Happy New Year! As photographers, we often look to the future when it comes to our business. We think of booked sales, potential repeat clients and more to fill our calendars. Maybe you always take yearly photos of a family in your neighborhood or rely on several events that you’re consistently hired for on an annual basis.

While this is great to have, things can change with the snap of a finger, meaning you need to think of creative ways to pick up more clients. Below are five resolutions to get your marketing going into 2019.

1. Get organized

One of the best decisions I made in 2018 was to invest in a system that managed my clients, workload, income and more. Studio Ninja offered me a great opportunity to get organized. Now I have all the information pertaining to my business in one central location, making it easy to find anything I need to.

Studio Ninja keeps track of all of the details of my photoshoots. The contact information, photoshoot specifics, notes, quotes and invoices are all right there for me within each job. It allows me to speed up my workflow and get further ahead than I ever would be without it!

2. Analyze your goals

At the end of each year, I like to reflect on the past. I look at my list of clients and see who hired me, and who I should probably follow up with. I looked at my income and expenses for the year. Then I started making some goals.

Heading into 2019, my goals include:

Once I know my goals, I start writing down realistic steps to meet these. For instance, I might need to invest in some additional video gear, and further learn how to edit video, in order to check off bullet point one.

3. Make regular contact with your ongoing and long-term clients

The New Year is the perfect opportunity to touch base with your existing clients. Start an e-mail newsletter where you update them each month, showcasing your work and alerting them of any upcoming opportunities. You might include past client-exclusive discounts to get your year going in a positive direction. Regardless, this is a great (and easy) way to give a small nudge to a client, and a reminder that you’d love to work with them again.

4. Refresh your portfolio

I’ve written about refreshing your website often, and the New Year is the perfect opportunity to do so. If you’re anything like me, January is usually the slowest month when it comes to photography. The glamour and excitement of the holidays are over, and there’s often a lull when it comes to corporate projects. Instead, focus your time on updating the images you show on your portfolio. Consider using a new theme and updating your website to be more modern.

5. Consistently post

This goes along with one of my goals, to increase my social media presence. Whether you’re talking about Instagram, Facebook or your blog, it’s important to post — consistently. Start as how you want to finish, instead of pushing out a ton of updates and images all at once, and then letting them sit quietly for a week. The more often you post, the more potential eyes you see on your work…which in turn will mean more clients.

For more on Photography Marketing, see my weekly column.