We were lucky to catch up with Allison Easterling recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, thanks for joining us today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. So, we’d appreciate if you could open up about your growth story and the nitty, gritty details that went into scaling up.

I completely agree with people seeing small businesses as an overnight success, when in reality there are years and years over hard work that lay the foundation for the success that is seen. I’m in my 13th year of business, and honestly, my biggest year of change and explosive growth happened in my 10th year. And it happened during a time when it really shouldn’t have happened. 2020, when Covid shut the world and small business down. Businesses like mine were not allowed to even function during that time, and I remember thinking I have to make this work, how do I make this work? And the only thing I knew to do was to keep showing up for my clients, to be consistent in my marketing and the way cared for people. To let them know I was still there, and when everything was over, I’d still be there. And I think that’s honestly the critical part people miss sometimes when building a business. You can be so amazing at what you do, but how you treat and care for people is what they ultimately remember. I think that when your customer service reaches the level of your work, your marketing, your strategies…. that’s where the magic happens. And although it seems like the last three year of my business were an “overnight success”, there were actually ten years prior of extremely hard work, failing and learning, and trying over and over again that got me here today.

Allison, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

For those that haven’t read about me before, I’m a wedding photographer. I actually started out photographing families, and slowly but surely worked my way into photographing weddings.

With over 13 years of experience in the industry, I understand that the small details and candid moments are just as important as the big picture. My goal is to celebrate each couple on their happiest day by curating a collection of images that are vivid, natural, timeless and elegant… images that can be looked back on for years to come.

My photography style is two-fold, both photojournalistic & editorial. Capturing those candid, unexpected moments throughout the day as well as posing to create a natural, timeless feel. My images are inspired by light, emotion, details, beauty, and most of all my couples.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I have always said that numbers wise, I am very small compared to other businesses on social media. But I have always been okay with that. Because truthfully, you don’t need 10k followers to build a successful business, you need the solid 30 that want to hire you to photograph their weddings that year. So for me, building a social media audience is simply speaking to, and marketing to, your ideal clients. You do that by showing the work that you’d like to attract more of. You also do that by showing your work on a consistent basis, and also showing bits and pieces of yourself, so that people get to know YOU. Ultimately people hire you because they like your work, but because they also like you. Social media should never be about the amount of followers or views you get, it should always be about attracting your ideal client.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source for getting new clients for me has honestly been my relationships with other vendors, venues, wedding planners, etc. It all goes back to consistency. In your work, in your relationships with these other vendors, in showing up, in striving for excellence in your service, etc. Certain venues and planners have been absolutely invaluable to my business with their referrals, and I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without them!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.allisoneasterling.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisoneasterlingphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AllisonEasterlingPhotography

Image Credits
Allison Easterling Photography