Running a small photography business can be tough. You’re juggling so many different business tasks AND trying to channel your creativity all at the same time. It’s hard to find a balance between the two, especially since they use completely different sides of your brain. A lot of times we see photographers focusing solely on the creativity aspects of their photography; when in fact they should be focusing just as much effort on the business side.
For most of us, the creativity and artistic pieces come easily – or more easily than putting on our CEO hat and running a small business. For those who need a little help with the business side, we’ve put together a list of tools to help you tackle those tasks that may not come so easily.
We’re visual people at heart, so when we have an announcement or something important to share we like to do so with an image. We adore Canva because they make it so darn easy to create a beautiful design. From holiday specials and mini sessions, to workshop announcements – you can create just about anything in Canva within minutes. Check out our in-depth blog post about Canva to see more of the functionality. Best of all – it’s FREE.
We’ve talked about this before – and for good reason. Quickbooks Online may seem intimidating to you, but trust us – it’s well worth the small investment. With Quickbooks Online, you can sync your bank accounts to make accounting a breeze. With the smart software, you won’t spend any time keying in expenses and income. And what’s more, you’ll spend only a few minutes reviewing each expense because the system guesses the expense category for you. If that alone doesn’t sell you, check out our previous blog post about the benefits of Quickbooks for photographers. PS – Your accountant will adore you.
Social media can be a full time job all in itself. And when you’re a photographer, social media can be your main source of marketing. Hootsuite allows you to manage your various social media accounts in one place, and even schedule posts. It’s a great way to map out your social media strategy AND implement it in one program. Best of all, it’s free up to a few different social media accounts.
We love both of these programs for email marketing. Utilizing an established e-marketing tool allows you another outlet for communicating with your clients, and potential clients. Together with Iris, you can create custom groups for targeted email marketing – so when mini session time comes around, or holiday specials, you can create targeted email newsletters without the hassle. Best of all, both programs have free options.
Well duh. Obviously Iris Works is one of our top business tool for photographers. From easy invoicing, automated workflows for email communication, questionnaires, and contracts… Iris helps photographers organize and streamline their businesses with time saving tools.
What other tools have you used to make life as a small business owner easier? Tell us in the comments below!
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Are you needing help managing your business? Try out Iris for 14 days and see how it can help save you time and keep your business organized.
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