How We Prep Our Business in the Off Season | Maine Wedding Photographer & Videographer
For the New England wedding industry we have a peak season and a slow season as we find majority of couples prefer to get married from May - October (although we do get some winter weddings!). However, I think a common misconception is that with an "off season" we aren't working where that couldn't be farther from the truth. Sure our workload might slow in the sense that we aren't actively shooting every weekend but this slower season gives us a chance to work on the back end of our business that sometimes gets neglected during busy season.
So what the heck are we doing? Well first, we do like to relax and celebrate a little bit once all our editing is complete. We definitely have more time for family and friends as well as travel and vacations but we also get the chance to dive into the backend of our business to update our marketing & business workflows as well as grow and connect with other creatives.
A few specific things we're working on this year are...
1. Updating our website content to reflect current work.
This means updating the portfolios we showcase as well as fine tuning the copy and photo/videos on each page.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2. Batching out blog posts & creating social media content.
Did you know we put out weekly blog posts as well as post on social 5x time a week? This isn't just for whatever feels good that day (although we do try to leave space for relevant content). We create a blog schedule and draft in advance as well as use Planoly to map out our Instagram content.We're also trying to up our TikTok game (follow us here) and Cole is working hard on creating some fresh reels for social.
We also are getting back to serving our email list. So make sure you're subscribed.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3. Refining our workflows.
This is such an important part of any business. We like to sit down each year and go through all our workflows to see if we can make improvements. From client interactions from inquiry to follow up as well as our editing process and resources we use to run our business. We want to make sure we are being efficient with our time while also delivering an exceptional product and service.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
4. Soaking up new education through podcasts & online courses.
Ok, this might be my favorite part of the off season (aside from more free time). I LOVE to learn, grow, and connect in the off season. This means reading new books, binging podcasts, taking webinars and online courses, as well as connecting with other industry peers and creatives. The off season is for filling our creative business mind back up so we can go into the next season inspired & sharp.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
5. Creating some NEW merch (we're so excited to share this with you)
Stay tuned for this one guys. We launched some merch a few years back and you guys keep asking when we're going to do it again. We have a few things up our sleeve for this launch. Subscribe to be the first to know.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
6. Setting goals & chasing dreams for the future of our business.
The past few years have been a little unusual for most businesses and to top it off, we had a baby in late 2021. I think I can speak for a lot of business owners (especially in the wedding space) that we have been in survival mode and really still recouping from the hit the pandemic and rescheduling took on our business. I now feel like we're finally back to some sense of normalcy and have a little more clarity now that we're out of the newborn phase (but hello toddler life). Cole and I have been trying to be intentional with our time and really dive deep into what we want for our future in business and life together. We're setting goals for 1, 5, 10 years and starting to dream of ways to grow.
___
not sure where to start this off season? download our free checklist here.
