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Resources Mentioned: Free Marketing Class | Portrait Contract Template | Client Questionnaire | Client Experience Guide | Flodesk | Dubsado | Honeybook | Session | Mini Sessions Playbook

I'm diving into my favorite topic: Mini Sessions! More specifically, I'll be talking about Christmas in July and when to start preparing for Christmas minis! I do have a FREE class to help you market your minis. So jump in and get all the free info/resources on how to grow your photography business with mini sessions! Ready to unfold what exactly is Christmas in July, how this campaign works and how you can implement it in your photography business? Let's go!

Christmas in July Campaign

Starting July 1st we open up booking Christmas minis with one of our biggest themes: Red Truck Minis. These are not shot in July, they're shot in October. But, we fully book our dates with this campaign in about 2 days every year! The way we open this or start promoting is to our email list first. We give our email list 24 hours, maybe 48 and then we move to Facebook. If needed we promote these to our Facebook groups and if then do Facebook ads. Typically, because we've done this a while now, we book with our email list alone.

How to Prep

Start now! Choose date to do indoor studio, pajama, pictures with Santa or tree farm minis. You need to set dates and reserve rentals. The next step would be to prep your emails. Don't be worried about sending too many. We've increased the amount of communication when it comes to marketing. Typically we email five days in a row and trust me, it's not too much! Now, you may have some unsubscribe, but the people supporting you appreciate the fact that you are serving them well. Obviously if you book out in the first day or two you don't need to send the rest of your emails. So get them ready now so they are scheduled and ready by July 1st. I use Flodesk for a number of reasons and you can get 50% off by using this link! I've used other email systems, but Flodesk takes the cake.

Next Step Prep

After emails are ready to go it's time to look at your CRM, automations and workflow. My preferred CRM is Dubsado. In my opinion, the automations are unmatched! A lot of people use Session or Honeybook. And I have discounts for all of these. So what you need to do is prep the automations within the workflow. We have automations for those that book. They get added to an automation that sends them emails leading up to their session. It sends their Contract, invoice, Client Questionnaire and Client Guide. The purpose of the Questionnaire is to get to know our clients before the session. Then the Guide helps answer questions, tips for getting kids to cooperate, styling for the family, etc. All proving to be an excellent client experience in the end!

Need a Timeline?

If that all seems overwhelming to you or you get flustered trying to keep track of what you need to do when, I've got something! I created a Mini Sessions Playbook that literally does the thinking for you. It starts at about 9 weeks out from your mini session date and helps you stay on track!

I hope this encourages you to try a Christmas in July campaign! I've got plenty of resources to help you plan, market and give your clients the best experience possible!

What We Discussed

Christmas in July Campaign (1:44)

How to Prep (5:29)

Next Step Prep (9:21)

Need a Timeline? (11:29)