We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kiersten Roy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kiersten below.

Kiersten, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

As business owners we are pulled so many different directions from interacting with clients to managing the back end of our businesses to investing in education to continue improving our services. Marketing is something we all know we should be doing, but is something that can so easily fall to the wayside becuase we simply just can’t manage it all.

I think social media is extra hard because there is also a type of “social” pressure that comes along with it. It can be all too easy to get caught up with the vanity metrics and things like likes and followers which are often used as a measurement of success when they don’t actually move the needle. Add to that the constant algorithm changes and the feeling that we need to constantly be showing up and putting out content and it’s no wonder we get overwhelmed with it all. 

I think there is no right answer to this question “should folks manage their own social media”. Every business is going to be different and every business owner is going to have different strengths and weakenesses and things they prioritize. I do think it’s important though for us as business owners to understand what our priorities are when it comes to social media and then be honest with ourselves about how much time/effort/money we are willing to pour into it. 

For me, I have chosen to manage my social media for the time being. I am currently investing in other areas of my business, so while I would love to outsource this area, it’s not something that is in my budget at this time. Instead, I’ve set some goals for what I would like to achieve and have come up with a schedule that feels manageable for me to show up consistently.

Kiersten, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Sure! So hi, I’m Kiersten and I run a marketing studio for wedding professionals.

I got started in the wedding industry almost 3 years ago, but my love for creativity (photography specifically) goes back much farther.

I have always loved photography. I always carried a camera around with me in middle school and high school and I can remember spending hours in front of the computer backing up my photos onto flash drives and organizing them in folders.

After college, I started working my first desk job, and to help pass the time I would listen to podcasts. I found a few wedding photography/business podcasts, and it was then and there that my desire to get involved with the wedding industry was born. Despite loving photography though, I didn’t want to pursue that as a career. Partly, I lacked confidence in myself, but I also knew that my natural skills lay in more of the administrative side. I wanted to find a job that would allow me to combine my passion for creativity with my administrative skills so I started to think about becoming a VA (virtual assistant).

A couple of years later, I met a now dear friend who had just gotten started as a wedding/elopement photographer. From time to time I would tell him “Hey, if you ever want help in your business, let me know.” Eventually, he was ready and took me up on my offer.

Thanks to the podcasts I had listened to, I had a pretty decent understanding of how the wedding industry works. My friend taught me the basics of social media and blogging, and over time, I learned more through experience while also continuing to invest in my education.

After a couple of months, I started to receive more inquiries from other wedding photographers. Slowly, what had started out as a side hustle started to transition into becoming my full-time business.

As I worked with more clients, I started to move away from bing a general VA and niched down into marketing. I now focus on SEO blogging and Pinterest services for wedding pros, specifically those in the destination wedding and elopement industries. When it comes to content marketing, I’ve found that oftentimes, clients know what they need to do to market their business, but they don’t have the time to do it all and also learn the ins and outs of each platform. This is where I come in. Not only do I help clients create a consistent marketing strategy, but we tailor their strategy to their specific business goals while maintaining their unique brand voice.

One of the things that I believe makes me unique is my personal elopement and travel experiences. Having planned my own elopement, I understand what it’s like to be on the other side of the camera which helps me have insight into some of the things couples are looking for when planning their special day. I have also been fortunate enough to live in several incredible areas around the world (including the PNW, California, and Europe) and have traveled frequently to many other locations. Because many of my clients also live, work, and travel in these areas, this has allowed me to create better content for them, as my work can come from a place of experience rather than just research.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I feel like I am constantly learning something new, especially when it comes to running and growing a business. One particular lesson that I’ve had to learn/unlearn is the importance of investing in the right areas.

I tend to be careful with how I spend my money and I believe that there are so many free resources available online that you can learn from and, as a new business owner when you don’t have a lot of money, this can be a great place to start!

However, I have found that when I invest money into something, there is an extra level of care and effort that I put into it. For me investing in education, outsourcing different areas of my business, and spending money on processes and systems that will help my business grow only pushes me to work harder to see those investments pay off.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

One of my biggest sources of new clients has been through referrals. Not only do I love getting to meet other like-minded creatives, but it is such an honor to know that my clients trust me enough to share my name with other creatives and wedding pros.

I’ve also seen really good results come from Facebook and Instagram as well as Google. I remember getting my first inquiry from Google just a few months after launching my site and as someone who works in marketing, there is no better feeling than seeing your results pay off and knowing that someone found you organically.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kierstenroy.com
• Instagram: @kierstenroy_va
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kierstenroy.va
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kierstenroy

Image Credits
Photographer – Henry Tieu Website: https://www.henry-tieu.com/ IG: @henrysdiary