and you stay top of mind for your clients, because that's even good for your in-person people, right? If you've got already existing clients who follow you on social and they see you consistently coming up, you're going to stay top of mind for them when they are looking for another kind of photography service if you offer that. So it all is going to work in your favor if you can get into that habit.

Speaker 1: 27:57

And if it all seems daunting, it's really not. You just got to prioritize it. If you need help with that, just let me know. Yes, I have one-on-one coaching packages, but I am offering just a handful of little pop-ups. So if you need help with just one thing, you can book a call for that Just shoot me an email, renee at reneebowencom, or DM me on Instagram and I'll send you the info about that, because I'm not even publicly putting that link out right now because I want to keep it at a very manageable number of people that I offer that to. So, help with your social media. That's a really good example of like a one-off coaching session. Like, if you just want help figuring out what to plan for the next three months, I can walk you through that with ChatGPT and we can create the whole plan in, like you know, 60 to 90 minutes. We'll get you good and ready with a plan for the next three months, including blog posts, including keywords and all your social content too. So, yeah, just reach out if you want some help with that.

Speaker 1: 28:56

Also, real quick, before I wrap up, I want to remind you guys that the Seniors Unlocked Peak Senior Summit is happening this week. I think you can still get your access to it if you get their VIP pack. I'm going to link that below, which means, basically, you can watch all the replays. You don't have to watch it live. There's a lot of amazing teachers and I'm one of them. So if you want to learn this week a little bit more about your senior business, I'm going to put that link in there. I'm talking all about senior teams and when you go through the program, you're going to be offered a pretty sweet discount off of my creative team method as well. So you'll get a coupon code after you watch my presentation. So if you are thinking about starting a senior team, that's a really good resource for you as well. So I'm going to list everything I mentioned in the show notes for y'all.

Speaker 1: 29:42

If you have any questions about any of this stuff, reach out. Let's chat about it on Instagram. The main thing I wanted you guys to get from this is don't panic. You can't control social anyway. What you can control is your stuff, your website, your blog, your messaging. Hone in on that, okay.

Speaker 1: 30:00

And if you are like snowed in in the Tantra, like a lot of you guys are right now. Use this time to dig into your business and refine the heck out of it so that you can hit the ground running. And that doesn't mean you shouldn't be marketing right now. By the way, even if you're not taking clients right now, even if your business goes dark for a couple months because you're in the winter and you don't shoot a lot, you still need to be marketing this whole time. And I'm not just talking about social media Again, it is just a part of it. But you need to be blogging, you need to be having a strategy, you need to be consistent and you need to be emailing your list. All of this works very seamlessly. I'm going to link repurpose down below as well, because that little mini course walks you through all of this and it's super cheap. But all that to say you got this. Okay. I know that you want to stay under the covers and stay warm. Trust me, I get that. It's not super cold here in SoCal, but we've been on fire and literally it's just been chaos. So I understand wanting to stay under the covers. I understand not wanting to do the things that we have to get done, and if that's you, I feel you A good strategy is to give yourself a time limit.

Speaker 1: 31:12

Let yourself off the hook a little bit. If you're feeling like that, you might be a little burnt out as well. So be kind to yourself, give yourself some grace, make yourself feel good. You've got to feel good first. If you don't feel good and raise your vibration a little bit, you're not going to get to the things that you know you need to do. Okay, you're just going to feel like you're cracking the whip on yourself, and that ain't fun.

Speaker 1: 31:34

So you need to turn that on its head a little bit and do something that's going to make you feel good. That could be something related to your business or not. It could be like you know, what makes me feel good is, like you know, going to a museum or taking a long hot bath or going to get a massage. Okay, do that. Do the thing that's going to like lift your vibration, make you feel better, because then you are putting out a different energetic signature that the universe is going to send right back to you, and then you're going to get more of that, and so it's going to feed off of that. Think about what lights you up and do those things first and then tackle that crap on your list that you know you got to get done and you don't really feel like it. Put it on the calendar and make it happen.

Speaker 1: 32:18

But you got to feel good first. That doesn't mean let yourself off the hook and just not do it. It means create those boundaries with yourself. What is your non-negotiables? But also do something good for yourself today, okay. So if you're struggling with your mindset, again reach out. That's another good example of a one-off call. We can just hammer out what's going on. Get to the heart of it real quick so that you can get back on track. I'm happy to help. Just let me know. Have a great rest of your week. I'll talk to you guys soon. Love you, bye.