Tips for photographers during the Coronavirus outbreak
Business may be looking a little bit different for you for the foreseeable future but it doesn’t have to be the end of your career. Here are my tips for photographers during the Coronavirus outbreak, that I also will be implementing into my own personal business.
Be there for your brides
If you’re a wedding photographer, it’s important that you slap on your happy face and put on your positive pants to make sure you’re serving your clients and brides to the best of your ability. It is so important to put yourself in their shoes and be more than a wedding photographer, especially during this crazy time of uncertainty. Be their friend, be flexible, and just be there for them. They will recognize you for this. It is no question that I will choose to SERVE and show up for my clients and be on their side during this time. I am 100% in their corner from the moment they slide into my inbox. My heart truly breaks for all of the couples out there who have spent so much time and money planning their weddings for them to be forced to cancel or postpone their special days.
If you haven’t already, reach out to your couples who have events in the next few months. Reassure them that you are on their team and you will do everything that needs to be done for you to still be a part of their wedding day. Whether that means working with all other vendors to reschedule their event, or photographing their wedding as an elopement. Whatever it may look like, let your clients know that you are there for them through & through. Be their rock and positive light; I’m sure lots of tears have been shed on the other side of the phone.
Your business doesn’t have to stop because your calendar is fleeting
Let yourself freak out for about a good 5 seconds that your calendar is looking pretty empty right about now, and then take a step back and figure out how to use this valuable time to your advantage.
It is the slow seasons that actually give our businesses the potential to have the MOST growth. Can you imagine actually completing your to-do list during the middle of wedding season!? No way. We all have the perfect opportunity right now to invest in ourselves, our relationships, and our businesses. There are so many things we can do during this time while bookings may have been put on hold:
- Catch up on editing cues
- Post a new blog / Batch-work
- Start a new marketing strategy
- Update your website
- Organize your workspace
- Streamline your business with HoneyBook
- Be more present on social media
- Start a personal project
- Invest in education/book a skype mentor session
- Find gaps in your business and pivot accordingly
- Practice self-care
- Spend time with your people
This is the time to crush these goals and start crossing things off your neverending to-do list.
Invest in education
Been wanting to invest in that online course? Book a mentorship? Now is the time! You should never want to stop learning and being the best you can be. Use your social distancing as a time to set your business up for success. Don’t waste all of this valuable time binging Netflix and obsessing over news updates; use this time to grow. Invest in your business now so that your business is set up for success when the world goes back to normal and our economy recovers.
More entrepreneurs wanting to be successful need to spend more time investing in their businesses, rather than waiting for people to invest first. If you want people to pour money into you, you need to pour money into them (aka your business).
Take a shower and put some pants on
This may seem like such a silly thing to most people, but I have been working from home for several years now and this is one thing that has helped my business tremendously. Working from home requires A LOT of will power and self-motivation. Taking a damn shower and putting on some pants makes a huge difference in the motivation department. Heck, sometimes I even brush my hair and put some mascara on and those are the days I get the most done. Jon Acuff, author and speaker, just wrote “flannel feels like failure by day 3” and I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Read a damn book
If you’re anything like me, your iPhone has already notified you how much your screen time has increased in the past few weeks. Instead of refreshing your social media every few minutes, or frantically searching for news updates, catch up on some reading! Whether it’s a fiction book or an educational book, just open to the first page and start. And if you need a good read suggestion, check out some of my favorites on my ‘must read’ amazon page!
Catching up on some good reads won’t necessarily make you money in the immediate future, but it’s important to get your mind out of the headlines every once in awhile.
Go outside
I am currently writing this blog post while sitting on my back deck because the sun decided to peak out. It is only 48 degrees outside but I am soaking up all the vitamin D I can get. Getting some fresh air is not only good for the soul, but it’s good for your health too.
If you’re feeling a little stir-crazy, take your dog or kids for a walk. Go for a run. Just get your booty outside.
In conclusion,
It is no question that photographers will be affected by this virus and possible recession. The best thing we can do in the midst of chaos is remember that this too shall pass. It is important to remain calm, make smart decisions, and prepare mindfully for the future.
I encourage you to use this unplanned downtime as a time to be extra productive and to start off on the right foot once our country and world’s state of mind begins to clear up.
And if you’re still here and reading this, please know that we’re on the same team. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or just need a little boost of encouragement during this time of uncertainty. Oh, and wash your hands ☺️
xx, Molls
Be the first to comment