Honeybook Review! We Made The Switch. Here's What We Think.

At the beginning of this year, we switched over to Honeybook as our new client management software. We had researched a few different platforms and Honeybook just gave us a really good vibe. 😎It offered everything we needed at a very affordable price. It also appeared to be a platform geared toward creative types, which helped seal the deal for us.

Now that we’ve been using it for almost four solid months, we wanted to share some feedback!

Let’s begin with a review of all the things Honeybook does.

Project Management

Honeybook gives you the ability to set up new projects and manage them all from one place. There’s a dashboard that provides a high level view of everything you have going on and what stage each project is in.

Invoices & Online Payments

This is a biggie. It’s 2019, people … you really do need to be able to accept online payments! With Honeybook, you can generate invoices and email them over to your clients. In turn, clients can make payments online. The money hits your bank account within a few business days. Fast and easy!

eSign

With Honeybook, you can email a contract over to your client and have them eSign it. It all happens with just a few clicks of a button. It’s so simple on the client-facing side … and makes you look incredibly professional to boot!

Templates

One of our favorite Honeybook features, by far, is templates! When we first started our agency, we were constantly copying and pasting to create proposals. It was complete time suck. With Honeybook, you can create as many templates as your little heart desires. Templates for packages, proposals, emails … it’s all possible and incredibly easy to set up.

Bookkeeping

We’re creative people … not numbers people. So needless to say, accounting isn’t one of our favorite things to do. However, since we’ve switched over to Honeybook, keeping up with our business finances has definitely become less of a burden. We can track all of our revenue coming in and get real-time updates on profit and loss. We currently do not use Quickbooks but it’s important to mention that Honeybook does integrate with it. Another great feature on the bookkeeping side of things is payment reminders! It’s super easy to go in and see when payments are late and to send reminders to your clients.

Workflows

You know all of those repetitive tasks within your business that eat up a bunch of time each week? The workflows feature in Honeybook helps streamline your entire process! Here’s one example of how we use workflows. In the past, we would send our new clients an email with a link to our Welcome Package as part of the on-boarding process. Now, with Honeybook, we have this email set up as a template and it’s queued up and ready to go as soon as someone signs their contract. It’s all about creating efficiencies, right?

Who’s Honeybook for?

Honeybook has been designed for the creative entrepreneur: photographers, graphic designers, web designers, etc. As a small web design agency, we feel the platform is a perfect fit for us. It’s fairly intuitive and the client-facing side of things looks exceptionally professional.

How much does Honeybook cost?

At the time of this blog post, Honeybook is currently offering two different plans: a monthly plan billed at $40/month or a one-year plan billed annually at $400 (which works out to $34/month). Both plans include a free 7-day trial, so you can make sure HoneyBook is the right fit for you and your business.

Save 50% off your first year!

Think Honeybook might be for you? Use the special link below to save 50% off your first year! You’ll get all of the very cool bells whistles we talked about above for just $200 for your first year. That’s a pretty awesome deal if you ask us!

If you opt for the discount, comment below and let us know how your free 7-day trial goes!

How To Incorporate HubSpot Into Your Boudoir Photography Business

If you’re in the business of boudoir photography, then generating new leads and getting repeat business is probably important to you. In today’s post, we’re going to share how to reach your sales goals with the help of HubSpot’s Marketing Starter plan.

What’s HubSpot?

HubSpot is a marketing software built around the concept of Inbound Marketing. The platform can help you “grow traffic, convert more visitors, and run complete inbound marketing campaigns at scale.” (HubSpot)

With over 56K customers in over 100 different countries, HubSpot is a very serious player in the game of content management and automation.

HubSpot plans range from free all the way up to $3,200 per month! In this post, we’re going to focus in on the Marketing Hub Starter, which starts at only $50 per month. It’s an economical choice for a small boudoir photography business … and one that will give you some serious bang for your buck.

Features Of The Marketing Hub Starter

HubSpot occasionally makes changes to their plan offerings but at this time (April 2019), here are some highlights on what the Marketing Hub Starter has to offer:

Forms:

You can create forms using HubSpot and embed them on your website. Data from the submissions on these forms will automatically be collected in your HubSpot database. You also have the option to track submissions on any external forms you have on your site. (Note: there are some special guidelines for doing this.)

The forms tool also lets you create pop-up forms that you can use to generate leads on your top performing website pages!

Contact Activity:

Once a contact in your database clicks on an email you sent them or submits a form on your website, you’ll be able to monitor their future engagement with your marketing thanks to the use of cookies. 🍪 Within a contact’s HubSpot profile, you can see which emails they’ve opened, links or CTAs they’ve clicked on, and even which website pages they’ve viewed. Pretty neat, right?!

Contact Management:

HubSpot is the perfect place for storing all of your clients’ information. With HubSpot’s Marketing Hub Starter, you can easily manage your client and lead database using pre-built and custom properties.

Email Marketing:

You can send marketing emails right out of HubSpot! (With the Starter plan, there’s a cap of 5X your contact tier per calendar month. So if your plan includes 1,000 contacts, you can send out 5,000 emails per month. This would equate to 5 different mailings if you emailed all 1,000 of your contacts each month.) For more on what is and isn’t included with emails in the Starter plan, click here.

Lists:

You can segment the contacts in your database using different criteria. With Marketing Hub Starter, you’re allotted 25 smart lists and 25 static lists.

Ideas For Incorporating HubSpot Into Your Boudoir Photography Business

So now that you know what HubSpot’s Marketing Hub Starter is all about, let’s talk about a few ways you can incorporate these tools into your business.

Client and Lead Management

By importing your leads and current clients into HubSpot, contact management becomes streamlined and easy. Once you begin filling your database, you can create segmented lists for your email campaigns and really begin to target your marketing efforts in a more strategic way. You’ll also be able to create notes within each and every contact record. Pretty much anything you need to remember about someone can be notated on their HubSpot record!

Inquiry And Booking Forms

By converting the forms on your website to HubSpot forms, all submissions will automatically flow into your HubSpot database. Again, you can place contacts on specific lists within your Marketing Hub based on which forms they have completed on your website.

Content Offers And Opt-in Gifts

If you have opt-in gifts, downloadable guides, or checklists on your website, you’ll definitely want to sync these campaigns up with your Marketing Hub. You can create unique forms for each offer and embed them on the appropriate landing pages. Knowing what your leads are specifically interested in gives you a tremendous advantage when creating follow-up marketing campaigns.

Email Marketing

HubSpot’s email marketing tool within the Marketing Hub Starter is neat, clean, and easy to use! Again, there are some limitations on the number of emails you can send each month based on the number of contacts you have in your database. However, HubSpot offers options for upgrading if you need more than what’s allowed in the plan.

Conclusion

If you’re like many small business owners, you use a lot of different technologies to accomplish different things. Switching over to HubSpot allows you to roll a bunch of technologies into one platform … and who doesn’t love creating efficiencies like that?

If you’re looking to streamline your marketing efforts, the HubSpot Marketing Hub Starter might be a great fit for you. And we’d be happy to offer you a free 15-minute consult to look at your current processes and see how they might be transitioned over. Click the button below to schedule a free consult with us!

Boudoir Photography Clients To Avoid

Along the way, I’ve developed relationships with my boudoir photography clients. They share stories and, with each story, I always take away something that I believe can be beneficial in either my own business or beneficial to other photographers.

The latest tip I’m about to share is really quite straightforward and simple but I feel it’s important to say it aloud (and even louder for those in the back):

IT’S OK TO SAY NO.

And by this I mean, it’s really quite fine to say NO to prospective clients when you’re not digging their vibe … if you get the sense that they just don’t align with your ideal type of client. In fact, I highly HIGHLY recommend you do say no to these individuals. Here’s why …

Once upon a time, we took on the wrong type of client. A client who absolutely did not fit our ideal client persona. You can read the full story here but to sum it up, here’s what we learned from the experience …

When you take on the wrong client, you can expect to be:

• Expending time and energy explaining the benefits of your product or service (as well as your process)

• Feeling under-appreciated, undervalued, and sometimes downright disrespected

• Handling lots of complaints from the customer or client

• Chasing down payments you’re owed

• Feeling unfulfilled by what you’re delivering

• Dreading emails or phone calls from the customer or client

• Dealing with headaches … lots of headaches

In chatting with some of our favorite boudoir photographer friends, they’ve shared similar stories. (Yay! We’re not alone!!) From what I’ve gathered, here’s a list of personality traits that you’ll probably want to steer clear of as a boudoir photographer (a.k.a When you meet an individual who demonstrates these traits, go running for the hills and don’t look back!).

1.) The overly needy client.

These types mean no harm. They don’t even know they’re doing it! And to be honest, they mostly can’t help themselves. They’re the ones who will blow up your Inbox constantly. Asking you what to wear. What color to paint their nails. What to wax. What not to wax. They will also start to feel comfortable with you and vent to you about their dating life or how awful it is that they can’t find matching socks.

Listen, you boudoir photographers are amazing. Y’all must have majored in psychology because let’s face it … many women have insecurities. The true art of boudoir is all about empowering women and promoting self love. You should absolutely want to make your clients feel comfortable and build a relationship with them. You should absolutely nurture your clients and dual as a therapist of sorts when needed. That’s totally cool and you do it very well. However, I’m not talking about the clients who need a basic level of support from you. I’m talking about the ones who are OTT (OVER THE TOP). They can’t get out of their own way and they’re going to make you crazy before they ever even step foot in your door. Time is money! Remember, the more time you spend dealing with the overly needy is less time you can dedicate toward working with your dream clients.

2.) The client who makes you go, “You want me to photograph WHAT?!”

I find I keep hearing more and more of these stories … especially when it comes to couples boudoir. However, I can totally see it coming up with solo sessions, too. You are photographing nude women [and men] so I’m guessing your comfort threshold is pretty vast anyway. Clients might ask you to photograph some things that are down and dirty, perhaps kinky. If that’s your thing, awesome. If it’s not, and it’s outside of what you feel comfortable shooting, say no NOW. This is why a pre-booking consult is imperative. You learn so much from people when you hear what their expectations are. If they want you to photograph them with their significant other engaging in some super X-rated fantasy, and that’s just not how you roll, say no NOW. Say no before they’re in your studio and things get uncomfortable. There’s a photographer out there for them but it doesn’t have to be you.

3.) The creepy client.

I’m all about safety because let’s be real … people be cray! If someone is giving you the heebie jeebies and they make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, walk away. I don’t care if they’re a man, woman, black, white, polka dotted, undecided, have six heads, or hold the world record for largest Bible collection. You have the right to feel safe at all times and wouldn’t you rather be safe than sorry? Most of our clients work out of a studio, whether it be in their home or a private studio in a store front. Generally it’s just the photographer and the client for several hours. You may have hair and makeup peeps, but maybe you don’t, or maybe they do their thing, then leave. You should NEVER put yourself in a situation that can put you in harms way. I don’t care what they’re willing to pay you for a sitting fee. Listen to your gut.

4.) The know-it-all.

Lord have mercy, these stories kill me. Listen, they exist. The clients who took a photography class or two offered through the local community college … they learned some basics and now they’re an expert! Yeah, those clients. They’re going to school you on all sorts of things. The good news is you do have a chance with a client like this if you can bring them down off their high horse. However, if you can’t manage to convince them that YOU’RE the expert on boudoir lighting, posing, etc. and they want to continue to be super pushy … say goodBYE. Pinterest is a beautiful thing, as is Instagram, but you’re not in the business of replicating Pinterest boards. You provide a unique experience. “I totes love that filtered selfie of you on IG, but that’s not what I do here.” 🙄

5.) The never gonna be satisfied client.

These folks are not always spotted easily. However, if you watch and/or listen close … whether it be in conversations you have with them or by stalking their social media accounts … I’ll bet you can pick them out. They’re the ones who are going to ask you for the world, lined in gold, with glitter on top. And when you deliver said sparkly masterpiece, they’ll be drastically unappreciative and unsatisfied. There is no satisfying some people. No matter the time, energy, or effort. Do not waste precious time on these people. If you see them constantly complaining about other people or businesses (especially other photographers!), you spot several bad reviews they have written, or you get the sense they’re completely unreasonable … those are red flags. Run!!

6. The B.I.T.C.H. (both on or off wheels)

To be blunt, there are some mean people out there. There are selfish, greedy, rude, and downright bad people out there. Do not get into a war with these people even if you think you can out-bitch them. It’s not worth your time and you don’t need to subject yourself to that type of treatment. You’re the expert. The professional. You should be treated as such. You should be respected and be treated kindly, just as you treat your clients. So in the words of Bhad Bhabie “bye Bitch.”

Build a profile for your dream client using our free client persona builder!

Once you know exactly who your dream client is, you’ll never make the mistake of taking on a nightmare client ever again. Download our free Client Persona Builder today!

Listen, you’re the boss. It’s your business. But if you take on one of these types of clients I just mentioned, don’t say I didn’t warn you. The bottom line is, you have your ideal client persona. Whether you have formally created one or not, we all have that ideal client that we dream of. Of course, not every client is going to be easy peasy perfect. But it’s about setting boundaries and identifying when a potential client is WAY out of range.

Time is money. ESPECIALLY in a creative industry. Your work and value is priceless as it is something that comes from the depths of your soul. Your eye is unmatched and can’t be replicated, which does come with a price tag. What’s important is that you not compromise or discount your price tag inadvertently by spending way too much time on these undesirable types.

-Katie

Branding Your Boudoir Photography Blog

Photo by Jernej Graj on Unsplash

Earlier this week we published a new article on How To Design A Blog Post. While it’s important that your posts are interesting to your audience and grammatically correct, there’s another aspect of blogging that sometimes gets forgotten about.

The design.

In Tuesday’s post, we shared tips for making your content shine by applying some simple design concepts. And, of course, that got us thinking about our core client … the boudoir photographer. In today’s post, we’re going to share nine design tips specific to a boudoir photography blog.

1.) Coordinate your blog design with your website design.

Keeping in line with your brand is incredibly important. (FYI: This applies to everything you put out there, not just your blog.) The fonts. colors, and patterns that you use on your website should be incorporated into the design of your blog. Mismatched marketing leads to an audience disconnect and will ultimately stunt your brand recognition efforts. When visitors to your website hop over to your blog, or vice versa, they should feel like they’re still in the same space.

2.) Create a header.

According to the Brand Solopreneur:

“A header is the first thing a visitor sees when landing on your blog, so just like a bad piece of meat can ruin a dish, a poorly constructed header can squander a first impression.”

Your header should include your logo and also a clear, concise description of what your blog and brand are all about.

The Brand Solorpreneur also has this to say about creating a blog header:

“Be aware of what I call the ‘hotdog effect’ when designing your header. You do not want to put everything but the kitchen sink in there. Your header is a qualifier for visitors. It should tell them enough that they can make a quick determination if they want to learn more or leave.”

3.) Use pull quotes and big, bold headers to satisfy the skimmer.

Boudoir is a hot topic and there are many questions your future clients need answered. Make sure your blog posts are easy to skim. The main points of each article should stand out from the rest of the text, allowing the reader to get the gist of the post even if they don’t have time to read the entire thing.

In a study on how people read websites, the Nielsen Norman Group discovered that “79 percent of test users always scanned any new page they came across; only 16 percent read word-by-word.”

Needless to say, it’s important to highlight the main points of your post in order to keep people scrolling through the content!

4.) Use photography that identifies with your target client persona.

Your blog is the perfect place to attract new client leads. So make sure you’re doing what it takes to attract the right ones! People are visual by nature so imagery will play a key role in your blog design. While you’ll want to use photos that reasonably coordinate with the topics of each post, you’ll also want to consider whether or not the photos you select will resonate with the right people (a.k.a. your target client persona). Each time you go to select photos to use with your blog posts, keep your dream client in the back of your mind and ask yourself how each photo would make them feel. Would it appeal to them or be off-putting in some way? Again, your blog should be a lead generating tool. Get the right leads for your boudoir business by always keeping your target client persona at the forefront of your copywriting and design decisions!

5.) Promote your workbooks, guides, checklists, etc.

Do you offer a free guide, workbook or checklist to your website visitors or clients? Content offers like these should be promoted in every single one of your blog posts. Remember what we just talked about above. You need to treat your blog like a lead generating tool. If you’re not giving visitors an obvious way to opt-in to your content, you’re missing an enormous opportunity!

6.) Tell a story.

Boudoir photography is all about empowerment. Take a moment to think about just how many people’s lives you’ve touched. Just how many women you’ve made feel BEAUTIFUL. These stories are pure gold for your blog.

The art of boudoir photography is simply unknown to many people. Some might even think it’s scary or intimidating. However, seeing and reading about actual human beings who went through the experience can be a very powerful thing. Utilize your evangelists and ask to feature their stories and sessions on your blog!

7.) Include social sharing buttons!

If you’re a boudoir photographer, there’s a good chance you’re using various other social media platforms to promote your brand. Give your blog visitors an opportunity to easily share your fabulous content with their networks by including social sharing buttons within your blog posts.

8.) Be mindful of photo file sizes.

Like your website, your blog should feature high quality photos but be sure to keep each of them under 500KB. Filling your blog posts with extremely large photo files will seriously slow down page loading times. (And this is annoying 😩) Give your blog visitors a user-friendly experience so they stay around for a while!

9.) Make your content easy to search.

Whether you organize your posts by using categories and tags or simply offer search functionality within your blog, your content should be easy for visitors to sort through and navigate. (Pro Tip: Offering up a topic listing can definitely help lead people in the right direction!)

And there you have … nine tips for making your boudoir blog even more amazing than it already is!

Need a little help getting your boudoir photography blog off the ground.

Find out how we can help by requesting a free 15-minute consult today! We specialize in working with boudoir photographers just like you.

20 Blog Post Topic Ideas For The Boudoir Photographer

Hello, boudoir photographers! Today we have a lovely little treat for you. Earlier this week we published a post about blogging: 6 Characteristics Of A Kick-Ass Blog. (If you’ve been following us for awhile, you know we’re HUGE advocates of blogging.)

Our recent post got us thinking … what topics would be interesting for a boudoir photographer to write about? What kind of content would entice new clients to read more and educate themselves on your website? So we made a list! (Like blogging, we also love lists. 😏) Here it is: 20 Blog Post Topic Ideas For The Boudoir Photographer!

1. What To Wear For Your Boudoir Photography Session

2. Eating, Drinking, Sleeping, Skincare … Everything You Need To Know About Prepping For Your Boudoir Photography Session

3. To Tan Or Not To Tan: How Tanning Can Impact Your Boudoir Photography Photos

4. Should I lose weight prior to my boudoir shoot?

5. Boudoir Photography Hair And Makeup: Go Pro Or No?

6. This is YOUR session. Stop comparing yourself to others.

7. Why You Shouldn’t Go Pinterest Crazy Before Your Boudoir Photography Session

8. How To Make A Playlist For Your Boudoir Photography Sesh

9. Adding Props To Make Your Boudoir Session Unique

10. How To Make A Pinterest Inspiration Board For Your Boudoir Photography Session

11. What is a boudoir photo shoot?

12. What To Bring To A Boudoir Photo Shoot

13. What To Expect During From A Couples Boudoir Photography Session

14. Your privacy matters. The things you should know prior to signing a contract with a boudoir photographer.

15. How To Pick A Boudoir Photographer

16. 10 Questions To Ask A Boudoir Photographer During Your Consult

17. Eeeek! Do I have to get naked for my boudoir photography shoot?

18. The 5 Tips I Give To Every Client

19. How much does a boudoir photography session cost?

20. My Favorite Props To Use During A Boudoir Shoot

Hope these ideas inspire you to write something as amazing as you are!

Need a little help getting your blog going? We’ve got just the guide for you!

Getting Better Qualified Clients For Your Boudoir Photography Business

As business owners, most of us have made the mistake of working with the wrong client. You know … that client who you had your doubts about during the initial consultation call. That client who you knew might not be a great fit for your brand or style but you took on anyway. THAT client.

Typically working with the wrong type of client serves as one big mega learning experience. An experience that teaches you the warning signs to look out for and stay far away from. In this blog post, we’re going to share our secret weapon for weeding out the bad seeds right from the get-go. Removing the bad apples before wasting one minute of your precious time on them.

Ready to score the most qualified leads for your boudoir photography business? Keep reading!

Earlier this week, we published a blog post about an epic fail we made shortly after launching our marketing agency. We took on a client who didn’t fit our ideal buyer persona.

There were red flags in the beginning of the relationship that later turned into big bombs going off toward the end of the relationship. While it wasn’t the best experience, it served as complete and utter proof that deviating from our ideal buyer persona was a very bad idea.

If you’re interested in the specifics on what actually happened, you can read the full post here:

We took on a client who didn’t fit our buyer persona. Here’s what happened.

Interestingly, as we were approaching the end of our contract with this very difficult client, we had attended a HubSpot Inbound conference. At the conference, we participated in a breakout session hosted by Karl Sakas.

The session was called Speed-Dating Your Agency's Sales Prospects (a name that couldn’t be more fitting, quite honestly). In it, Karl explained how to quickly sift through leads and find the best suited ones for your business.

The key to doing this: using a client intake form.

You can think of a client intake form as a screening tool. It’s a form on your website that potential clients must complete before you ever even engage in a telephone conversation with them.

We started using an intake form immediately upon returning home from the Inbound conference and it completely transformed the way we handle prospective clients. Now let’s take a look at how you can build something similar to better vet your boudoir photography clients.

According to Karl, the intake form works because,

“you’re asking them [the potential client] to lean in before you lean in. If someone takes a week to complete the form, they’re showing you this isn’t a priority. … If they never complete the form, you just saved yourself from doing a call with an unqualified prospect!”

Makes sense, right? You want clients who respect your process and find value in the way you operate right off the bat.

So what kind of questions should you be asking on the intake form? Our advice would be to think of the worst case scenario client. The client who gave you lots of headaches and sleepless nights. What are the questions you could have asked them in order to determine what your experience might be like working with them? While you want to keep the form as short and concise as possible, you need to make sure you’re getting value out of the information you’re asking for.

Here’s a list of 5 questions you might want to consider adding to your boudoir photography client intake form:

1. What’s your ideal outcome from investing in this experience?

This will clue you in on exactly what the person is looking to achieve in their session with you. The most important thing here is determining whether or not you’ll be able to deliver on their expectation(s).

2. What about my boudoir photography style or brand made you reach out to me?

We love this kind of question! It will reveal the things you’re doing right (or possibly wrong) when it comes to attracting your ideal clients.

3. Have you ever participated in a boudoir photography session before? If so, what was your experience like? If not, what has piqued your interest in doing one now?

A question like this can help determine the level of attention a client may need prior to their shoot. It will also shine light on the client’s potential comfort level in front of the camera.

4. What do you need included in your boudoir photography package?

We’d suggest giving them options here. For example: digital images, prints, retouching, etc. This will help you determine what package offering might be best for them. It will also help you weed out potential clients who are looking for services that you simply don’t offer.

5. What’s your budget range?

The budget question is a very good one! Provide some ranges here and get an immediate answer on whether or not the potential client has a reasonable expectation on what they should be spending on a session or package.

How To Incorporate The Intake Form Into Your Process

You have a few options in terms of how you incorporate the client intake form into your booking inquiry process. You can mandate a prospect fills it out in order to schedule a consultation call with you or you can book the call and simply say they have to complete and return it a day or two in advance.

Also, the intake form should have its own page on your website. That way, you can link to it from other areas on your site or easily send potential leads the link to it in an email if necessary.

Trust us when we say, the client intake form will revolutionize the way you respond to new booking inquiries in your boudoir photography business. Give it a whirl and let us know the results!

Looking for fresh ways to enhance your boudoir photography brand?

3 Tips For A Boudoir Photographer To Grow On Social Media

Think your best performing social media platform as a garden. The soil is your content, filled with the rich nutrients of eye-catching imagery and desired information. You’re ready to plant more seeds and share your art with the world. And just as you want your daisies to sprout, you also want your content to flourish.

Sure, you can throw a bunch of seeds in the ground and hope for the best. However, the most successful brands on social media ... like the most beautiful gardens ... thrive on constant nurturing and some good old TLC.

One thing I always tell our boudoir photographer clients is that social growth really isn’t rocket science. The theory behind it is simple. Although, while it’s not complicated, growth on social media is time consuming and requires consistency and great content.

Our agency specializes in marketing for boudoir photographers so I’ve come to learn that y’all are crazy busy all the time. The luxury of the extra time that’s needed to nurture social media growth is simply non-existent for many photographers. Psssst … that’s where we come in! [Queue superhero music.]

I’ve handled social media management for many boudoir photographers and in this quick post, I’m going to share the three things I consistently do to grow the accounts.

1. Identify your target audience.

This step is extremely important. Clearly identifying who your ideal client is will make it a million times easier to connect with them on social media. When developing your target client persona, write a profile or backstory about them. (Then keep this information very handy because it will come in useful for all of your marketing endeavors.)

When writing your client persona, get specific on these things:

• Their name

• Their age

• Where they live

• Their relationship/family status

• Their education level

• Their occupation

• Their annual income

• Websites they like / what blogs or YouTube channels they subscribe to

• Magazines or books they like to read

• Podcasts they listen to

• Their hobbies

• Brands they like

• Social media platforms they spend time on

• TV shows they watch

Creating a detailed client persona will not only help you focus on the best social media channels to invest time and energy in, but set the tone for your imagery and messaging, too.

2. Use hashtags wisely.

If you’re on Instagram, then you know the importance of hashtags. So where to begin? Well, for most of my boudoir photographer clients, I leverage their ideal client persona to identify hashtags that will be relatable to the people who fit the description.

To give you an example, let’s say we have a boudoir photographer based out of Charleston, South Carolina. This photographer’s target client is a career woman in her 30’s. I’ll seek out popular hashtags in the Charleston area that would apply to this woman. #charlestonmom #charlestonrealtor #southcarolinaliving #charlestonlifestyle #charlestonfitness are a few that come to mind. Don’t be afraid to venture out and get creative.

If you’re focusing on a specific geographical territory, you can take a look at other hashtags that are less obvious but may still yield results that lead you to your target lady. For example, if you’re close by a major city that’s known for some hot foodie destinations, plug in a foodie hashtag with the city attached to see what pops up. The same can apply if there’s a significant landmark that’s popular with your target age bracket.

My point is, we don’t live in a bubble and neither do your ideal clients. Get creative and think outside the box with your hashtags.

3. Engage, engage, and then engage some more.

Growing your brand on social media means more than just posting content. A large piece of it actually involves responding to comments and engaging with other accounts. I know … you’re on a time crunch and this is asking a lot! However, if you tackle it with a plan, you can conquer it. Here’s what I do. I’ll either:

• Dedicate a certain amount of time to commenting/engaging or (i.e. 30 minutes) OR

• Set a certain number of accounts to engage with per day (i.e. 20 accounts)

Whatever fits into your schedule or works for you. The point is, make it a point to engage regularly!

Now, this next tip is SUPER important:

Likes will not quench your seedlings thirst. You should absolutely like posts but you need to make relevant comments that pertain to the post as well. A generic “Nice job” or “Cool dog” will not suffice. Your comments should be at least four words in length. Emojis are fun but do not count. Sorry.

Example: You found an account of someone who fits your ideal client persona and see a picture she posted of her two kids at a local taco spot. You could post “Cute kids!” but you SHOULD post “Your kids are too cute! I definitely want to try the tacos there. How did you like them?”

Granted, this is a very specific example but my point is that you need to be specific and show legitimate interest in the content. Refrain from sounding like a bot at all costs! Bot-like comments are not going to give your followers the warm and fuzzies. Sound like an actual person because you are an actual person. Appear approachable and genuine.

Last but not least, make it a priority to nurture the comments that people make on your posts! It’s easy to get wrapped up in trying to engage with new clients but never forget about your existing circle. Show your peeps some love and don’t leave them hanging!

There ya have it. Not rocket science but definitely a labor of love. You got this and if you don’t, you got us. Peace out, pineapples! ✌🏼🍍

-Katie

20 Free Google Fonts To Use In Your Boudoir Photography Business

Photo by Atikh Bana on Unsplash

Experimenting and playing with different fonts is quite frankly one of my favorite pastimes. I’m a designer … what can I say? If you’ve ever attempted searching for fonts to use on your boudoir photography website or a piece of marketing collateral then you know how challenging the process can be. There are literally thousands of amazing fonts out there. How does one choose? And then there’s the whole licensing thing. For example, there are different licenses for desktop and print, WebFonts, personal use vs. commercial use, and (my personal favorite) open-source. Yeah, who knew fonts were so complex?

Bookmark this blog post, boudoir photographers! I’m about to save you lots of time and energy when trying to pick fonts. I’ve selected 20 Google fonts that are bound to look fabulous in your marketing! Let’s explore them!

Why Google fonts?

Google fonts are a top choice of designers. Why? Because they’re open-source so you won’t have to worry about license infringement!

“All of the fonts are Open Source. This means that you are free to share your favorites with friends and colleagues. You can even customize them for your own use, or collaborate with the original designer to improve them. And you can use them in every way you want, privately or commercially — in print, on your computer, or in your websites.” (Design Shack)

Need I say more?

Aside from the open-source licensing, another reason I love Google fonts is because of the variety. As I’m writing this post, there are currently a whopping 915 font families available! The library offers a robust mix of beautiful styles that can be mixed and matched to suit any brand.

So without further ado, let’s look at some lovely typeface!

Here are my top 20 favorite fonts for making a boudoir photography brand pop!

1. Dynalight

Dynalight is the script that love letters are made from. Dainty and seductive. Innocence unraveled. Sound like the personality behind your brand? Discover the versatility of Dynalight by playing with different colors and sizes.

2. Dancing Script

Does your brand as a boudoir photographer appeal to the girly-girl? Pink. Flowery. Festive. Flirty! Dancing Script is feminine and fun. I’d suggest using this font as a rich pink or magenta headline against a soft and simple background. Girl power!

3. Forum

Simple and crisp, Forum is a serif font that exudes elegance. Check out that uppercase Q! I recommend this font for body copy. It’s easy on the eye yet showcases a charming uniqueness. I’d use this font to elevate the look of the body copy within a brochure or guide.

4. Meddon

Meddon takes me back in time. Like the pristine penmanship that defines our Constitution, this font is refined and classy. With each letter flowing elegantly into the next, the words created in Meddon appear to stream effortlessly from a quill pen. Since this font is a thinner script, I would recommend using it as a headline on a solid background to really make an impact.

5. Pacifico

Pacifico is a chunky cursive font that reminds me of signage you might see in a surf shop. Easy-going, playful, and fun. For the beach town boudoir photographer who likes to let loose, this font is for you.

6. Arizonia

The lowercase letters in Arizonia are what really draws me to this font. A mix of relaxed handwriting and cursive, Arizonia combines the vibes of business and casual. This font would make for a lovely black and white headline.

7. Allura

If my handwriting could look like any font, I’d probably pick Allura. This cursive font is extremely clean and easy to read. Simply gorgeous. Being that it’s cursive, I would recommend using Allura for headlines or larger sub-heads.

8. Amatic Regular

Amatic comes in a few different versions but I like Regular the best! Amatic is an all caps font, which makes for a clean layout when stacking lines of copy on top of each other. Hassle-free and down-to-earth, meet Amatic!

9. Abril Fatface

I just had to add Abril Fatface to this collection. It’s thick and bold and shouts EMPOWERMENT! This font would look completely amazing as a black or navy blue headline against a pure white background. Is your brand on a mission to make a statement? Give it a whirl!

10. Satisfy

Yes, I picked a lot of scripty fonts for this boudoir-inspired collection! Satisfy is a more laid-back style of cursive. Some letters conform to the rules; some do not. Does your brand speak to the non-conformist? Try out Satisfy.

11. Yesteryear

Yesteryear is one of those fonts that reminds me of something yet I can’t quite put my finger on it. It evokes a familiarity. Déjà vu. The uppercase letters are striking. Their lowercase counterparts are delightful in their own right. Yesteryear makes a great choice for a headline that the eye will want to connect with.

12. Fredericka The Great

Does your brand tell a story … a fairytale? Do your clients leave feeling like a princess after shooting with you? If that sounds like your boudoir photography style, Fredericka is for you. Fredericka The Great looks like the text printed on an illustrated cover of a fairytale. It’s the font that will leave you feeling happily ever after. Test it out in all of the colors of your brand palette … it will not disappoint.

13. Tulpen One

Tulpen One is definitely one funky little font. Teardrop shapes differentiate this typeface, giving it an artistic and modern spin. Does your boudoir brand have a flare? Incorporate Tulpen One into your graphic designs! (Pssst…don’t be afraid to use all caps with this one!)

14. Arima Madurai

Arima Madurai would make for some very precious body copy text. It’s slightly whimsical yet very neat. Do you have a free guide that you give to your clients? Freshen up the design with Arima Madurai!

15. Vast Shadow

I love Vast Shadow! This font is flashy and dimensional. It’s perfect for big headlines that need to give off the WOW factor. To preserve the 3D-like effect that this font gives off, I would recommend placing it on top of either a solid or very transparent type of background.

16. Flamenco

You say Flamingo, I say Flamenco. This font is ultra cool. It’s fairly thin so I’d suggest using Flamenco for body copy. Be sure there’s good contrast between the color of the text and the background in order to let this little gem shine!

17. Zilla Slab Highlight

Highlight all the beauty of boudoir with Zilla Slab highlight. This font looks amazing in every color of the rainbow! You can use it to draw major attention to your headlines or even sub-heads. Take the Slab for a spin!

18. El Messiri

El Messiri is a pretty flexible font. Create a punchy sub-head using all caps or apply it to your body copy for that storybook kind of feel.Either way, I think you’ll have lots of fun with this one.

19. Crimson Text

Why use standard and boring fonts like Times New Roman and Garamond when you can be using a beautiful font like Crimson Text? It’s the little things that can totally upgrade the level of your marketing. Try Crimson Text for body copy text and see the difference.

20. Ruffina

Ruffina is a gorgeous serif font that’s bold and extremely legible. There’s just something about it. Like the words in a juicy romance novel, any text written in Ruffina will leave you wanting more.

There you have it … 20 FREE Google fonts that will transform the look of your boudoir photography brand. Try ‘em and comment below with your feedback!

For more deets on downloading, embedding, or using Google Fonts, read this blog post: How To Explore & Download Google Fonts

How To Write Social Media Captions For Boudoir Photography

Ok, it’s no secret that marketing for boudoir photographers is our cup of tea. 😏Our passion for the industry is derived from our appreciation of the female form. We’re all about encouraging positive body image. I myself have participated in several boudoir shoots … and I know first-hand what the experience can do for the self-esteem. (Read about my very first shoot here!)

When we realized that our little agency was a hit in this big industry, we soaked it all up. Over the past year, we’ve worked with several boudoir photographers all over the U.S. to help them grow a presence and develop their brand on social media.

So what does social media management for a boudoir photographer look like? Well, in a nutshell, the photographer provides us with a voluptuous gallery of content, gives us creative freedom to use whatever images we think will work best, and attach a caption accordingly. (We also implement a strategy for increasing engagement and growth of the platforms but we’ll leave that wealth of wisdom for a different post.)

In this blog post, I’m going to share how I come up with captions for the boudoir photographer social media accounts that I manage. Here goes!

Identify your vibe.

All boudoir photographers may share a common theme of nude or almost nude images but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Boudoir is an art and each photographer has a very different style and vibe. With that said, I never ever EVER use the same captions on different photos from different photographers. To be blunt, it’s lazy and just not how our agency rolls. The captions I come up with are completely based on each photographer’s vibe.

For example, we have boudoir photographer clients who lean toward a soft, whimsical feel. We have clients who showcase an erotic or darker side in their art. Natural … glamorous … dramatic … you name it, I’ve written copy or selected captions for the style! The goal is to always mimic the style of the photographer.

The captions must flow with your style of art. If you specialize in outdoor boudoir and have a gallery full of fantasy or fairytale type images, the captions used on your social media platforms will be very different from a photographer who boasts black leather and red lipstick in their work. Always match the tone of the caption to the style of the work.

Variety is key.

I tend to gravitate toward quotes from poets. However, I’m not a one-trick pony so I like to keep things interesting. I’ll pull in engaging mantras, “10 Ways How To … ,” or ask a question seeking a response. Some days I’ll mix in a “How are you spending your Sunday Funday?” The point is, don’t just slap a Marilyn Monroe quote on every photo and hope for the best. You need to put some thought and energy into your captions. It makes a huge difference and will set you apart.

Also, the tone of your captioning should somewhat represent you as a photographer. Some of my clients are very open to blunt and sexually charged captions. It fits their personality and style as a photographer. I also have clients who are much more reserved or discreet. In these cases, I take a softer approach.

Keep in mind the region where you’re located, too! A photographer in the New York City area may have a more open-minded audience than perhaps a photographer in a Bible Belt state. Caption your photos so they speak to the audience you’re primarily serving.

Hashtags are life.

I mean, sometimes I view them as a necessary evil but you catch my drift. Using appropriate and geographical hashtags is a giant deal. Hashtagging “#boudoir,” “#boudoirphotography,” “#boudoirinspiration,” etc. is fine ... and it won’t hurt anything ... but broad hashtags are probably not going to help you a whole heck of a lot.

Who is your target audience (or buyer persona)? Is she a young mom in her 30’s? Do some research on popular hashtags for moms in your area. Or maybe your ideal client is a woman in her 50’s or 60’s who is a high-level executive. Take a gander at female career-focused hashtags in your region.

For more on crafting a detailed client persona, use our go-to tool: HubSpot’s Make My Persona Tool!

Lastly, don’t machine gun hashtag. It looks cheap and serves no purpose. Use relevant hashtags that have an actual following (who just so happens to match your ideal client persona).

Proofread your copy!

The death of all credibility can be attributed to poor grammar and punctuation. Seems silly and ridiculously simple but it’s legit ... and extremely important.

If you need a giggle, check out these epic grammatical mistakes made by marketers … shared by our friends at Impact!

Well, there you have it. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. 🍋(Well, on second thought, maybe it’s not that easy because if it was, everyone would do it ... and we’d be out of a job. 🙀)

Just like your beautiful photography, successful social media management is an art. It’s an honor to be entrusted with the opportunity to share such empowering photos with the world. Follow these tips so you can do so in a way that preserves the authenticity and true beauty of what you see from behind your lens.

Looking for more marketing tips specific to the boudoir photography business? Subscribe to our blog!

5 Must-Have Elements For A Fabulous Boudoir Photography Website

Fun Fact: More than half of the clients we serve are in the business of boudoir photography. I guess you can call it our niche! In working with boudoir photographers, we’ve learned a lot about what it takes to attract clients … a fabulous website, of course, being one of the things. In this blog post, I’m going to share five must-have elements for a boudoir photography website.

#1. A portfolio that resonates with your ideal client.

If you follow our blog then you know that every successful marketing project begins with a deep understanding of your ideal buyer persona. With a photography website, it’s critical that your portfolio pieces speak to the type of client you’re looking to attract.

If you’ve never written a profile for your target buyer persona, I strongly suggest taking the time to do so. To start the process, just think about the most amazing client you’ve ever worked with. From there, craft their story. If you get stuck, HubSpot has some pretty neat tools for creating buyer personas:

• Make My Persona

• Persona Templates: How To Create Buyer Persona For Your Business

Once you’ve completed the exercise and you have your profile pretty well fleshed out, perform an in-depth review of your portfolio pieces. Do they accurately represent that amazing client who you based your buyer persona profile on? If not, it’s time to refresh those portfolio pieces with photos that will better resonate with the type of client you love working with the most.

#2. Helpful insights into your process.

The thought of doing a boudoir photography session can be intimidating to someone who is brand new to the experience. By sharing detailed insights into your process and setting clear expectations up front, you can help ease some of these anxieties and better guide the prospective client through their sales journey.

Again, let’s think about your favorite clients. What were their initial hesitations and how did you help resolve them? Sharing this type of information will establish a level of trust and hopefully prompt prospective clients to take the next step toward contacting you.

#3. A blog.

Blogging is a highly effective way to not only showcase your special projects and serve as a resource to site visitors, but to improve your SEO as well! Yes, we know that writing blog posts is probably buried on your To-Do List. (Pretty much every boudoir photographer we work with juggles an incredibly hectic schedule most days.) However, blogging is an investment that will pay dividends down the road.

I recommend creating a content calendar. Take a day to plot out all of your blog posts for the month. (Don’t hate me but I’d love to see you shoot for one post per week 😧). Based on that, you can then organize social media posts and email marketing campaigns that will tie in.

Need some help launching your blog? Read this blog post we recently published: How To Start A Business Blog

#4. A prominent opt-in gift.

As a boudoir photographer, you probably view your email subscribers as gold. They’re the people who are very interested in what you have going on and are probably following you on social media as well. These are the people you need to stay in front of.

So how do you grow that golden list of subscribers? With a free opt-in gift, of course. The truth is, when people visit your website, they’re visiting for a reason. Most likely, they’re interested in the services you provide. However, the people who are very interested in your services are the people who are willing to give you their email address. It’s their way of raising their hand and shouting, “Yes! I’m interested in what you have to say.”

Unfortunately, I’m here to tell you that a boring old subscribe button is probably not enough. People are hesitant about signing up for emails these days. If someone is already interested in your service (which is evidenced by them being on your website to begin with), they’ll be more inclined to download a guide or checklist from you. Yes, these downloadable freebies are what we refer to as opt-in gifts!

When coming up with your opt-in gift, try and think about something that would be especially helpful to a potential client. Maybe it’s a checklist of 10 Things To Do Before Your Boudoir Photography Session. Or perhaps it’s a Guide To Getting Ready For Your First Boudoir Shoot. Whatever you decide, be sure the value of the free gift is enough to make them enter their email address in order to access it.

Pro Tip:

The opt-in gift could be something you already use with clients to prepare them for working with you! Do you have a checklist or worksheet that you provide to a new client before their session? Transform it into an opt-in gift!

Last but not least, your opt-in gift should be prominent on your homepage. If one of your main website goals is to increase your subscriber list, I would recommend placing your opt-in gift within the footer as well so it ends up on every page. You can also promote it in your blog posts and on your top performing web pages to really ensure it gets noticed!

#5. A descriptive bio and testimonials.

Booking a boudoir photography session is obviously an intimate and personal experience for many clients. Knowing they’ll be exposed and vulnerable in front of a photographer they’ve never met before can be very frightening! You can ease some of these fears by designing a highly personalized bio on your website. Share your background and also some of the things you like to do outside of work. Incorporate photos of yourself and some behind the scenes shots, too. This type of content works incredibly well in a bio.

Testimonials are another great way to increase trust. According to a 2018 Local Consumer Review Survey conducted by Bright Local:

91 percent of people regularly or occasionally read online reviews, and 84 percent trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation.

It goes without saying, showcasing testimonials is another key to establishing trust with potential new clients. Whether you dedicate an entire web page to testimonials or creatively display them on your homepage, it’s important to highlight what happy clients are saying about you!

Is your boudoir photography website generating qualified new leads for you?

If the answer is no, book a free 15-minute consult with us! We’d love to take a peek at what you’re doing and give you some feedback!