It’s winter, a chill is in the air, you’re busy updating your website, but you’re probably wondering, “what do I post on social media in the slow season?!”  While I love to use this season as a bit of a “summer vacation,” I also know how important it is to use this season wisely. So, my little sparkle…let me ask ya’… what are you doing to rock your slow season?

Scratching your head here? No worries…I’ve got some tips to help you create sparkly social media in the slow season!  Then, you’ll be ready to rock when booking time rolls around in a few weeks!

Start early and plan for your social media in the slow season!

Okay… so we’re already kind of into the slow season, BUT, this is something you can keep in mind all year long. The goal is to work smarter, not harder, right?!  Here’s what I do:

During your normal shooting months, I want you to export images from your shoots into two different folders: one to post right then and there…. the other to post on your social media in the slow season!

Then, when things are slow – grab a watermarked photo, and post it mid-winter letting people know photography season is coming and you’re getting ready to open up your books. In the middle of a snowstorm, post a beautiful, sparkly, sunny portrait shot, with the caption “Dreaming of sunnier days… can’t wait for those summer shoots!” For every shoot you do, all year long, save a couple of photos to use at a later date to keep those followers of yours “oohing and ahhing” so they think of you when they’re ready to book!

Remember that you are a photographer!

Uhhhh… yeah, that’s actually one of my main points. Are you thinking that’s a little dumb? Well, my friend, there is a reason to my madness. Sometimes we can get a little off track in the slow seasons. Because we aren’t constantly shooting and uploading previews, we can sometimes get a little random in our social media posts.  If we’re not careful, our social media strategy starts to look like something like this…

“Fun project to do with the kids from my fave blog?” Sure!  Everyone wants to see how crafty I am!”

“Fabulous cocktail my friend pinned?  Of course!  Who doesn’t love a good cocktail?!”

“The latest snarky political news story?”  With joy…. I’ve got a lot of people following me, so they’ll all get to hear my point of view.”  {Don’t lie.  You know you’ve been tempted… LOL!}

“A photo of me having so much fun with my girlfriends at lunch?  Absolutely – gotta tell the story right?!”

…. oh.  “And a photo of my client telling people to book a session with me.  Because I need to make some cash soon.”

Do you see how random that may potentially feel to your clients?  While I’m all in favor of posting news articles, blog posts, and videos that your clients would enjoy – you’ve gotta cull that crap down!

Here’s the deal, it’s so important that you provide value to your clients… but, remember: you are a photographer!  While it’s great to have a variety of posts – it’s super important to make sure you’re staying on brand by keeping the images and message in alignment with your company’s vision!

If that fabulous cocktail doesn’t make sense with your brand, don’t post it.  Not even on your social media in the slow season.  If you have mostly seniors following you, don’t post fun projects to make with your kids because they won’t relate.  While your clients DO want to get to know you… they may not want to see every single thing you enjoy.  So keep it focused, ok?

If you don’t have a ton to post, then it’s okay to lower the frequency of your posts. Just make sure you are regularly posting photography related things that make sense for you and who you are! You are a photographer, so photography is the main thing we should see on your newsfeed!

Bring your gifts to your Social Media in the slow season!

What are your talents? What are the things that make you uniquely you? What are you uber good at, outside of photography?

For me, it’s teaching… and talking. I can talk to anyone about anything.  So, during the off season, I shoot tons of videos with tips, tutorials and fun info that I think will be useful and relevant to my followers.  It’s also when I’ll create a new workshop for my clients!

If you are a writer, then the slow season is when you need to be busting out some content for your much neglected blog!  Sharing your blog onto your social media can be a great idea in the slow season!

If you are a connector, then the slow season is when you need to be meeting, networking and collaborating.  You can do this in-person and online!

I love to jump online {especially on Instagram} and find other girl bosses and businesses who have similar clients or whose products may complement my own!  Some of my favorites are Jessica from the Confetti Bar, Emily from Ties for Teams, and Meredith from Iris-Works!

Make a list of the people you’d like to connect with – engage with them on their social media accounts, comment on their blog posts, and form genuine relationships!  This is a great way to create connections and expand your reach… and if an opportunity to collaborate pops up, you’ll be ready!

Share your business in the slow season!

Alright, don’t hate me on this, but you’ve got to get over the whole self-promotion thing. No one likes to promote themselves, BUT…. we want your business to be profitable. And to be profitable, you need clients. And clients will only know you are accepting clients if you tell them!

On average, you need to have 7 touch points {ie: email, videos, social media posts, social media comments, etc} with someone before they are ready to work with you. Let your followers know what you are up to in the off season. Let them know that you will be opening up your books soon. Let them know that you are working on perfecting your craft, and looking for ways to provide them with more value… then let them know how to work with you, girl!  The slow season is for creating touch points, so when booking season comes, your people know you, love you and want to pay you to take their pics!

Spoiler Alert: want a sold out calendar this spring, summer and fall?  Do the work NOW.  {Even when everyone else is taking is easy on social media in the slow season}!

Moral of the story?  You still need to be on social media in the slow season!

Slow seasons are for rest, but they are also for cultivating relationships with your clients, so that you have a kick-butt busy season. Use this time well, my little sparkly friend, and you will end up selling out your sessions and becoming that ever elusive unicorn people are lining up to have take their photos!

Want to get a jump start?  I can totally help you!  Grab my free mini-series, Social Media tricks for creative photographers, and I’ll send you three videos: tips to increase your engagement, fine-tune your Instagram bio, and how to maximize your Facebook page!  It’s a great way to get you moving in the right direction!  I’ll see you in class!

ps – if you want more tip and tricks for how to survive the slow season, my buddy chris wrote an article featuring the best educators in the industry!  check it out!