5 Tips to Improve Your Photography Client Experience and Get More Referrals!
Creating a stellar experience for your photography clients is one of the most underutilized marketing strategies, yet it can have an incredible impact on the growth of your photography business if you nail it.
At the end of the day, clients are the lifeblood of any business. When you take the time to create an exceptional and enjoyable experience for the people who trust you to capture their precious moments, they will be more apt to provide you with rave reviews, book you again and pass along your name to others who are looking for a photographer.
But what should your client experience include? It's seems like a pretty broad and open ended topic, so here are 5 tips will help improve your current client experience as a wedding or portrait photographer!
1: Clearly communicate. This is huge. Most problems that can arise with clients happens as a result of a lack of communication. Perhaps they thought all the digitals were included in the session fee, when in reality, you sell products and digitals for an additional fee. Perhaps they may get upset if they are not properly educated on how long it takes to edit and send their gallery. If clients are unclear on the process, they will make assumptions or compare you to the last photographer they hired. This can lead to uncomfortable situations that could have been avoided all together.
Personally, I'm a fan of over communicating to my clients. In fact, I have a 9 step process from when a client first books me to their ordering appointment where I am communicating and reminding them about prices, process and expectations at my studio. Our clients are busy people with a lot going on in their lives so they will appreciate all the extra reminders along the way.
2: Personalize the process. Take the time to get to know the people whom you want to invest with you. Ask them questions about their family, their children, their likes, why these portraits are important to them etc. The more questions you ask and the more you show genuine interest, the more comfortable they will feel around you. As an added bonus, this will make photographing them so much easier! This point is best summed up by a quote by Maya Angelou who said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” So take the time to get to personally know your clients and make a conscious effort to make them feel good.
3: Show, don't just say. For the most part, being photographed can be uncomfortable. Many of my clients are nervous to be in front of my camera, they are unsure of what to do with their hands and oftentimes, they are self conscious with something about their body. If your clients are similar, this is an excellent opportunity for you to be the professional photographer and guide them through every pose and expression. At portrait sessions, I have quite literally put myself in the pose I want my client in so they can visually see what it looks like as I explain how to have their arms, legs and hands. By providing detailed direction in posing, you will will help them become more confident and relaxed which will result in better portraits!
Side note: If you need help knowing how to pose your clients, check out my How to Pose Your Clients video here!
4: Express gratitude for their business. We all know that there is a lot of competition within the photography industry. Your clients could have gone to any other photographer in your town, but they chose you. Take the time to send them thank you emails, texts or cards. You can also incorporate snail mailing personalized cards or gifts throughout the year to wish them a happy birthday, happy graduation or happy anniversary!
5: Be open to feedback. Sometimes clients have great ideas that can improve your process. Give yourself an opportunity to gather their feedback and make any changes necessary to make the next experience even better!
By incorporating these 5 tips: clearly communicating, being personable, showing your clients how to pose, expressing gratitude and asking for feedback, you will begin to improve your process and experience with photography clients. As that happens, you will undoubtedly book repeat clients, receive more amazing reviews and more referrals!
What now? Pick one or two of these to begin implementing this week!
Cheering you on!
Heather
P.S. Are you ready to learn easy and fun marketing, pricing and selling strategies to help you become fully booked as a photographer? Perhaps our mentorship may be a good fit for you. We have a handful a spots open at the time of this email so apply here if you are interested!