Does this sound like you? You’re in the midst of busy season. You’ve got a full calendar of business and family things going on. You have all of your sessions booked out. A list of galleries that you have to edit and return to clients in your promised turnarount time. And you feel like you’re scrambling. Today I’ll be giving you real time tips to manage your photography business during busy season and successfully juggle all the other hats you wear in life.
Is It Realistic To Handle It All?
Are you asking yourself how am I supposed to do this? How am I supposed to show up and give my business 100%, give my husband 100%, and give my children 100%? It’s a balancing act but I promise you it can be done. And I want to give you real time October, 2023 tips and suggestions to get things done in both your personal life and business. Because when you’re trying to work from a chaotic season it’s going to make you want to quit. And I don’t want that for you.
Number one, I want you to understand that every season looks different. You need to know first and foremost what your life and your business look like right now. It will be different from what it will look like in three to four months.
Once you come off of busy season you’ll enter into a new season with new things to focus on. For me right now with my photography business during busy season it’s trying to figure out how I’m supposed to get dinner on the table, go to all of my kid’s activities and even spend time with them, on top of managing a business that pulls me away in the evenings. And for those of you with a studio that might look a little different.
What Not To Focus On In Your Photography Business During Busy Season
So here are a few things I do not want you to be focused on right now in your business. This is not the season or time to be working on your website or rebranding or creating a logo. You also don’t need to be trying out a new platform or content strategy. Those are the things you can focus on when things slow down. There is a time and place when things like that are appropriate for your business.
What Should Always Come First
Right now you’re feeling the weight and heaviness of everything you have going on. So here’s what you actually need to be focused on. You know at the end of the day that you can feel good about what you’re doing. But first and foremost your personal life comes first. You need to be pouring into your home life before you can pour into your business. If you wait to pour into your family later then they’re going to feel neglected. So focus on your family and yourself first. Make sure you’re doing something that fills your cup. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Then you need to make sure you are going all in for your family, managing your home, and serving your people.
So practically, how do we make this all happen? Here’s what I want you to do and what is so important for photographers. Since we leave our home and we’re gone most of the time at dinner time, we have to have a backup plan. So what I recommend is take this week by week. On Sunday night plan your week out. How many nights are you cooking or providing something for your family? Some of you may have a spouse who takes care of this and that’s amazing. But for me I’m the go to for what’s for dinner. So as long as you are feeding your family and there’s a dinner time, that’s amazing.
What To Focus On In Your Photography Business During Busy Season
There will be two different camps here. Camp number one is that you are not 100 percent booked out. You’re still trying to get bookings. If that’s you then I’m adding one more thing you need to be focused on. For those of you already fully booked then you won’t be doing as much of this marketing portion. You’re just going to be doing it to get content out there so that you’re staying top of mind for when you transition into a slower season.
Number one will be for everyone. Make sure you are serving your clients exceptionally. That means you are delivering on what you promised your people. So if you’re providing a consultation, a style guide, giving them access to your client closet or helping to style them for their session, are you delivering on these things? Because sometimes with our photography business during busy season we start dropping balls and then our clients are not getting that amazing experinece that we promised. And then you wonder why you’re not getting reviews. That’s something I really want you to focus on in this season. Your priority, especially if you’re already booked out for the fall season, is to focus on and treat your clients exceptionally.
Number two, the only marketing you need to be focused on instead of trying out reels and trying TikTok, is you need to double down on the marketing strategies that are working for you.
After you finish this blog post go to your questionnaire or your contact form and make sure you have this question on there. How did you hear about my business? And then make them get specific. Why is this important? Because you’re going to go back to all your leads each month and see what their answers were. If they said a friend told them about you then you’re going to double down on how you can get clients to keep referring you. How can you get clients to keep talking about you and keep tagging you? Maybe it’s Instagram or Facebook. Double down on those marketing strategies and that’s literally all you need to be focused on.
Things To Remember
Serving your clients and doubling down on marketing strategies that are working are your key focus areas. You don’t need to try anything new. There’s just nothing else you need to do if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Notice that I’m talking about right now in busy season. Once busy season is over you can completely add to your list. Becasue you’re going to have more time to set your business up. Most of you here don’t have the photography business that you desire. But that’s why you’re here. You have big dreams for your business but you haven’t hit your goals. And it’s so important when things slow down to focus on tasks that will set you up to have your best year yet.
If that is resonating with you and you thought you’d be busier right now and you’re kind of disappointed that you don’t have as many bookings as you wanted then I want to extend this invitation to you. On October 19th and 20th I’m doing a two day virtual event. If you’re ready to experience the next level and you want to hit your goals then this is your personal invitation to come join me. You do have to fill out a form for some qualifying questions before you get to save your seat. If you’re interested in more information go watch this quick video here.
So a couple things to wrap it up. Let’s zoom out for a second. Take a look at what needs to be a priority for you in this season. For me when I look at my calendar I have my photography business and then I have my students in the Blueprint and this podcast. Then I also have my marriage and my children. My family comes first followed by managing my home. Then I’ll show up to my business and my clients. I have to be serving my clients. I’m not working on new marketing avenues. I’m not working on anything else but serving in my two businesses.
So for you what’s your priority? How much time do you have? Two quick tips for you are that you need to decide when you’re working on your photography business during busy season. You have to know that in advance or you’ll put it off every time. You have to decide and then plug it into your calendar. Maybe spend one power hour working on your business sending emails to clients and checking up on them. Make sure you don’t get behind on your deadlines and your own turnaround times. So if you are promising clients a three week turnaround then you better hit that three week turnaround.
The second tip is to hold yourself accountable and plug those things into your calendar. The reason people stay stuck is because there’s no accountability. This is why hiring a coach is transformational. You have someone holding you accountable and challenging you. So find that accountability. Some of you have that self discipline to where if you put it in your calendar or say you’re going to do something then you do it. But many of you don’t. So you need to figure out what accountability looks like for you in this busy season.
I hope this was helpful for you. Maybe it was a kick in the pants and you’re thinking thank you so much for centering me. Thank you for bringing me back to what matters. That’s great! Goal accomplished! Some of you might be thinking you really don’t have that self discipline. And you’re going to go rely on your calendar and figure out what you’re doing. Many of you may be feeling like you’ve been circling and don’t know what to focus on. But now you know that you have two things. Double down on marketing strategies that work for you right now and serve your clients exceptionally.
Just know I’m proud of you. Wherever you’re at I’m so proud of you. I see you and I know we’re in an industry where we feel unseen. I see you and I want you to keep going.
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