Hello there! For those of you who don’t know me, I have been a photographer for most of my adult life, an obsession that started in high school with a Canon AE1 and far too many hours playing in the darkroom when I should have been elsewhere. I shot commercial fashion initially and later moved into portraits and kids fashion.
My love for social media had me take on a couple of social media clients back in 2012 as a part-time gig, but gradually I transition from full-time photographer to a full-time Social Media Manager, doing commercial photography on the side.
I love everything about social media and I am super excited to be teaching my third round of Seriously Social in just a few days on Monday 17th! The workshop is all about approaching Social media with intention! Making the most of the time we spend online. Working smarter, creating a strategy and making use of the tools available to implement your strategy in the most efficient way.
Featuring students is a rather tricky task for this kind of class because we cover so much and students are often working through the content well after the class ends and also focusing on one platform at a time, implementing changes slowly. That being said, a few students were happy to share some thoughts about their journey and where they are at with things since the class ended and I am so proud of them and thankful for their kind words!
Instagram //Merja Varkemaa
Rowe’s Seriously Social class was a real eye opener for me. Of course I had been aware how social media is everywhere, but I had never realized to which extent. There was so much to learn and I’m still learning and implementing what Rowe taught us in class.
Photography is my passion and creative outlet and as I’m not in business, my personal approach might differ from that of many others. What impacted me the most was all her knowledge that she shared about Instagram. A passionate amateur photographer like myself is all the time looking for ways to share one’s work, to put it out there. With Rowe’s guidance, I discovered this tremendous online gallery that IG is for us photographers. She helped me to make my profile look more like me and my work, explained the algorithm, use of hashtags, how to curate my feed and many other features. For those in business, she shares valuable information about growth strategies and how to market one’s work. I’m personally still at the stage of organic growth but now have plenty of ideas for the future.
Before the class I had not spent much time on Instagram and hardly ever posted. I’m now addicted, it is such a wealth of inspiration and a source of endless motivation. There are so many artists out there sharing stunning images that are waiting to be seen.
My thoughts on Merja’s Instagram - I just adore Merja’s work and have loved watching her vision evolve over the last couple of months. She has a great eye from a curating perspective and I really like the way her grid has a gallery feel to it almost resembling a portfolio. It’s unique and works well with her compositions and her emotive editing style. What’s not to love! I can’t wait to see what she does on her other platforms in the future.
Pinterest // Deb Schwedhelm
I thought I had my social media shit mostly together, but knew that I had more to learn. What I didn't realize is HOW MUCH I had to learn from Rowe's class. From day one, I was blown away by all the information that Rowe was presenting. Of course, I very quickly realized that I did NOT have my social media presence together and all the work I had to do, under the incredible guidance of Rowe's tutelage. So lesson by lesson, I worked, improving my Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest presence. Seriously Social reinforced that to be successful in social media, one must be organized, active, authentic, and engaged. There really is a method to the madness.
I had been a longtime user of Pinterest, but I was using it for fun. I have had so many boards over the years, but I hadn't realized that I could actually use Pinterest to my advantage. Yes, I could still pin things that I love, but I could also create boards that would assist in marketing my photography endeavors. So I cleaned existing boards up and created new boards. I also got back to being regular active on Pinterest. Who knew that Pinterest could be such a strong force?!
I can't thank Rowe enough for her time and guidance. She goes above and beyond to ensure that each student is taken care of, which is not an easy task in a social media class. I'm forever grateful for this class and the push that it has given me to be better.
Pinterest home page where Deb has selected her own work to be front and centre in the banner at the top and in her featured boards -
The first two rows of her boards tab -
My thoughts on Debs Pinterest - Out of Deb’s 10 boards featured on the first two lines we see when we visit her profile, 6 boards contain her own imagery which is exactly what you want. For people to visit your profile and know who you are and what you do! The other 4 are full of photography related inspiration which is just perfect for reaching her target audience… Who is her target audience? Photographers looking to be inspired and educated.
Note: Deb is an incredible photographer who happens to also be an amazing illuminate teacher!
See more of Deb’s work - INSTAGRAM // PINTEREST // FACEBOOK // WEBSITE
A few fun Pinterest facts… It’s actually not a social media platform. It is essential a search engine. Being successful on Pinterest is less about your number of followers and more about how many people are seeing your pins. You can have next to no followers and be rocking Pinterest! To do so, you need to create brand relevant boards and pins and use keyword rich descriptions so people find your content. Of course, posting frequently is important too because the more active you are, the more your pins will show up which means a higher chance of repins which equates to more traffic!
I used to get around 10,000 views a month on my Pinterest profile After implementing a super simple strategy and more regular pinning practises, that number rocketed to 200,000 views a month! I recently created a Pinterest strategy and pinning schedule for one of my clients and after just 6 weeks she has over 400,000 views a month! I know… Crazy! Pinterest honestly is worth taking the time to learn. Get in now. Be an early adopter before it’s saturated and it is hard for your pins to be seen. It’s a pretty easy platform to master and its super fun.
Website // Ellen Keith Shaw
Really, we put so much time and effort into our businesses and I’m increasingly realizing that speaking to an echo chamber can be so defeating. I’m thankful that Rowe’s class, Seriously Social, has started me on the right path of posting consistently (with the help of a scheduler, which was life changing), and engaging with my audience. She taught me that a engaged authentic audience is much more important than false inflated numbers. She helped me establish a look and feel to my Instagram thread which finally feels cohesive. I feel that that effort also spilled over to my website which I recently overhauled to have it better reflect the audience I am trying to reach.
The class included conversations with a branding expert and with a copywriter which was such a bonus. I studied branding in college, but that lesson helped me apply the branding process to my own business. The copywriting one reinforced that the voice of our businesses is so very important. The tips provided during that call helped me to refine my about page—the voice of which influences all of the other communication around my business.
Rowe Timson and Seriously Social far exceeded my expectations. I was not a fan of social media and in some ways resented spending my time on it, but with Rowe’s help I am now able to see it in new light and as a valuable place to put some of my energy in building my business. The class ended with me feeling inspired, along with many actionable steps to help me continue to build my audience.
Ellen’s Portfolio -
My thoughts on Ellen’s website - Last week I was checking in on my students, visiting their profiles to see where they were at and really loved Ellen’s Instagram and then I visited her website… Sigh… It's just so beautiful, as are her images! Simple and unique! I honestly love everything about her branding, right down to the fonts she chose. I think she has really rocked every aspect or her website overhaul and I cant wait to see how her other platforms evolve over time!
See more of Ellen’s work - INSTAGRAM // PINTEREST // FACEBOOK // WEBSITE
Instagram // Wendy Atkinson
Seriously Social by Rowe Timson helped me to learn how to manage my Social Media accounts to be able to gain followers who were right for my photography business. I learned how to curate an Instagram feed that is truly my voice and my brand. I learned how to create a workflow to help me manage the time I spend posting and engaging with my audience. I believe that implementing the strategies that Rowe teaches has helped grow my business, interact and engage with clients and prospective clients.
After taking Seriously Social I felt lead to help a non-profit organization that I support because I noticed that they have a great ministry that very few people know about because their social media was scarce. In two months I have helped them to gain new followers, and to spread the word of the mission of their organization. They have received feedback that people are excited to see the great work they are doing across the globe.
My thoughts on Wendy’s Instagram - Wendy had a clear vision early on in the class, keen to create a consistent posting plan using a mix of photos and quotes and she executed it brilliantly! I really love the consistency of her clean, fresh imagery and how she varies the content to keep things interesting! I am so pleased she was able to put her new skills to use to help a non-profit and they had received good feedback as a result of her handwork. Looking forward to seeing more from her!
See more of Wendy’s work - INSTAGRAM // WEBSITE
That’s all for now but I will share more soon! Sing out if you have any questions about the workshop or social media related questions in general. If you are interested in taking my class, head HERE to grab a spot. Class starts Monday.
Thanks, Rowe.