So busy season has *finally* slowed down and you’re taking a few months at a slower pace before you’re back to shooting every week!
So as a photographer, what are some of the best ways to utilize that “down” time to set yourself up to thrive when busy season comes back around in the spring?
Here are the FIVE things that I think are worth putting your time and energy into during the off season to elevate your brand:
1 – Updating Your Website Design & Portfolio
How long has it been since you really combed through your website and made updates to your portfolio and your copy? Take some time to refresh it! Chances are you have incredible images from the past year that deserve to be showcased on your website and can attract more of your dream clients in the future!
If your WHOLE website needs an upgrade for your brand to match the level of client experience you provide, I highly recommend looking into Tonic Site Shop for a template that you can customize for your brand! A lot of their templates are specifically designed for photographers and *all* of them are both elevated and designed with conversion in mind!
You can use my code MANALI15 for 15% off any website template!
2 – Update Your Website Copy
Along with that tip, be sure to update the WORDS on your website as well! Your website copy is your chance to connect with your audience and showcase your unique value – to help you connect with your clients and thus, stand out and elevate your brand!
Be sure that your website is speaking to your brand values, what makes you unique and has up to date testimonials from your past clients! If you haven’t gotten testimonials from your clients this past year, now’s the perfect time to reach back out for those!
If you’re looking to completely uplevel your website to be connection AND conversion driven, I highly recommend using The Promptlate Website Bundle by Jess Jordana! I’ve used her website bundle over the last 5 years everytime I’ve made changing my website copy a priority in my business.
Back in 2021, the ONLY thing I did to update my website was change the copy and that resulted in a booking rate of over 95% with clients that were at dream venues who also treated me as a FRIEND more than just another wedding vendor — so I can’t recommend her copy bundle enough!!
^ And yes, that’s an affiliate link but I’ve used her bundle over 3x myself in my business and can’t recommend it enough to other creatives who can’t afford to hire a copywriter for their website words!
3 – Have High-Quality Branding Photos Of YOU
Guys – I can’t stress the importance of this ENOUGH! We are highly visual creatures, and your people are gonna make a snap judgment based on your brand and images!
Your clients want to connect WITH YOU on your website! They want to know what you look like, how they can expect you to show up during their wedding day AND to know the little “behind the scenes” things about you like what your cat looks like or what your favorite cocktail is to connect with you as a HUMAN instead being just another vendor!
They can’t reallyyy do that if they don’t see YOU! As much as they wanna see themselves in your portfolio, they also wanna know who’s gonna be on the other side of that camera during the most important day of their life, too!!
Shameless plug but if you need updated branding photos – thats what I’m here for!
You can learn more about branding sessions here — I’d be SO excited to work with you to make sure you have a library of images to pull from for updating your website and marketing content that visually stop your dream clients in their tracks while they’re scrolling!
4 – Invest in Business Coaching or Skill Development
Use the off-season to invest in yourself and elevate your brand! Consider hiring a business coach (it’s me, hi!) or enrolling in/going through a course!
If you’re looking to work with a business coach – I absolutely would LOVE to chat with you! You can find more details here (or if you’re looking to outsource your editing AND have a business coach in your back pocket, then the Free & Fulfilled Photographer Membership would be *perfect* for you!!)
For skills development, this could look like refining your photography skills in-camera, nailing your posing workflow, tackling off-camera flash or mastering new editing techniques!
It could also be any type of business skill development as well – so taking the time to finally dig into that course that you invested in but put off or really combing through your business finances! Here’s an easy way to track your finances if you need a lil help in that area!
Investing in your skills allows you to show up as an even better photographer, provide more value and expertise to your clients — and charge more for your work as well!
5 – Strengthen Your Online Presence with Strategic Marketing Planning
Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience and potential clients!
Use the off-season to create a strategic social media plan. Identify which content resonated the most with your audience the past year and plan for more content this year that aligns with your brand values and showcases your value as well!
Consistency is key, so writing out and scheduling posts in advance using tools like Later or Planoly can help you get stay consistent — even when you’re in the midst of busy season!
Take the time to mine behind-the-scenes from this past year, client testimonials, images you wanted to share but didn’t have a chance to and any old content that you could repurpose for these posts!
If you need one place to keep track of all of your marketing content and strategically plan it out — be sure to check out the Marketing Map Templates in the Shop!
Remember, a planned marketing strategy social media strategy can significantly elevate your brand and attract potential clients throughout the year!
If you enjoyed this post, binge through these brand shoots as well & learn more about the Branding Experience.
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