Fall is my absolute favorite time of year! I get the privilege of launching my final booking calendar for the year, and it truly is the best season as a photographer. Families are looking forward to beautiful fall photography sessions, fall mini sessions, and even Christmas minis. The preparation and launching for these sessions is something that I have figured out down to a science. I can’t wait to share all of the tips and tricks I have to make this season successful and smooth for you.
Grab Your Calendar
Before you release any dates for fall sessions, it’s important to go over a few things that impact your calendar. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
-school calendar with holidays and school breaks for your kids
-sports schedules
-personal events
-appointments
-vacations & holidays
Know What Sessions You’re Offering
Know exactly what you are offering prior to choosing dates; this means you know how many regular sessions and how many mini sessions you will have availability for. Typically if I am offering Christmas mini sessions I launch those in October, but do what works best for you.
Pick Your Dates
The next thing I do is pick my dates I want to book sessions. I start by circling my availability within the month, ensuring I am not exceeding my maximum number of sessions I have for myself. Once I have my dates set on the calendar, I create my calendar online in my CRM to ensure my launch is ready. I want to make sure that I am set on the back end of my business to launch digitally. Once my dates are set I prepare my social media posts and emails.
When To Launch Fall Photography Sessions
My clients know that I launch my calendar as close to August 1st as possible. I typically launch on a Sunday evening or Monday morning, this has been a sweet spot for me. I typically offer regular sessions, fall mini sessions and Christmas minis. I recommend choosing a date prior to August 1st to launch your Fall Calendar availability.
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Marketing Your Fall Photography Sessions
I typically prepare three to five graphics to bring awareness to my calendar launch, these begin two weeks before my launch. As I prepare my posts, I keep in mind that the purpose of my social media content is to bring awareness to the launch. I also am letting potential clients know they need to subscribe to my email list to get access to the first dates. (If you need more help with that, check out this blog.)
I typically email twenty-four hours prior to the launch. The day of the launch my email list receives an exclusive email with access to book online. I leave my calendar live for 48-72 hours for those that are exclusively on my list. Once that time period is over I offer any remaining dates available on social media.
Your Fall Photography Plan
As you can see, launching my fall calendar is a laid out plan. I am not scrambling, throwing things together and leaving money on the table. Figure out your calendar, content, and dates prior to launching your fall sessions. I hope that I have given you all of the tips and tricks I have to make this season successful and smooth for you. I encourage you that you aren’t the last person to release your calendar!
