5 Tips for Building Trust with your Audience | The Marketing Brief Podcast
A few months ago, I was asked by communications and PR expert Becca Grieb if I would be a guest on her brand new podcast, The Marketing Brief. I was very excited and honoured that she would ask me to be a guest, and we had a great time discussing how to build a great brand on Episode 3! We received lots of great feedback from listeners who said that they had learned a lot from our discussion.
Becca and I decided to team up once again, this time for Episode 24 where we discuss “5 Tips for Building Trust with your Audience“.
We all know that trust is an important factor in business. When you are selling a product or service, a potential customer has to trust you before they will buy from you. After all, if you don’t trust a business or business owner, why would you give them money?
Building trust is an often overlooked component to running a business
In this age of social media, the lines between business and personal are ALWAYS blurred. How do you decide what to share? Will over-sharing build or erode trust? Is there a time and place for vulnerability? Should you even add clients to your personal social media channels? What are the best tools to use for promoting your business in order to showcase what you do, and build trust with your audience? How do professional images tie in to building trust? Should you post selfies? How important are Google reviews and what’s the best way to use them?
5 Tips for Building Trust with your Audience
Tune in to Episode 24 where Becca and I delve into a variety of topics around building trust in business with 5 straightforward tips which we hope listeners will begin considering and implementing in order to see their businesses grow!
Check it out and let us know what you think!
Check out my interview on The Fulfillment Project with Sara Fennell and Claudia Baillargeon!
Sara Fennell is a business and lifestyle coach who started as a fitness competitor and online coach, eventually pivoting into coaching trainers how to take their businesses online. I’ve photographed Sara for her business branding images so many times, including on our incredible trip to Nicaragua last year!
Claudia Baillargeon is an online coach who, much like Sara and I, single-handedly built her business from the ground up. A random Facebook message one year ago from Claudia has led to our incredible friendship. I am so honoured to call these two ladies two of my closest friends.
As entrepreneurs and business owners, Sara, Claudia, and I are what some may call over-achievers. GUILTY! We’ve worked hard to build our businesses and brands, and we love serving our clients. We laugh when we say we are “recovering people-pleasers”.
Being a people-pleaser, in essence, is not entirely a bad thing. I love and continually strive to exceed all of my clients’ expectations – this is why my business has grown, succeeded, and why I have so much referral business from existing clients. But as the saying goes, there can be too much of a good thing!
In this podcast episode, we about what it means to be a people-pleaser, why too much of this is a bad thing, and how we’ve learned to establish better boundaries and prioritize ourselves – all while continuing to serve our clients impeccably and grow our brands.
Beyond Photography: Building a Great Brand | The Marketing Brief Podcast
I’m very excited to announce an appearance on The Marketing Brief podcast, hosted by communications and PR expert Becca Grieb!
My path first crossed with Becca over 12 years ago, when I was first starting out as a photographer. We collaborated on a photoshoot, and the rest is history! In the time since, both Becca and I have built our respective businesses, and have collaborated many times on countless photoshoots. If you follow her on Instagram, you will most definitely come across some of our work together!
I was honoured and excited to receive an invitation to her newly-launched podcast, where Becca discusses marketing and business, as well as branding, strategy, and of course – a bit of life in general!
You can check out my Episode 3, where I am featured, here!
Ditching the Script | The C-Suite on RogersTV
I’m very excited to have been a guest on The C-Suite, hosted by Danielle Deshaw, on RogersTV! This was my first official TV appearance, though we were forced to record a video call due to the pandemic of course. It would have been nice to be on set with Danielle, but we had to make do given our current situation!
Danielle came across my work through through our shared mutual network, and hired me for a branding session for her website and social media presence. We quickly discovered that we had a shared love for empowering other women in business – so I was honoured and excited to receive an invitation to be a guest on her show.
We discuss how I ditched the script and followed my passion to start my photography business and three photography brands, what’s made my business a success, and tips for growing your photography business.
Here’s a link to the episode! It’s been fun hearing from friends about seeing the show on TV!
How to Get MORE Work as a Photographer – Part 2
So, it is NO secret that I built my business thanks to Facebook, Instagram, and the power of social media! 
Firstly, I’d love to ask – what do you love…or hate…about social media and how you use it for your business or life in general?? Please comment on the video below! In this week’s video, I share a few tips on how to leverage your photography on social media to get it seen and to reach more clients! And one thing that I did to help surpass last year’s income already! 
But perhaps more importantly, I share absolutely ridiculous photos of myself that you won’t want to miss
??? And a ridiculous outro…(Let’s face it, why do it if you’re not going to have fun, right?).
Give it a watch and let me know what you think!! And don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel!
5 Things I Wish I’d Known
Have you started a business? What are a few things you just WISH you’d known before you did?
When I first started my photography business, I didn’t know what to expect. In hindsight, there is SO much I wish I had known before starting this business. If you are also an entrepreneur, I’m sure you have a list of things that – had you known prior to starting your business – would have accelerated your growth at a much faster pace! At the end of the day, business is business (regardless of whether the front end of your business is photography or not), and as entrepreneurs we can all relate.
Here is a super quick video of the 5 Things I Wish I’d Known! 
Check it out and let me know if you agree!
How to Get MORE Work as a Photographer
If you’re a photographer or a freelancer in any creative field and want to get MORE clients, you should check out my latest YouTube video where I discuss the importance of building your portfolio and some great strategies to do so! I also talk a bit about my start as a photographer and what I did to cause my business to EXPLODE within a few short years. Don’t forget to subscribe 🙂
Oh hey, it’s me, on the NDO Podcast!
GUESS WHAT!? The NDO Podcast featuring yours truly JUST dropped!
This was my first ever podcast appearance and it was so much fun!
In this episode, I chat with host Ryan Antooa about being an A-Type personality in the creative industry (read: I love systems!! ?), my path to this career (unconventional!), and advice now-me would give myself 5 years ago! Plus…there are a LOT of laughs (did I miss my career as a comedian??). If you’re an entrepreneur growing your business you should DEFINITELY give this a listen. Or if you just want to get to know me a little bit!
SO MUCH FUN!! ? Thanks Ryan!!
https://soundcloud.com/ndo-podcast/067-ema-suvajac-change-your-mindset
My Top 5 Headshot Tips!
If you’re anything like me, then being in front of the camera is probably not something you’re used to or comfortable with. I remember the first time I had my photos done professionally…let me tell you – it was STRANGE and a wee bit unnerving being on the other side of the camera!
But the fact of the matter is, the photos that we use on social media and our business pages are our face to the world – including future customers and future friends! So, here are my Top 5 Tips for capturing an awesome headshot!
1. Relax!
Most photographers aren’t using film these days, so don’t worry about “messing up a shot” with blinking or a funny face. The delete button is very easy to press, trust me! I go out of my way to make my clients laugh and to help them relax and have a good time – while also guiding them with poses and movement. The process will be painless, I promise! So take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, and smile 😉
2. Apply more make up than you normally would
Most people who wear make up prefer to have their make up and hair done professionally, however if you’d rather do your own that’s perfectly ok! Just keep in mind that professional studio lighting is VERY bright and will wash out most of the make up pigment that you put on. If in doubt, apply more than you normally would – you’ll be surprised how natural it looks on camera! And don’t forget to bring translucent powder to the studio in case you get shiny (this is a useful tip for all genders!)
3. Solid colours and neutrals are a sure bet
I normally recommend wearing solid colours to a headshot session, as patterns can be distracting when creating an image that should focus on that lovely face of yours. Patterns such as plaid, fine stripes (such as seersucker) also tend to cause an unsightly effect called “moiré” in photos, so they are best avoided. If you’d like to wear a blazer or suit jacket, do avoid ones with fine stripes. Here’s what moiré looks like – it’s pretty harsh on the eyes, isn’t it?
4. Have fun with it!
I love when clients throw caution to the wind and just have some fun! Whether this means dancing around to the music we put on or making ridiculous faces to get warmed up – I’ve got your back…and will in all likelihood be joining you (because I’m a goofball)!
5. Consider your target audience when choosing your faves
After our session, I will be sending you a gallery of proofs from which you will be able to select your favourite images for retouching. When picking your favourites do consider your target audience. Do you want to convey authority? Approachability? Your fun side? If in doubt, I am MORE than happy to help you pick your best shots! The images that you choose will be retouched for skin blemishes, hair flyaways, colour, brightness, etc., and will be provided to you as JPGs in colour and black and white by download.
And a bonus tip…
6. Pick a great photographer!
You can do all of the above but if your photographer doesn’t know the difference between a continuous light and a strobe, or a soft box from an umbrella, then there is no amount of make up, wardrobe, or photoshop that will rescue your photos! So choose wisely 😉
And there it is folks! Stop by my portrait portfolio for some inspiration! If you have any questions not covered by these tips, I am ALWAYS happy to help – so feel free to send me a message!
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