I quickly learned that running a photography business is NOT easy. There is so much work to do on the backend, information to send out, and questions to answer. And that’s in addition to the editing and the actual shooting. I have learned that automating as much “busy work” as possible frees me up for the more important and personalized aspects of running my business. Let me tell you my top must-haves for automating the back-end of my business.

SESSION

After spending way too much time setting up a complicated CRM, I found Session. I had initially planned on only using it for mini sessions, but after using it once I was SOLD. It had everything I was currently using from my CRM, but was simpler, faster and less expensive. I’m currently in the process of phasing out my CRM, and will use Session for 100% of my client booking and management by spring of 2023.

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT SESSION. Session will not only eliminate a ton of back and forth for you, but will make the booking process smoother for clients and allow them to see your availability at a glance.

• You can set up an automated response when clients book, an automated reminder, as well as an automated followup. If you get creative with links to blog posts or private pages, you can pack a TON of information into these emails.

• Session allows you to setup a personalized contract AND questionnaire that can be sent to clients.

• Session makes it easy to do bulk actions amongst clients, as well as to see your earnings at a glance.

• The scheduler allows you to not only setup time slots, but to designate a location. This was not something my previous scheduler allowed me to do.

• Once a client starts to book your session, it will hold their time slot for 15 minutes. This will prevent spots from getting “stolen” and clients getting upset or confused. If not paid, the spot will reopen after 15 minutes.

SHOOTPROOF

Shootproof was one of the first photography “things” that I signed up for (probably right after Photoshop and Lightroom!) and I’ve never looked back. Shootproof is a photo hosting website that allows you to professionally share and deliver your images with clients. However, when used to it’s fullest capacity it offers so much more.

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT SHOOTPROOF

• Shootproof galleries are incredibly professional looking and easy to use. You can even customize your brand colors to make it cohesive with your brand and website.

• Shootproof offers the ability to create canned emails that can be quickly applied to outgoing galleries. Since Session (above) doesn’t offer this feature, I do use Shootproof’s emails to deliver proofs and finished galleries. Have prewritten emails with the important information needed saves me SO much time, and allows me to add personal touches without writing every email from scratch.

• I quickly learned that paying for unlimited Shootproof storage is well worth the cost. This serves as an online backup to all galleries that have been sent out to clients.

• Shootproof allows you to easily sell professional prints through your favorite professional printer. Set your own prices, calibrate your monitor to match the printer, and you are ready to go! Clients can purchase prints and more directly through your galleries, and some even offer holiday cards!

SHOOTPROOF + VIRTUAL SOFTPROOFING

Softproofing truly changed my life and my business model, so it deserves its own paragraph. Softproofing means that you show your client unedited proofs and let them choose the set amount they’d like, instead of editing all of them. It saves you time, allows you to show your clients more images faster, and allows you to dedicate more time to each edited images because you are editing less. Virtual Softproofing would not be possible without Shootproof. Check out my entire process in the interview I did with them here: Shootproof Interview with Stefanie Cole Photography

PLANOLY

People constantly ask me how I stay so consistent on social media, and my answer is Planoly. Planoly is a social media planning app, where you can drag images in, write captions, add hashtags, and save these posts for when you are ready. It also allows you to see what your grid will look like, and play with the order and composition.

The way I use Planoly is simple. As soon as I finish editing and deliver a gallery, I drag my ten favorites into Planoly and write a quick caption. Those posts can sit in Planoly as long as I want, get edited, or sometimes even get discarded. When I am ready to post, I don’t have to think too hard or look for pictures…I can just grab the next one and hit post!

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT PLANOLY

• We all know that there are certain times of day that are best to post, but those times of day rarely fall at convenient times for a parent. Planoly allows me to do the social media work when it’s convenient for me, and either preschedule or just hit “post” at the time of day that I want it to go live.

• I rarely post a session immediately after it’s been delivered. But I’ve found that when I wait a few weeks, it’s so hard to get back in that head space and think of a caption. Having the images already pulled and the caption already written saves me a ton of creative energy. Even on days where I have no creative juice, I usually have several posts waiting and ready to go.

• Because my posts are often written and then revisited again before posting, my posts are able to be more professional than if I was just throwing them together on my phone at a time that I might be distracted.

• Planoly allows me to limit the time I spend on my phone, which is super important to me as a mom, while still being very engaged on social media.

FLODESK

Flodesk is an incredibly easy to use email service that creates professional and aesthetically impressive emails. Gone are the days of trying to reach clients through social media, dm’s or texts. Email allows me to control my messaging, send it out at a given time, and my clients can book themselves using the platforms listed above

I had used another email platform before this one (you know the one…) and the emails were so incredibly outdated and unprofessional that I was actually embarrassed to be sending these emails out…so I avoided it. When I found Flodesk, I was thrilled that it was so affordable, easy to use, and the emails always look amazing.

WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT FLODESK

• You. guys know I’m pretty picky about my brand. These emails are gorgeous - I honestly feel proud putting my name on them.

• It’s affordable. Don’t tell ‘em, but I’d pay a heck of a lot more than what I do for this service.

• Email is reliable. We all know that social media platforms come and go, the algorithm changes, and tragically….accounts get hacked and lost forever. I always knew that I didn’t want to rely solely on social media. Email allows me to reach my clients directly when I need to.

• Flodesk shows you results that are really useful to track. You can see all sorts of data like how many emails were opened, how often links within the email are clicked, unsubscribes, and the devices readers are opening on. All of this data can be used to better serve your clients.

I am so passionate about automation. When used correctly, it will ADD to your client experience and allow you to use your time and energy for the tasks that you are most needed for. NO MORE BUSY WORK! I encourage you to try at least one of these programs before the new year, and see what kind of a difference it makes!

Please let me know how it goes. I’d love to celebrate with you!