We were lucky to catch up with Brianna Parks recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brianna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?
I currently manage my own social media. In the past, I did hire someone to manage it for me. However, the goal of my social media was to always nurture my audience in the hopes that it would bring in more clients, but the management team I hired didn’t show any results which is why I’ve decided to manage it myself.
Honestly, I have a love/hate relationship with social media as I’m sure most other business owners have as well. At this stage in my life, I’ve learned to let social media go. Granted, I have the luxury of doing so as I rank fairly well on Google for specific keywords. I now only post when I want and when I feel inspired.
If I could give any piece of advice to those looking to outsource social media, I would say do it. While I didn’t see great results, I did really appreciate the weight and time it took off my plate so I could focus on growing my business in other areas. I would just recommend making sure that the person or company you hires has proven good results in the past.
Brianna, 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?
I’m Brianna, and I’m an elopement photographer based in Northern California, I started my business in 2019 while I was attending college. At the time, I was freaked out with the idea of working a traditional 9 to 5 in a hospital, as I was a premed major. After getting married, I realized I needed a creative outlet again as I was always a creative person in high school. After watching a YouTube video of a photographer taking portraits, I decided this was something I wanted to try.
My husband and I went down to Target and spent what little we had in our bank account to buy a starter DSLR camera.
My business started by offering free shoots on Facebook. I eventually got my first wedding inquiry for $300. I was immediately hooked. I shot big weddings for about two years before I decided to make the switch into photographing only elopements. I traveled all over the world, photographing elopements in beautiful places like Iceland, Hawaii, Alaska, and Maine, before eventually, deciding to specialize in the Pacific Northwest.
I have always loved the Pacific Northwest. I believe it’s the most beautiful place on earth, which is why I have decided to specialize in the area. I help couples from all over the world elope here. I don’t just photograph elopement days, I plan them. My brand is all about nostalgia. I really want wedding days to be the most incredible magical days of peoples lives. There is nothing I love more than watching a couple experience the Pacific Northwest for the first time. I am so passionate about my work and absolutely love what I do.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Google. Learning SEO has been a huge game changer for me and my business. I now no longer have to rely on social media to get my clients as I get them all from Google. It’s definitely a learning curve at first and it takes a lot of time, but it’s been worth every single second.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think often times, people see me and think I just take pictures for a living. They don’t understand that I deal with other things like taxes and social media and contracts. Yes, my job is super fun and definitely out of the norm, but it’s still hard. I wish people who weren’t in this field would also understand that I can’t just turn off and disconnect from my business anytime I want. Owning a business has been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. It’s so hard to disconnect from work and take vacations without worrying about my business. That being said, I wouldn’t change anything for the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://briannaparksphoto.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/briannaparksphotography
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/briannaparksphotography
- Other: https://pinterest.com/briannaparksphotography
