Can we just talk about Trello for a second? If you are like me, (you know…a total scatterbrain) then you need to write everything down. Trello has been a game changer for me. It is a software that lets you organize anything and share it with anyone that you might need to share with.

I know married couples that use it for to-do lists so they can keep track of their daily household errands, and students that use it to track group project progress (say that three times, fast). For me, Trello keeps my workflow organized with clients.

Here is a little insight as to all of the features that keep me organized:

I have several different lists, including:

Inquiry – When a client contacts me, they go on this list. Here, I color code them based on how they heard about me, so I can track where my business is coming from. I write their wedding date, along with the date that they contacted me on the title of their card, so I can monitor the seriousness of the inquiry. If someone inquired over a month ago, they get moved to the “No’s” column.

Said They Are Booking – When a client tells me that they have mailed a contract, I place them in this category. This helps me because I have an idea of who is seriously interested

Booked – A client gets moved to the “booked” category once I have a signed contract and a retainer from them. I put their chosen wedding collection cost, so I can remember which package they have chosen.

Shooting – This column means I have shot the wedding, but haven’t completed their entire package yet. I might be waiting for them to approve an album, or maybe I am just finishing up editing their wedding pictures.

Done – I have fully completed a contract for a client

Already Booked – This one is great. I keep a list of clients that contact me when I am already booked. I do this, so that if any weddings get cancelled, I have the ability to reach out to them to see if they have found another photographer already.

No’s – Clients that I never heard from, or went with a different photographer

These are just my lists – but there is so much more you can do! Many times, I will follow up a client email with a phone call. It’s way more personal, and they get to hear how excited I am. It can be seriously hard to remember who you have called, and who you haven’t called though. I TOTALLY don’t want to be that photographer that calls a client three times, like “PICK ME! PLEASE!”. When I click on a client card, I can make notes. Some of the notes I’ll make include “Left voicemail”, and since Trello keeps all of the date information, I know when I did it.

I also make notes after an initial consult, including cute little bits that they tell me about themselves. They love hiking, or they met in high school – Anything that I think might be worth noting in a blog or an idea I had that could make their experience more special and personal.

You can also add checklists. I do this to make sure I don’t forget anything that I normally do for clients.

The best part of all of this? It’s TOTALLY free and no ad’s. I hope this little insight into how I use Trello to help me with staying organized with my clients, inspires you to find a way to use it too!