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Creative Rising Episode 407

[INTERVIEW]

Jennifer Ryals began her wedding photography business just a few years ago and it took off a lot faster than she hoped or expected. So like many photographers, she came into 2020 with big goals for her rapidly growing business.

However, so much has happened in the years leading up to 2020, that the COVID pandemic has caused Jennifer to truly pause and reflect on what her future as a photographer looks like.

In this episode, Jennifer opens up about her experiences with her mental and physical health as well as the racism she’s experienced as a black female wedding photographer in the years leading up to 2020.

We also talk about  how she’s been coping with the pandemic itself while serving her clients and navigating decisions about the future of her business.

This raw and open conversation is a must listen as we close out this challenging year and all look ahead to the future of our businesses.

VIEW JENNIFER’S WORK HERE

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) WANT TO BOOK YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS? TAKE THIS FREE CLASS HERE

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

**Listen to the podcast episode above.**

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Creative Rising Episode 406

[INTERVIEW]

As a wedding or portrait photographer, its indisputable that selling physical products such as albums, wall art, and prints will not only serve your clients better but dramatically increase your revenue.

But selling physical products can feel complicated, sleazy and just plain overwhelming.

In fact, you might be thinking:

• What if I’m not good at sales?
• Can my clients afford beautiful albums & prints?
• I don’t have a beautiful studio for sales sessions…
• My business is new – how do I even get started?

Whatever objection or uneasiness you’re experiencing with post-wedding sales and selling physical products, Makayla Jade of The Harris Company and The Printographers Society has felt it, too.

Makayla began her photography business as a brand new mom selling wall art out of her apartment living room (think: Cheerios in the couch cushions!), and has grown into a thriving, high-end photo + video studio generating multiple six figures in print sales alone – all by focusing their brand experience on albums and physical products.

In this episode, Makayla shares her story of learning how to sell physical heirlooms like wedding albums, and walks through all of the objections photographers typically feel when it comes to selling products beyond just the digital files.

If you’re feeling nervous about selling albums, she’ll answer:

• The key communication touchpoints that need to occur with your couples for successful sales
• How to handle the digital files in order to make your clients happy but also sell beautiful heirlooms
• How to educate your couples on the value of physical products so they’ll always want what you have to offer
• The exact steps to take to begin selling albums and physical products to your clients

If post-wedding sales or selling albums feels overwhelming to you, this deep-dive episode is going to demystify the whole process!

GET MAKAYLA’S FREE EMAIL TEMPLATES FOR BETTER SALES HERE

CHECK OUT THE PRINTOGRAPHERS SOCIETY

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) WANT TO BOOK YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS? TAKE THIS FREE CLASS HERE

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

**Listen to the podcast episode above.**

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Creative Rising Episode 405

[INTERVIEW]

With the majority of big weddings either postponing to next year or pivoting to smaller celebrations in 2020, wedding photographers have had to learn how to pivot their businesses to offer coverage for elopements and small intimate weddings – many for the first time ever.

However, the number of couples that have been ditching the idea of a big wedding and choosing an intimate elopement has been on the rise for years – and Maddie Mae noticed this in 2015.

After 5 years photographing big wedding days, Maddie found herself burnt out and jaded with the performance and production of big weddings, but that all changed when she photographed her first elopement. Immediately she knew that it was her greatest passion and she took the leap to go “all in” and created Adventure Instead, her high-end brand that specializes in adventure elopements only.

Now, 5 years later, she runs a Forbes-featured and Rangefinder-award-winning, kickass team of 3 adventurous female photographers (herself, Amber, & Tori) who travel around the U.S. and world helping eloping couples bring their vision of their own intimate & meaningful wedding experiences to life.

In this episode, Maddie shares:

• Why so many couples have been choosing to elope (even before 2020)
• The biggest myths & misconceptions about elopements and intimate weddings
• How to pivot your business to become an exclusive elopement photographer
• How to offer intimate wedding coverage if you DON’T want to become an elopement photographer, but need to book business NOW

Join Maddie’s FREE Facebook Group Here

Learn About Adventure Instead Academy Here

Learn About Maddie’s Leave No Trace Program Here

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) WANT TO BOOK YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS? TAKE THIS FREE CLASS HERE

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

**Listen to the podcast episode above.**

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Creative Rising Episode 404

[TRAINING]

If you’ve hung around us Youngrens in 2020, then you’ve heard us talking about time management, specifically the block scheduling system that we’ve created and teach to all of our students in our Thrive Business Intensive.

On today’s show, I’m expanding on the block scheduling that we use to stay focused, eliminate distractions, and achieve our goals… even in a crazy year like 2020.

As we near the end of this year and round the corner into a fresh new one, it’s time to start the conversation about how you’re going to level up your habits in 2021.

If you have a lot of rescheduled weddings next year, it might be a much busier year than usual, which means you need to get a handle on your time so you can not just survive 2021, but THRIVE.

Learn about the simple ways that this system will transform how you view your time and move your business forward.

Wanna know how I run our three brands while being a part time mom?

GET MY EXACT WEEKLY WORK SCHEDULE HERE!

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
CR301 | Time Management: 3 Simple Rhythms I Use to Eliminate Overwhelm, Stay Focused, and Get It All Done

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) GET ON THE WAITLIST FOR THE THRIVE BUSINESS INTENSIVE:

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

**Listen to the podcast episode above**

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Creative Rising Episode 403

[TRAINING]

For many many years in our business, controlling my email inbox was a battle that I fought nonstop.

A full inbox would cause so much stress in my life, that it’s the #1 thing that pulled me away from important work – things like updating my website, getting new clients, and building my brand. Work that truly affects the bottom line of my business.

So if email is such a powerful force in your business, how do you keep it under control?

In my fourteen years of business, the thing that has been the single most effective weapon in this epic battle against email overwhelm is using EMAIL TEMPLATES.

In this episode, I’m sharing the six critical email templates that every wedding photographer should use and why.

These six email templates are the ones that not only free up the most time in our business, but they also help us grow our business and make more money.

Check out this episode to find out what they are!

GET OUR THREE FREE EMAIL TEMPLATES HERE!

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Get our Full Set of 42 Email Templates in our Shop
CR107: Four Things We Do That Turn Our Inquiries into Bookings
TAVE

Quick Guide:

• (9:53) Email #1: The Inquiry Response
• (15:31) Email #2: The Inquiry Follow-Up
• (16:42) Email #3: What’s Next?
• (23:34) Email #4: Wedding Day or Engagement Session Tips
• (27:15) Email #5: Delivering the Image Gallery
• (29:32) Email #6: Sending Images to Vendors

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) GET ON THE WAITLIST FOR THE THRIVE BUSINESS INTENSIVE:

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

**Listen to the podcast episode above or read the transcript here.**

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Creative Rising Episode 402

[INTERVIEW]

If you’ve spent hours curating your Instagram feed and gotten little to no results for your business, you’re not alone.

Instagram easily sucks hours of valuable time from your days and bring very little in return, and Devin Robinson argues it’s probably because you’re doing it all backwards.

Devin spends half the time on Instagram than most creatives, posts very little to his own feed, and yet generates hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding bookings from Instagram alone.

Want to know his secret?

He flips the entire system on it’s head to generate raving fans and book his entire team of associate photographers every year.

He spills his entire strategy in this refreshing and honest episode and it’s unlike any social media strategy I’ve ever heard from any other educator – period.

Trust me – you’re not gonna want to miss this episode!

Download Devin’s IG Shortcuts & Join His Facebook Group Here

Check out Devin’s podcast, Anchored Business, here.

Quick Guide:

• (11:26) Overview of Devin’s IG Strategy
• (39:25) How to Nurture Your IG Leads
• (54:14) How to Implement Email Marketing with IG
• (57:23) How Devin has Pivoted in 2020

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) WANT TO BOOK YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS? TAKE THIS FREE CLASS HERE

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

**Listen to the podcast episode above.**

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Creative Rising Episode 401

[NARRATIVE]

As a wedding photographer in 2020, how often do you get asked, “So how has COVID affected your business this year?”

So often, there’s the surface answer to that question (ie “everything’s fine,” “we’ll get through it”) and then there’s the REAL answer (ie “my business has been devastated”).

Since the COVID pandemic hit the US in March of 2020, Jeff and I have lost over 70% of our revenue across our three brands and we’ve only shot four weddings, two of which have been last minute elopements.

And we’re not alone.

If you’re a wedding photographer, this year has probably decimated your business.

So in true Creative Rising style, we pull back the curtain on what’s really been going on with our studios over the past six months – no BS, just the honest truth about the struggles, challenges, and lessons we’ve learned as we’ve navigated this pandemic.

Spoiler Alert: there’s been a LOT more going on behind the scenes than we’ve let on over social media.

GET ON THE WAITLIST FOR THE THRIVE BUSINESS INTENSIVE HERE

GET OUR FREE COVID-19 EMAIL RESPONSE TEMPLATES HERE

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) WANT TO BOOK YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS? TAKE THIS FREE CLASS HERE

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

**Listen to the podcast episode above.**

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Creative Rising Episode 312 (BONUS)

[TRAINING]

During this time of quarantine, one of the best things for you to focus on as a wedding photographer is to make sure your website is looking amazing.

But what exactly makes a website ‘amazing’? How do you know if what you’re showing is really converting?

Knowing what you should put on your website (and where) can be extremely confusing, which is why I brought in the expert. Davey Jones and his wife, Krista, are incredible website designers that help brands create websites that book.

In this episode, Davey unpacks the step-by-step process of how to create a website that creates clarity, spreads your message, and attracts your dream clients. From the 2-3 important items that MUST go on your homepage (including the ONE item that should be seen first) to how to create an about page that actually works, he helps us understand the two critical questions that every website needs to answer that stand in the way of you and booking clients.

You’re gonna love the concrete action steps in this episode that you can use to level up your website today.

About our guest, Davey Jones:

Davey Jones, and wife, Krista, are brand strategists and designers who specialize in helping businesses create brands and websites that are beautiful, compelling, and encourage action. After building a successful photography business and launching the Rising Tide Society, one of the largest communities for creatives in the world, Davey and Krista decided to make helping creatives run better businesses their full time gig. They believe in chasing hard after an intentional life—one that includes fulfilling work, palm trees and blue skies, time with their son Jack, and—of course—wine and pizza.

Learn More About Davey and Krista

Check Out Davey’s Podcast, Brands that Book

Quick Guide:

• (08:56) Two Questions Every Website Should Answer
• (20:19) Do’s and Don’ts of Your About Page
• (42:20) Best Practices to Present Your Portfolio
• (48:04) What if I do multiple types of shoots?
• (55:01) Should I still be blogging?
• (1:04:51) The #1 Thing You Should Do to Level Up Your Website

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) WANT TO BOOK YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS? TAKE THIS FREE CLASS HERE

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

**Listen to the podcast episode above.**

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Creative Rising Episode 311 (BONUS)

[TRAINING]

As this episode goes live, we’re deep into quarantine life because of COVID-19 and while most of the world has had to figure out how to work from home, wedding photographers are no strangers to it.

However, as client work has come to a stop, this pandemic has dramatically highlighted our true working habits.

It’s become painfully clear for a lot of you that there are loads of habits from your pre-COVID life that you brought into your current reality that are seriously holding you back right now.

And you can either allow those habits to continue to produce bad results or you can exchange them for new habits that will finally produce the amazing results you long for.

If you’re ready to level up your habits to meet the demands of this new economy, in this episode I dig into the five essential habits every wedding photographer needs to win at working from home.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Indistractable by Nir Eyal
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
CR301: Time Management

Quick Guide:

• (02:51) Why Habits Matter
• (10:23) Habit #1: A Weekly Time Management Practice
• (18:43) Habit #2: An End of Day Check-In
• (24:28) Habit #3: A Morning Routine
• (32:39) Habit #4: Have an Attack Plan for Email
• (38:15) Habit #5: Create a Plan for Rest

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) WANT TO BOOK YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS? TAKE THIS FREE CLASS HERE

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

**Listen to the podcast episode above.**

This means that you need to take a deep dive into your business and find out what needs to be worked on to make it healthy and sustainable long term.

In other words, when there’s less client work going on, that’s always a signal to work ON your business instead of IN the business.

And in this current moment of the COVID-19 crisis, we’re all finding ourselves in a very unintentional off-season.

With our calendars suddenly cleared of weddings, events, and shoots for the foreseeable future, we don’t have client-work to fill our days with tasks.

So you might be turning to your list of “off-season” projects… and getting very overwhelmed.

Because here’s the catch…

…even if you know you should be working ON your business right now, there’s a lot of things that could be.

How do you know which projects are the most important ones to focus on during this COVID-19 crisis?

If you’re finding yourself floundering, and you have no idea what’s the most valuable use of your time right now, don’t worry.

We’re here to help.

Introducing: 
How to Audit Your Photography Business
(The Blog Series)

Jeff and I have a commitment to you: Whatever we can do to help, we’ll do.

Thankfully, we have some pretty amazing photographer friends who are willing to do the same.  

To answer this question of “what do I work on during this sudden off-season?”, I asked some experts.

I got in touch with a bunch of photographers from around the U.S. who we know are all running legitimately successful businesses – and we asked them TWO questions:

QUESTION #1:

When it’s a typical wedding off season and it’s time to work ON your business and not IN your business, what 2-3 things do you work on to make sure your business stays healthy?

QUESTION #2:

What have you decided to work on right now to get through this crisis?

Friend, these incredible folks came back with waaaves of knowledge that I’m SO EXCITED to share with you!

We studied their answers, and it wasn’t surprising that the same themes kept occurring over and over again – not just for this season of economic crisis, but for any time when client work is slow (like an off-season from weddings). 

So we’ve taken everything we gathered from these successful photographers and created a roadmap for you.

So my friends, here it is:

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS AUDIT GAME PLAN. 

We’re rolling out for you the exact steps you need to take to audit your business and level up during any off-season. 

Pay very close attention to what these wise, successful photographers have to share.

Your future business will thank you for diving in and embracing this off-season opportunity.

Quick Links: 

• How to Update Your Wedding Photography Website
• How to Use Wedding Photography Email Templates to Educate Your Clients
• Your Client Experience: Creating the Delightfully Unexpected
• The Off-Season Photographer Education You Should Dig Into Now
• How to Routinely Dial in Your Photography Contract & Cash Flow

Step One: Update Your Website

Cleaning up your wedding photography website should be at the TOP of your priority list during any off-season, and so many other photography experts agree! 

In the off-season, I work on website updates first. We just published a website refresh!  (Abby Grace Photography)

Remember that this is the first place where many of your clients will fall in love with you… so don’t underestimate the importance of lovin’ on your website.

Your website should answer two questions for prospective clients:

1. 1. Are you good at what you do?
   2. Are you the best person to do that for someone like me? 

RESOURCE: Watch our FB Live with Davey Jones:
How to Get Your Website in Shape NOW

A total website re-do may not be possible or necessary, but there are four main steps to take when cleaning up your website during the off-season:

1. 1. FIRST, refresh all of the images on your website with only the BEST – the most jaw-dropping images which are best suited to your current style. 
   2. SECOND, dial in your Homepage so that your best work, your brand, and your location are front and center.
   3. THIRD, clean up your About Page and make sure your FACE and your STORY are clear.
   4. FOURTH, invite your client into your unique transformation process by dialing in your Services Page.

Want to learn more? Read the full post here:
How to Update Your Wedding Photography Website

Step Two: Use Email Templates and Guides to Education Your Clients

The best way to solve problems for your clients, your vendors, and yourself is to develop educational content so that you can AVOID these problems to begin with. 

One of the best ways for you to use your time in the off-season is to refine your client communications.

FREEBIE: Download Our Top 3 Email Templates for FREE

Updating your client communications will do two VERY important things for you:

1. 1. It will make YOUR life way easier by saving you time and educating your clients
   2. It will make your CLIENTS feel taken care of and improve their experience with you

Both of these things are going to directly impact the current AND future health of your business, so every bit of effort you put in now will pay off both now and later. 

RESOURCE: Jumpstart your client communications overhaul with our email templates, workflows, and wedding contract in our Complete Wedding Toolkit! 

Always start with creating email templates to answer the most frequently asked questions for your clients and vendors – this is the simplest way to save everyone a headache!

Next, to build SEO and keep your blog consistent, create evergreen blog posts that you can link in your email templates and share over and over again. 

And lastly, design educational guides and PDFs to create a high-end client experience. 

I’ll walk you through the steps to take here:
How to Use Wedding Photography Email Templates to Educate Your Clients

Step Three: Creating the Delightfully Unexpected in Your Client Experience

Once you have audited your client experience by updating your website and refining your client communications, you’ll want to think of ways you can create the delightfully unexpected for your clients. 

And what exactly does the delightfully unexpected mean? 

Think back to the last time you received a surprise. Did you keep quiet about it? 

OR did you blab about it to the next person you saw because you were just sooooo stinkin’ giddy about it??

Of course you shared it! 

It’s the simple truth: people cannot resist sharing their delight.

So infusing fun and unexpected surprises into your client experience is the KEY to creating an unforgettable brand experience.

Creating the delightfully unexpected for your clients will turn them from loyal customers to raving fans who cannot help but recommend you…. 

Especially when those surprises are totally aligned with:

• • Your brand story
  • Your dream client’s core values

RESOURCE: Feeling flustered by the types of clients you’re attracting? Unlock your dreamies with this FREE Masterclass.

You will also want to think of ways to surprise vendors throughout your client experience. A positive experience for them means that you develop more meaningful relationships and referral power through these like minded brands. 

And since any relationship is a two-way street, don’t forget to find ways to be a raving fan of your favorite vendors as well!

See the EXACT steps we take to surprise our clients here:
Your Client Experience: Creating the Delightfully Unexpected

Step Four: Dig Into Photographer Education
to Grow Your Business

This is a topic that Jeff and I really really believe in – and it turns out, nearly every other successful photographer feels the same way:

Your off-season is the perfect time to EDUCATE yourself.

“The quieter off-season is the perfect time to dig into educational content.” (Sarah Bradshaw)

When you’re not overloaded with client work, there is extra space for you to dig into education – which will nurture the long-term health of your photography business.

When it comes to education, the sky’s the limit! There are ENDLESS resources out there for photographers – and a lot of them are being offered for free OR at a great discount right now. 

“I’m always looking for my weak links in my business, and educating myself on how to strengthen them.” (CHARDphoto)

However, over and over again we heard 3 key themes when it comes to photographer education: 

1. Study up on business books or podcasts

• To pull you out of any kind of business-related rut, you should dig into reading or listening to a business book during this season – whether it’s related to marketing, profitability, branding, or otherwise! 

SHAMELESS PLUG: Get caught up on allll of the free resources and training
on our podcast, Creative Rising! 

READY FOR MORE? Get Our List of 10 Books Every Photographer Should Read

2. Refresh your album sales process

• In addition, other successful photographers shared that they use the off-season to learn how to refine their album workflow or sales process, since it is not only key to the profitability of their business, but crucial to their client experience.

RESOURCE: Grab our Wedding Album Workflow Guide or Album Email Templates! 

3. Learn something new (and stay consistent) with social media

• It’s also the perfect time to learn something new with social media to incorporate into your marketing plan. Beyond that, it’s also important to stay consistent and continue showing up. 

Ready to grow? Dive into this post:
Photographer Education You Should Dig Into Now

Step Five: Dial in Your Photography Contract
and Cash Flow 

You should also be using this season to dive into some of the nitty gritty that comes with the financial and legal areas of your photography business. 

Struggling with How to Respond to COVID-19 Cancellations?
We’ve taken the guesswork out for you in this article here: 
How to Respond to a Wedding Cancellation or Postponement During COVID-19

Use the off-season to reinforce the vulnerable areas of your photography business, including dialing in your photography contract and cash flow.

It is important to routinely meet with a lawyer to update your photography contract and familiarize yourself with exactly what it says. 

RESOURCE: Check out all of our contracts in our Photographer Shop!

In order to get a handle on your cash flow, start by getting clear on the numbers with your bookkeeper, then look for ways to cut back expenses and brainstorm fresh ideas to generate revenue now. 

You’ll learn how we reinforce these areas of our business in this post:
How to Routinely Dial in Your Photography Contract & Cash Flow.

The Complete Round-Up

This season has the power to transform the bones of your business, if you choose to dig in, my friend.

Are you ready to get going? Are you ready to embrace this season and dig your heels in? 

We’ve rounded up ALL of the complete posts on How to Audit Your Business During Covid-19 below:

• How to Update Your Wedding Photography Website
• How to Use Wedding Photography Email Templates to Educate Your Clients
• Your Client Experience: Creating the Delightfully Unexpected
• The Off-Season Photographer Education You Should Dig Into Now
• How to Routinely Dial in Your Photography Contract & Cash Flow

I’ll be the first to admit that this season is NOT easy.

But know that I am CHEERING YOU ON. 

You. Got. This.

Hugs,
Erin

When we asked a crew of successful photographers what they are prioritizing during the COVID-19 crisis, this subject was TOP of mind. 

We’ve spent the past four weeks of our blog series, How to Audit Your Business in the Off-Season, digging into alllll the most important steps successful photographers should be taking during ANY off season, but especially during this current season of COVID-19. 

This blog series has been jam-packed with really valuable information and steps you should take during the off-season to level-up your business.

Check out the first four posts in the series here:

• How to Update Your Wedding Photography Website
• How to Use Wedding Photography Email Templates to Educate Your Clients
• Your Client Experience: Creating the Delightfully Unexpected
• The Off-Season Photographer Education You Should Dig Into Now

This week, we are going to dive into some of the nitty gritty that comes with the financial and legal areas of your photography business. 

If this subject has felt totally overwhelming lately, this post is for YOU.

Let’s not waste any time – I’m ready to dive in!

Build a Strong Financial Foundation for Your Business

There are two very important, foundational areas of your photography business that will make or break it:

Reliable contracts

AND

A healthy cash flow

But for many photographers, these areas can seem daunting, because let’s face it: not every photographer feels comfortable calling themselves a “business person.”

Add a global pandemic as fuel to the very-frustrating fire, and both your photography contract and cash flow can feel oh-so-vulnerable.

I’m not denying how hard this is, friend.

You’re feeling it. Jeff and I are feeling it. 

We are alllllll feeling it. 

But those (very) scary feelings do not give us permission to give up and allow everything to crumble. 

I ADORE the attitude that my friend (and fellow photographer), Sarah Bradshaw, takes:

“Difficult times have a beautiful way of clarifying focus.” (Sarah Bradshaw)

It couldn’t be more true.

When the fire gets hot, will you allow it to mold your business into one that is even stronger than before?

We are going to dig into two key steps to reinforcing the foundation of your photography business. 

Update Your Photography Contract

In a season where things feel very uncertain, the last thing you want to be worried about is your photography contract. 

It is an action item that many other successful photographers take during the off-season – make sure your contract is up to date.

“I recommend an annual review of all contracts by a legal professional in your state. Typically, each year I have a new circumstance or event (hello COVID-19!) that prompts me to include a new provision in my contract. I will have it reviewed to ensure it’s up to snuff and ask my lawyer to add any necessary provisions needed.” (KT Merry)

During your off-season (and especially right now, in Coronavirus season), you’ll want to take action in two ways: 

Review and update your photography contract with a lawyer

I want to be clear: we are not giving legal advice to anyone. You must talk to your own lawyer before modifying, cancelling, or making any changes to contracts. We are not lawyers.

However, we strongly recommend getting into the habit of sending your contract to your lawyer for review on a yearly basis.

This habit could save you from a LOT of hassle and stress when unexpected circumstances arise. 

RESOURCE: Check out all of our contracts in our Photographer Shop!

Become familiar with exactly what your photography contract says

Second, you’ll want to study up on exactly what you (and your clients) are agreeing to in your contract.

When sticky situations arise (though we always hope that they don’t), it is important to have the proper language to share with your clients that accurately reflects your contract agreement. 

This doesn’t only apply to communicating about postponements or cancellations — oftentimes clients come in with a LOT of questions about the logistics of your contract before they book with you.

So it is crucial to have the knowledge and language to explain your agreement without any confusion. 

Struggling with How to Respond to COVID-19 Cancellations?
We’ve taken the guesswork out for you in this article here: 
How to Respond to a Wedding Cancellation or Postponement During COVID-19

Get a Handle on Your Cash Flow

If you’re like us, the COVID-19 crisis has rapidly turned our calendar of shoots and weddings into a whole-lotta-nothing.

Let’s be really real – it has been HARD to see things disappear off the calendar. 

Thankfully, many of these events have simply been postponed and not cancelled, but what does that mean for the time being, when little to no money is coming in?

“We are looking to see what items we can cut back on during these times, and how we can be more efficient with our cash flow as a business moving forward. I would advise all small businesses to do a check on their business and see how they can be more efficient with their cash flow and production.” (Duke Images) 

It means that this is an opportunity to get CLARITY.

I’m going to give you three steps to get you started: 

Step One: Get clear on the numbers

If you’re not sure of exactly what’s coming in and out of your business bank account over the next few months, then the first step is to get clear on the numbers RIGHT AWAY.

If you’re just guessing on the numbers, the uncertainty will eat away at you MUCH more than facing the reality of your bank account, my friends. 

So sit down with your bookkeeper, map out the numbers, and get clear on what’s coming in and going out. 

My friend, I can’t guarantee that seeing all the numbers right in front of your eyes will always feel comforting. (In fact, it might feel like a punch to the gut.)

However, I can assure you that it will bring clarity. 

This exercise will make it abundantly clear which numbers you need to hit in order to keep your business alive.

You’ll need to get really honest with yourself about what’s is possible during this season – and what simply isn’t. 

Step Two: Temporarily reclaim outsourced services or cut back on subscriptions

After you’ve gotten very clear on your cash flow, you’ll likely need to find ways to cut back on expenses during this season.

“I’m reading the book Profit First and switching back to that accounting system. I’m taking a hard look at subscriptions, expenses, and time spent to see what really generates profit, and what is simply expensive busy work.” (Sarah Bradshaw)

An important part of running a life-giving photography business is proudly claiming your position as CEO. Beyond that, you probably have many other roles (editor, marketer, content writer, accountant, etc) that you take on, and perhaps some that you outsource.

However, you may need to think hard about cutting any expenses that you’re capable of completing internally. 

As the CEO of your photography business, you may need to decide which roles inside your business you should step back into temporarily – always with the plan in mind to take yourself back out again. 

• • Are you currently outsourcing your editing? 
  • Are you paying for a social media scheduler? 
  • Do you rely on a copywriter for all of your blog posts?

Consider bringing these back internally during the off-season.

After you’ve analyzed the potential for cutting back expenses and increasing efficiency, create a clear action plan for what you will cut. 

Once you are VERY clear on your plan, you’ll want to ask yourself two questions:

1. 1. Which cut-backs are necessary as part of the emergency plan?
   2. Are there any adjustments that you can take into your busy season? Are these changes doable for the long-term, if they will benefit the overall health of your business? 

You may uncover areas of your business that have been running on autopilot for too long (and wasting you money), so now is the time to analyze how you can help your business for the long-term.  

Step Three: Brainstorm ideas for generating revenue NOW

Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do about government-mandated social distancing and the disruptions it causes.

But you have NOT lost all control in generating revenue. 

There are still ways we can still be making money TODAY in your business, and now’s the time to put on your thinking cap, my friends! 

If you’re feeling stumped on how to generate revenue right now, do not underestimate the power of a good brainstorming session. 

When this crisis hit, Jeff and I sat down with our team and simply went back to the drawing board. Each of us brought ideas to the table – no idea too silly or outlandish – and we zeroed in on the ideas that could create revenue for us now (and later). 

You’ll have to decide what is best for your clientele, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Create “Buy Now, Use Later” offers for your clients
• Run a print sale through your gallery provider
• Offer a sale on physical products, like albums or canvases
• Promote gift cards for your services
• Offer a booking incentive for 2021 wedding clients to sign their contracts now

Write them all down, circle the best ideas, and map out a game plan! (We LOVE a good whiteboard session!)

To Recap: 

• Use the off-season to reinforce the vulnerable areas of your photography business, including dialing in your photography contract and cash flow.
• It is important to routinely meet with a lawyer to update your photography contract and familiarize yourself with exactly what it says. 
• In order to get a handle on your cash flow, start by getting clear on the numbers with your bookkeeper, then look for ways to cut back expenses and brainstorm fresh ideas to generate revenue now. 

My friend, if you’ve been with me for all five weeks of this Complete Business Audit, I want to give you a standing ovation!

You can catch up on the first four posts in the series here:

• How to Update Your Wedding Photography Website
• How to Use Wedding Photography Email Templates to Educate Your Clients
• Your Client Experience: Creating the Delightfully Unexpected
• The Off-Season Photographer Education You Should Dig Into Now

These tasks are not always easy to accomplish (and they can be super easy to put off).

Which is why you should be VERY proud of yourself for digging in, especially in times that are stressful and overwhelming.

What are you carrying with you into your next off-season? Which area of your business received the most rewarding audit? 

I’d love to know! Drop me a line – I read and respond to every email that you all send my way!

I’m rooting for you!

Hugs,
Erin

We’ve spent the past three weeks of our blog series, How to Audit Your Business in the Off-Season, digging into how to complete a total Client Experience Audit. 

It has been jam-packed with practical and CRITICAL actions you should take during the off-season to level-up your client experience. 

Check out the first three posts in the series here:

• How to Update Your Wedding Photography Website
• How to Use Wedding Photography Email Templates to Educate Your Clients
• Your Client Experience: Creating the Delightfully Unexpected

But now, it’s time to jump head-first into something Jeff and I really really believe in – and it turns out, nearly every other successful photographer feels the same way:

Now is the perfect time to EDUCATE yourself. 

“The quieter off-season is the perfect time to dig into educational content.” (Sarah Bradshaw)

When we asked a list of photographers who are running successful businesses what they are prioritizing during the COVID-19 crisis, off-season photographer education came up over and over again.

“I’m watching all those courses I purchased last year that I never took the time to consume. My biggest priority is getting through Ashlyn Carter’s course, Primed To Launch, and after that, I’ll be making my way through Annie Leibovitz’s Masterclass!” (Abby Grace Photography) 

Using the off-season to dig into some form of education will benefit your business both now AND later, so it is not to be ignored.

Off-Season Photographer Education is Key for the Long Term Health of Your Business

I cannot stress this enough, my friends: Educating yourself is extremely important for the long-term health of your business.

Most likely, there is an area of your business that’s causing you frustration, or just isn’t working. 

Or perhaps there is some unlocked potential you just haven’t nurtured or uncovered yet. 

If you’re like me, this can cause some MAJOR frustration. I’ll keep hitting my head against a wall, because I can’t dig my way out and actually learn how to do something the right way.

My friends, now is the time to dig into those areas of your business. 

Get Curious About Your Pain Points

The first step is to identify the pain points in your business right now: 

 What’s causing you frustration lately?
What are the areas of your business that feel STUCK?

Next, it’s time to get curious.

Why is it stuck? What’s the roadblock that’s in the way?
Why have you always done it in that specific way up until now? 

When Jeff and I ask ourselves these questions, there is ONE phrase that Jeff and I simply never accept: 

“Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

That answer is the enemy, my friends. It’s going to KEEP YOU STUCK.

That is, until you finally get curious, lean into educating yourself, and innovate the areas of your business that have always left you stumped. 

I absolutely adore the attitude that Rich Lander keeps about his business: 

“I’m always looking for my weak links in my business, and educating myself on how to strengthen them.” (CHARDphoto)

A few years ago, when he realized that his weak link was styling and photographing details at his weddings, he took action: 

“I took a few online courses, chatted with planners about what their expectations are, and conversed with other photographers that I admire about what they do. Now, I feel a million times more comfortable shooting details, and clients have even hired me specifically because of the way I design flat lays.” (CHARDphoto)

In this post, I’m only going to share three key areas of your business to focus on – these were the common threads that came up again and again in our conversations with other photographers. 

However, there are endless directions you can take your photography education during this season, and they should correlate with the pain points we identified earlier. 

So, consider this a starting point.

Let’s do this!

Read (or Listen) Up to Boost Your Business Knowledge

There are seasons of business where we all need a little inspiration, redirection, or guidance. 

And right now, in the middle of COVID-19, I think we’re ALL neck-deep in one of those seasons.

We’ve let the quicksand of overwhelm pull us under, and we need to be pulled out and given a fresh perspective. 

When you find yourself in any off-season, look to the experts for a business reset. 

There are in-cred-uh-ble business books out there that you simply must read. 

…OR listen to!

It’s no secret that Jeff & I are huuuuge podcast junkies (I mean, we created our own!). But we’d be nowhere without our Audible account, which we use to always have a business book in our queue.

“I love CreativeLIVE courses, and I read lots of business books all the time to keep my brain thinking strategically. I read, and I read, and I read some more!!” (Sarah Bradshaw)

Whether it’s dialing in your profitability, your leadership skills, or your branding story, there are some very valuable books and podcasts out there for you to absorb.

And I’ll tell you EXACTLY where to start!

Our Favorite Business Books

There are THREE must-read books that every photographer (and every entrepreneur, for that matter) should have in their tool-belt: 

• • Start with Why by Simon Sinek
    • Before you do anything else, read this book! It is foundational for anyone that is pursuing a meaningful, fulfilling, and sustainable business.
  • Essentialism by Greg McKeown
    • Instead of focusing on twenty important things, what if you focused on THE important thing? This book will help you understand what your greatest contribution is and how to focus on it.
  • Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller
    • Donald Miller walks you through the process of crafting and simplifying your brand message so your ideal customers respond to it – a MUST for any photographer!

READY FOR MORE? Get Our List of 10 Books Every Photographer Should Read

Our Favorite Business Podcasts

And I simply wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t recommend a podcast or two – because these are always in my earbuds when I get a chance!

• • Brands That Book with Davey Jones
    • Davey Jones is a branding expert and has created a show for creative service-based business owners who want to learn how to build their brands and find more clients.
  • Six Figure Photographer with Ben Hartley
    • Ben Hartley is an award winning international wedding photographer, and shares all his marketing knowledge that built his six-figure business in less than two years.

SHAMELESS PLUG: Get caught up on our podcast, Creative Rising!

Happy reading (or listening), my friends!

Refine Your Physical Product Sales Process 

In addition to reading and studying up on business matters, other successful photographers mentioned that they’re boosting their education in two key areas: physical products and social media.

And we know just how paralyzing these topics can feel. 

For many photographers, the process of selling physical products can feel REALLY overwhelming. 

However, selling albums, canvases, framed prints – whichever you choose to focus on – are a central part of any successful photography business.

This is an area that Jeff and I are constantly auditing and refining – because it’s SO crucial to not only our profitability, but also our client experience. 

Still looking for an album company? 
We lovelovelove KISS Books.

And we’re not the only ones – so many other photographers said the SAME thing.

“We concentrate on fulfilling more of our clients’ album designs and prints. We are constantly trying to make our workflow more efficient since this is an ever-changing process.” (Duke Images)

So many other successful photographers are using this time to focus on either getting better at selling albums OR improving their album workflow.

Rich Lander of CHARDphoto chooses to focus on the album process, not just because it can increase his initial collection price with his wedding clients, but it can be a great way to make extra revenue when it’s not booking season.

“I love albums and many of my clients purchase them as part of their wedding collection with me, however I’m looking to improve how I can sell albums to clients that didn’t book it as part of their collection and also looking to improve selling albums to my clients’ family members as well.” (CHARDphoto)

I’ll get you started with our resources below:

RESOURCE: Grab our Album Workflow Email Templates or
Our Album Workflow Guide!

Maximize Your Social Media Presence

Are you feeling super frustrated with social media, too? 

Do you feel like you’re losing your mind in the process of making it work for your business? 

I have absolutely been there.

And can I be totally honest with you? I still feel that way. A LOT. 

It’s comforting to know that so many others feel the same way – which is why so many other rockstar photographers have said that they DIG IN to social media during their off-season. 

YA FEEL ME?
Listen to Creative Rising Episode 304:
 Creating Healthy Social Media Habits (with Abby Grace Photography)

Because it’s undeniable that social media isn’t going away anytime soon. 

So we have two options: 

We can continue to spin our wheels with social media and never get anywhere
(and feel totally frustrated in the process), 

OR

We can dig in and take ownership with social media.

Let’s chat about two important ways to do this during your off-season.

Learn Something New with Social Media

Your off-season is also the best time to really dig into any NEW social media strategies or platforms you’re interested in for your business.

“Instagram is still my bread and butter, but right now I’m diving into educating myself on Pinterest, YouTube Ads, and conjuring up a strategy for Tik Tok. There’s always so much to learn and love that when I get a certain part of the business dialed in, there’s a new weak link to inspire me to learn and work on something new!” (CHARDphoto)

Where is there an opportunity for you to learn when it comes to social media?

• Have you always been stumped by Pinterest? 
• Does hopping on Instagram Stories and talking directly to your audience totally freak you out?  
• Are you totally flummoxed by how Facebook Ads work? 

Now is the perfect time to dig in, my friends! 

“I use this time to begin tackling projects like forming a consistent Pinterest strategy and mastering Facebook advertising.” (KT Merry)

There are limitless resources out there to dig into how to make Social Media really work for you. 

And you’ll be kicking yourself later if you didn’t take the time NOW to really learn how to integrate these systems into your business. 

(Especially while so many of those photographer courses are being offered for FREE or at a greatly reduced rate!)

RESOURCE: Grab Anything Photographer Shop  – We’ve Got Tools, Trainings, and Courses to Grow Your Business 

Consistency is Key

When there are no shoots or weddings during the off-season (or during this current COVID-19 season), it can be tempting to slowwwwly disappear from social media.

But no matter which season it is, people are still paying attention.

So it’s important as ever to STAY CONSISTENT.

Many successful photographers cited that they are staying consistent with their social media during the off-season – this includes not only Instagram and Facebook, but also newsletters, blogging, and getting their work submitted for online features. 

“I am focused on sticking to my content calendar and generating a blog post and newsletter a week––a schedule I’ve struggled with in the past.” (KT Merry)

Take it from some of the best in the business – even without new client work coming in or new content being created, you have to keep showing up.

RESOURCE: How to Connect with Your Dreamies on Instagram

In addition to regularly submitting his work for publication, Duke Khodaverdian of Duke Images emphasized the importance of not disappearing on social media during the off-season: 

“My studio manager and I talk daily about our social media content, so we can still promote our work.” (Duke Images)

Without as much client work on your plate, now is actually the perfect time to get into a solid rhythm of posting on whichever channels you’re focusing on in your business. 

You’ll want to use this time to either develop OR keep up a healthy and consistent rhythm on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or YouTube… wherever it is that you’re showing up. 

STUMPED ON A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY?
Listen to Creative Rising Episode 102: The Bullseye Method: Build a Social Media System to Attract Your Dreamies

To Recap:

• • The off-season is the perfect time to dig into photographer education in order to nurture the long-term health of your photography business.
  • To pull you out of any kind of business-related rut, you should dig into reading or listening to a business book during this season. 
  • Use the off-season to learn how to refine your album workflow or sales process, since it is key to your profitability and client experience.
  • It’s the perfect time to learn something new with social media to incorporate into your marketing plan – and it’s also important to stay consistent and continue showing up. 
  • However, when it comes to education, the sky’s the limit! There are ENDLESS resources out there for photographers – and a lot of them are being offered for free OR at a great discount right now. 

Tell me, friends: Which area of your business are YOU most excited to continue educating yourself on? 

I can’t wait to hear what you’re digging into during this season! 

Next week, in our final week of this blog series, we’re going to land on a VERY important task in your Photography Business Audit:

How to dial in your cash flow, contracts, and legal documents. 

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by this one, this is NOT one to  miss! I’ll see you then! 

Hugs,
Erin

They’re auditing their client experience. 

Why? Because successful photographers know that the client experience matters. 

In the off-season, I take the time to review my client experience. It’s easy to lose touch with clients as time goes on and I am continually reviewing our client experience from start to finish to see where I can add value and take care of my clients better. (KT Merry)

We’re continuing our blog series, How to Audit Your Business in the Off-Season, with the second step in the process of auditing your client experience: using wedding photography email templates to educate your clients.

(Check out the first post in the series here: Audit Your Client Experience: How to Update Your Wedding Photography Website) 

Many of these experienced photographers said that in their off-season, they begin with these steps:

• First, they freshen up their website
• Second, they review how they can better educate clients and vendors through wedding photography email templates

Because the BEST way to solve problems for your clients, your vendors, and yourself is to develop educational content.

So now that you’ve taken care of updating your website and improved the first-impression experience for your clients (ie your EXTERNAL brand), it’s time to focus on the person-to-person meat of your brand experience (ie your INTERNAL brand).

That’s right – it’s time to refine and systematize allllll of your client communications, and I’m going to share how to do it! 

Successful Photographers Communicate Well

Updating your client communications will do two VERY important things for you:

It will make YOUR life way easier by saving you time and educating your clients.

AND

It will make your CLIENTS feel taken care of and improve their experience with you. 

Both of these things are going to directly impact the current AND future health of your business, so every bit of effort you put in now will pay off both now and later. 

And that’s what we like to call a Win-Win!

To start, ask yourself these questions:

• What questions did I have to answer over and over again (for brides OR for vendors) during the busy season? How can I answer those questions before they need to be asked either in an email template, on my website, or in a guide?

Do they just keep asking:

… when will I get to see my images?
… what should I wear for my engagement session?
… how do I pick the images for my wedding album?

• What problems did my clients experience this year with their wedding planning or photography that I can solve?

For instance:

… were they stressed about planning the wedding timeline? 
… did they feel a little lost when it came to planning their family portrait list? 
… were they too confused by the album process? 

RESOURCE: Listen to Creative Rising Episode 202: 
Our Perfect Wedding Photography Schedule (That We Use for Every Wedding)

• What problems did I experience with my clients that I need to solve to make MY life easier??

Raise your hand if:

… the outfits your couples chose for their engagement sessions were always a little “blah.”
… wedding day hair and makeup ALWAYS ran late.
… it took forever to get clients to sign their contracts on the front end.

Don’t worry, friend. These problems may be easier to solve than you think!

There are three very simple tools you can use to dial in your communications, educate your clients, and SOLVE these problems:

1. 1. Pre-Written Email Templates
   2. Evergreen Blog Posts
   3. Educational Guides 

From here, I’m going to walk you through the steps to audit, refine, and refresh your client communications using these three tools.  

Step 1: Update Your Wedding Photography Email Templates

If you’ve got time for just one step in this blog post, focus all your efforts on this one, my friend.

The easiest way to solve your clients’ problems is to educate them in wedding photography email templates, so start here. 

During this time, I’m looking to make everything just run even smoother than it did the year before. I always go through to clean up and update email templates that I use regularly so I can make sure I’m communicating as effectively as possible with clients and planners. I also love to take this time to update or create PDFs that I send my clients throughout the process to talk to them about engagement session outfits, creating a timeline, and tips for their wedding day etc. (CHARDphoto)

Beautiful client guides & blog posts are great to have…but can also feel overwhelming to complete (and client guides are often expensive to have designed). 

Because of this, oftentimes photographers feel overwhelmed and discouraged that they can’t create the perfect client experience guide… so they just never end up educating their clients at all. 

(And usually end up shooting themselves in the foot because of it.)

So here’s the quick win: start by creating an email template! 

Once you have learned how to effectively educate your clients using simple email templates, THEN you can invest the effort, time, and money into creating complete guides.

Don’t Have Email Templates Yet?

If you haven’t created any email templates yet, start by thinking of the emails that you write over and over again for your clients or vendors, and then hunt those emails down. 

You’ll want to really refine the content of these emails: make them SIMPLE and CLEAR.

Then, you can save them as templates in your CRM (we use Tavé) or in a Google Doc. It really doesn’t matter where you store them, as long as you have them written down somewhere that’s easily accessible. 

Hot tip: Don’t shy away from using bullet points in your emails! The easier your clients can quickly skim and absorb the information, the better. We’re ALL guilty of not fully reading every email in our inboxes, so make it easy on your clients. 

Not sure where to start? 

Check out the six wedding photography email templates you absolutely need to have at this blog post (plus you’ll get three of our email templates totally for FREE!)

RESOURCE: Six Critical Wedding Photography Email Templates You Shouldn’t Live Without 

If you just want to get your templates done NOW, check out our full set of 42 pre-written email templates that we use everyday in our businesses. You can purchase them today and just add your brand’s unique voice as needed.

RESOURCE: Check Out All of our Wedding Photography Email Templates in the Photographer Shop! 

(Some of my faves? Our “What’s Next” and “Engagement Session Tips” emails have solved LOADS of problems for us over the years by answering our client’s top questions – and they’re just simple emails!)

Already Have Email Templates? 

First things first, I’m sending you a HIGH FIVE, friend! You’re already saving yourself (and your clients) so much headache. 

But, think with me: 

• • Where do your current templates need a little refining? 
  • What do you always edit when you send to a client, that could just be fixed NOW? 
  • What additional templates do you need to create to fill in any current gaps? 

The goal is to make this year smoother, more efficient, and more enjoyable for you, your couples, and your vendors.

So, email templates or not, review your overall client experience and update your wedding photography email templates where needed.

FREEBIE: Download Our Top 3 Email Templates for FREE

Step 2: Create Evergreen Blog Posts 

After you’ve created your email templates for your clients, creating evergreen blog posts is the next easiest step to answer your client’s questions. 

I’m a HUGE fan of evergreen blog posts, because say it with me, my friend… 

BLOGGING IS NOT DEAD.

These blog posts will serve a few pretty fantastic purposes:

→ You’ll stay consistent in your blogging 
→ They’re relevant no matter what time of the year (hence “evergreen”)
→ They will boost your SEO (yessss!)
→ You can support your tips & tricks with plenty of imagery

These don’t serve as a replacement for your email templates – in fact, they serve as fantastic support for them!

Once you have your evergreen blog posts up on your site, you can link back to these posts in your wedding photography email templates so that every client gets their eyes on all this important content. 

Again, the goal is to create posts that will solve problems for you, your clients, and your vendors – so you need to be consistent with getting the right information in front of them so that everyone can get in front of the problem. 

So where exactly should you begin? 

(Website: Sarah Bradshaw)

Here are the posts that every wedding photographer should have on their website for their couples to reference: 

• • What to Wear For Your Engagement Session (this is one of our most important and popular blog posts – see it here!)
  • How to Get the Most Out of Your Wedding Photography (here’s our take on this one)
  • How to Create The Perfect Wedding Day Timeline (I love Sarah Bradshaw’ example here!)

(Website: The Youngrens)

Once you’ve created those essential posts, here are some ideas for additional posts: 

Yearly Round-Up Posts 

This is super simple content to pull together – just choose a theme and run with it! 

The best part? You already have all of the content: the imagery from your previous wedding season.

These posts are really helpful if you’d like to really emphasize a certain style or venue that you’d like your brand to focus on. You get to hand-pick what you’re highlighting, and you can use these posts to attract the right clients who also love this style of venue, florals, or details.

• For example, are you only looking to shoot super rustic weddings? Pull together a post about all of the incredibly Boho bouquets that your brides chose last year! 
• Are you head-over-heels for the classic ballroom wedding? Feature all of your favorite black-tie weddings in a round-up post!

Be sure to customize your blog post title to include that language – because remember, this is all about attracting the right people with the right SEO language. 

For example, “Our Favorite Boho Bouquets” is going to be much more powerful than simply “Our Favorite Bouquets.”

Here are some of our favorite ideas to get you started:  

• • Creative Seaside Wedding Details
  • This Year’s Top Ten Timeless Bouquets
  • The Best of 2019: Mix and Match Bridesmaids Dresses
  • Our Favorite Wedding Venues in Southern California
  • All the Wedding Hair Inspiration You’ll Need

(Website: KT Merry)

Vendor-Related Posts 

Just like with your round-up posts, collaborating with your favorite vendors is a smart move to connect the dots between your brand and a correlating brand. 

• Do you love working with a specific wedding planner? Do her Dreamies line up with yours? 
• Is there a floral designer who creates the most beautiful Boho florals for your Boho-lovin’ couples? 

Vendor posts create an opportunity for you to associate yourself with a vendor who not only fits your Dreamie clientele, but also has more expertise in the subject matter. 

Hot tip: Don’t ask the vendor to write the blog post for you – you’ll want to make it as easy on them as possible. Just ask them for their top tips, and then you can craft a post that fits your objective for your own blog (in your own unique voice). 

Here are a few ideas: 

• • How to Envision an Amazing Ceremony Arch with [Floral Designer]
  • Getting Your Guests on the Dance Floor with [DJ]
  • The Top 5 Wedding Planning Tips For Every Bride with [Wedding Planner]
  • How to WOW Your Guests with an Amazing Wedding Experience with [Wedding Planner]

Miscellaneous Tips & Tricks

You’ve probably had clients ask you a million questions about this and that… 

I’ve had brides ask me anything, from…

“Which fabric photographs best in a wedding dress?”
“Is it okay for my mom to wear bright pink on the wedding day?”
“Can I bring my dog to the wedding?”

And after 14 years of photographing weddings, it’s safe to say I have an opinion on pretty much everything.

So my friend, don’t be shy in sharing your expertise. 

Remember, the goal is solve problems for you, your clients, and your vendors – so if you spot ANY blind spot, get your thinking cap on and figure out how you could answer the question for your client in a way that serves everyone best.

These posts can also be fantastic for your SEO, so if you have an idea, run with it! Here are some to get you started:

• • How to Wear Your Wedding Hair So It Lasts All Day 
    • This is one of our most popular posts! See it here.
  • The Must-Have Bridal Emergency Kit  (From Our Five Years of Experience) 
  • Long or Short? Our Bridal Veil Advice

(Website: Abby Grace Photography)

Step 3: Create Educational Guides or PDFs

Once you have your email templates dialed in, and you’ve created a few evergreen blog posts, you can focus on designing beautiful educational guides and PDFs to enhance your client experience.

In the off-season, I prioritize working on creating new resources for our clients or updating existing ones. (Abby Grace Photography)

I want to begin with a disclaimer and a warning:

Disclaimer: Only focus on guides after you’ve completed Steps 1 and 2.

I want to reiterate that if you’re reading this section of the blog post and feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath and bookmark this step for LATER.

Only focus on creating guides once you’ve updated your email templates and have some great posts on your blog.

And now, for a warning: 

Don’t create too many guides.

You may want to go all design-happy on ALL of your content (because by this step, you’ve probably got a lot of it!).

However, in this case, less is more. 

Just focus on one or two guides.

Any more than that, and you’re probably going to overwhelm your couple with information. 

Remember:

The goal is to answer questions before they need to be asked. 

The goal is NOT to dump a bunch of unnecessary information on your couple. 

(Especially all at once – be thoughtful about spacing out your educational content.)

Because truthfully, your couple is already being flooded with information about weddings right now, so sending them one too many emails might be a recipe for them just ignoring your educational content altogether.

So, what information is best suited for an educational guide? 

There are a few key areas of your client experience in which a full PDF guide can help to support your brand’s proven process.

(If you don’t know what a Proven Process is, be sure to read our first post on Updating Your Website)

There are multiple ways you can utilize an educational guide to craft a more thoughtful client experience, but here are some of our favorites: 

The Wedding Day Experience Guide

Right after your clients book with you, they’re at their MOST attentive. They’re in the thick of wedding planning, and they are probably feeling on cloud nine to have booked a photographer.

So take advantage of that moment, and welcome them into your exclusive club with a full Wedding Day Experience Guide. 

Your Dreamies will probably be giddy being let in on your secrets – so you have permission to make this fun!

Right after they book with you, share this guide to answer their most important questions now, or provide a point of reference for when questions arise later on. 

The Album Experience Guide

If you sell albums, prints, or wall art, the key to successful sales is educating your clients early and often. 

And depending on who your clientele is and where they live, you may or may not have had the opportunity to educate your couple in person. 

So an album or print products guide can serve to plant the seeds early on in the process and make post-wedding sales a breeeeeeze. 

With everything going on right now, I’m working to create extra streams of income or improve the current income streams that I have. I love albums and many of my clients purchase them as part of their wedding collection with me, however I’m looking to improve how I can sell albums to clients that didn’t book it as part of their collection. (CHARDphoto)

This guide should not only answer their logistical questions about all of your offerings and pricing, but also instills the value behind your print products.

Bonus: A beautifully designed educational guide provides a high-end experience that really helps to support the sales of your high-end products. 

The Engagement Experience Guide

When it comes to engagement sessions, you might have had varied success with sessions that really 

Most of the time, couples feel totally clueless about how to choose a location, what to wear, and how to make the most of their engagement sessions. 

Because most of the time… this is their first time in front of the camera together. 

So be the voice that guides them through this process. 

Don’t let them run wild on Pinterest or pull together outfits without your guidance! 

With these guides in place, EVERY engagement session can be a slam-dunk.  

To Recap:

• • The best way to solve problems for your clients, your vendors, and yourself is to develop educational content.
  • Always start with creating email templates to answer the most frequently asked questions for your clients and vendors – this is the simplest way to save everyone a headache!
  • Next, to build SEO and keep your blog consistent, create evergreen blog posts that you can link in your email templates and share over and over again. 
  • Finally, design educational guides and PDFs to create a high-end client experience. 

Next in our blog series, we’ll be walking through the final (and most FUN!) step when auditing your client experience:

Finding creative ways to delight your clients!

If you’ve been following along for this blog series so far, you know we’ve covered a LOT already – but I promise you that this stuff is incredibly important. 

I can’t wait to dig into next week’s topic with you! 

See you next week! 

Hugs,
Erin

This sudden change of pace is dizzying, and I think we all need a little help getting back on track.

So, I asked some experts.

I got in touch with a bunch of photographers from around the U.S. who we know are all running legitimately successful businesses – and we asked them TWO questions:

QUESTION #1:

When it’s a typical wedding off season and it’s time to work ON your business and not IN your business, what 2-3 things do you work on to make sure your business stays healthy?

QUESTION #2:

What have you decided to work on right now to get through this crisis?

Nearly every photographer we reached out to responded that they use the off-season to audit their client experience FIRST.

The First Step: Audit Your Client Experience 

Three distinct items came up under the umbrella of “auditing client experience”:

1. 1. Updating their websites
   2. Getting better at educating and communicating with clients
   3. Finding creative ways to delight their clients

It makes perfect sense. The better the experience your clients have with you, the more they’ll refer you to their friends. 

Successful photographers know this, so they use their valuable off-season time to get everything up-to-date so that their next set of clients (and their favorite vendors) have a seamless experience from start to finish.

And my friends, it all begins with your WEBSITE.

Take it from Abby Grace Photography, who immediately jumped into refreshing her wedding photography website when she was presented with a little extra time on her hands:

In the off-season, I work on website updates first. We just published a website refresh last Friday!  – Abby Grace

We’re going to break up this one theme of “improving client experience” and separate it out into three different blog posts over the next several weeks.

Today, we’re starting with the first step of Auditing Your Client Experience:

Updating Your Website

Here’s How to Update Your Wedding Photography Website 

Your website is one of the first things that your Dreamies will see after they’ve found your name on social media or heard about you from a friend, venue, or coordinator. 

So, reality check:

Is your website communicating what you want it to say? 

To begin your wedding photography website audit, start by completing a super helpful exercise by Davey and Krista Jones.

(Davey and Krista are expert brand strategists and web designers, so they really know what they’re talking about, my friends!)

According to Davey and Krista, there are two questions that your website needs to answer for your Dreamies that stand in the way of you and booking more business. 

In order to win clients, you need to answer these two questions with your website: 

1. 1. Are you good at what you do? 
   2. Are you the best person to do that for someone like me? 

Can you answer those two questions on EVERY single page of your website? 

And you might be wondering… how in the world do I do that? 

A website refresh isn’t ever easy, but let’s break it down into four steps that simplify this mystifying process.

RESOURCE: Watch our FB Live with Davey Jones:
How to Get Your Website in Shape NOW

Step 1: Start with your IMAGES.

Friends, if you can only manage to tackle one thing with your website, THIS IS IT.

Evaluate the images on EVERY SINGLE PAGE of your wedding photography website – your homepage, your portfolio, your about page, your services page… don’t leave any stone unturned!

As you’re updating your images, be really really picky with each image you choose to include. Your website should show off your best work – so ONLY the images that you’re most proud of and truly represent your current style and ability. 

And here’s something Davey and Krista stress: it’s important to resist the urge to include images just for the sake of having MORE. 

So that might mean a little spring-cleaning in your blog and portfolio – you should be getting rid of any images that don’t fit your current brand, are super out of date, or just don’t represent the dream clients you’re going after. 

(Website: Duke Images)

Your goal? Each and every image should speak to your dream clients. 

So channel your inner Marie Kondo and ask yourself:

“Does this image spark joy for me? Does it represent me well?”

And if not… thank that image for serving you up until now, and then get it OFF your website. 

“In the off-season, I do a brand-audit. I make sure my mission statement, core beliefs, “why,” and bio are all accurate, up-to-date, and as truthful as possible. And then I take a hard look at my portfolio and hero images to check that they match. I add any new brand-perfect images from the previous wedding season, and remove any that no longer fit.” (Sarah Bradshaw)

Step 2: Audit Your Homepage 

Do you remember when contestants on that old show “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?” could phone-a-friend when they needed a little help? 

My friend, you now have permission to do just that! (From Regis Philbin and yours truly.)

Your homepage should communicate your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) – exactly what makes hiring you above anyone else necessary

So grab a trusted friend, sit them down in front of your homepage, and ask them to answer honestly:

Does this homepage clearly communicate what my brand is all about?  

When a prospective client comes to your homepage, they should easily be able to answer a few questions:

• • Where do you do business? This one might seem really obvious or boring, but you would be surprised about how many photographers don’t list this information on the first page of their website! Don’t make your prospective clients need to go digging for this information – make it simple exactly where you’re located and where you do business. (And if you travel, make it super clear that you’re willing to do so!)
  • Do you have your very BEST image displayed in your Hero Spot? This image should be a gut-punch for your brand, and for the right clients (your Dreamies!), this image will instantly speak to their hearts. By seeing this ONE image, anyone who visits your website should be able to get a sense of your style and begin to understand your brand RIGHT AWAY.
  • Is the navigation simple? Make it easy on your clients and keep all navigation options from the homepage super simple. It should be extremely easy for prospective clients to know where to go for the information they need. Don’t overthink this one! 

(Website: Sarah Bradshaw)

Step 3: Next, work on your About Page

First things first: Do they see you? 

Do you have a big beautiful image of yourself on your About page where people can see your face? 

If not, here’s your next to-do list item:

Have your headshots updated! 

Ask a friend, ask a team member… but DO NOT DELAY in getting images of YOU on your website.

(Website: Abby Grace Photography)

Next up: Do they get to know you? 

Do not underestimate the importance of endearing your clientele to who YOU are, not just your gorgeous work. 

It’s an angle we wedding photographers LOVE to highlight to our clients – unlike any other vendor, we’re the lucky ones who get to hang out with our clients allllll day at their weddings! 

So you need to tell your story – but in a way that is digestible and speaks directly to your Dreamies.

When you do this, ask yourself…

….Are you highlighting the aspects of your personality that support your UVP and your brand, and is that part of your personality the one that your Dreamies care about most? 

(Website: Sarah Bradshaw)

One of my favorite examples of this comes from Davey Jones: He and his wife, Krista, get a McFlurry shake after every wedding. (Because honestly, what’s better than cold ice cream after shooting a 12 hour wedding day??) 

But you wouldn’t find this information on their former wedding photography website’s About Page – because while it’s a fun post-wedding tradition, it didn’t totally align with their brand. If they wanted to attract their high paying clients, leading with their obsession for a post-wedding McDonald’s run wasn’t the smartest route.

So instead, they shared these fun post-wedding McDonald’s runs on their Instagram stories, where clients could indulge along with them after they had already fallen in love with them and their very high-end work. 

….Is the copy on your About Page easily skimmable and readable?

This goes for any section of your website, but especially your About Page: Avoid blocks of paragraphs. Unfortunately, nobody really wants to read that!

Keep it simple but personal, succinct yet meaningful. Overall, highlight the pieces of you that matter MOST to your Dream clients as they’re getting to know you and your story.  

If you want to include more fun facts about your story or personality, I recommend finding a sweet way to incorporate these in a fashion other than bulky paragraphs. 

Looking for a few ideas? 

• • We love Sarah Bradshaw’s “Yes Please” & “No Thanks” section – it’s a super fun and quick way to draw in the right people and send away the not-so-Dreamies
  • I adore the simplicity of Abby Grace’s About Page – she pulls out some fast facts in her “Things You Should Know About Abby” section! 
  • Davey & Krista keep it super streamlined and lovely with their slider here on their about page! 
  • KT Merry’s About Page is simply stunning – I love the rich language she uses to describe her and her partner’s personalities.
  • And if you know us, you know we love podcasts… so Jeff and I have our very own mini-podcast on our About Page.

(Website: KT Merry)

STUCK ON COPYWRITING? 
Listen to Creative Rising Episode 306: Copywriting with Rachel Greiman

Step 4: Dial in your Services Page

Last, but most certainly NOT least on your wedding photography website audit: Refine your Services Page. 

This page will clearly outline your Client Experience and walk your Dreamies step-by-step through their experience with you as their photographer. 

Not only should it provide clear, helpful information (that will hopefully answer many of their practical questions), but they’ll also walk away understanding the transformation they are going to experience.

Your Services Page serves to answer the question of HOW you will do the same thing for them that you’ve done for other people. 

Because remember — prospective clients may love everything about your website, but still not be able to picture themselves in the shoes of your clients.

So it’s YOUR job to make sure they understand your unique process – from the booking process to the wedding day to what they can expect afterwards. 

We call this our Proven Process, and we believe that every business should take the time to outline their own unique process.

(This concept comes from the book Traction, and this book has been a GAME CHANGER for our business.)

Building your Proven Process all begins internally, but it should also be able to be shared publicly with your clientele in some fashion. 

For our team, our Proven Process looks like this:

• • PLAN
  • CELEBRATE
  • PRESERVE

We flesh out our unique proven process for our couples above at The Experience, and prospective #TYDreamies get the full picture of what their experience will look like when they work with Jeff and I.

So what does this look like for you? What should your clients expect when they work with you?

How can you draw them in to fall totally in love with this experience so that they simply have to have it?  

To Recap:

Alright friends, it’s time to get started! Are you ready to give your wedding photography website a facelift?

Remember that this is the first place where many of your clients will fall in love with you… so don’t underestimate the importance of lovin’ on your website.

• • Cleaning up your wedding photography website should be at the top of your priority list during any off-season.
  • Your website should answer two questions for prospective clients:
    • 1) Are you good at what you do?
    • 2) Are you the best person to do that for someone like me? 
  • A total website re-do may not be possible or necessary, but there are four main steps to take when cleaning up your website during the off-season
  • FIRST, refresh all of the images on your website with only the BEST – the most jaw-dropping images which are best suited to your current style. 
  • SECOND, dial in your Homepage so that your best work, your brand, and your location are front and center.
  • THIRD, clean up your About Page and make sure your FACE and your STORY are clear.
  • FOURTH, invite your client into your unique transformation process by dialing in your Services Page.

Over the next two weeks, we’ll be walking through the next two most important steps when auditing your client experience:

1. Getting better at educating and communicating with clients
2. Finding creative ways to delight your clients

All of these steps taken during the off-season will make for a more seamless, successful busy season – so you’re definitely going to want to join us again for these next two posts!

We’ll see you then! 

Hugs,
Erin

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Creative Rising Episode 310

[NARRATIVE]

Two weeks ago, Jeff and I were completely checked out on a two week vacation on Kauai.

No phones, no media, no news.

But when we landed back in San Diego, Coronavirus hit the U.S. And within a week, our revenue stopped, our state ordered shelter-in-place, and our business shut down.

In a very short amount of time, the world has turned upside down for all of us. But for photographers, this time is not just scary, it’s absolutely terrifying as we’ve watched our cash flows dry up and jobs get cancelled or postponed for months.

So how do we survive this?

Well for me, that’s the wrong question to be asking.

Instead, the better question is, “Who are we going to be IN this?”

Jeff and I are reeling from the emotional and mental roller coaster of this pandemic, so I sat down (literally, I sat down on my bedroom floor), turned on a spare mic (all of my regular mics are at the studio) and shared my innermost thoughts about what this all means.

I get honest, I cut the BS, and I definitely cry. Cuz that’s just how things are right about now.

Plus, I outline the three things that wedding photographers should be doing RIGHT NOW to make it through this crisis.

GET OUR FREE COVID-19 EMAIL RESPONSE TEMPLATES HERE

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Traction (book)
Tyler J. McCall
Katelyn James
Brene Brown on FFTs (podcast episode)
Hannah Abad of Prime Collaborative

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) WANT TO BOOK YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS? TAKE THIS FREE CLASS HERE

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

**Listen to the podcast episode above.**

This season of COVID-19 has undoubtedly been a stressful, scary time for creative entrepreneurs like ourselves.

But it’s also been a heartbreaking season for our clients.

They’ve been planning their weddings or events for months, and suddenly, urgently, everything is changing.

So, my friend – while it’s important to protect your business, it’s also extremely important to know how to care for your clients well in a time that’s heavy and uncertain.

The emails have probably started hitting your inbox for you like they have for us, postponing or even cancelling the big day.

So as photographers who want to practice sensitivity and care for our clients – but also want to keep our businesses alive and well – how do you respond to wedding cancellations or postponements?

First, let’s talk about how to handle a cancellation.

How to Handle a Wedding Cancellation

If a wedding needs to postpone due to COVID and the only date available to the couple is one that you are unavailable for, then this is a tough situation.

• Can you keep the retainer?
• Do you keep all monies paid up until this point?

Let’s face it: none of us saw this curveball coming.

For couples and clients that may need to completely re-book everything for their event, we need to care for them during this season.

Since this is an unprecedented time, Jeff and I asked our lawyer here in San Diego for a little guidance, and this is what he has advised us specifically.

And remember, we are not giving legal advice to anyone. You must talk to your own lawyer before modifying, cancelling, or making any changes to contracts. We are not lawyers. 🙂

Most contracts have language that deals with an Act of God situation, such as a natural disaster, illness, etc.

An Act of God situation means that something has occurred that makes either party unable to fulfill the contract, which then deems the contract void.

Unfortunately, COVID falls under the Act of God category.

Neither us nor our clients would be able to perform the wedding because of governmental mandates of social distancing, so the contract becomes void.

This means that in this situation all monies need to be returned, including retainers.

Remember: It wasn’t our client’s choice to move their date, so even though it stings, we need to truly empathize with what they’re dealing with and honor our contracts.

Also, this is best for building a good reputation for long-term success of your business.

I would especially keep this in mind if your clients are working with vendors or a venue that you have a relationship with or want to build a relationship with.

It’s the simple truth that vendors refer their clients to photographers that they truly respect and enjoy working with, and how you handle this season couldn’t be more revealing of your good character.

Believe me, I realize that this truly stings when it comes to cash flow.

If your client booked with you a year ago, it’s possible you may not even have the funds in your account to offer the refund.

It hurts financially, there’s no doubt about that.

With that in mind, below is a win/win solution that can help you actually keep the wedding, and avoid a complete cancellation.

Work with an Associate Photographer

Your client likely hired you because they fell in LOVE with your style and personality – so if you are unavailable on their new date, it could leave them floundering.

However, if you’re well connected in your local photography community, or already have associate photographers as part of your team, then you may be able to explore working with another trusted photographer that provides the same standard of service you would give your client.

You would still care for your couple with all of the up-front work and editing on the backend, and then pay a flat rate to an associate to photograph the wedding for you.

Keep in mind, however, that there might clients that won’t love the idea of a different photographer. Depending on how you sell this option, the client could resist and see it as “second rate.”

If the transition process goes smoothly and your client hops on board, though, this helps everyone out!

Your client feels taken care of, you still make money, and you also provide a little income for another photographer as well.

This can truly be a win/win/win situation!

Keep in mind that, in this scenario, you will need to have your associate sign an independent contractor agreement.

Don’t have one? Take a look at the one that’s in our photographer shop. It’s 40% off right now!

Check Out Our Associate Photographer Contract HERE

So what would we do?

When our couples hire us, I know exactly what they’re looking for in a photographer. They’re our Dreamies – which means they share so many of the same values that Jeff and I do, and I’m really confident that the images we create resonate with their heart.

So when I think about taking care of our couples affected by COVID-19, my first course of action would be to explore the option of hiring an associate photographer who shares the same heart for photography that we do.

To start, I would have a conversation with my couple and reiterate that this option gets them the same look and style as my images (since I’d hire someone who shoots like me), and then that the images would be edited just like mine.

It’s truly the simplest option for our couples:

• They don’t have to go through the hassle of finding someone new
• They still receive our guidance during a time that feels extremely uncertain and unsettling

If our couple chooses not to take us up on an associate photographer, then we would issue a full refund since our couple is being forced to change their wedding date due to circumstances out of their control.

How to Handle a Postponement

Best situation yet? You’re FREE for your couple’s new date!

*Yipppeeeeee!*

This is a simple solution and a huge relief for everyone – all you will need to do is send the client a Date Change Addendum, and once they’ve signed this, their original contract is transferred to the new date.

Here’s our simple Date Change Addendum below (swipe this copy and use it!):

This Date Change Addendum is an addendum to the previously signed Wedding Contract between Client and Photographer.

This addendum shall become effective as of today, [TODAY’S DATE].

Client hereby releases the previously contracted wedding date and replaces it with the new wedding date as indicated below. All retainer amounts and monies paid will be transferred to the new date.

New Wedding Date: [NEW WEDDING DATE]

All other terms and conditions as agreed upon in the previous contract remain in effect.

Lastly, want to know the exact words we’re using to communicate all of this with our couples and our corporate clients? We’ve created six important email templates for communicating with our clients during this time, and made them free for you to use. 

GRAB OUR COVID-19 EMAIL RESPONSE TEMPLATES HERE

What else can I help with, friends?

There are probably a million questions floating around in your brain. Heck, I’ve got them too! Let’s SHOW UP and help each other out as much as we can right now.

I’m happy to do my part.

Hugs,
Erin

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Creative Rising Episode 309

[TRAINING]

Asset management is something that can get very confusing very quickly, which is why most of us put this part of our business on the back burner for far too long.

But every time we photograph a wedding or session, we need to know exactly how we’re downloading and naming our files, how we’re backing them up so they’re secure, and where we’re storing them long term once the job is finished.

This part of our business isn’t sexy or fun, which is why I’m taking the guesswork out of this workflow. In this episode, I tell you exactly how you should be backing up and storing your images, covering your entire asset management workflow from download to archive.

Plus, I created a freebie that includes all of the shopping of products you need for this workflow (thankfully there’s very few!) and I’ve outlined the entire workflow plan (which is very simple!).

Listen to this episode and grab that freebie at the link below. It will feel so good to finally have a simple and clear backup system that actually works!

GET OUR ASSET MANAGEMENT WORKFLOW + SHOPPING LIST HERE

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
CR301: Time Management
CR304: Creating Healthy Social Media Habits with Abby Grace
CR107: Four Things We Do That Turn Our Inquiries into Bookings

Quick Guide:

• (03:52) What Makes a Great Workflow?
• (11:46) Stage One: Download & Backup
• (33:20) SPONSOR: Freedom Edits (Thank You!)
• (35:02) Stage Two: Process & Deliver
• (40:11) Stage Three: Archive

EPISODE MADE POSSIBLE BY FREEDOM EDITS (Thank you!!!)

Get Your First Job Edited for Free HERE

We trust Freedom Edits whenever we outsource our editing across all of our brands. We absolutely LOVE their simple, easy, and totally customized approach to editing and how quickly they got our preferences juuuuuust right! They save us tons of time! Right now, they’re gifting all Creative Rising listeners with their first job entirely for FREE! So that’s a complete wedding, edited for FREE. (Not a test wedding, either.) This is exclusively for Creative Rising listeners! Get your first job free at the link above!

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) WANT TO BOOK YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS? TAKE THIS FREE CLASS HERE

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say!

**Listen to the podcast episode above.**

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Creative Rising Episode 308

[INTERVIEW]

Natalie Franke co-founded the Rising Tide Society in 2015 out of a deep personal need for community with other creative entrepreneurs.

She felt desperately alone and knew that others must feel the same way, too.

Since then, the Rising Tide Society has become a cornerstone for the creative community, but Natalie’s journey transformed when she required surgery to remove a benign brain tumor and subsequently walked through a journey of infertility to have her son, Huey.

In this intimate interview, Natalie shares how facing these struggles deeply transformed her identity in surprising ways, and how she came face to face with the true meaning of community in a way she never thought possible.

Hearing Natalie’s story will change the way you view competition, legacy, and community in powerful and transformative ways.

FIND YOUR LOCAL TUESDAY TOGETHER MEETUP HERE

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:
Rising Tide Society
Learn more from Natalie Franke

About Natalie Franke

Natalie Franke Hayes is an entrepreneur, mobilization marketer, community builder, and neuroscience nerd.

As one of the Founders of the Rising Tide Society and the Head of Community at HoneyBook, she leads tens of thousands of creatives and small business owners while fostering a spirit of community over competition around the world.

Quick Guide:

• (02:17) Natalie’s Story of Co-Founding the Rising Tide Society
• (12:16) Is Competition Bad?
• (19:15) How a Brain Tumor Transformed Natalie’s Identity
• (28:28) Natalie’s Journey of Infertility
• (34:21) Creative Leadership & Being Seen

NEXT STEPS:

1) JOIN OUR FREE CREATIVE RISING COMMUNITY

2) WANT TO BOOK YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS? TAKE THIS FREE CLASS HERE

3) LEAVE A REVIEW ON iTUNES

Reviews are how we get found! If you binge these episodes, then share the love!! Leave a review on iTunes so that other amazing photographers like you can find us, too. Head over here, click on “Write a Review”, give us a five star rating, and tell me what connected with you on the show. I absolutely LOVE reading what you have to say.

**Listen to the podcast episode above.*

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Creative Rising Episode 307

[TRAINING]

Want to know the best advice we ever received in our business?

It was to FIRE OURSELVES. 

As wedding photographers, we wear a lot of hats. We’re bookkeepers, salespeople, accountants, and marketers just to name a few.

But if you want to run a business that’s efficient and sustainable, you need to fire yourself from being a photographer, and promote yourself to the most important role – that of CEO. 

In this episode, I walk you through exactly how to clearly organize the roles in your business so you can always be wearing the right hats (and letting go of the wrong ones).

You’ll learn:

• How to see your business from the view of a CEO
• Which roles you should be spending all of your time on (and which ones you definitely shouldn’t)
• The proper mindset you need to successfully outsource 

If organizing roles doesn’t sound exciting to you, then I explain how getting organized and creating systems actually creates the most exciting – and profitable – brands.

GRAB OUR FREE ORGANIZATIONAL & ROLES CHART HERE

Quick Guide:

• (01:51) An All Too Common Story
• (06:21) It’s Time to FIRE Yourself
• (12:20) How Boring Systems Create Exciting Brands
• (15:40) The 10 Most Common Roles for a Wedding Photographer
• (18:08) The Unbranded Roles
• (21:13) SPONSOR: Freedom Edits (Thank You!)
• (22:52) The 90/10 Roles
• (31:31) The Branded Roles

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**Listen to the podcast episode above or read the blog post below.**

Here’s the Truth

You are a photographer.

BUT you are also a bookkeeper, accountant, photo editor, writer, album designer, salesperson, CEO, COO, CFO, CMO, and all of the other O’s that you can possible think of because if you are a solopreneur, you are THE employee of your business.

You wear ALL the hats.

And this can be incredibly overwhelming.

This is a story that I hear all too often…

You are working a corporate job that doesn’t feed your soul. You want to do something with purpose. Something that will give you flexibility and the choice to live the way they want to live.

So you pick up a camera, fall in love with it, and leave your corporate job to be a wedding photographer full time.

At first, it’s amazing. You take advantage of all of the freedom: you work in you PJs, you sit on your couch with coffee and your laptop, and it all just seems too good to be true.

But then, things get busy. And they get really busy. And the inbox starts filling up. Clients start needing more. They starting needing a lot from you.

The nights and weekends of shooting increases. The hours start expanding, the laptop stays open longer and longer… and before you know it, you’re not working on the couch in your PJs by choice, but you’re working on the couch in your PJs because you don’t have time to get ready and put clothes on.

And there comes a moment when you realize that you have traded one boss for another. Your business has become a really demanding and really overbearing boss, and the freedom that you thought you had, has actually slipped away.

This is a story that is far too common. I’ve experienced it myself.

When you’re business takes over and decides your life for you.

We’re smart, capable people. (I know that because you have to be smart and capable to run a business.)

Nobody means for their business to take over. It kind of just happens.

So the big question is this: how can we free ourselves from a business that’s taken over?

The Solution: SYSTEMS

I know that ‘systems’ is not the sexy solution you want to hear.

But the reality is there is only one of you, and there’s only so many hours that you’re willing to work.

If there’s only so many hours that you want to work, and if you want to build the business you dream of building in those hours… there’s only so many things you can do.

So we need to decide what the important things are that you should be doing with your time, and then figure out how to pull you out of the rest.

And the key to that whole puzzle is systems.

In this post, I’m going to walk you through the process of understanding the roles in your business so you can set up support systems to free you up do the things you love most.

FIRE YOURSELF

This process of freeing yourself from your business starts with a really counterintuitive step.

First, you need to FIRE YOURSELF from your business.

This is the best advice Jeff and I ever received.

Jeff and I had been shooting weddings for a couple of years when we were ready to make the jump from our full-time corporate day jobs and support ourselves with photography.

Before we did, however, a friend gave us the book, The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber, told us to create an organizational chart of our business, and to fire ourselves from being photographers.

She said that if we were going to build a business that was going to last longer than just a few years, we needed to fire ourselves as workers and promote ourselves to CEO.

We needed to learn how to work ON our business instead of working IN our business.

This advice single-handedly changed our lives because we suddenly viewed ourselves not just as creatives, but as creative entrepreneurs.

If we didn’t do this in our business, if we hadn’t taken the important time to structure ourselves properly, we never would have been able to scale to the point that we’ve grown to.

Even if you’re the only one in your photography business, and you never want to scale beyond that, but you do want to grow your income while experiencing more freedom, putting on your CEO hat and knowing how your business breaks down into it’s different roles – will help you tremendously in knowing what to outsource, when to bring in a contractor or employee to help out, and where you should be spending your valuable time.

So that’s the first step. Fire yourself from your business – as a photo editor, as a photographer, as a studio manager – and you hire yourself on as CEO.

BORING SYSTEMS = EXCITING BRANDS

Now that you are the newly hired CEO of your business, your job is to grow your income while only working the hours you want to work.

That is the challenge and the goal that you’re working towards.

In order to grow your income, you need to book great clients that will pay you the money you want to make. And in order to book those clients, you need to create a really strong brand that your clients will love.

There are two components of your brand – the external component and the internal component.

Your External & Internal Brand

The external component of your brand is your marketing.

It’s your website, your logo, your social media, your copy, etc. All of the things you do to bring in new clients is your external brand.

And when a bride becomes a client, then that external brand, all of those brand promises you made to them before they hired you, need to carry over into the client experience that they have with you.

That’s the internal component of your brand – the client experience.

Your brand is actually a series of client touchpoints.

It’s a conglomeration of all of the times your couple comes into contact with your business, and all of those touchpoints begin to tell a story.

What story is your couple experiencing with your brand?

Is it consistent? Are all of those touchpoints sending the same message?

• Is your Instagram feed telling the same story as what they’ll see on your website?
• Is the email they get back from you when they inquire supporting that story?
• Is the client experience after they hire you delivering on that story?

Every email, every phone call, every interaction, the way you are on the wedding day, the images you deliver, how you deliver them… those are all touchpoints.

This is what your brand actually is. It’s a series of touchpoints.

I’ll admit, being that consistent across your entire business can seem a little daunting.

Which is why you need to set up your business to support that brand, and the way you support it is with systems.

All of those client touchpoints, every interaction along the way – whether it’s external or internal – can be tied to a system that backs it up behind the scenes.

Think about it in terms of Starbucks.

No matter what Starbucks I walk into anywhere in the country, I know exactly what I’m going to get. They are going to deliver on their brand promise, and that’s because they have systems to back up every step of the process.

Jeff and I both worked at Starbucks years ago – back when we were in college – and they had secret shoppers.

You never knew when they were coming in, but they had certain drinks they ordered, and then they would take those drinks out to their car where they had a scale and a thermometer they would use to weigh and measure those drinks.

And based on the measurements and the temperature, they could tell if you steamed the milk correctly, if you put in the right amount of syrup, the right amount of espresso, etc.

Now, the reason I tell this story is because Starbucks knew – and they still know – that their brand depends on the success of their systems.

Exciting brands and sustainable businesses are built on boring systems.

A successful brand is one that infuses their brand personality into every single client touchpoint. And this is only made possible using systems.

Map Out the Roles

Let’s tie in this idea of systems as your brand with organizing the roles of your business. 

Put on your CEO hat and look down on your business from above.

If I were to look down on a typical wedding photography business, here are the most common ten roles I would see:

1. Studio Manager
2. Bookkeeper
3. Marketer
4. Lawyer
5. Photographer
6. Photo Editor
7. Copywriter
8. Album Designer
9. Salesperson
10. Accountant

When it comes down to it, a wedding photography business is very simple. That doesn’t make it easy – running a business is challenging – but this is a simple type of business.

Even so, thinking about doing all of these roles is daunting.

So let’s organize these roles into different categories.

The Unbranded Roles

My first category of roles is what I call The Unbranded Roles.

These are the roles in your business that do not impact your brand, whether it’s your internal or external brand.

The client will never be impacted by these roles which means, these are the ones you shouldn’t touch.

These roles are:

• Bookkeeper
• Accountant
• Lawyer

You need to fire yourself from these roles completely, and permanently…

…then hire a specialist.

It’s actually surprising how inexpensive it can be to hire a bookkeeper and have someone do your taxes for you. It’s not going to break your bank and it will free up loads of time.

Even if you’re really good at finances and bookkeeping is easy for you, you still should not be spending time on it in your business!

Same goes with hiring a lawyer.

You need to have a lawyer that you can call on to review your contracts and that you contact with questions when any issues arise. Obviously this is not something you should be doing yourself.

If you buy a contract from someone else (including our wedding contract that’s in our shop), you need to have a lawyer look it over so that you can make sure its compliant with any of your state laws or local laws that may be in effect.

But you will save a lot of money if you buy a template contract and have a lawyer look it over instead of having a lawyer write one from scratch.

The 90/10 Roles

The next category of roles for a wedding photography business are what I call the 90/10 roles.

These are the roles that you can heavily outsource and systematize, but you also need to infuse your brand and put your special stamp on these.

The 90/10 roles are:

• Studio Manager
• Photo Editor
• Album Designer

These are big time-consuming roles in your business that can either drag you down and chain you to your laptop or free you up in major ways.

How these 90/10 roles work are someone or something else does 90% of the work, and you only do 10% of the work

The 90/10 model means that you partner with companies and invest in software that build robust systems for you.

The software and companies do 90% of the heavy lifting, then you get to add your personal touch to those systems – the 10%.

The 10% is your brand and your voice.

We’re afraid – artists are afraid – that systems will ultimately kill your voice and the brand that you’ve worked so hard to create. You don’t want to systemize the heart and the soul out of your business.

But the 10% is the secret sauce.

The 10% is what takes something lifeless and boring, such as an email template, and transforms it into your voice.

The 90/10 roles are basically all of the roles underneath the net of the COO.

With these roles, you need to see yourself as managing the process instead of being the process.

Even if you are the one that is pushing the buttons and doing the things, you still need to approach the systems as CEO and not as employee.

Let’s talk about Photo editing. 

You guys all know that I’m a huge believer in outsourcing our editing. We use Freedom Edits for all of our editing and they are amazing!

After a wedding, I pull 10-20 of my favorite highlight images right away, and I edit them for Instagram sneak peeks, We send some sneak peeks to our couple and to vendors a day or two after the wedding, then we send the wedding off to Freedom Edits. They edit according to our specifications, and then we QC the job when it comes back.

So we’re making sure that the images are delivering on our brand promise, but it’s taking us a fraction of the time than when we do it ourselves.

For the Studio Manager role, we use our studio management software, TAVE, to do 90% of the heavy lifting for us.

We have 42 email templates that we use on a regular basis for weddings and engagements, we have proposal templates that make sending quotes incredibly fast, and our workflows keep us on track. 

The Branded Roles

The last category of common roles for a wedding photographer are the Branded roles. These are the roles that need your time, focus, and energy. This is where you should be spending the majority of your time.

The Branded Roles are:

• Marketer
• Photographer
• Salesperson

No one else can take your images or create your art.

No one else can sit down with a couple and book them for their wedding.

And you really should be the one to focus heavily on your marketing – that should be where a lot of thought and attention goes.

But instead of trying to wear all ten of the hats in your business at all times, you can wear these three the majority of your time. Plus, this gives you clarity on which roles you can immediately outsource and get the most help with when you need it. 

DOWNLOAD OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CHART HERE

If you’d like to see a typical organizational chart of a wedding photography business, then download ours here. Plus, this freebie includes an empty chart for you to use in your own business.