Today, I want to introduce you to one of my favorite tool for my photographers: Honeybook. It has saved me hundreds of hours and helped me create a client experience that has my clients come back to work with me again and again. But what exactly is Honeybook? How do you use it? Is it worth your hard-earned cash? And most importantly, how can it help simplify our business and deliver an exceptional client experience?

What is HoneyBook?

Let’s start with the basics. HoneyBook is a client management tool designed to streamline your photography business. It handles things like sending invoices, collecting payments, organizing contracts, and keeping track of client information. With HoneyBook, photographers can save time on paperwork and focus more on their creative work. It’s kind of like having a helpful friend who takes care of the boring stuff so you can enjoy doing what you love!

Big word of warning though : Honeybook is only available to businesses in the United States and Canada. If you are located outside of North America, Honeybook will unfortunately not work for you. I’m currently looking at similar platforms for Europe but haven’t found anything remotely this good so far.

How to Use HoneyBook as a photographer

HoneyBook is pretty intuitive, but let me give you a quick rundown of its features.

First, you’ll find the Projects tab where you can track every project from beginning to end. The pipeline feature allows you to keep a visual tab on where your photography clients are in your workflow.

 

You can also create custom workflows for your projects, which are essentially automated sequences of tasks. This allows you to set up actions that happen automatically. For example, you can create an automation so that when a client signs a contract, Honeybook will automatically send them an invoice.

This is just one example, but you could actually automate an entire workflow.

For instance, say you have a new product photography client. You can send them a pre-set email introducing yourself and outlining the project process. If they are interested, you can send them a proposal with your packages. They choose one, triggering Honeybook to send them a contract and invoice. Then you can schedule their shoot using the calendar feature. Once the shoot is done, you can easily send the final invoice through HoneyBook. And voila! Your entire project managed in one place.

Finally, you have the Contacts section where you can store all your client information. This allows you to have a centralize place for all your clients and prospects. No more shuffling through countless emails or sticky notes – everything is right there at your fingertips!

But my favorite part has to be the Tools section.

The Honeybook Tools

The tool section include a variety of time-saving functionalities to help streamline and manage your business efficiently. Here are my favorite:

1. Templates

HoneyBook provides customizable templates for invoices, contracts, proposals, and emails. You can browse a library of templates made available by other creators, or you can create you very own templates easily. These templates can be easily personalized with your branding and specific details for each client.

2. Calendar

The calendar provides an overview of your scheduled events, appointments, and availability. It shows your existing bookings and allows you to see your schedule at a glance. It integrates with Google Calendar, so you can create events in either one and they will conveniently sync in the other one.

3. Scheduler

Similarly to Calendly, or TidyCal, HoneyBook’s scheduler allows clients can book discovery calls, pre-production consultations, and shooting sessions directly in your calendar based on your availability. This eliminates the back-and-forth of scheduling and ensures that bookings align with your calendar.

4. Smart Files

HoneyBook’s smart files feature allows you to securely share documents, images, and other files with clients. You can organize and manage files related to specific projects or clients within the platform, ensuring easy access and version control. Smart Files facilitate secure sharing with clients directly through HoneyBook, maintaining confidentiality and accessibility for authorized users (like with contracts for example). This feature supports collaboration by enabling multiple users to access and review files, streamlining communication and project management.

5. Automations

Photographers can use HoneyBook to create automations that streamline repetitive tasks in their workflow. For example, you can set up automations to send follow-up emails, reminders, or trigger specific actions based on client interactions.

6. Lead Capture and Management

HoneyBook helps photographers capture leads through customizable lead forms. You can either embed them in your website (like a contact form), or create stand alone pages that you can send your prospects to via a link. When someone fills out a form, the information is automatically sent to your Honeybook account, allowing your to and manage them efficiently. You can track inquiries, respond quickly, and convert leads into clients.

7. Client Communication

Honeybook integrates with Gmail so you can send emails to your clients directly from the platform. It centralizes all client communications within HoneyBook so you don’t have to dig through your inbox to find the information you’re looking for. Added bonus, Honeybook can actually track whether emails (and documents) have been read or not.

Is HoneyBook for photographers: is it Worth it?

Now onto the million-dollar question: should photographer invest in HoneyBook?

In my humble opinion – yes! The amount of time and stress it saves me is priceless. It keeps all my projects organized in one place, and what maybe even more important for me, it creates an incredible client experience. Not only am I able to send beautifully designed documents, but they are interactive. That means that my clients don’t have to print sign and scan their contract to send them back, they can do it all within the platform. They can approve and leave comments on my mood boards directly in the platform, or pay directly by clicking a button. They also have access to all the documents I sent them in one place. It’s definitely made my life and my client’s life much easier.

But I also want to point out that everyone’s needs are different. So ask yourself: Do I spend too much time on admin tasks? Do I need a better way to communicate with my clients? If your answer is yes, then HoneyBook might just be the tool you need.

Pricing & Transaction Fees

Okay, let’s talk numbers. HoneyBook has 3 tiers: the Starter, at $19 per month, the the Essential, at $39 per month, and the Premium, at $79 per month. However, you can join with my link to get 50% off your first year (and you get a free 7 day trial).

The Starter Plan

The HoneyBook Starter Plan lets you easily create a seamless client experience. This plan lets you create unlimited clients and projects, invoices and payments, proposals and contracts, professional templates and basic reports.
The Starter Plan does not include automations or the HoneyBook scheduler. Most photographers will not start with automations right away anyway so I think that’s not really an issue. As for the scheduler, you can purchase TidyCal for $29 (lifetime deal) and insert links in your templates 😉

Spoiler Alert, I have the Starter Plan, which has everything that I need for my business, but if you want more features – like automated workflows, you might want to look at the Essential Plan.

The Essential Plan

The HoneyBook Essentials Plan includes everything the Starter Plan includes, as well as automations that allow you to identify and automate
repetitive tasks, ensuring your clients get personalized information they need at the right times in their journey.
With the fully featured scheduler, you can get your clients to schedule their session and even pay for them, directly on your calendar for a super seamless experience.
This plan is also perfect for you if you have a team. You can add up to two team members and set their permissions so they have access to everything they need.

The Premium Plan

The HoneyBook Premium Plan is built for businesses who are looking to scale up with priority support and more efficiency for your whole team.
This plan is best suited for businesses who manage multiple brands and have a larger team, as it’s the only plan that supports multiple companies, unlimited team members, and advanced reporting.
It also gives you access to priority support and a dedicated account manager, giving you a direct line to the HoneyBook team. HoneyBook’s level of support is incredible, and having a dedicated account manager ensures you and your team are set up for success.

Transaction Fees

If you decide to use Honeybook to get payments from your clients, you are looking at the following fees: if your clients pay with a credit card, you will be charged 2.9% of payment + 25 cents; if they pay by ACH, you will be charged 1.5% of payment (flat fee).

For reference, Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ for each successful card charge and 0.8% for ACH payments. Paypal charges 2.99% of payment + 49 cents for credit card payments.

Wrapping Up

To sum up, HoneyBook is a comprehensive tool for photographers. It not only simplifies your photography business processes but also enhances client experience, ultimately helping you book more clients. Investing in tools like HoneyBook can lead to improved client interactions, streamlined workflows, and increased professionalism, all of which contribute to attracting and retaining clients. While there is a cost associated with using HoneyBook, the return on investment in terms of saved time, reduced stress, and improved client satisfaction makes it a valuable investment for growing your business.

So there you have it folks – a quick tour of HoneyBook! 🎉 Give it some thought and see if it fits into your photography business model. Remember, we’re not just photographers – we’re business owners too!