I'm writing this article while sick in bed. I know rest is best when you're sick. However, I'm not the type of person who can just shut things away. I need to be productive in between resting. Doing so keeps my head level.
However, I'm not the type of person who can just shut things away. I need to be productive in between resting. Doing so keeps my head level.
Blog
The first and more obvious advice is to create blog content. Heck, that's what I'm doing now. Open Hemmingway, Grammarly or your WordPress editor, and create some fresh content. Publish it, schedule it, or save it as a draft for later.
Editorial Calendar
Speaking of content - being sick is the perfect opportunity to come up with new content ideas, map them out on the calendar and much more. We recommend using Editorial Calendar, Edit Flow or CoSchedule to visualize the structure and timing.
Social Scheduling
Along with brainstorming and scheduling blog content is scheduling social content. There is nothing wrong with doing so, so take advantage of the quiet and free time. Open Buffer or CoSchedle to get moving on it.
Find Tools
Being sick in bed is the perfect opportunity to find new tools for your photography business. For example, a PSD template for social sharing.
Learn Something
Sites like CreativeLive are readily available for your consumption. Instead of watching something boring, or blad on TV, open a site like CreativeLive (or just browse YouTube) and watch something educational.
Create Something
You've had ideas in your mind for a while now, we're sure of it. So now's the time to get them organized. Create a Pinterest board of style ideas. Color ideas. Clothing ideas. Create these boards as a way to educate your clients in the future.
Tips from our Friend
We thought it would be fun to share some advice on this topic from a friend.
Jenika McDavitt from Psychology for Photographers had this to share.
First let me say - when you're sick, it really is okay to take some time off. If you're at a point where Netflix is just making you restless, ok cool. Just don't let 'obligation' prolong your illness because you're not getting enough rest.
Ahem. Now, for the restless among you: A trap we can fall into when we're busy is to lose touch with old clients. But old clients are often our best source of business, through repeat business, referrals, or testimonials that can convince others. When you're sick, it's the perfect time to hit pause and reconnect with them. One simple way to do that is to email a past client who you loved working with and ask them about a specific time that they have used or loved their images since you delivered them.
Why? Well, one hesitation *potential* clients have about hiring you is whether it will be worth the expense. Once the images are in hand, most people see how it was well worth the money to have this great product. But beforehand, they aren't experiencing that "worth-it" emotion. They're just experiencing the price tag. Bummer. However, if you can tell them relatable, real-life stories about how clients have loved and used the images (from quiet unexpected moments to big changes), it pushes them to re-focus on the value more than the cost.
So why not take a minute to email some of your favorite past clients? You might try writing something like this:
Hey (client name)!
I was just thinking about you. How are you? How is Jack/Jill/your sweet puppy?
I was wondering whether you might answer a quick question from me. It's been [amount of time] since we worked together and I'd love to know: Have there been any moments in particular that you were glad you had these images?
Might sound like a random question, but I have found that while photographs are fun right away, they have the added bonus of catching us off guard later. We might find them unexpectedly valuable, or that they have recorded something we might have otherwise forgotten. I'm just curious whether this has happened for you - whether there has been an instance when you were surprised by how much you were glad you have them now.
Any answer would be helpful!
Thanks!
[Your Name]
You might be surprised by the moments they have experienced. It's a great question to ask! Once they reply, you might email back something like "Hey - this is a beautiful story! You know, a lot of clients don't realize how much ______ is going to mean to them once they have the photos. It's hard to imagine before you hire a photographer just how much a single photo can mean later, and I'd love to help people be able to see it better. I wonder if you might allow me to share it on my blog/website/Facebook page to help them see?"
The content of their reply is absolute gold on a blog or website. It one-ups a regular old "testimonial" because the client isn't just singing the usual praises, they are telling a potential client "hey - you're not going to regret this, and you probably don't even realize how much you're going to love these images." It gives potential clients a concrete reason to move ahead.
Why not try it out? (And by the way, if you want more help figuring out how to write about the client's experience when you then go to blog, check out this post.)
