You’re reading this post, which means you’re probably a lot like me, aren’t you?  You’re a small business owner and you started the new year with lots of energy and goals, big dreams and plans.  You want to make EVERYTHING happen and you want to grow your baby photography business this year.  But you don’t know where to start.  So, let me help you!  

Here I’ve compiled a list of 12 ideas that you can put into action during the slow season to set your baby photography business up for growth in the new year.  I hope you find these helpful, and that you’re able to implement a few of them right away!

• Make a list of goals & dreams that you want to accomplish in the new year, and then pull out a calendar and start marking down how you’re going to make that happen! Stick to you plans, make deadlines, and find a friend to hold you accountable.

• Outsource. Free up time to do what you love (and generate more income) by outsourcing tasks that can easily be done by someone else. As business owners, we know that there are so many daily tasks that are absolute time-sucks. Editing, posting on social media, prepping your images for the blog, answering emails, designing albums, creating marketing materials, bookkeeping… Just a little help will go a long way! Think about the areas that you love the MOST about your business, and carve out more time to spend on those tasks than on the tedious tasks that someone else would happily do for you! I’ve been working with a virtual assistant for a few years now, and it’s such a time saver! I don’t know what I would do without her!

• Have you been dreaming of a welcome guide for new parents? This is the perfect time to create one! Gather your favorite images from the past year, and pull everything together to create the perfect packet for your clients.

• Update your website! It only takes an hour or two to go through your website, remove any images that no longer reflect your style, and upload your very best recent images. This is the first thing that your clients see, so make sure it reflects YOU and YOUR BRAND.

• Use templates to save time! Spend a few days designing your contracts, invoices, and questionnaires in a client management software like 17hats. Then when it’s time to send one out to a new client, all it takes is a few quick clicks of your mouse and you’re done!

• Use this time to get out of the studio and connect with local businesses! Have you been talking about collaborating with an OB/GYN office for months? Or about going into that baby boutique downtown? This is the perfect time to get in there, meet the owners, and chat about how you can help each other.

• Write those canned responses for your emails that we’ve been talking about! I can’t say enough amazing things about canned responses. (Check out a tutorial here!) In the past year, this has saved me COUNTLESS HOURS. Keeping on top of my emails is no longer an issue when it only takes 2 minutes or less to reply to a client or new inquiry that is sending the same questions that you always receive. To get started, make a list of all of the types of emails you send out regularly, and then create your templates in Gmail so that you can add them to your email responses easily in minutes!

• Rebrand! If your online presence no longer reflects you and is no longer attracting your ideal client, it’s time to hit the refresh button. The slow season is the perfect time to find a designer whose style you adore and who meshes well with your personality. Find someone who you can talk with easily, and who really listens as you tell them your goals, likes, dislikes, and inspiration for your new website. Considering a switch to a new website platform? This is a great time to research your options and find a designer who can set that up for you!

• Create a stash of blog posts so that you always have something ready to publish! This is a great time to go through last year’s sessions and create posts about your favorite images — favorite newborn sessions, favorite daddy & me images, favorite cake smashes, favorite sibling shots, Fresh 48 sessions from a certain hospital, etc. Not only will this keep your content fresh on your website and help your SEO, but it gives your clients a chance to see themselves in new posts on your page while new clients can see a nice portfolio of your work all in one place!

• Create a blogging calendar! Maybe you’re really good about blogging and you sit down each morning and publish a post before breakfast. Good for you, I admire that dedication! I’m so not like that, though. Designate a certain day of the week (Thursday mornings) or a few days each month (every other Wednesday) to crank out a collection of blog posts that you can schedule ahead of time. If blogging is the task that you always put off, make sure you schedule your blogging day early in the week and during the morning so that nothing else can interfere with this getting pushed to the bottom of your to do list. Make it a priority, and it will get done!

• While you’re at it, create a marketing calendar, too! Every year I see posts from photographers in our online groups that say something like, “Christmas is in two weeks. What should I offer for holiday sessions?” This year, be prepared! Pull out your calendar NOW and mark off when you would like to hold those sessions this year (Easter, Mother’s Day, Back to School, Halloween, Christmas). Then work backwards and figure out how many weeks you’ll need to properly market your sessions to your clients.

• Most important of all… REST. Take some time for yourself to just relax. Read a good book, plan a weekend away, go out for brunch with your girlfriends, enjoy a hot chocolate in the afternoon, take a walk, binge watch old Gilmore Girls episodes, get a manicure, catch up on sleep. You work so hard in the “busy season”, and you need some downtime to recharge and grow your business in the new year rested and inspired. Make sure you plan some time when you turn off the notifications on your phone, put up an away message on your email, and enjoy some time that has absolutely nothing to do with your business. You need this. You deserve this. You’ve earned this.

Do you have some more ideas to add?  Leave them in the comments below to share with our online community!

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