When it comes to running a photography business, I’m all about finding ways to simplify and streamline processes. That’s where my apps and organizational systems come in! These apps help me stay organized and keep things moving in my business every single day. The four apps I’m highlighting today are free and I’m sharing how I use each one.
Simplify your photography business with some of my favorite free apps.
1. Trello
Trello is an amazing and versatile tool that can help you organize many parts of your business. This robust program works well from a desktop or through the mobile app and can be used in many ways.
In my photography business, I use Trello in the following ways:
Posing Workflows — I have a board for each type of session that I shoot. I will organize different poses, inspiration photos and prompts for each. This allows me to keep track of what worked well and holds a library of ideas for each of my sessions.
Yearly Planning and Goals — Trello’s card boards give you a ton of flexibility to drag, drop and organize your goals for each season. I appreciate being able to visualize my year from this perspective.
Idea Capture – If you are like me, ideas always come to me when I’m away from my computer. Whether it’s a posing idea for inspiration, a prompt, cute caption or a way to improve my client experience – when ideas pop into my mind, I love to capture them in the moment. Trello’s mobile app allows me to set up some idea boards and gives me a space to record these thoughts so I can return to them later.
Project Lists – This might be the most helpful of all for me. When it comes to keeping track of my long term to-do lists or projects, I always need a space to collect all the to-do’s, ideas for inspiration and whatnot. Trello is an incredibly flexible platform to give me a flexible workspace to record and organize thoughts.
2. Canva
Canva is a great free resource for designing digital products. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to use Canva. Their drag and drop editor is easy to use and extremely versatile.
Here are 3 ways to access and design with Canva – an app, desktop version as well as online.
Designing Client Communications: I use Canva to design all my client communications including my Prep Guide, Locations Guide, and Investment guide. The program makes it easy to make changes quickly but still deliver a professional look.
Instagram Stories: Depending on the content I want to share, I will sometimes use Canva to help me design a social media story quickly. If you are like me, it can feel cumbersome to build a full story from you phone. Canva gives me the option to quickly design from a desktop.
Website Mockups: When I’m working on creating a new website page, I like to use my Website page builder to help me visualize the flow of my new website. I use simple blocks and text to create the layouts before I commit to building them on my site.
3. Planoly
The demands of social media can wreak havoc on your time. When it comes to planning, posting and then the allure of scrolling – there are many components of social media that are draining. I love using Planoly to organize and schedule posts in advance. This takes away the stress of posting at the right time and allows me to keep control of my time. By organizing your posts in advance, you also have the advantage of building your grid. I’m weird about trying to find balance in the aesthetic of my grid and using Planoly to organize my grid is helpful.
4. Unfold
Unfold is another great tool I use to build out stories for social media. As a photographer, photos are usually front and center and Unfold provides some pretty layouts for showcasing photos. I will typically use Unfold when I’m building a story for seasonal updates for my clients. It’s an easy way to make sure that I share my sessions online, quickly and easily.
These are my four favorite FREE apps I use on a regular basis in my business to help organize and market my business. Which one will you be trying first? Tell me in the comments below – and let me know if I missed one that you use!
OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT LIKE
How to Be Productive, Not Busy, For Your Business
