5 Ways to Grow Your Family Photography Business | Nashville Family Photographer Dolly DeLong Photography

5 Ways to Grow Your Family Photography Business | Nashville Family Photographer Dolly DeLong Photography

Growing a successful family photography business doesn’t happen overnight. It takes hard work and planning. And, if I‘m being honest, a little bit of help. Today, I wanted to share 5 ways to grow your family photography business. As you read through these ideas, remember that you may not be in a place for all of these options right now, but over time, you will be.

➡️P.S. Make sure you read all the way through! There might just be a free gift for you at the end of the post!!

#1: Outsource your editing

One of the scariest steps I ever took for my family photography business was to outsource my editing. I always believed I needed to have full control of everything in my business and that no one could do things as well as I could.

Uh, that’s a LIE.

But, this mindset shift took years to overcome (and that’s okay!).

When I finally settled into my brand and editing style, I realized I could hand off my editing to some pretty incredible people. The incredible people at Cultivated Edits have changed my life. Once I knew the style I wanted, so I could easily communicate with their team, I gained SO much time back in my business.  Imagine getting hours back each week while knowing that your clients and their images are still being taken care of! It’s seriously such a great feeling.

Click here or the image below to access a direct link to get in touch with Cultivated Edits!

#2: Hire a Virtual Assistant

Letting go of tasks is always scary. But, I’ve learned that this is where the space for real growth comes from. Another task I let go of was my blog writing and formatting. I hired Kristina Dowler of Dot the I’s Outsourcing to help with this task! Blogging has always been my preferred format to share my pillar content and reach my audience each week. I also know the importance of blogging my sessions so that Google learns to share my site with people searching for a Nashville Family Photographer & Nashville Branding Photographer! But, it’s a lot of work each week.  Now, I have someone on my team that helps me take my notes and create a cohesive and optimized blog post each week.  Kristina has been such a blessing and I LOVE having her in my corner. We just vibe and have learned how to communicate well so that she can do her job to make mine easier.

A note about outsourcing: hiring a virtual assistant (or any other team member) isn’t a magic fairy wand. Although they’re close to magicians, they aren’t mind readers and it takes good communication. The magic really comes from your worth TOGETHER and from planning ahead.  Take the time to lay your content out, plan for what’s coming and provide that to your team. They aren’t going to do everything for you – they’re here to help you get that to-do list done as a team.

To reach out to Kristina, click HERE

#3: Hire a copywriter

Being a photographer is about more than just taking pretty pictures. Part of being a photographer is learning how to reach your ideal client. And while I’m pretty good with the photos, words aren’t my strong suit. A game-changer for me was hiring a copywriter to help me communicate my services well. I’ll be honest, the first time I hired out was too soon. I barely knew my own brand voice. So it made things a bit complicated. But, now that I have a good feel on what I sound like, I was able to communicate easily with my amazing copywriter Emily Writes Well. She’s helped me update my website, write email copy, and so much more to make sure my ideal client finds me every time!

Click here to DM Emily on Instagram! 

#4: Mastering Dubsado

It’s one thing to casually use a CRM, like Dubsado (which is my personal favorite!). But, it’s something else to actually master it. When I first started, I assumed that just buying it would save me time and improve my client experience. That’s just not true. Instead, I invested time into understanding HOW to use Dubsado and create a strong foundation for my business. Because I took the time to get to know the program, it’s now so easy to use and really does save me time. I’m honestly still obsessed with Dubsado and I want you to be confident in using this amazing program, too! That’s why I offer a Dubsado Toolkit for Family photographers. This resource will help you establish a strong foundation for using Dubsado in your business.

➡️Now, if you are READY to dive into learning how to use Dubsado as a Family Photographer & you need a go-at-your-own-pace tool, check out the Dubsado Toolkit for Family Photographers here! I try to open it at least one time a year, but DEF jump on the waitlist to find out more information!

#5: Batching my work.

Another huge game-changer (and time-saver) has been to batch my work. At the top of every month, I plan out content for the entire month in just 4 days. This means that I can spend my time doing other tasks in and for my business. Seriously, I can’t stress how important it is to be able to spend your precious office hours doing something other than writing all the time.

Although it sounds like a lot, batching out my pillar content this way is SUPER easy! I actually show my entire process during my FREE batching tutorial. And I also have a Content Planning Masterclass to help you take it a step further.

I created a FREE download for you to utilize this Trello board for your own business! So you can click HERE to access this very same Trello board so that you can become a master at planning out your content for a month!

Summary

There you have it: 5 easy ways to grow your family photography business. Growth is truly about hard work and strategic planning. Now, if you made it this far into the blog, I’ve got a gift for you! As family photographers, it’s important to build a portfolio that you love so that your dream clients can find you. That’s why I’ve got a FREE Canva template to help you create a style guide for your business! All you have to do is add your own photos and branding information. It’s SO easy – and now you’ve got a beautiful guide to elevate your client experience!

If you’re a brand new family photographer and you’re struggling with how to move the needle in your business, my Family Photography VIP Days are for you! We’ll break down exactly what you need to be doing to see growth in your business.  Learn more here!

Did you like this blog post? Please share it on Pinterest & share it with a fellow photography friend!

Meet Your Friendly Nashville Family Photographer/Family Photographer Educator & Business Systems + Workflow Educator

Dolly DeLong is a Nashville-based family & branding photographer and a creative business owner who educates on all things Pinterest & Dubsado (and how to use these platforms as systems in your business)!  Dolly loves serving families, and business owners with her timeless, radiant photography.  And, she also loves educating other business owners on how to set up systems and workflows that will ultimately help them save time in their business.

She has a heart for serving the larger business community. Dolly shares her knowledge of tools like Pinterest, Dubsado, Email Marketing, and Business Systems with new creative business owners & family photographers in an encouraging and supportive way because she believes that even muggles can become automating wizards. Plus BONUS: Systems is where the MAGIC happens!

Dolly’s faith and love for her family motivate her to help other business owners find the joy and freedom she’s found in running a successful small business.

Whenever she has a spare moment, she enjoys watching TV (i.e. Survivor), loves eating way too many sweets, and listens to podcasts while running or walking. To work with Dolly DeLong Photography LLC, fill out her contact form here.

Interested in learning how to best automate a part of your business but you have no clue where to begin? Check out www.systemsandworkflowmagic.com/automate to begin your automation journey today!

Resources for Family Photographers To Automate Your Business

(*Click on the banners to get started! It’s super easy to work with Dolly DeLong & it’s super easy to automate your business today!) 

Learn how to start growing out your email list as a family photographer

Learn why it’s important to know the customer journey (your ideal client’s customer journey) so that you, the family photographer, can create content that speaks to them! 

Learn how to streamline & track your finances for your family photography business with ease! 

Learn the magic of saving time by batching out your content so that you can focus on other areas of your family photography business!