Whether you are a new photographer or you have been in business for 10+ years, it is important to have tools that help you run your business smoothly! From a CRM (client relationship management) to your marketing tools and website, there are various options to choose from and these tools have helped me run my business from early on.

17Hats

I invested in a CRM in the first year or two of my business and it is life changing. From tracking business income and expenses including taxes to contracts and invoices. Your CRM allows you to track your client from inquiry through gallery delivery. 17Hats creates a lead capture form that is submitted through my website and once a client is booked creates a workflow to track every step along the way. I can run a Profit and Loss report as well as Sales Tax report to help with business finances. They also have added a booking feature to ease client booking and photographer availability.

There are several CRM options to choose from, but 17Hats continues to help me streamline my business! If you are interested in trying 17Hats, click the link below to receive a one-time 50% off.

Referral code: 17Hats Referral

Squarespace

A website host is one of the first places to start as you begin your photography business. I invested in SquareSpace and gave myself time to learn how to build out a website. It can be as simple as a small portfolio, about me page and contact form to begin with, but you want to eventually include copy and words to help with your SEO. This allows clients to find you on google and other search platforms. I invested in Ashlyn Writes: Copy Writing for Creatives to learn how to create copy for myself, and expand my website to drive my ideal client. There are many creatives that offer copy and website design services, but I wanted to be able to update my website easily when needed.

Pic-Time

1. I have used several gallery hosts and Pic-time provides a clean client facing presentation. They offer print products through a variety of vendor and a simple set up to begin selling products to your clients. Pic-time offer automated sales workflows and great customer support. I also love that I can archive past galleries and they do not automatically get deleted.

   Referral code: U2AHDH

Flodesk

Simple, clean and easy to use. Flodesk is the perfect newsletter provider for photographers. A newsletter is a must! This is one thing we own and where you can provide updates to your clients or potential clients. If social media crashes, you own your newsletter list and website.

Referral code: Join Flodesk

Later

Later is the tool I used to schedule out all of my social media posts. As times change so does social media. It can be overwhelming to keep up with all the things. Each week I set aside time to create my posts for the week or month and schedule them out strategically. You can create both static posts and stories all from your computer or phone app. Have 5 minutes while in the carpool line? This app allows me write captions, move posts and select the date and time. Later allows you to either automatically post or send me a reminder to post at my convenience.

CANVA

Canva is the best tool for all things marketing! Canva allows me to create pdfs, instagram marketing tools or what to wear guides for clients. You can use Canva to create just about anything for your business. There are templates that can be utilized or you can choose to start from scratch to create your own document for your business! Canva has thousands of graphics, templates, photos and more to help you create professional looking marketing tools for your business!

Legal Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.