Chances are, you’ve heard the phrase, “in order to make money, you have to spend money.”

A lot of the time, this is in conjunction with outsourcing and delegating tasks within your business. But here’s the deal: this advice doesn’t consider those who are just starting out in photography and don't have money to pay anyone to do those tasks.

Outsourcing, also known as delegating tasks in your busines, simply means that you are passing it on to somebody else to complete in exchange for payment.

For those who are established in their business, outsourcing may be a fantastic idea because it frees up time and enables them to focus in on their specialty or to start new projects.

But outsourcing is not an option for those who don’t have the extra money to pour into their business. When time is a limited resource, it’s easy to get spread thin over all of your commitments. If you feel like you're treading water within your photography business— you’re not alone.

Today on the blog, I’m sharing four DIY photography business solutions to gain back time in your business when you cannot afford to outsource (yet).

1) Batch your work.

Batching means you block time on your calendar to do a week’s worth of, let’s say, social media posts in one sitting. For example, when it comes to Instagram, you may create graphics, prepare photos, write captions, research hashtags, etc. for the whole week instead of just one day at a time.

When you batch your content for Instagram, it enables you to be a lot more intentional with the call to action (also known as CTA) in your captions.

It’s also easier to do things like organize how many times a month you want to post booking information, share a freebie with your audience, or share a styled shoot or wedding information.

This enables you to cover those topics and spread them out over the month without feeling overwhelmed or salesy.

I personally use the desktop version of Planoly for planning and scheduling my content. Within the platform, I’m able to create a system for the time of day, hashtags, etc. for all of my posts. I highly recommend drafting and scheduling your post on desktop and using the mobile version when it comes time to actually publish.

In a recent video I made about the number one thing that you can do to be productive in your business, I discuss how to unplug from social media by using specific social media apps on desktop rather than your phone.

When you’re able to build everything out on the computer, you can disconnect from the distractions of using a phone (like endlessly scrolling on Instgram instead of writing captions).

Some alternatives to Planoly are tools like Trello, Google Sheets, or Canva.

Think of Canva as a simplified version of photoshop in which you can plug in your branding colors and information, create information graphics, and design weeks of Instagram posts in a single document.

One last note— batching content can flow into other areas of your business, but I recommend you start with Instagram. Try creating a week’s worth of content instead of posting day-by-day. I guarantee that it will improve your productivity and protect you from burnout.

2) Create canned responses for Instagram DMs.

A canned response is just a pre-written answer to a frequently asked question. However, it enables you to reply to potential clients in a very professional and speedy way.

Start by downloading the Google Doc app, creating a document for canned responses, and then favoriting that document to your bookmarks bar. Next, search your Instagram direct messages for FAQs and start drafting detailed responses that you can then use as templates.

Something to note is that Instagram does offer customizable quick responses and pop-up FAQs so that when someone clicks on a question, your canned reply will be sent to them.

I personally don't use the quick responses or the FAQs any more. Instead, I'll go through my DMs and respond to any questions or inquiries that I get via my canned responses I have logged in my Google Doc.

Pre-written, canned responses allow you to provide both consistency and detail to all of your clients. Sure, you'll probably have to make slight adjustments to the messages, but overall, it will help you maintain a clear brand voice and gain some of your time back.

Now, when logging into Instagram, you are simply there to post and reply with canned responses.

3) Create a detailed photography contact form.

This is my number one productivity tip as we head into a new year. Not only will it help you take back your time, but it will allow you to establish boundaries with social media as well.

It’s time to give your old contact a facelift. Rather than simply requiring a name and email, spruce up your contact form by adding even more details like which package they’re interested in, location preferences, and even their vision for the project.

The more questions you can ask in the contact form, the less time that you will spend sending emails back and forth to a client who may end up ghosting you (can’t say this hasn’t happened before).

I believe in this so much so that I've actually created an entirely free photography tutorial on how to buff out your contact form. It covers exactly what to include in order to eliminate the back and forth so that you're booked within just three emails.

4) Use an automated client management program.

In my own business, I use the automated client management program, HoneyBook but there are a ton of great options out there. The reason why I love HoneyBook is because of its easy setup and abundance of tools offered beyond simply the booking process.

For instance, HoneyBook allows you to create different systems within your business based on the type of package you offer. Once these systems are built, you’re able to automate the entire thing. It’s a true plug-and-play and a huge time-saver.

Let’s look at an example: HoneyBook offers their own contact form so you can integrate it into your SquareSpace website using a custom code. Once the client fills out the form on your website and clicks “submit,” they are dropped into a HoneyBook workflow which may start off with a welcome email, and after they’re booked on your calendar, and you can send them an invoice and due date reminders.

Another thing HoneyBook offers are contract templates. While I use attorney-drafted photography contract templates for my business, these HoneyBook contracts are a great way to get started in your own business.

Once they've signed the photography contract, you can also choose to send reminder emails leading up to the shoot. In these emails, you can give them outfit advice and any last-minute details and get them excited about the upcoming session.

Before you even physically log into the computer, they've already entered into an intentional and thorough client experience.

No matter how you you may be feeling mentally or physically throught the week, using a platform like HoneyBook will allow your clients to have a consistent and quick response time because you've put in the time for the backend of your business.

For HoneyBook specifically, I would carve out a weekend— maybe two hours on Saturday, three on Sunday— to getting everything set up and automated. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the setup process, they offer a supportive and detailed help desk that will walk you through the entire process.

If you’re looking for more help in where to begin with outsourcing your business, I recommend joining our free community, Build + Bloom. In the community, we provide monthly posts where people can share their skills on offer, whether that's photo editing, logo design, virtual assistant email responses, setting up HoneyBook, etc. Hope to see you there!

Resources:

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If you like what I teach on YouTube and in blog posts, chances are you'll love my Photography Business Basics course where I share the 8 essential steps to build your photography business and make it bloom. Sart your business off on the right foot in a way that is *actually* clear, concise, and easy to understand.Learn more here!