Maintaining your photography business during a pandemic!

Ok. So unless you have been hiding under a rock these last 20 months you may have noticed we are in the grips of a pandemic! Businesses everywhere are hurting and Photography is no exception. In the midst of this madness, I have been thinking of different ways to keep my photography business alive and well.

Of course, I am taking a hard hit, just like everyone else. However, you may have noticed the odd blog post periodically as I am making an effort to stay relevant so when the time comes, I will be ready to get back up and running. This got me thinking. How can others be helped.

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

Yes, it’s a given, however, I cannot stress enough the importance of maintaining your social media presence. Right now, more than ever, people are on their phones and computers. TAKE ADVANTAGE. Keep your name out there and in their minds.

That said, don’t exploit

We all have an opinion, we all have political thoughts, but the first thing we can do to keep our businesses up and running is to ensure we are not part of the problem. Spreading any kind of misinformation or exploiting the panic may seem like a sure-fire way to make some quick money, but not only is it unethical, it is inhumane and likely to get your business in a world of trouble.

Social media and advertisement companies have been sending out warnings that they will shut down business accounts found to be participating in the above-mentioned activities. Just don’t do it.

Ideally you should be posting on your social media pages once a day. I know that a lot of people do not have new content to share, I am one of those people, but, depending on your style of photography, here are a few things that you can post:

• Some old favourites is a great place to start. Parents will love to see their little ones on your feed. For example, share a new-born photo from 3 years ago with the text, “I can’t believe this little one is three already!”

• Photos of your own children. I know my child is a great model for me as she is relaxed around me, and her photos are some of my best work mainly because there is no pressure. I have the creative freedom to do WHATEVER I want! So get your family outside to the location you’ve been considering, and create some magic, I took mine to a fantastic sunflower farm (Tip: there are some helpful tips for photographing your children on my blog.)

• Self Portraits are a lot of fun. Set up a tripod and a timer and have some fun with this. Use it as a time to “re-introduce” yourself to your audience. Bonus Tip: I have seen some people running specials right now. I am not. Mainly because no one truly knows when we will be in the clear, and when we are, I do not want to be shooting sessions for less than what I normally would when my rates are so competative.

BUILD AN EMAIL LIST

If you don’t already have an email list set up DO IT NOW. Take this time to get everything set!

Mailchimp is FREE. Yes, free. I am about to link to my website, so people can just go there and sign up themselves! Once done I will use it to send updates and specials.

Here are some examples of what you can share in your emails and social media posts:

• Just a reminder that weekends are full through June. Make sure you get on the books! Then I will add 3-4 favourite images from recent sessions. Short and sweet.

• How is everyone holding up? I have taken this extra time to revamp my website. Please check it out. All feedback welcome!

MANAGE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG

Managing your photography blog is one of the best things you can do to help the SEO of your website.

If you don’t know what to blog about, you can just write about each session you photographed in the past few months. Add in your favourite images with some details. You can keep them simple and just write something to summarise each session.

It is suggested to have at least 300+ words for best results, but If you can’t get there, just be sure and add keywords such as your city, style, and photography business name.

Bonus Tip: Take one night and create several blog posts. Have them scheduled to go live once per week for the next few weeks. Then, share these on your social media! It's a win-win.

Things are changing every day, and no one is sure exactly where we are heading or how long this quarantine will last. The key is to keep your name out there. People need positivity right now.

Be that person to inspire and encourage!

Stay safe people.