6 Small Business Tools for Photographers – arguably the most important thing to talk about when you’re building your business?
As small business owners we need to be careful with how we spend our money since normally this is normally our livelihood. When I talk about My Top 5 Small Business Tools for Photographers, a mother, wife, and small business owner, know that I put all of my faith, my family’s future, and the future of my business into their hands. t’s not something that I take lightly- and neither should you.
I’ve tried so many different sites, so many different ways to run my business without having to spend “too much” money. Of course, it’s all relative and I can’t tell you what is too much at this point in your business- no one can! But please don’t forget: You can’t grow your business without some sort of investment!
So- let’s get right into it!
Flodesk
I am 10 months into using FloDesk and I have so many nice things to say about it!
This photographer is far from a designer- I don’t have a way with words and I can’t design an email to save my life! At least I thought I couldn’t! FloDesk takes all the pressure off of me, and I actually love the process now.
It’s all drag and drop!
I don’t have to stress about not having the right images- they provide them!
Copy isn’t an issue when they’ve already hired professionals to guide me through how to connect with my clients!
Brand design? It’s right there at your finger tips! No chasing down the colors, the fonts- their library is extensive and it’s all available RIGHT THERE!
What I didn’t know that an Email marketing System does is provide Forms so that you can add to your email list! I had no idea what that was, or how i could benefit me. But now that I do, I have them EVERYWHERE!
They’re on my blog, my website, and even other people’s websites! It helps you bring in subscribers all across the web that will find value in what you do.
Find out why I love FloDesk so much when you read everything it has to offer here!
Looking for a discount? You can score FloDesk for $19/month for LIFE when you use this link!
Showit
I’ve worked with 3 different hosts for my website, and I have to say that not only is ShowIt the over all best, but it’s significantly easier to design than the others (especially when you don’t have a background in web design!)
In the past I’ve been able to purchase premade websites and pages at an affordable rate (with payment plans available, too!) and have the hardest part of the web design done before I ever start using them! ShowIt hires real designers that have created stunning websites for small businesses to use, whether you’re a photographer (hey!), florist, invitation designer, dress designer, jewelry store, pet supplies shop- the list is never ending!
ShowIt is my website’s home, and I won’t be changing it anytime soon.
ShootProof
Since I’ve used ShootProof since I started in 2017 I don’t have much to compare it to. What I can say without a doubt in my mind is that it does everything that I need and want it to in order to run a successful photography business!
I have an entire page on my website dedicated to why I love it so much, and you can check it out here!
What do you look for when it comes to a gallery hosting site?
- Ease of access for your clients
- Branded to you & your business
- Option of upsells
- Automated emails
- Financial Reports
- Integrated with your finance software
ShootProof offers these and so much more, which is fantastic! I love that my client can easily decide, “I would love to purchase my entire gallery!” Then make it happen in 3 clicks! I get the email saying that ShootProof has collected the money, it’s waiting in my account, and my client get their portraits!
Now, Mini Sessions. Can you place a limit on each gallery? Example: “This gallery include 20 images to choose from, you can either purchase the full gallery or just the 7 that are offered.” Yes, they do! The process is automated and saves you so much time!
Get your 1 month free after your first paid month using this link here!
Dubsado
The first thing I do every morning is log into Dubsado to see if I have any new appointments, if my clients have paid on any invoices, if I have additional inquires, etc. Dubsado is my CRM and I can’t tell you how much time it has saved me as a small business owner!
Check out a few reasons why it’s my go to for CRMs!
I can automate thing I never could before- appointments for my weddings & couples, consultations with families, and scheduling Mini Sessions. In 2022 I started offering a Client Closet, so by creating a calendar that allows my clients to book at my both my convenience & theirs opens up a lot of time for me! No back & forth on emails, just a quick add on to my calendar, a confirmation email that’s already set up through the workflow and the process is complete! These small business tools for photographers are no joke, the people and teams that have created them have put their heart into making these for you, and work for you.
The benefit of having additional time with customized email templates that I can send to each of my inquiring couples & families? I save hours by the end of the week, have so many happier couples, and my bookings happen even quicker! Quicker bookings means that I’m bringing in money faster, and who doesn’t love the idea of that?
QuickBooks
At the end of every month I take a few hours to focus on my taxes, and entering everything that I paid for my month that relates to the business. I do this using Quickbooks, which makes the process easier than trying to do all of this by myself! It lets me add in mileage, calculates the amount for me, and lays out everything tied to my bank account so that I have easy access to everything that I need. This was made as one of the small business tools for photographers, quickbooks just get us!
Small Business owners pay $26/month to have this perk, and I absolutely love it!
You could even get 50% off your first 6 months when you use this link to sign up!
Canva
This is where I create all of my Instagram stories, my course content, my ads for Mini Sessions, and anything that requires even the smallest bit of design work! Like I said above when talking about ShowIt- I am NO designer! So if I have an app that makes it that much easier for me, of course I am all over it!
Canva makes it look like I know what I’m doing when I’m posting ot my stories, making reel covers on Instagram, and even creating presentations for my courses. It helps me bring this valuable information to you in a visually pleasing way!
Grab a free Membership here and you can use one of the paid membership photos, iconic, or illustrations when you use this link!
So tell me, do you currently use any of these Tools? If you do- which is you favorite? I can’t run my business without any of these, and I’ll be fighting tooth & nail if I have to give any of these up! These small business tools for photographers especially, these have built up my business since day 1. They’ve made my job easier, and they’ve made the processes that I thought were so difficult become easier and almost enjoyable. Who really enjoys taxes, though? I hope that these tools can help you build the photography business of your dreams.
