PPAM Photopalooza 2025
Google Business Profiles, Facebook Ads,
and In-Person Events
Cassandra Sullivan- M.Photog.Cr, CPP
Michael Stone- M.Photog.Cr, CPP
DATE: Wednesday, August 6, 2025
TIME: 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
LOCATION: Paula Swift Photography 730 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, MA 01776
Optimizing your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is a powerful (and free!) tool to boost your local SEO and attract more local clients. 60% of mobile users contact businesses directly from Google’s ‘3-pack’ in Maps, and customers are 2.7x more likely to view a business as reputable if it has a complete Google Business Profile - but it’s only visible to them if the profile is complete and active. A well-optimized GBP builds trust, improves visibility, and helps you stand out in local searches.
In this hands-on workshop, you’ll optimize your Google Business Profile in real time and learn exactly what it takes to keep it fresh and engaging. We’ll go step by step to ensure your profile is fully set up, and you’ll leave with a solid plan to keep it updated so more clients can find and book you.
**To participate, you’ll need a Verified Google Business Profile (and be able to log in). Bring your laptop and a folder of images - any business branding shots, photos of your studio inside and out (if you have one), behind-the-scenes moments (cell phone photos are great!), and client photos to showcase your work. Get ready to fine-tune your profile and make it work harder for your business!
Marketing using Facebook paid ads, and in person events-
Facebook ads are just one way of increasing lead generation for your business. FB can be tricky though; it is ever changing and depending on what you want to achieve there are different types of ads to run. Mike will help you understand the ins and outs of Facebook ads and you will create an ad during the class.
Bring a laptop so you can get into Facebook and get started.
We will cover:
Types of ads
Facebook Pixel
Which messages/warnings to pay attention to from Meta (Facebook) and which ones to ignore
Ad spend budgets
Analytics- when to change an ad, when to shut it off, when to leave it alone
In-person events, like farmer’s markets, expos, etc are a great way to connect with people in person and show your work. How you set up and what you say to people will make all the difference between getting lots of interested leads or going home empty-handed.
Learning these two important aspects of marketing your studio, along with the Google information that Cassandra will provide, will help you grow your business in 2025.
Bio- Michael Stone has worked in the portrait industry for 47 years; from a high-school summer employee to owning his own business. Growing up in rural Indiana, Mike worked at a Mom & Pop studio for 11 years until 1990 when he moved to MA to begin working with Hilton Photography, a business with four 4 brick and mortar locations, 3 virtual locations seasonally, and a lab. Over the years he has personally photographed over 10,000 seniors, thousands of families and children, over 300 weddings, hundreds of thousands of underclass portraits and hundreds of proms.
Mike started his own business in 2012, with no studio and no customer interactions in his home. He used the experience of working onsite for years to build an efficient system for what to take, and what not to take, to jobs for the best results and ease of travel and loading/unloading. He learned sales skills from the best people in the industry and built a solid, repeatable experience for clients that leaves them happy with the service and portraits.
Bio- Cassandra Sullivan-
For over 25 years, Cassandra’s Photography has been specializing in family and high school senior portraits on Cape Cod in the summer and occasional headshots in the winter.
She launched her business in 1998 while working full-time in Tech Support and later as a Helpdesk Manager. In 2013, she left her tech support career to pursue photography full-time, splitting her time between Arizona in the winter and Cape Cod in the summer. Now based primarily in Massachusetts, she frequently visits Bermuda, where her fiancé, Dave, has worked since 2020.
An active member of Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Cassandra holds the titles of Master Photographer, Photographic Craftsman, and Certified Professional Photographer. She is deeply involved in the photography community, serving as President of the Professional Photographers of Massachusetts (PPAM) and as a PPA Councilor. She previously served as President of the Professional Photographers of Cape Cod and is currently its Treasurer.
Lunch: We will be ordering from a local pizza/sandwich shop or bring your own lunch
What to Bring: Laptop computer is a must to do the work in class. Have information about your business and images to use for ad creation and Google info.
All PPA member attendees will receive 1 Merit.
PPA # Must be provided at time of registration.
Class limit: 8
Payment must be made upon registration
