7 Tools I Use Daily in My Brand Photography Business

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How do you streamline your business processes? As a brand photographer, taking photos is only a small part of my day-to-day. I knew early on that running a business on the backend was going to take most of my time, and I wanted to make that process easier and more effective. So, I made a list of the tools that power my brand photography business, and allow me to streamline my processes. These are great gifts to yourself or someone you know who has a business, and may be just getting started.

Lightroom

This is obviously my most used tool. I edit all of my client work in Lightroom, using my presets. Presets help me to streamline my editing process, and cut down on the time it takes me to finish a project. If you want to learn how I edit, check out my class Edit Like a Pro in Lightroom. I also use the mobile version if I need to make quick edits on the go or edit cell phone pictures.

Pixieset

Part of creating an amazing client experience is the way the final edited images are presented from a client shoot. I invested in Pixieset to upload and send client galleries, and it has made a huge impact on my clients and has even increased my revenue. I’m able to organize the images, create tabs or categories and even upsell more images. They have plans at various price points, so you can use it even if you’re just getting started. Send galleries directly to your clients’ email from Pixieset, so they can download to their devices!

HoneyBook

I’ve tried other CRMs that shall remain nameless, and Honeybook is by far the best for creatives and dare I say photographers. So many new functions have been added since I initially joined in 2019, and it makes running a business so much easier! You can keep track of your client contacts, leads, send contracts and invoices, questionnaires, automations and even keep track of client communications. I love the reporting, it shares estimated booking value, current and past revenue and more. If you want to increase your brand’s value, invest in a CRM like HoneyBook.

Calendly

If it’s not on the calendar, it won’t happen! That’s my motto when it comes to scheduling. I schedule everything, even when I’m supposed to pick my kids from school! And Calendly helps with everything from setting my availability for sessions, scheduling strategy calls and even collecting payments. I have started to use Honeybook’s scheduler more often, but Calendly is a great tool if you don’t yet have a CRM. You can offer discovery calls, paid consult calls and more, with a professional look. You can also use the embed feature on your website and e-mail marketing.

Google Calendar/Drive

I use Google Calendar to integrate with Calendly and Honeybook for my availability. I love that I can color code calendar blocks based on what they are. It also works seamlessly with Gmail and Drive. I store a lot of my brainstorming docs, notes from client calls and drafts for blog posts in Google Drive. Also, some of my spreadsheets like my revenue and expenses tracker and even my shot list template was created with Google Sheets! I have more Drive folders than I can count, but I like storing files there, and sharing them with clients and contractors.

Squarespace

I’ve really only used Squarespace for my photography website, and I don’t plan on switching anytime soon or at all. I love everything Squarespace offers, and that they make it so easy to create a beautiful, professional website as well as an opportunity to monetize with digital products. Although I use a template from Big Cat Creative, Squarespace has nice built-in templates so you can get started with launching your business, rebranding or creating a landing page for a new product or service. My digital product shop The Brand Edit was super simple to setup, and I make sales through there every month! I’m excited to create and launch more digital products in 2023.

Canva

I create all of my graphics for my brand in Canva. Every single one. In my next life, I’ll be a graphic and brand designer, and Canva makes this come true. So many beautiful, editable templates. I store all of my designs in Canva, so I can repurpose them or use them on social media, in presentations, e-mail marketing and on my website. I recommend the Pro version, so you have access to all of the features.

Zoom

Connecting with clients face to face is super important to growing a successful business. Even if you can’t meet in person, having at least one personal touchpoint can go a long way. I started offering virtual shoot prep calls early on in my business, and has helped me learn so much about my ideal client. I can ask them questions about their business, personal life, and what they’re excited about in the near future. We also discuss strategy and logistics for the shoot, so they feel as prepared as possible. I’ve only used Zoom, and it’s served me well so far. I recommend the paid version, so you won’t have a cap on how long your calls can be. Also, if you plan to offer live classes, having a dedicated Zoom link for folks to join makes it so much easier!

Flodesk

Building an e-mail list has increased my revenue more than any other marketing channel. Leveraging your e-mail list can create a cash injection, especially during the holiday season. If you haven’t been sending out marketing e-mails to your list, start now! There’s less competition in e-mail than social media, and you can communicate directly with folks who have opted in to hear from you. I love using Flodesk to create landing pages for my mini session waitlist or services I’m planning to launch. I also use it to communicate with retainer clients, and sell digital products.

InShot

Social media has been a game-changer for my business, especially Instagram. A large percentage of my leads come from Instagram, so I’m very intentional about creating a strategy to attract my dream clients, and convert them. Video has been a huge trend on Instagram, specifically with Reels. I’ve learned so much over the last couple of years that Reels have become popular, and have really leaned into them for my business marketing. I edit almost all of my videos in the InShot app. You can create fun transitions, effects, you can trim the videos, clip them to your desired length and even speed up and slow down the video. I highly recommend InShot, if you want to take your social media video editing to the next level. If I want to add graphics or my custom font, I’ll pull the video into a Canva template and edit from there.

What are some of the tools you use to power your business? Are there any tools list above that you plan to try in the new year?