These are sure to make life much easier!
The life of a photographer is never dull, especially when you have to juggle many important tasks like marketing your business and editing photos. I don’t know about you, but my wife and I are always thinking about how we can be more efficient and productive with our hectic schedules. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to constantly look for new ways to help us save time and grow our business. We wanted to share with you our top 5 must have apps for photographers that we personally use and can recommend with confidence.
1. Canva
Canva holds the number one spot on our list of top 5 apps for photographers! It allows us to create beautiful, professional looking graphics in half the time. The user-friendly online platform has a powerful drag-and-drop design tool and a built in library of templates, designs, pictures and fonts for you to choose from.
Are you struggling to make graphics for your social media accounts? Or maybe you want to make some marketing materials but don’t know how? Canva is perfect for people who don’t have a graphic design background but know what they want to create. Any photographer can benefit from using this free tool, or upgrade to a Pro account to add your personal branding colors, fonts and more.
2. Tailwind
A great looking Pinterest and Instagram account are essential for photographers. But it’s hard to remember to post consistently when you’re running a business. Luckily we discovered Tailwind and the rest has been history. This affordable app can really take your social media to the next level! You can save time by scheduling Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook posts all at once with its drag-and-drop calendar and upload images in bulk. Their platform also allows you to pin to multiple boards, search for popular hashtags and save them for future use. You can also use the app’s software to determine when the best time of day is to post on social media. It also has a browser extension for you to create new content with a single click. Tailwind also monitors your Instagram and Pinterest accounts so you’ll be notified whenever followers interact with your brand.
3. Mile IQ
Travel is a big part of being a photographer, especially since you’re always on the go driving to new venues or meeting up with potential clients. However, it’s easy to forget over time how many miles you’re racking up over time. That’s why we were so thankful when we heard about Mile IQ. The app runs in the background and automatically tracks your miles for you. All you have to do is classify your drives with a touch of your thumb. Just swipe right if you’re using the car for business or swipe left if your driving for personal use. You can also add different details like toll expenses, parking and other expenses. Mile IQ makes it really easy to complete your taxes so you can get tax deductions.
4. Trello
Next on our list of top 5 must have apps for phtoographers is Trello. Trello is one of the most popular project management apps on the market. It’s perfect for small business owners like photographers that need an easy way to keep track of clients projects. After you download the app, you can use Trello’s boards and cards to document different projects and tasks. You can create to-do lists, track the progress of your project and collaborate with others in real-time.
5. Calendly
Calendly is a photographer’s best friend! If you’re losing potential business due to missed emails or scheduling conflicts, this is the app for you. Calendly provides a fast, efficient way to schedule phone calls, and meetings without any miscommunication. All you have to do is tell the software what time slots you’re available and it’ll show those times to your clients and other contacts. They can choose a time that’s convenient for them and that’s it! It’s automatically added to your calendar. Calendly is compatible with other apps and you can share your specific link via email or embed it onto your website to book appointments.
Additional Apps We Love To Use!
6. 17 Hats
While this one should be on the top of our list of top 5 must have apps for photographers, we simply had to mention it! Most photographers need a quality CRM to send invoices, contracts, questionnaires, program workflows and much more. While we’ve tried other CRMs such as Honeybook and more, we keep staying with 17 Hats. We’ve worked with them since 2015, and I can honestly say they are fantastic. 17 Hats is a full-range CRM, meaning you can do almost anything that you can think up. And while it’s very in-depth, it never seems overwhelming to the user. This is because the customer service has always been top-notch with us and the help menus are very thorough and specific. Are you interested in trying 17 hats? Click the logo to be taken to their page and receive 50% off your first year annual subscription! You’ll thank us later.
7. Planoly
While Planoly wasn’t initially on our list of top 5 must have apps for photographers, we added Planoly because it is probably the most user-friendly of all the scheduling apps we’ve tried. It also has a beautiful user interface that just seems to work and make sense. While Tailwind does a little more than Planoly, Planoly has been adding features, and it now is a powerhouse scheduling app, especially if your main Social Media is Instagram. Plainly put, we love this app.
8. Showit
Showit is our favorite option for website building and hosting. And while it’s technically not an app, we needed to mention it. You can purchase beautiful pre-made templates (some of which are even free!) and then tweak every aspect of your template design to your liking. Showit is fully customizable so that you can be as creative as possible! For those of you looking for a more custom website, Showit partners with many designers, so you know you are hiring someone knowledgeable on their platform. But don’t feel you need to invest a ton to have a beautiful website. With its super easy drag-and-drop website builder, you can quickly build one on your own. It takes just a little bit to figure out the navigation of everything; however, it’s so easy after that. One last thing, Showit’s customer service is the best I’ve seen. They are fast and thorough. And speaking from experience, they will help you with every aspect, every question. If you would like an example please check out our website at joyandbenphotography.com.
