Staying Organized with HoneyBook | Christa Rene Photography

I cringe thinking of when I started with a notebook and paper everything!! I love being organized, but I need a good system to actually STAY organized, and when dealing with something as important as weddings, you can never be too organized! And for me, constantly printing things and just being semi-organized keeping notes on an iPad allowed me to get by with just a handful of weddings. But when I started shooting more weddings it wasn’t cutting it. So I knew I’d need another way to send contracts, invoices, and stay organized!

I used a program called 17Hats for several years, and it was SO great to help me stay organized! And then last year, I switched to HoneyBook and love it even more! They’re both great tools, and I always tell people it’s important to find what works best for you!!

So I wanted to share a few reasons why I love using HoneyBook and how it keeps me organized! Oh and at the end I have a 50% off code for you!!

Branding: HoneyBook definitely understands the importance of staying on brand! It allows you to keep your brand professional by customizing your theme colors, adding your logo, and having a headshot. You also can pick which images come up as banners for the different files you send! I love the clean, professional look it offers for my clients and me!

Pipeline: When you first open HoneyBook, it pulls up your pipeline! This has each of your projects on it, and is amazing for someone visual like me! It’s organized in different sections, based on where they are in the process! You can customize the different sections of the pipeline to best fit what you do! I used to worry I’d forget to send all of my brides their welcome boxes, but now I can just keep track on my pipeline!

Creating Projects: HoneyBook gives you an embedded form you can put on your website so your inquires can come in through HoneyBook too, and you can send back a custom brochure where clients can “check” what options they want or which package they want! I actually don’t use this feature, and add clients to HoneyBook when they’re ready to book! But I still wanted to mention this option since I know others who LOVE it!

So after I’m emailing with a client and they’re ready to book, I create a new project for them and fill in the details.

After this, I put in a little more info on my client so it can add them to this project I created, like a client portal!

Proposal: Once they’re added to this project, they have their own space! To that space I can add a variety of different things, and when I’m done I can send them an email with a link to it right through HoneyBook! I start with adding their proposal, which is a file that contains what my services include, invoices and invoice schedule, and the contract.

The way I price my packages, I include the following listed and then charge extra for things like additional coverage, travel charges, etc! But to change any of the numbers, you simply click the number and just type the new one in. SO easy! With this pretend package, I didn’t include any additional fees so I left everything included at $0.

Next, I set the payment schedule! HoneyBook makes this SO easy so instead of manually sending multiple invoices throughout the process, it automates it and I can schedule it out beforehand. My client also can see when everything is due and know what to expect! I can choose when and what amount is due, and then in the contract it will sync with this schedule! So I’m never sending out invoices for weddings after this initial proposal!

They can then fill out the contract where prompted, and at the bottom of the contract it includes the payment schedule again along with a place they can digitally sign (right on their computer)! Once they’re done, I get a notification they’ve signed the agreement and paid the retainer!When I send it to them, it looks so clean and professional! I love it!

Workspace: Each project has its own workspace the client is added to! You can type in the project to search for it and pull it up, or find it on your pipeline. This is a central location for their proposal, and any other notes or files I have for them under the “files” tab.

I can also send them messages through this space, which makes it easy to go back to under the “activity” tab.

Multiple workspaces: One of my favorite parts of using HoneyBook is the option to add multiple workspaces within 1 project. So I can also add an additional space and add different people, or just myself. This is great for any additional notes or files I have for the client that I want to save but don’t necessarily need them to see! For instance, if I’m on the phone with them and they mention it is SO important to have pictures of their great aunt, I might stick that in my private space. Or if they email me church policies, I download them and upload them to that space! Then before the wedding I know I’ve saved all of the important info I need in that one place!

Another option is to add other people besides your client! I’ve had planners in the timeline space, the bride’s mom in a space to send an album invoice to her, and my associate, Morgan, in a space with my brides so we’re on the same page! You can easily switch between workspaces under your client’s project!Workflow: You can also create a workflow (or several), and assign them to projects! This is something new I’ve been doing, and allows you to keep track and automate more! Under tools, you can go to Workflow!So I have my questionnaire to go out a certain amount of time before the wedding, and a checklist of things I get notified and reminded to do along the way! You can create as many workflows as you want!

And customize each workflow whether it’s sending an email, a task, questionnaire, etc!

Templates: You can save so much time by creating responses ahead of time! So with the templates panel I’m able to write the email ahead of time that get sent with the wedding questionnaire, the proposal, and anything else I send! I can also create and save questionnaires, proposal templates, and messages to make it easy to send quickly. It allows you to put a space in for their first name that gets filled in automatically so it’s still personal!

Bookkeeping: HoneyBook is also great for tracking income for your business! Having a central spot to go to for a majority of your income is so helpful when tax season comes around! You can even connect QuickBooks with it, and also record your expenses. I haven’t done this since I have an accountant take care of this, but if you’re keeping track of everything yourself this might be a helpful tool!

Community: And last, HoneyBook also makes it easy to connect and build community! There’s a space for opportunities near you people post about, so whether you’re looking for vendors for a styled shoot, trying to find a second-shooter, or finding someone free so you can refer out a wedding, this is a great place for that! You can also connect with others on HoneyBook, and easily refer them to your current brides in moments!

This is only a few of the many things it offers! Their customer service is also phenomenal, and will even set up a training session with you to walk you through everything it offers! They also have videos posted about the different features so you’re never left in the dark. They even transferred my projects over from my previous organization system!

Discount: I love that I get to share a discount with you all for 50% off! Use the link http://share.honeybook.com/gM3pM or click HERE to get yours!

HoneyBook has seriously helped me stay more professional and organized, even recently as I discover and learn it better! Investing in organization is truly worth it and it’s helped me get more of my life back and feel at ease even with several weddings to stay organized with and keep track of! HoneyBook also offers a free 14-day trial so you can test it out before paying to see if it’s a good fit for you! Again, find what works best for YOU and your system!! This has worked amazing for me, allows me to serve my clients better, and I hope it’s able to help some of you all!