Video tutorial

27/01/2022

In this class we’re here to help you to make the most of those hard-earned opportunities, leads and enquiries. We’ll show you how to put effective systems in place to make sure that nothing drops through the cracks! The challenges of handling leads & enquiries Break your list of enquiries into sections – the “post-it […]

31/01/2021

Sometimes you’ll have groups of people who come for a shoot, such as families. It’s useful to be able to add them all to a shoot as separate contacts so that you can keep track of their details (including contact details and birthdays) separately, but to group them together for communication purposes. Grouping contacts When […]

31/01/2021

You should make a new contact record for every person or company you deal with – be they clients, potential clients, leads, or suppliers. It’s also a very good idea to make one contact record per person, and not to combine people into one contact record, for example with a first name of Jack and […]

31/01/2021

We’re an optimistic bunch, and like to think of an enquiry as simply being a shoot which hasn’t been confirmed yet: that’s why your enquiries and confirmed bookings all live in the “Shoots” section in Light Blue. You use the shoot status field to see which shoots are enquiries, which have been confirmed, your completed […]

31/01/2021

Appointments are for when you want to keep track of meetings with your clients; for example for viewing sessions after a shoot, or pre-shoot consultations.  You can add Appointments in the Activity panel of any Record in Light Blue choosing the date and time and adding any other relevant information. Appointments can also be added […]

31/01/2021

Most of our customers shoot more than one category of job, such as weddings, portraits, or commercial work. Light Blue makes it easy to categorise your shoots into what we call “shoot types”. That’s really useful because you can use shoot types to: Find your bookings more easily by colour-coding your jobs. Categorise your work […]

31/01/2021

Your photography business is built on the shoots that you do for clients, so Light Blue organises everything around shoots. To add a new shoot from wherever you are in Light Blue, click the “New Shoot” button in the toolbar. There’s lots of useful information on the shoot detail view, but there are a few […]

27/08/2020

Quote Records allow you to provide a formal quotation for the services you’re providing to your client or indeed offer them a choice between two or more options. You can then record what they’ve agreed to and you can conveniently raise an invoice from the quote at a later date. To learn more about how […]

27/08/2020

Sales Records capture the details of the work you’ve carried out for your client and are the first step in the invoice process, i.e. they must be created before you can create an invoice. Sales Records are not included in any financial reporting so are ideal should you need to confirm the details with your […]

27/08/2020

You can add two different types of discount to a sale or quote: fixed amount discounts (e.g. £100) or a percentage (e.g. 10%). Fixed amount discounts To add a fixed amount discount to a sale or quote: In the “Items” tab, click the + button to add a new item. In the “Name” field, type […]

26/08/2020

Light Blue’s quoting & invoicing features can manage all your needs, whether you don’t charge any tax on your sales, charge a single tax rate or several, or work with more complex tax packages. To learn more about how to do this watch the video below; though if you prefer to learn by words and […]

26/08/2020

Recording your business mileage in Light Blue is handy whether you’re a sole trader or have staff members. You can either simply record the mileage and then generate a mileage report at the end of the tax year to give to your accountant. Or if you reimburse yourself and your staff members for mileage you […]

26/08/2020

Invoicing a sale allows you to send the invoice to your client showing you expect to be paid and will include the sale in your financial reporting; essential if you want to get paid for the work you’ve carried out and to keep on top of your finances! And of course, using Light Blue for […]

26/08/2020

Turning a Quote Record into an invoice allows you to request payment for the work your client has already agreed to, and as you don’t have to re-enter all the information into a new Sales Record it allows you to ask for the money due more quickly! And of course, using Light Blue for your […]

25/08/2020

It’s important to ensure that your photography brand is reflected across all areas of your business and any printed/PDF communication you have with your client is no exception to this. Whether it’s a quote, invoice or receipt you want their design to reflect and be consistent with your brand. To learn more about how to […]

17/08/2020

Which online payment options can I use with Light Blue? Offering online payment options makes it really easy for your clients to pay you. You can set up your Light Blue account to take payment for invoices or booking fees via: You need to open an account with one of these payment processors before you […]

14/08/2020

Payment Schedules allow you to easily break an invoice down into smaller payments due at different points in time either before or after a session. Having the ability to offer a payment plan to your clients makes payments more manageable and affordable so they perhaps may book you more readily. They may also be inclined […]

11/08/2020

Light Blue’s Document Templates allow you to quickly create documents you may want to send to your client such as letters, detailed proposals or other paperwork. If needed they can also automatically populate information from Light Blue Records and should you want a different layout to the inbuilt Light Blue templates, they can also be […]

11/08/2020

Light Blue’s in-built calendar is great for viewing all your Light Blue events, however you may want to also have these events showing in your own personal online calendar so you can see everything you’re up to in the one place. To do this Light Blue helps you to create calendar feed URLs which you […]

11/08/2020

Light Blue’s built-in Calendar gives you an overview of all your Light Blue events, namely, Shoots, Appointments, Time Off and Calendar Notes. Conveniently you can also add new events or amend any existing event in the Calendar view. To learn more about how the Calendar works watch the video below; though if you prefer to […]

11/08/2020

Our mobile app includes a helpful built-in calendar that you can use to check your availability when you’re out and about, and a task manager that allows you to manage your to-do list or set yourself reminders whenever inspiration strikes. Our mobile app includes a calendar view that you can use to look up what’s […]

11/08/2020

Being able to publish contracts and forms from our mobile app means that you can confirm bookings with clients from your iOS device or Android phone, even getting them to sign a contract right there in front of you in a meeting. Being able to use these features when you’re out and about is very […]

11/08/2020

Our mobile app allows you publish invoices for payment online, so you can invoice clients when you’re out and about. First of all, you need to have your client portal set up, including linking either a Stripe or Square account for accepting payment by card, or a PayPal account. You’ll find a separate tutorial that […]

11/08/2020

Recording mileage and purchases on your iPhone or Android phone makes it easier to keep on top of your bookkeeping. Mileage claims can be added from the Home screen. Tap the Plus button… and select ‘New Mileage Claim’… You can then enter the details of your mileage claim, starting by selecting yourself from the list […]