Hey there, dibslies!

Do you know the number one thing most boutique owners fear when selling online?

It’s showing their faces on screen!

Last time, we talked about Facebook Live Selling Secrets with Katrina of The Other Side Tribe on how to squash that fear, and just do it!

But, here’s the deal.

Not everyone is really confident about it. 

There are multiple reasons actually! 

You name it: lack of confidence, set up problems, and what to actually do.

If you’re one of these ladies that are lost with the whole shebang, then don’t worry!

Today, we’re going to give you a deep-dive on how to spare yourself from the fear of making Lives, but still be able to sell!

We’re going for a deep dive with Niki Schiavo of the Pixel Bath and  Body Boutique Studio.

The best part? She’s also a professional photographer, so you’ll get a lot of tips on how to get on screen with confidence!

Catch the replay right here.

How did you get started?

I’m the owner and founder of Modern Photography Studio, and Pixel Bath and Body Boutique Studio. My goal is to replace the income that I had when I was working in the nursing home in the therapy department. 

I just fell in love with photography back in 2007…and the heart of Pixel started with handmade soap. It just snowballed into lotions and different things. 

And people want help, they want to know how to take care of their skin better, and all my photography clients follow me over to that bit of our business. 

It takes years, and years, to build client relationships. Holding on to the people that are already your customers…and taking care of them. 

What are the ideal types of wall drops?

Well, I can tell you what works and…what doesn’t work for me. 

So what doesn’t work are basic links to [your] shop…are just not personal. People just get bored with that…since everyone’s doing it.  It’s not like when we actually wear the clothing or using the products.

You could do video wall drops like little clips. I had training years ago on photography videos, and people are three times more likely to watch a video than see a photo.

You want to definitely be relatable to people. 

I don’t find flatlays to work. We do them but just to keep the feed rolling in our group, and page.

It’s harder to acquire a new customer. But when you do…take good care of them and help them. They want to be taught…they’re not going to tell you that, but they do.

And that’s what we’re trying to do on our wall drops and our videos. We do find that it’s extremely effective when we are wearing the clothing, and on my Lives I show them the lotion, what it does with the skin, and we talked about why it’s important to hydrate and things like that you know so i’m.

Believe in what you’re doing. If you’re not going to believe that this handbag isn’t going to sell then don’t sell it.

You’re going to probably end up selling it the first time you show it.

What tips can you share about taking selfies or wall drops?

 As a photographer here are some tips:

 I have a tripod at home, and I have a tripod at the studio and I always use natural lighting. Do not use artificial lighting.  

 I like to go on my deck, and I take natural light photos almost every single day, sometimes three times a day. And I take my own selfies and apply natural light looking down…so people can see what I’m wearing. 

Everybody should have a ton of colors so I took three selfies of myself, of course, a pretty filter on Snapchat or Instagram.

I also prop up the camera on a rock and put a timer on it and I’ll wear the shoes. I’ll walk towards a camera I’ll take a still of it.

People love that because they want to see what they look like and how they bend when you walk on that type of thing.

Was there ever a time in the beginning when you didn’t feel comfortable in front of the camera?

I had been a lot heavier in my life as far as my weight goes, so I was very self-conscious of that this was years ago.

 I’ve taught myself that anyone can look good as long as you have that camera. 

 I think once you just get used to it, then it gets a lot easier.

You might be like, “Oh, I don’t like myself” or “I don’t you know be true to yourself,” you know you, you know your brand.

And make sure that you listen to others that are really good at taking different selfies and things.  There’s a lot of help online.

It’s just doing the best flattering shot through your figure and what you’re trying to sell.

If you’re not super familiar, and how to dress yourself, go on Pinterest to look it up.

If you don’t feel confident…you’re not going to be able to sell it 

How many wall drops do you usually do?

If I’m on vacation, studio, or at home I do morning, noon, and night. I think three is very important to keep your audience rolling.

Take the time to do those because if they are scrolling, they’re going to see that more if you just have something.

I always do something like, “Hey, I’m drinking the Margarita on the deck, but look at my shirt!”. Something that’s just more personable than say,  “Hey, look at my T-shirt it’s $26.”

You have to bring out your personality to your wall drops. I think customers are going to stop more.

Sometimes, I schedule them on Facebook, but most of the time I just do them at the moment because it’s part of my online business.

 If you do more than that it’s going to get lost. I feel like that’s just how Facebook’s algorithm works.

I try to put my face to the business, so if somebody is trying to find us online. It’s not just a logo where it’s not just like an accessory.

What sort of poses work best?

As far as trying to sell something or looking good for a wall drop, one really good one that I learned that I don’t do it enough myself is when I’m up against the wall and you put your shoulder out…when you have a dress on, and want to sell it. 

You can also have a tripod up on the floor, and then have it tilted down at you, and then always put your hand like on your waist, not on your hip.

 It shows the form of a woman and it’s kind of sticking your hip out a little bit.

That’s very flattering for a woman to pose like that, and it also makes the piece look really nice.

Like I said, I believe that the women I sell look a lot like my body.

My audience is more curvy, and so I try to pose like a curvy girl should pose in photos and I’ve helped a lot of people that way.

I think it’s important to do something different like I always tell people: don’t sit for a photo, you’re never going to look that great if you’re sitting down for a picture you should always be standing.

You can lean up against something that’s always really nice. Just practice, but those tips are pretty important.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL WALL DROP?

I think, if it’s personal. For example, I’m wearing a swimsuit by the pool and taking a photo of it. I have found it to be more successful than throwing a necklace on a mannequin.

And mainly my handmade products. If I show you I’ve done videos on sugar scrubs on how to activate them…that’s one of the most successful wall drops I’ve ever done.

Take more time to do those, if you do it three times a day and you’re more successful. And always put more of a personal touch on it, that will be more successful than just a photo online or something. 

Take time to put yourself out there through the camera. I didn’t know anything about wall drops. I didn’t know what was effective.

I just had to learn about myself so you’ll also find out through that. So if you do a wall drop and you’re selling something, take the customers that you think would enjoy that.

I do take myself and other people onto the page and that will get more traffic and the algorithm will change there as well.

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Wall drops are definitely your go-to, especially when you feel like you’re not ready for a Facebook Live. 

Here are some of the golden nuggets Niki shared to us in this session.

• Never sit when taking a photo….
• Create wall drop videos at least three times for the algorithm.
• Make your wall drops personal, rather than just showing your products.
• Take flattering pictures or videos by posing the same way your audience is like, when they wear your products. 
• You want to be relatable, and not just do the usual tricks.
• Show off with your personality.
• You should believe in yourself when you create wall drops, otherwise you won’t be able to sell it.
• Take the time to put yourself out there in the camera. 

Niki shared a lot of practical tips on how to take flattering wall drop videos. 

But the common denominator here is that, as cliche as it may sound, is to be relatable and be yourself!

We hope that you take into heart what they said dibslies! 

Hopefully, after this, you can take action ASAP, and start on creating your wall drops.

If you’re still contemplating though if you’re going to do wall drops OR Facebook Lives. Then you should check out these Facebook Live Selling Secrets!

See you soon for our next Dibsly Expert Session dibslies!