As creative entrepreneurs, we like to think business is always going to be busy. Unfortunately, no matter how good we are at what we do, that’s just not the reality. 

Slow seasons are completely normal, especially if you’re in a service-based industry (like a photographer, designer, or other creative freelancer). One season might see you working what feels like all day, every day. The next season might see you refreshing your email inbox every few minutes to see if you’ve heard from any potential clients.

You may think of this slow period as a slump, but that sounds negative. What if you saw it as an opportunity instead? A slow period could be your chance for strategic growth, a creative reset, and behind-the-scenes upgrades to things like your website and other marketing material.

If you’re wondering what to do when business is slow, here are 9 ways to take advantage of your booking slump, stay productive, and use the slow period to your benefit.

1. Invest in Your Craft

If you’ve ever wanted to learn a new skill but never had the time—well, now you’ve got the time! Take this slow period to enroll in one of the many online classes available for creatives, such as Skillshare, Domestika, or a creative-specific platform.

While you’re expanding your horizons, this is a great time to try a new medium, technique, or niche. You can even offer value to your customer base by documenting the process and sharing it on social media. You have the chance to learn, and you get content as a bonus!

You can also encourage some creativity among your followers. Host a creative challenge or peer contest, and promote it via your social channels.

Pro Tip! Turn your challenge into a mini case study on your Showit blog. You’ll build your skills and your authority online!

2. Refresh & Update Your Portfolio

You know all those updates to your portfolio that you’ve been holding off on making until you have time? Now is the perfect opportunity to improve your website portfolio with fresh material. Highlight anything from the past few months—or even the past few years—that you want to show off.

While you’re improving your website portfolio, give yourself the chance to reevaluate your voice. Ask yourself whether the work you’re currently showing off reflects your direction and values. Your visual storytelling signals what kind of customers are a good fit for you and what ideal projects you want to take on.

While you’re updating your portfolio, be sure to archive any older or outdated projects that no longer reflect what you do (or want to do).

3. Do Strategic Pro-Bono Work

Rarely do we recommend working for free. But when you do free projects with a purpose, pro-bono work can help bring you more business in the future. 

Think of it as slow-season marketing. Pro-bono work for creatives might entail offering services to a nonprofit, a charity, or another cause you care about. Think about what your dream collaboration would be. You now have the time and energy to court that opportunity at no cost to the other party, so why not offer?

This kind of pro-bono work will help you reach new audiences that might not know about you, build referrals, and generate fresh content for social media

Pro Tip! Document the process of providing pro-bono work on your blog. This strategy is great for SEO and sharing social proof.

4. Audit & Improve Your Business Systems

Creative business systems are tricky. Most creatives are good at the, well, creative part of their jobs. But the organized business part? It can get a little chaotic! 

Now is your chance to get your workflow under control. Reconsider the efficiency of processes like your onboarding, offboarding, and client email systems. Set up and improve your CRM, integrate your calendar, and rename your files.

This is also an excellent chance to audit your finances. Cancel any unused subscriptions, and rethink any recurring charges. Along with being a responsible practice in general, cutting expenses can make a slow season sting a little less financially, too! 

Pro Tip! If you haven't already, add Google Analytics to your website to track your customer behavior and conversion rates. This can help you determine what’s bringing in revenue and what’s not.

5. Write Evergreen Blog Posts

You hear all the time about how you can boost your SEO with blogging… but that’s time-consuming. With everything else you have to do, when are you supposed to generate blog content? 

This slow period is a perfect opportunity to brainstorm blog content that’s evergreen, AKA content that stays fresh and relevant forever, no matter when somebody reads it.

If you need blog post ideas for creatives, consider topics like “Behind the Scenes of a Brand Shoot” or “How to Prep for a Design Project.” These are relevant topics that will get the attention of your target audience and drive traffic to your website. Be sure to conduct keyword research to ensure your ideas match up with what your audience is actually searching for.

Pro Tip! Write content that targets long-tail keywords, which are phrases less likely to be overused by other bloggers, so there’s less competition for the attention of those online searchers. Instead of photoshoots, try targeting a word like what equipment do i need to prepare for photoshoots.

6. Create a Lead Magnet or Freebie

A lead magnet is a lead generation strategy for creatives that is a popular way to grow your email list and stay in touch with an audience you know is interested. Ultimately, it can lead to more business for you. But creating a lead magnet takes time that you don’t always have, especially when the product is, by nature, not sellable.

Use this slow season to design a freebie like a downloadable guide, checklist, or email sequence. Your web visitors can sign up to access your freebie by entering their email address, which means email list growth for you.

You can then use your spare time to create follow-up emails to send to your subscribers. By nurturing your email list, you’ll be top of mind when those potential clients are ready to book.

Pro Tip! Integrations like Flodesk, ConvertKit, and BDOW! let you add a pop-up or in-line email capture to your website. These tools give you a seamless connection between your website visitors and the emails you send them later.

7. Streamline or Redesign Your Website

Is your website overdue for a redesign? This slow season could be a great opportunity to clean up your navigation, refresh your images, and revise your copy for clarity and connection. You should also consider updating your brand visuals, page layouts, or SEO strategy.

Many creatives find they can DIY their website updates, but a customizable template can make website redesign for creatives simple, fast, and reliably effective.

Pro Tip! Try a new premium Showit template, or work with a designer one-on-one. Whether you’re looking for a partial or full refresh, our community of Showit design partners is here to help! If you are a designer, you've probably got this one covered.

8. Reconnect with Past Clients

If you don’t have any new clients coming to you during this slow period, why not take some time to reconnect with past clients? Even if you don’t do any business with them right now, maintaining a strong connection could be a good rebooking strategy that brings work in a future season. 

This strategy can also lead to some referral marketing, where these satisfied past clients recommend you to somebody else. Don’t underestimate word-of-mouth marketing!

Not sure how to reach out? Consider sending a personalized email or card thanking them and checking in. You can also ask for a review, or even straight-up ask them to refer you. Including a small incentive, like a discount or a freebie, ensures that this client relationship marketing is as beneficial for them as it is for you.

Pro Tip! Ask those past clients for a testimonial you can post to your website. This lets potential customers know what you expect (and will likely help with a conversion or twelve).

9. Build Passive Income Streams

Finally, why not build a passive income stream that can continue to serve you once business picks up? Create a digital product, like a printable, a template, or a guide. No matter which one of these digital product ideas you choose, you can sell them via an online shop built into your website.

If you’re still looking for passive income ideas for creatives, consider repurposing old content. For example, if you have a free tutorial that has served you well, you can format it as a mini-course and sell it in your online shop.

Pro Tip! You can easily create a shop on your Showit website, thanks to our many third-party integrations (like Shopify Starter, WooCommerce, and more). We even offer some amazing pre-built store templates in our design market.

Now’s the Time to Plant Seeds for Your Future Success

Booking slumps don’t have to feel defeating. In fact, they’re fertile ground for growth. 

The work you put in during this time could set you up with a stronger business overall. Take an opportunity to align your brand, optimize your systems, and show up with confidence when the busy season returns.

And remember, if you’re ever looking for ideas on how to improve your website, boost your marketing efforts, or do more to improve your creative business presence online, the Showit blog is a resource you want to check out. 

(In fact, maybe this is our best recommendation of all. If business is slow, take advantage of the extra time and do a deep dive into the Showit content. You’ll gain a lot of business savvy you can apply once work picks back up!)