If you’re anything like me, your life was turned upside down the last quarter of 2013 with the big holiday rush.
I was slammed with sessions, speaking gigs, sporting events, and holiday parties.
I didn’t have time to get organized; I was just flying by the seat of my pants.
After the holidays pass, I like to sit down and plan out what I’m going to do to organize my marketing and my business for the next year.
Today I’m going to share with you 3 ways you can organize your business and your marketing.
1) Fix what’s broken.
After a few days completely away from my business, I come back ready to dig in and fix the broken things that there wasn’t time for – like my desktop computer. It was constantly freezing up! I’ve upgraded to a brand new desktop.
2) Plan my marketing – for the entire year!
Once the little nagging things that have been on my list to fix for months are in order, it’s time to sit down and get organized. I look at the entire year, not just one month at a time.
Sure things change on my plan as the year goes on, but my big activities like my holiday card and my fall direct marketing piece always get done (and budgeted for) because I schedule them out well in advance.
3) Dig into your database and make a list of opportunities.
When I need to bring in business, I dig into my database and pick from a hot list of clients who I haven’t seen lately. Without it, I have to rely on my memory, which after 3 kids isn’t the best. I try to stay on top of what’s going on with my clients’ and co-marketing partners' lives, but with the busy holiday season that job is not at the top of my to-do list! So I schedule time on my calendar and go through Facebook and update my database with new things happening in my clients' lives.
Once my database is updated, I map out a plan on how I can get business in the next 90 days. Then I look on my calendar and see what can realistically happen.
What are your favorite tips for organizing your photography business?
