Social Mum of the Week – Nic Bisseker

This week’s Social Mum of the week is Nic who has been a member of our Social Mums Tunbridge Wells Facebook Group since it launched in June 2017. She tell us how having kids gave her the opportunity to change her career and the best social media tip she has picked up for her business.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.

Hello. I’m Nic. I live with my hubby and two teenagers, two dogs, one very elderly cat and about seven tropical fish at last count just outside of Tunbridge Wells in Dormans Park.

What is your business?

I’ve had my fair share of careers as I used to be a city solicitor and then re qualified as a Primary School Teacher in 2001. I now run Nic Bisseker Photography which I started in 2015 after finally getting the chance to take my photography further as the children got older. I also later set up my Pet Tails and Portraits brand to specifically look after my dog photography which is a big part of my business.

What inspired you to start your business?

Give me a camera and I can photograph most things, but I am in my element when working with dogs, families and children. I am technically highly trained in photography having spent many hours driving the length and breath of the country to follow the very best mentors in my industry. There is always so much more to learn but running a business alongside continued development keeps us all fresh. I aspire to be one of the best dog photographers in the UK.

Despite my very academic background which incidentally does help me with the legal side of my business and those of my friends who call on me for help, I actually love the creative side of photography and the clients it enables me to meet.

What social media platforms do you use and why?

Aside from Google, I can be mainly found on Facebook and Instagram, although I do have a small presence on Twitter and a little home on LinkedIn for my commercial work. I am trying to build my presence on Pinterest which I am told is the way forward for aspirational businesses such as photography. I am probably not your everyday photographer. I spend hours over my work and I look to producing really beautiful art work for your walls, hence my interest in Pinterest.

What do you find most challenging about marketing your business on social media?

The element about Social Media that I find most challenging is the fact that it can be all-encompassing. It is knowing, as a small business who really needs to be seen, when to switch off. I sometimes feel I could be working at it all day long. I also believe that one day soon I will hopefully be on top of it. It will click and then all I need to do is stay updated. Hopefully thanks to Gemma at Social Mums that day will come soon!!!!

What is the best social media tip you have picked up for your business?

When I first started I felt it was all about the sale. The best social media tip I have picked up is how important it is to create engaging content. For me this is mainly through my images – I try to inspire through them, create humour and warmth but now don’t link it all to a session sale.

What have you found most useful about being part of a Social Mums Facebook Group?

The Social Mums Facebook Group is one of the best groups I belong to and trust me I belong to a lot!! I joined it when it first began and it is a real community full of a lot of genuine people who have also been in it since the beginning. I love the Daily Social Share as it stops the group from getting flooded with posts and everybody ignoring everything. Instead Gemma manages it really well and everybody supports each other on these daily posts. It has given me a real chance to get to know local businesses and to support them and buy from them on a personal basis as well. I have just launched my first collaboration with Babyprints Tunbridge Wells who I met through the group to create a Dog Paw Cast and Portrait Double Box Frame just in time for Christmas. I hope that does really well and we can do it again.