Before we jump into the episode of today, I just wanted to let you know that I have a special announcement to make. 

After 8 years of building a personal brand on social media, and seeing so many entrepreneurs struggle with turning their followers into paying customers, I realized the big disconnect is in HOW you put content together in a way that doesn’t just get attention and provide value but also turns a casual follower into a lifetime loyal customer.

I’ve decided to teach my exact process on building a personal brand on social media, so more people with important messages (like yourself!) can get out to more people. 

This is going to be a small, intimate group that I’ll be launching in a few weeks. Probably limited to ONLY 20 people.

Click here to join the waitlist, so you are notified as soon as I open my signature program!

“You are not ready to show up for your dreams”

That’s what the old me have been telling myself for over 4 years.

See, back in 2016 when I moved to The Netherlands to pursue my business degree. In reality, I was just playing it safe. 

I was scared of showing up for my dreams, I was worrying too much about what other people would say so I ended up showing up from a place of fear.

What I’ve realized is that having one leg in and one out wasn’t serving me and my business well. I wasn’t booking consistently, I was just trying to fill my calendars with things to do and not actually doing the things that are IMPORTANT for my business (you know, the things that ACTUALLY make money!).

So, what was stopping me? Fear.

I was playing it safe. I was giving myself all the excuses for why it wouldn’t work. I played it so safe that I went to work at a 9-5 job, knowing that’s not my purpose. I was mad at myself for not believing in myself. I was just trying to play it safe.

Cause, let’s be real. I’ve been doing photography for over 8 years and have built a personal brand in Aruba and in the Netherlands. I’ve been featured in different magazines, named as one of the best wedding photographers in The Hague and I even got my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Clearly, experience and expertise is not an issue.

After a lot of conversations with myself, I’ve committed 100% to the success of my business.

I’ve realized that no one is coming to save me and if I don’t do anything for myself, no one will. I stopped worrying about what people have to say about me. I’ve realized that I have to be the bigger person and actually stand in integrity for what I believe in and what I’m called to do. 

I’ve realized that people are going to have an opinion about me no matter what I do. If I don’t follow my dreams if I play it save if I choose not to do the scary things people are STILL going to have an opinion about me. 

On the contrary, if I follow my dreams, if I do the uncomfortable thing and show up for my goal, people are STILL going to have an opinion about me. 

So why not show up for my dreams without giving a fxck about what other people have to say?

I’m committed to my success. 

I’m committed to my biggest dream. 

I’m committed to doing the uncomfortable.

The real question is: are you?

My purpose is to help busy creatives build a personal brand on social media so that they can make a living from their passion.

But I can only do this if you’re committed to doing the work. 

If you are, BIG things are waiting for you. I believe it.

Now let’s get to the ACTIONABLE STEPS! 

3 Instagram Story Ideas for Creative Entrepreneurs!

Instagram stories give us the opportunity to show up as the REAL human being behind the account. It connects us with our audience and builds know, like, and trust factors. Story is the best way to keep your audience engaged and to show things that you normally wouldn’t share on your feed… (because it’s gone after 24 hours!).

Maybe you’re thinking: “No, Steven! I want to use Instagram Story only for business!”

Okay, Cool. Cause I’m going to walk you through 3 Instagram story ideas right now!

Are you ready?

Share a behind-the-scenes of your work

Sharing behind the scenes of my work has been working tremendously for my business as a photographer. I’m always sharing behind the scenes of my work and how I’m making it happen. This not only builds trust with my potential clients but also brings them with me on a journey as I’m working. 

I can’t stress this enough! I’ve seen the HIGHEST engagement as I’m sharing behind the scenes of my work. Just this week, I was sharing behind the scenes of a styled shoot festival wedding I did with some amazing wedding vendors. 

Guess what: I went to all vendors and created different stories featuring their services on my account. I did not only create new relationships, but these people also shared my stories on their account. THAT’S FREE MARKETING FOR MY BUSINESS! 

Show a step-by-step process of your work

I like creating step-by-step videos on planning your personal branding photoshoot. This can be as simple as making a step-by-step process on Instagram Story, all the way to a professional video on YouTube.

What are your expertise that you can share with your audience by doing a step-by-step process? How can you make it easy, yet entertaining? How can you use Instagram engagement tools to HACK the algorithm? All these questions are answered in the episode! 

Create a Quiz with the Instagram Story features and Engage with Your Audience.

As previously mentioned, you can HACK the Instagram algorithm by using their engagement tools. What are engagement tools? You may ask….

Instagram engagement tools are, for example, the quiz, the poll, the question feature, the slider, etc. All these are tools that your audience can engage with and when they do, they’ll give some signs to the algorithm that they’re interested in your content. Consequently, next time your audience logs-in to Instagram, the chances of they seeing your post will be bigger.

If you are creative and have no idea what to post on social media, I may have really good news for you!  A lot of my followers have been asking me how I leverage the art of CONSISTENCY online. For this reason, I’ve created a guide with 30 Instagram Post Ideas for Creative Entrepreneurs to help YOU achieve the same thing… CONSISTENCY! 

Click here and receive 30 post ideas for social media. Imagine using this FREE guide at the start of every month. You’re going to LEVERAGE consistency on social media and attract the right type of audience (the one that actually engages and invests in your business).