66: Stop Marketing Your Photography Business Like a Hot Mess
Release Date: 09/08/2025
Replay: Best Photography Business Books on Audible
Keep It Moving
We're sharing our favorite business books to read during your holiday travels—the ones that actually changed how we run our photography businesses. Whether you're relocating, restructuring, or ready to scale, these books tackle pricing, marketing, niching, and making money as a photographer. On this episode: Website tools and platforms that make updates easy without hiring a designer Five must-read business books every photographer entrepreneur should read How to pick just one actionable idea from each book to implement immediately Top 5 Business Books for Photographers by Donald...
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76: Email Marketing for Photographers: Getting Out Of The Spam Folder
Keep It Moving
We're diving into the technical side of email marketing today because what's the point of crafting the perfect marketing email if it never actually reaches your clients? Let's talk about sender reputation, engagement strategies, and how to make sure your mini session announcements don't end up in digital purgatory. On this episode: Setting up email authentication and building sender reputation Warming up your email list with engaged subscribers Creating a consistent email schedule year-round Tired of being invisible on Google? Learn the 5 SEO mistakes keeping photographers from...
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75: Quarter 4 Confessions: The Goals We Forgot We Set
Keep It Moving
We're back with another quarterly check-in where we're sharing what's working, what we've let go, and how we're pivoting our businesses as we head into the new year. Spoiler: sometimes the best business move is knowing what not to do anymore. On this episode: Hiring support and building systems Letting go of offers that no longer serve you Shifting focus from revenue goals to profit Podcast - on - Use code ALISONBELL to get your first whole week FREE. Tired of being invisible on Google? Learn the 5 SEO mistakes keeping photographers from getting found (and how to fix...
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74: Mini Mentoring with Mollie S Moving from Texas to Florida
Keep It Moving
We're looking for photographers to be featured on future Mini Mentoring episodes! Mini Mentoring is a series where Alison & Melissa get the low down on a real life business owner in need of more business. Whether that’s because they’ve relocated, or pivoted niches we’re walking through their business can giving them our recommendations to keep it moving. Mollie Salazar is a wedding and family photographer moving from Texas to Florida and she’s got tons of lead time! The stressor is that Mollie is the primary breadwinner for her family of 4 - including some expensive...
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73: Why I Finally Hired a Coach (And You Should too!)
Keep It Moving
We're getting real about why knowledge isn't enough and how accountability changes everything. Alison shares her personal experience hiring a nutritional coach—and the powerful parallels it revealed about what we actually need to move our businesses forward. On this episode: Why you already know enough (but still aren't getting results) The real value of coaching: accountability and application Calculating the cost of not investing in yourself Ready to stop spinning your wheels and start implementing? Melissa has resources to help you create content that attracts your ideal clients—check...
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72: Blogging for SEO: How to Blog Photography Sessions That Actually Book Clients
Keep It Moving
We're diving into the art of blogging your photography sessions the right way—because throwing up a photo dump with three sentences and your main keyword isn't cutting it anymore. Today we're showing you how to turn every session blog post into a client-attracting, SEO-boosting, authority-building powerhouse. On this episode: Creating helpful, FAQ-style blog content that Google (and your ideal clients) actually love Strategic ways to use blog posts throughout your client workflow and marketing Selling yourself with clear calls-to-action in every post Tired of being invisible on Google?...
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71: 10 Ways To Get New Photography Clients
Keep It Moving
We know you've done all the heavy lifting with your SEO after your move, but waiting 6-12 months for Google to catch up feels like watching paint dry. In this episode, we're sharing 10 creative ways to get in front of your ideal clients right now—no waiting required. On this episode: Strategic networking and community involvement Creating content and collaborating with complementary businesses Getting creative while you wait for SEO to kick in Tired of being invisible on Google? Learn the 5 SEO mistakes keeping photographers from getting found (and how to fix them) in...
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70: Tantrums, Meltdowns and Keeping Your Cool
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We're talking about every photographer's nightmare scenario—when sweet little angels turn into tiny tornadoes right in the middle of your session. In this episode, we're diving into proactive strategies to protect your business from disaster sessions that could lead to refund requests and unhappy clients. Key Takeaways: Contract language that protects you When and how to end a shoot early Client communication that saves the day Ready to level up your client management skills? Melissa has put together that every photography business owner needs to master for smoother sessions and...
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69: Mini Mentoring with Melanie near Tulsa, OK
Keep It Moving
Mini Mentoring is a series where we get the low down on a real life business owner in need of more something. Whether that’s because they’ve relocated, or pivoted niches we’re walking through their business can giving them our recommendations to keep it moving. We’re talking to Melanie of Melanie Foster Photography who as switched this year to IPS model. We’re discussing her: Follow-up SOP gaps Email list nurturing Tulsa mom groups We’re looking for another photographer willing to jump on the podcast for another episode Mini Mentoring! Links: or Download ...
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68: Hotels & Hustle - Get Away to Get It Done with a Workcation
Keep It Moving
We're spilling the tea on our secret weapon for actually getting sh*t done! You know those massive projects collecting dust while you're playing taxi driver and snack distributor? Time to ditch the chaos and get strategic about your productivity game. Key Takeaways: Escape artist mode activated Hotel lobby > home office Baby steps, big wins Tired of being invisible on Google? Learn the 5 SEO mistakes keeping photographers from getting found (and how to fix them) in Melissa's free masterclass: Thinking about a pivot or transition in your photography...
info_outlineEver scramble to throw together a mini session at the last minute and then hate your life while trying to market it? Yeah, we've all been there. And honestly? It's exhausting, stressful, and completely avoidable.
Marketing your photography business doesn't have to feel like a constant fire drill. In this episode, Melissa and Alison are pulling back the curtain on the ONE thing that will transform your entire approach to marketing your photography business: an actual annual marketing calendar.
We know, we know - you've heard you need to be "marketing all the time." But that's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about sitting down with a calendar (yes, like pen and paper), reverse-engineering your year, and creating a marketing runway that has you booking clients WEEKS before your sessions instead of panicking days before.
Here's what you'll learn in this episode:
- Why planning your marketing calendar 8-12 weeks in advance will save your sanity (and get you fully booked faster)
- The exact timeline you need for marketing Santa sessions, fall minis, and other seasonal events
- How to reverse-engineer your marketing runway so you're never scrambling again
- Why blocking off editing time is just as important as blocking off shooting dates
- The VIP waitlist strategy that lets you test offers before you fully commit
- How to batch your marketing content so you're not reinventing the wheel every week
- Why your clients NEED that long lead time (hint: they hate figuring out what to wear too)
- How to plan around PCS dates, deployments, school schedules, and family life
Plus, Melissa and Alison share their own "oops" moments of last-minute planning and what they learned from being reactive instead of proactive.
Resources Mentioned:
- Kat Schmoyer giant quarterly calendar
- Target $5 annual wall calendars (July to July)
- Plum Paper planners
- Flodesk for VIP list forms
- Google Calendar for marketing planning
- The Motherhood Anthology
- The Blogging Club
Ready to stop the marketing madness? Block off 2 hours this week to audit what worked last year, dump out all your event ideas, and start putting actual dates on the calendar. Then tag us on Instagram @keepitmovingpod with #keepitmovingpod - we want to see your planning process!
Tired of being invisible on Google? Learn the 5 SEO mistakes keeping photographers from getting found (and how to fix them) in Melissa's free masterclass: https://pictureperfectrankings.com/mistakes
Thinking about a pivot or transition in your photography business? Book a free 15 minute discovery call with Alison to talk through your next move.
Ready to streamline your content? Melissa's got you covered with her 35+ Blog Post Topics freebie—grab them here: https://35topics.com
Looking for your next clients? Grab Alison's list of 39 FREE ways to get more bookings—no ads required: https://mentor.alisonbellphotographer.com/freebie
Links:
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Get Melissa’s Free Blog Post Topics
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Find Alison on IG @keep.it.moving.podcast
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Find Melissa on IG @pictureperfectrankings
Used #keepitmovingpod on socials!