Re-Airing: Our Chat with Colie James About Marketing That Actually Works

We had such an amazing conversation with Colie James on her Business First Creatives podcast that we just had to share it with you all! Colie invited us on to talk about marketing strategies, and honestly, we got so real about what's actually working (and what we've totally abandoned) in our businesses.

If you don't know Colie, she's a business systems expert who helps creative entrepreneurs streamline their workflows and grow profitable businesses. Her podcast, Business First Creatives, is all about the behind-the-scenes business strategies that actually move the needle – which is exactly why this conversation was so good!

We dove deep into our Marketing Monday routines, why we're both considering ditching Instagram for YouTube, and how AI has become our "employee of the month." Plus, Alison shared her genius scouting trip strategy that helped her book clients before she even moved to Hawaii, and Melissa talked about why her five-minute homepage audits are her best lead conversion tool.

What You'll Learn:

• The real reason why getting found is harder than creating beautiful work

• How to use AI as your "employee of the month" (seriously, best $20/month we spend)

• Why Alison's rankings dropped when she got "content" with her SEO success

• The power of five-minute audits for converting leads into paying clients

• How scouting trips and model calls can skyrocket your business in a new location

• Why we're both considering ditching Instagram for YouTube

• The art of batching content when you're feeling motivated (not forcing it on a schedule)

• Email marketing strategies that actually work for photographers

• Why sometimes the best marketing happens when you blow dry your hair and change shirts five times

About Colie James: Colie is a business systems strategist and the host of Business First Creatives podcast. She helps creative entrepreneurs build profitable, sustainable businesses through smart systems and strategic thinking. Her no-nonsense approach to business growth is exactly why we love chatting with her!

Resources Mentioned:

• Colie James' Business First Creatives podcast

• ChatGPT for content creation and repurposing

• Flodesk for email marketing

• Descript for video editing

• Trello for content planning

• Google Tasks for marketing organization

Your Next Steps:

-Work with Melissa: https://pictureperfectrankings.com
-SEO Self Audit Checklist: https://pictureperfectrankings.myflodesk.com/self-seo-audit -35+ Blog Post Topics for Photographers: https://pictureperfectrankings.com/35-blog-post-ideas

-Work with Alison: https://alisonbellphotographer.com/how-to-move-your-business
-Free Moving Checklist: https://alisonbell.myflodesk.com/checklist
-Marketing Funnel Basics: https://alisonbell.myflodesk.com/funnel

-Check out Colie James: Business First Creatives podcast

Links:

• Leave a review in Apple or on Spotify

• Download 39 FREE Ways to Get More Clients

• Find Alison on IG @‌keep.it.moving.podcast

• Find Melissa on IG @‌pictureperfectrankings

• Keepitmovingpod.com

Used #keepitmovingpod on socials!

Y'all, can we talk about the elephant in the room? That pile of receipts sitting on your desk, the QuickBooks notifications you've been ignoring for months, and that sinking feeling every time tax season rolls around? Yeah, we're going there today.

This week, we're bringing you Melissa's actual bookkeeper, Jenny Vazquez from Foxtrot Bookkeeping, to spill ALL the tea about why photographers need to stop DIYing their books and start treating their finances like the business asset they are.

"I just think putting negative energy towards your money is never good... when you're working on your money or looking at your money, you want it to be positive." - Jenny

• The #1 reason photographers should outsource their bookkeeping (hint: it's not what you think)
• How often you should actually be updating your books (Jenny's answer might surprise you)
• The most common bookkeeping mistakes photographers make and how to avoid them
• Why using your personal Venmo for business expenses isn't the end of the world (but here's how to fix it)
• The difference between working with an independent bookkeeper vs. your CPA's bookkeeping service
• When to make the leap from spreadsheets to QuickBooks (and why you probably should have done it already)
• Smart receipt organization systems that will save you during an audit
• How proper bookkeeping can actually help you make better business decisions throughout the year

💎 The Gmail Receipt Hack: Create a new email folder each January (like "2025 Receipts") and set up automation to tag PayPal receipts. Just drag and drop receipts throughout the year for instant organization.

💎 The B&H Photo Strategy: Buy all your camera gear from one retailer so you can log into your account years later and pull all purchase history for depreciation tracking.

💎 The Weekly 10-Minute Rule: Jenny's ideal schedule is just 10-15 minutes weekly to review transactions while they're fresh in your memory.

💎 The Venmo Mix-Up Fix: Accidentally paid a contractor from personal Venmo instead of business? Just email your bookkeeper the receipt - they'll handle the reconciliation magic.

💎 The Subscription Audit: Ask your bookkeeper for a list of all your monthly subscriptions. You might be shocked at what you're paying for and forgot to cancel.

• Jenny Vazquez - Foxtrot Bookkeeping
• Instagram: @foxtrotbookkeeping
• Website: foxtrotbookkeeping.com

Links:

• Leave a review in Apple or on Spotify

• Download 39 FREE Ways to Get More Clients

• Get Melissa’s Free Blog Post Topics

• Find Alison on IG @‌keep.it.moving.podcast

• Find Melissa on IG @‌pictureperfectrankings

• Keepitmovingpod.com

Used #keepitmovingpod on socials!

Alison is interviewing Melissa, who literally went from fixing computers in corporate suits to building photography empires with killer SEO strategies. If you've ever wanted to throw your laptop out the window because of alt text and header tags (while simultaneously trying to feed your kids lunch), this episode will save your sanity.

• Why your keywords are having an identity crisis - Spoiler: Google doesn't know what you do either when you try to be everything to everyone.

• The brutal truth about SEO timelines - Real talk: 6-9 months to see decent progress, 18 months to consistently book clients. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

• Group coaching vs. done-for-you decoded - Melissa breaks down why both paths work, depending on whether you have more time or money to burn.

• Blog post templates are secretly broken everywhere - Melissa finds websites with EIGHT H1 headers on every single blog post. That's like wearing eight different hats to one event - confusing and not cute.

• The blogging club that doesn't make you cry - Because apparently everyone hates blogging (shame on you!), Melissa created outlines so easy that even your overwhelmed mom brain can handle them.

• AI prompts that don't sound like robots - She's teaching photographers how to use Claude for personal stories via voice messages, so your blog posts actually sound like you instead of a corporate manual.

• The moving photographer's secret weapon - Start your SEO work 6 months before you PCS. Your future self will thank you when you're not scrambling to book clients in a new location while unpacking boxes.

Ready to stop letting SEO be the monster under your business bed? Melissa's approach strips away all the overwhelm and gives you a clear path forward - whether you want to DIY it or hand it off completely.

Feeling stuck? Get a Book free 15 minute discovery call with Alison to talk through your biggest business challenges and map out a strategy that actually fits your chaotic, beautiful life.

Links:

• Leave a review in Apple or on Spotify
• Download 39 FREE Ways to Get More Clients
• Get Melissa’s Free Blog Post Topics
• Find Alison on IG @‌keep.it.moving.podcast
• Find Melissa on IG @‌pictureperfectrankings
• Keepitmovingpod.com

Use #keepitmovingpod on socials!