3 Black Friday Sales Ideas for Photographers from a Virtual Assistant

Today I wanna dive into 3 Black Friday sales ideas for photographers (straight from your friendly neighborhood virtual assistant 💕). And if you think I’m crazy for talking about Black Friday in July…I want you to keep reading.

The day after Thanksgiving is one of the largest sale days of the year, and it’s definitely an amazing way to boost income before the slower booking season of the holidays. But let’s be honest: it’s a bitch to organize & market.

Not only are a million people vying for your audience’s attention during Black Friday, you also want make sure you don’t end up glued to your computer screen while everyone else enjoys Turkey leftovers & naps. Ya know!?

Having an automation is KEY, and you’ll definitely want to have all of this mapped out in advance. Thus, why you might want to consider making a plan now versus when the busy Fall season begins.

Do I have you convinced? ;) If so…

Here are 3 Black Friday Sales Ideas for Photographers —

  1. A Set Reduced Rate on a Popular Package: Let’s say you’re a boudoir photographer…you can offer a limited number of spots with a reduced session fee. Create urgency by capping the number of shoots that can be booked (or the window of time) though!! Don’t want it to seem open ended. For example: “Get $200 off your session fee! Must book by Sunday, November 26th!” or “Get $500 off any Collection! Offer only available to 5 people so make sure to snag a spot soon!” This creates a reason for them to invest quickly. Otherwise you’ll be lost in the sauce with all the other sales.

  2. A Free Add-On Product or Experience: This one is particularly good if you don’t have a lot of extra TIME to spend on fulfilling this offer in 2024. Let’s say you’re a family photographer, this can look like: “Book TODAY and receive a FREE 8x10 luxury canvas print of your family!” or “The first three people to book receive complimentary access to the client closest.” Think of something that you normally upsell, and offer it as an incentive for a limited amount of time (or spots) .

  3. A Special Stylized Shoot: Do you have a session you’ve been itching to try creatively? But aren’t sure where it fits in your normal offers? BLACK FRIDAY IS YOUR FRIEND, MY FRIEND. Let’s say you’re a wedding photographer who has always wanted to do a styled studio shoot for couples. Maybe something spicy! Or just a cool set-up! This is a unique opportunity to offer it, and make some $$ while also getting to try something new. (You might need to do a model call to have marketing materials for this, something to consider!) This would look like: “LIMITED EDITION Styled Shoot! I NEVER offer something like this, but I just can’t help myself this year! These shoots are so fun and I’m obsessed with the photos. Book this limited edition shoot now - only 5 spots available” (Remember, we are doing HEAVIER selling during Black Friday).

There are a million ways you can make Black Friday your own! Just remember to warm your audience for your deals weeks in advance, and to prepare the backend of your business before that. It can be a highly successful sales day (and a way to grow brand awareness) - but it DOES require some upfront work & attention.

If you want help with your Black Friday sales…I have something coming that will be just for you. Reach out HERE to learn more.

How to Have a Successful Black Friday | Virtual Assistant for Photographers

Believe it or not, it’s time to start thinking about how to have a successful Black Friday. 😬 I know, I KNOW, it’s still Summer - but starting to mull over your offers is the best way to set yourself up to make more $$$$.

As a virtual assistant for photographers, I help a LOT of sales launches run smoothly. And here are my tips/tricks for making a great profit from the biggest sale of the year (without killing yourself launching it).

First of all: decide your offer.

Are you going to discount a service you already offer? Do something totally unique & exclusive? You need to create incentive to purchase quickly around this sale, so you want to make it GOOD. This is meant to capture people who are waiting on the fence to work with you, and have been eyeing your services. We are widening your brand awareness and potential clients with this sale. So you want it to be highly incentivized and approachable.

That doesn’t mean it needs to be dirt cheap, you still need to make a profit. But you gotta decide the strategy behind the offer first. Some questions to ask yourself:
- what can I handle with my capacity during that time of year?
- do I want it to be service-based or passive income?
- is there a creative session I’ve been dying to do outside of my norm that I could monetize here?
- do I want it to be a particular DAY of sessions (aka a type of “mini” day) OR do I want it to be a standing offer they can book anytime in the following year?

You can absolutely make this your own. But remember they will be hearing a MILLION sales on Black Friday. So what you offer + how you present it reallllly matters when thinking about how to have a successful Black Friday.

Second step? Run the numbers!

Please don’t shoot yourself in the foot and GUESS at your profits with this sale. Remember, our goal is to create an income boost before a slower season (the holidays), and widen our audience. If you have more specific goals than that, you might be willing to have lower monetary success because you’re accomplishing another goal. But MOST photographers are looking to boost sales through their BF launch. So get out a pen and paper, and do the math about how much $$ you will be making. And create some sales goals for yourself. Here are some questions to ask:
- what is the cost of your offer?
- is it taking time away from your main source of income? And will it impact your bottom line for the year?
- will your offer lead to further income? (Upselling, new clients etc etc)
- how much $$ are you hoping to make from this launch?

Then, strategically curate the launch!

One of the BIGGEST mistakes I watch photographers make on social media, is not talk about their Black Friday offer until Thanksgiving week. PLEASEEEE stop doing this. At that point, you have missed your audience because they are drowning in offers from everybody else. Do yourself a favor and warm your audience. You need to start the discussion much earlier in the month. Show your process curating the offer. Build hype around it. Keep it secretive. Pique their interest. Invite them into the story. Show the problems your Black Friday offer is solving. You are leading them through a journey.

What the journey will look like varies quite a bit depending on the offer. If it’s a one-day event….the warming process will look different than if it’s a set monetary discount they can use throughout the year.

My last piece of advice is: set up automations.

BF is all about quick/fast sales. And unless you want to be GLUED to your computer during Thanksgiving week - you need to have reliable automations in place that guide people through the booking process. You can use your CRM, Flodesk and premade social media graphics to do that.

PRO TIP: Now is the time to start circulating Pinterest Content about your Black Friday offer! If you want my team to do that for you, reach out HERE!

Basically, how to have a successful Black Friday all comes down to prep.

I think Black Friday sales are incredibly fun to design, an amazing way to connect with your audience, and increase brand awareness. Save this blog post for future reference! And start thinking about your offers!

xo,
Jess

BTW, You Deserve a Work/Life Balance | Virtual Assistant

It was July 2021 when I looked up and said, I can’t do this anymore.

My work/life balance was in the trash. I only knew one speed: fast.

But there I was…feeling like I’d been run through a salad spinner and completely drained of any life. I was DONE. Burnt out. Crispy. A shell of who I used to be. I’ll never forget going on vacation that Summer, and sitting on the beach feeling numb and exhausted. It was all too much.

About 18 months prior I had my first child righhhht at the start of the pandemic. (We were those people who introduced our first kid to family members through closed windows and across distant driveways). And then I raced back to my pre-parent pace of life. And I was toast. I always talked about work/life balance, but I don’t think I understood what that would mean FOR ME. Busyness had always been my default.

Before running my own business, I had been a club swim coach with USA swimming. I spent long, long evenings on deck. Weekends at swim meets. Often working 7 day weeks on repeat. I missed family functions. I missed happy hours with friends. I worked and worked and worked. And that hustle translated seamlessly into my business.

But in Summer of 2021, I looked up and said: I can’t do this anymore.

I think it was a mixture of the pandemic and having a child that pushed me to finally STOP and make significant changes in my priorities.

I dove headfirst into finding a way to bring balance back into my life. I found childcare (which took MONTHS in the pandemic let me tell you). I decided I wanted to lean into my FAV part of business: the admin. And I started VA work in November of 2021. It felt so freaking seamless and I was completely booked solid the first month in business. I started outsourcing, which had scared me in the past but I knew I had to make a change. I outsourced as much as I possibly could, which started at only a few hundred dollars of investment a month and has since grown to thousands.

It allowed me to make $$, doing what I actually LOVED, while still enjoying my life.

Slowly, over time, my mojo came back to me. I started setting firm boundaries with my time & my clients. I found most of my clients even thrived off knowing exactly when I would/would not be working.

Work/Life balance is so different for everyone, but I can tell you that we all deserve it.

For you, the thing you want to dive into is photography, yeah? Shooting with your clients. Connecting with people. Capturing stories. I highly encourage you to consider outsourcing the other stuff. Because you deserve to have a work/life balance that makes you feel fulfilled, calm, happy and motivated.

Pinterest Board Inspo for Photographers | Virtual Assistant

Hi it’s me - your friendly neighborhood Virtual Assistant reminding you that Pinterest is important for photographers 👋🏻📸 I abso-fucking-lutely understand that pinning is whole other thing to think about, which is the LAST THING you need, right? haha 😝😅 So I wanted to take some of the mental load off and create a list of Pinterest board inspo for photographers. ❤︎

One of the main things photographers get wrong is not having enough boards.

Pinterest only likes one image per board from each URL. So basically, if you have a blog post that you are wanting to pin…you will select the images and pin 1 image to each board. Let’s say you have an image you want to put on two or three boards (because it applies to all of the content there)…Pinterest will not prioritize that pin anymore. 👎🏻 Thanks a lot, I knowwww.

So… one image, per board, for each URL you are pinning.

Aka…you need lots of boards.

so here’s some Pinterest board inspo for photographers:

remember: the title of your board is searchable so feel free to ad some keywords there!

Boards for All Photographers:

  • An “anchor board” that is your business name

  • Behind The Scenes

  • Overview of your Niche: “Luxury Boudoir Photography” or “Lifestyle Family Photography”

  • What to Wear

  • Your Business Values: “Self Love” or “Capture Your Day” or “Documenting Motherhood” etc

  • For Photographers: your education for other photographers

Boards for Wedding Photographers:

  • Getting Ready

  • Bridesmaids Style

  • Groomsmen Style

  • Flat Lays for Weddings

  • Engagement Rings

  • Bride Vibes

  • Bridal Gowns

  • Bridal Hair & Makeup

  • Groom Fashion

  • First Look

  • Wedding Couples Portraits

  • Formal Photos for Weddings

  • Ceremony Ideas

  • Reception Inspo

  • All About Cakes

  • Dance Floor

  • Wedding Exit Inspo

  • Destination Weddings

  • Elopement Vibes

  • Intimate Weddings

  • Travel Tips from a Photographer

Boards for Boudoir Photographers:

  • In the Studio

  • The Boudoir Experience

  • Confidence Boost

  • Boudoir Hair and Makeup Inspo

  • Lingerie Guide

  • Colorful Lingerie Ideas

  • Black Lace Lingerie

  • Bodysuit Inspo

  • Unique Lingerie Ideas

  • Empowering Women

  • Boudoir Poses

  • Just the Sheet Poses

  • Outdoor Boudoir

  • Beautiful Boudoir Products

  • Any “sets” you do: Rain Room Set, Wet Set, etc

  • How to Calm Your Nerves for Boudoir

Boards for Family Photographers:

  • How to Coordinate Outfits for Family Photos

  • Family Photos Go-Bag Ideas

  • Poses for Family Photo Session

  • Outfit Inspo for Families

  • Extended Family Sessions

  • All About Motherhood

  • Mama + Me Photos

  • Mama Style

  • Maternity Photo Shoot Inspo

  • Newborn Sessions

  • In-Home Lifestyle Photography

  • Cake Smash!

  • Mom & Dad Love

  • Photo Shoot Locations I Love

  • How to Pick Your Photo Shoot Location

  • Hair & Makeup Inspo

  • Family Photo Props: you can use this to show them non-cheesy props

  • Destination Family Photography

Because of my job as a virtual assistant for photographers, I am hands-on in a lot of Pinterest accounts and these are some of my go-to boards to create for my clients. I also optimize them and make sure they are regularly getting content through Tailwind. Pinterest has the highest average income of any social media user, and is one of the last photo-driven apps out there. As a photographer it’s definitely something you wanna take advantage of. So I hope this Pinterest board inspo gave you lots of ideas. If you are interested in having my team run your Pinterest, this is a new offer we are about to roll out. You can sign up to get info here: