Lee: Well, hello, Elle, thank you so much for coming on the Coach with Clarity Podcast today.

Elle: Hey Lee, thanks so much for having me.

Lee: It is my pleasure, I'm really excited to get the chance to talk to you today. And so let's get right to it. Let's start with learning a little bit more about you and the work that you do for the world.

Elle: Sure. So I am the founder of Styled Stock Society, which is a stock photography and visual content membership for women entrepreneurs. And I founded Styled Stock Society six years ago.

Lee: I… That's amazing to me, because that's also when I founded my business Coach with Clarity. Although back then it wasn't called Coach with Clarity, it was Caravel Coaching. And so it sounds like we have very similar starts to our business. And it's kind of fun to look back over the last six years and see how they've grown. And I know for you, the transformation that's happened with Styled Stock Society has been incredible. What does that been like for you over the last six years?

Elle: Yeah, so I actually, when I started Styled Stock Society, I wasn't a photographer. I worked as a marketing consultant, I was teaching courses primarily around Instagram. And I realized at the time that I was teaching all of these strategies around Instagram, and my students, while they had the strategies, weren’t actually using them because they didn't have the visual content to actually show up and post. And so I thought, what if I actually created a subscription of photos at the time, it was just 30 photos a month, where I would give them the content to actually post in addition to also having the strategy from the courses I was teaching. And so it started very, very simply, as 30 photos a month and kind of grew into this membership, where we have over 100 photos every month, plus customizable templates and other marketing resources to really help people market their businesses.

Lee: I love that evolution of your journey, because it sounds like this membership really grew out of a need that your clients, your students were facing, which was “You can tell me what to do but I still don't feel like I have all the resources I need to actually do it.” And so then you were like, “Well okay then, here you go, here's what you need. And now you have no excuse.”

Elle: Yeah, absolutely. We really wanted to give people the tools. It turns out, a lot of times people just need the content to show up. That's really what was holding them back. We realized, like, kind of time after time and be like, what is it that's preventing you from showing up? And sometimes it'd be like, “Well, I'm trying to take my own photos,” or “I'm trying to use my customers photos,” or “I'm trying to find photos on free stock websites, but I can't really craft a brand that I can be proud of, I can't really find photos that are a good representation of my business and what I want people to see.” And creating this membership has really allowed us to make marketing easier for our members.

Lee: I think that's just such a powerful way of meeting your people where they're at. And what I really love, too, about your approach is that you are really focused on a very specific audience. When you log into the membership portal, and you look through all of the resources that are in there. And it's not just photos, there's way more than that. But it's really clear who it's intended for. How do you describe who your ideal member is? 

Elle: Our membership is for dynamic women entrepreneurs who have primarily online based businesses. They know the importance of a strong brand, and they want to market their business in a way that makes them feel empowered, capable, confident. They want to show up online consistently. They are ready to take action. We just want to make it easier for them to take that action.

Lee: And that's exactly what you do by providing that content both the visual content and even some of the written content as well. And it's so clear that it is meant for, I would say female or female identifying entrepreneurs, but it doesn't have an overtly girly or girl power kind of feel to it. There's there's a softness, there is a femininity without being cutesy or kitschy.

Elle: Exactly.

Lee: So, I'm curious because you've been doing this now for six years. So you've seen a lot, you've, you've seen what works, and you've seen what hasn't worked. And so in your experience, what are some of the common pitfalls or challenges that you see people face coaches, in particular, when it comes to using, well finding and then using stock photography.

Elle: So I think one of the most common issues that people find is really just finding and choosing photos that that are the right fit for your brand. And so that can be from a color perspective, from a style perspective, from a subject perspective, there are ton of photos available on the internet, when it comes to stock photography, from a quality perspective as well. And not all stock photos are created equal. And also, not all photos that you may be drawn to personally are necessarily a good fit for your business either. And so you really need to think about your audience, and what types of photos are going to resonate with them. And so obviously, understanding your audience, but also knowing your brand, and what types of photos are going to fit with that. And really curating those photos and using those photos, as part of your marketing, whether it's on social media, on your website, wherever you're using these photos, I think is really important. Because it's not just, this is a pretty photo, or this is a photo of for example, you know, two women in a coaching situation. And so it depicts the thing that you're doing. But if you are a coach who is known for a very like warm, inviting, kind of like cozy coaching environment, and the photo you're using looks very like corporate, sterile, something that you would see on like a very, you know, masculine website, that's probably not going to be a good fit for your brand specifically. So keeping in mind, your brand and your audience. That's really important when it comes to choosing the photos.

Lee: I'm sitting over here nodding my head in agreement, and also thinking about myself in 2016, when I was just getting started and bootstrapping my business, and designing my own website and going to some of the free stock photography places online. And I think I had kind of the ubiquitous lotus flower and the seashore and all of those kind of standard 2016 era photos. And what I quickly realized was I was not the only person using those exact photos on my website. And so everything that I was doing to try to differentiate myself actually made me more like everyone else out there. So that's something that I think, is something we need to be careful of when we're using stock photography, like how does it work within our business? And then also how does it differentiate us from other people in our market?

Elle: Yeah, absolutely. Especially when it comes to I think these mass free stock photography sites. There, there are plenty of free stock photography resources on the internet. And there are a lot of really beautiful free stock photos out there there are there are also hundreds of 1000s if not millions of people using those same photos. And so if you are really trying to differentiate yourself from other people doing the exact same thing as you are online, it is something to consider in terms of, you know, knowing that other people are using those exact same photos.

Lee: So, we talked a little bit about issues that you've seen people face with stock photography in particular. I'm curious what you see as some best practices, what are things we should be doing when we are using stock photos.

Lee: So other than obviously choosing photos that are a good fit for your brand, so paying attention to the colors, the styles, the subjects of the things that are actually in the photos, and making sure they resonate with your brand and your audience, I would say also a paying attention to where you're actually using the photos as well. So photos that you use on social media may be different than the photos that you use, on your Pinterest graphics, or in your presentations, or in your client welcome guides, or on your website. There are different purposes for different types of photos and I think as you start thinking about the purpose of your visual content, you'll realize that you actually need a lot of visuals for your brand. And it's kind of a never ending thing, social media, right? You constantly need new content. And with social media, it's also kind of constantly changing, right? So there's, there's posts and there’s stories, and there's reels. And there's always something new. 

Lee: Yes, all the things.

Elle: And, and so kind of always thinking about the type of content that you're creating, and who you're creating it for. And keeping in mind, obviously, your audience, but also the goal of the content. So are you trying to sell something specifically? Are you trying to gain just like awareness for your brand? Are you trying to tell a story connect with your audience? There isn't just like one type of content or one type of visual, but there are different purposes to the different types of visuals that you're going to be using. Hopefully, that makes sense.

Lee: That makes total sense. It actually kind of inspired a question for me, just now. You know, as a business owner, there's something that I'm looking for when I'm looking for stock photography, things that reflect my brand, the tone, the feel, and so forth. I would imagine you though being the CEO of your company, you're probably looking at some of these photos through a very different lens, like how will this serve my membership? How will this serve my community? And so from your perspective, I'm curious, what do you think makes a particularly good photo? And specifically for a stock photography purpose?

Elle: Yeah, that's, that's a great question. We really tend to look at collections as a whole. So one of the things that I always think about in terms of creating a collection is making sure that there's a mix of different types of photos. So some are close up, some are further away, some have faces, some don't have faces. Some just have objects, some have people, some could be used as background images, some might be more of like a full focus shot, things like that. Images that can be used in different ways so that when a member is using the images, as a collection, they can create kind of a cohesive brand, using the images together.

Lee: That makes a lot of sense. So that way, you can have like a suite of photos that you can draw from that, you know, work with each other. So there's a consistency there. But there's also something different about them to keep that interest with your people.

Elle: Exactly.

Lee: I just had a funny memory. I'm really just like, strolling down nostalgia lane today. But I remember getting access to what were called “flatlay photos” like this was like in 2017. I am not a photographer, I had no idea what flatlay was, and I felt so overwhelmed and I had zero idea how I was supposed to be using this in my business. And I also didn't really know where to go to even figure that out. And so if anyone out there is listening and feeling a little overwhelmed by this, please know you're not alone. I still am very overwhelmed by this sometimes. And so Elle, I'm curious what you might suggest for people who really are kind of new at this and trying to figure out well, what makes a good photo, what makes a good story, how can I pull this into the work that I'm doing?

Elle: Yeah, I think when it comes to creating graphics, or using images, in your marketing in any sort of way, that there are a lot of different resources, we do have a number of different tutorials inside our membership and on our blog. One of my favorite graphic design resources in general, for anyone new but also more experienced business owners and designers is Canva. There's a free plan, but I definitely recommend the Pro Plan for like $9 a month, it is well worth it. It makes creating just beautiful graphics for your business so easy. We have over 1000 different templates inside the membership to make this even easier. You can easily customize with our images or other images. But definitely, it is such a great tool. And even if you aren't creating templates for your business graphics, I would definitely use Canva to create other types of graphics for your business like welcome guides or client presentations, things like that. It is such an amazing tool.

Lee: It really is. And you've made it even easier to use with the templates inside the membership. And so maybe this is actually a good point to talk about what Styled Stock Society is and what someone would get when they become a member.

Elle: Yeah, so we have over 6000 photos, a growing library of stock videos as well. And over 1500 customizable templates, everything from graphics, ebooks, presentations, and client facing resources. We do also have a number of different bonuses from brand kits, marketing toolkits with everything you need to do things like create and launch webinars, run challenges, launch new services, we also do monthly caption guides with caption templates for those days where you are struggling to figure out “What do I post on Instagram?”

Lee: I know that feeling very well. 

Elle: Exactly, even if you aren't using it every single day, our members find it really helpful for you know, those days where you just don't have the bandwidth to figure out, you know, “What am I going to post today?” So, there are so many different marketing resources in there, we really want to make it as easy as possible for our members to just show up consistently in their marketing. And it's all inside the membership.

Lee: That is a ton of resources. And it sounds like I mean, you've really come a long way since the very beginning where it was 30 photos a month.

Elle: Yeah, it was 30 photos a month and it was just me and a borrowed camera. And now I will happily say that we actually have a team of professional photographers who are not me who take the photos, we have a graphic designer who is amazing who creates all of the templates and our copywriter who creates the caption templates. So I'm very thankful to have a wonderful team of women who is creating all of this content for the women who are our members.

Lee: I love that. I love that. And I know that this month so it's May 2022 You got something special going on inside the Society.

Elle: We do we have a very special opportunity for your audience. And we would love to give you the opportunity to try out Styled Stock Society.

Lee: Yay! Absolutely free. So, when you go to coachwithclarity.com/freeweek, that's one word F-R-E-E W-E-E-K, you will get access to one week of membership inside Styled Stock Society. It's absolutely free. But it's only for the month of May – Correct?  Like you've got to sign up during May 2022. 

Elle: Yes. 

Lee: Terrific. So, I will tell you – now I am a proud affiliate of the Styled Stock Society, because I've been a member for several years. And I cannot tell you how helpful it has been. It is the place I go, when I am feeling tapped out on content, whether it's visual, whether I need captions, I have used more templates than I can count. And at the price point that it's, that you have it at, it's, to me it's a no brainer, because you're constantly adding new resources to it. Plus the tutorials and the guides and all of it. It's it's one of the things that I use most often in my business, and so I'm just really excited to get to share it with the Coach with Clarity community.

Elle: We're excited for your audience to try it out.

Lee: Awesome. Well Elle, I am really grateful for you taking time out of your day to come talk to us over here at the Coach with Clarity Podcast. If people want to learn more about you, how can they find you?

Elle: So we are at styledstocksociety.com. And you can also find us on Instagram @StyledStockSociety.

Lee: Excellent. And again, you can get your FREE week of membership to Styled Stock Society by going to coachwithclarity.com/freeweek, and I hope that you find it as helpful as I do. Elle. Thank you again for coming on the show.

Elle: Thanks for having me.

Many thanks to Elle Drouin for coming on the Coach with Clarity Podcast and giving us a deep dive look into the world of stock photography, and how at Styled Stock Photography, yes, you get photos, but there is so much more. And that's why I'm so excited that for the month of May, you can try out Styled Stock Photography for free for one week. And in fact, if you go to coachwithclarity.com/freeweek, F-R-E-E W-E-E-K, you can access your free week of membership to the Styled Stock Society. Once you get inside, you will be blown away by all that Elle and her team have to offer. From photos to videos, templates, layouts, color schemes, branding, there is so much there. And I have to tell you, I have been a member of Styled Stock Society for over three years, I think, and it is the very first place I go when I need to update some of my stock images or if I'm looking for templates. I have to tell you, I have found so much value in their templates, and I know that you will too. So head to coachwithclarity.com/freeweek to get your free week of membership in Styled Stock Society. And full disclosure, this is an affiliate link which means if you go to coachwithclarity.com/freeweek, sign up for your free one week membership and then decide to stay I will receive a small compensation at no additional cost to you. These affiliate payments are actually what helps support the Coach with Clarity Podcast. It's the revenue stream that allows me to pay my outstanding podcast editing team and continue to provide this podcast to you free of charge. So when you use this link or any of my affiliate links, you are directly contributing to the podcast. That's why I want to thank you in advance for going to coachwithclarity.com/freeweek to get your one week free membership to Styled Stock Society. Alright friends that's it for me this week, but I will see you next week with a brand new episode. So until then, my name is Lee Chaix McDonough reminding you to get out there and show the world what it means to be a Coach with Clarity.