ALI KNOWLES MEDIA
THE STORY
The story behind the founding of Ali Knowles Media is simple: I was college- broke. Although, back then it wasn't formally known as Ali Knowles Media. I began taking photos for my friends for the low price of having my bar tab covered that evening.
Somewhere along the way, things took a very quick, accelerated turn. I was met with an full inbox of potential clients and without even realizing, I had transformed my silly hobby into a fully operative, five-figure business.
Ali Knowles Media is not only a photography business, but is arguably the cornerstone of my professional career.
Photo of Ali Knowles, Founder
(also the CTO, CFO, HR, PR, Sales Rep, Marketing Team, and Social Media Manager)
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@aliknowlesmedia on IG
THE BRAND
Like many brands nowadays, Ali Knowles Media is run solely off of social media. There is currently no web-based strategy. There should be, but as the CEO, CTO, social media manager, AND web designer, I'm currently a little bit overloaded on work to get to.
The style is defined as timeless, and color enhanced. Despite my photos being on the warmer side, a pinnacle of my style is the belief I hold which is that there is no 'one size fits all' for each gallery.
While there is a general aesthetic of my style, I am a firm believer in approaching every single gallery with an open mind dependent on the client at hand. This specifically allows me to accurately portray people of all skin tones, and has been a large factor in why people choose to book with me.
My approach to shooting is a predominantly candid approach, allowing clients to interact as they normally would--almost as if I'm not even there. This has had a huge impact on client experience and often allows clients to feel more comfortable around me.
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*insights based off of 3 posts within 30 days
Drilling down into the marketing strategy, the success of the brand relies largely on the utilization of organic marketing platforms, primarily Facebook. The majority of my clients are found by using free Facebook group platforms to post about my work.
In peak seasons, such as late spring and fall, account insights frequently remain over 35k+. The engagement rate of the account is largely dependent on consistent posting.
The screenshot pictured is the organic viewership of the account at a particularly 'low' time: very little posting, no paid ads, no advertising. Within this 30 days, I worked with 35 clients and had no additional availability to work with others. In times like these, advertising and marketing takes a backseat, while client experience takes the front seat.
Despite not having a large amount of followers, the brand has built a loyal audience, boasting an engagement rate of 9% to 15% per post.
THE PRODUCT
(at least some of it: more found here)