2017 is only days away and we have no doubt this year is going to be amazing! Gold is here, clean bright white design is HOT and flare jeans are making a comeback… the year is already starting off MAZING! Brandon and I like to do a little New Years preparation to make sure our year begins with a beautiful tone of freedom, creativity and inspiration. So we thought we would share our 9 tips to prepare your photography business for the new year.

1. Its Time to Update Social Profiles

The start of the new year is the perfect time to make sure all your social media is up to-date…FB, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Wedding Sites (Wedding Wire, The Knot..etc), Google, Google Maps, Apple Maps and any other sight that may have picked up your business.
* Up load a new current profile photo
* Make sure all your current photos reflect your current work, if not update
* Check all links
* Add new accomplishments to your bio
* Make sure all contact info is up to-date

2. Develop and Commit to a Schedule

Planning ahead and committing to a schedule will help you manage your time and grow your business. First and foremost preschedule all your vacation time, holidays + family time and keep it sacred. We all need to take time off so we can give our best to our clients. Next select specific days each week that are dedicated to blog posts, social media, editing, press outreach and marketing; this will provide consistency in your business for both you and your clients. Implementing attainable productivity habits right at the beginning will help set a beautiful tone for the rest of the year. You got this Bae!

3. Set Overall Goals For the Year

It’s important to make sure these goals are attainable. For example, if you shot 23 weddings last year and you want to up your numbers perhaps shoot for 30 this year. If you set the bar for 40 and don’t hit it you may find yourself very disappointed. However, 30 is attainable and if you go over 30 you have a great reason to pull out the bubbly!
Other goals may be:
* Creating more interaction on your FB page or Instagram
* Getting published in a specific magazine or blog
* Shooting X number of styled shoots
* Rebranding

4. Update Your Packages

Over the years we have adjusted our pricing yearly to reflect our growing education in our field, investments in our business, more demand for our services and over all more experience in our craft.  As a growing business your package prices should reflect your growth of becoming a better photographer, and, therefore, your worth more. A friend once told us to raise our prices $500 for every ten weddings we booked.

5. Get Your Taxes in Order

If there is one thing we get done asap its our taxes. Why wait till April and get into a deadline panic. Jump right in and knock the taxes out, nothing feels better then having your financials set for the year.

6. Budget

I know it sounds like a curse word, but as business owners we have to learn to love our budgets. Budgeting requires us to think about our basic objectives, systems and resources on a regular basis. It keeps us current with what’s really going on and keeps the sails up ready to catch the wind.

7. Make Time For Education

Plan ahead and schedule in time for Education throughout the year.  Advance education truly helps to build your business, create a community and collect inspiration. Trust me you won’t regret it.

8. Advance Marketing Planning

If you are planning on attending a marketing show with a booth for your photography business set this up, now if you can. Getting all your arrangements done in advance will help you start the new year off feeling accomplished. If your marketing plan is to advertise in a magazine or and online network get those pieces in motion and set up. Why wait, start the year off running.

9. Branding to Shine

We all want our brand to stay fresh in the minds of our ideal clients, so take time to map out key events and seasons where your brand can shine! Ideas for this are:
* Pre-schedule seasonal mini shoots
* Pre-scheduling branding blog post that relate to whats going on in the season
* Pre-scheduling styled shoots

 

We hope this getting 2017 starting off fabulously for you!! CHEERS