Easiest Content Marketing Hack for Photographers

Let me guess…

There are times where you struggle knowing what to say in your marketing.

You know you need to post, go live on social media, or send an email newsletter...

But your mind goes blank when it comes to finding the words to write and say.

Well in today's blog post, I want to share with you one simple hack that will help you create compelling content for marketing your photography business.

Instead of stressing out, feeling overwhelmed or clueless when it comes to creating content that will attract your ideal photography clients, use this simple and very effective marketing hack:

Incorporate client testimonials!

Amazon does a great job of this. Earlier this week, I was on Amazon looking to buy new shoes for my sons. But when you search for "boys shoes" on Amazon, over 10,000 result appear. In other words, there's a lot of competition, just like there is for photographers.

So how did I decide which shoes to purchase? I looked at the reviews and purchased ones that had the highest ranking and the most reviews in quantity. The reviews provided social proof that I wasn’t going to waste my money on a product that wasn’t good.

This is no different for your photography business. I'm sure, like me, that before we invest in something, especially if it's a few hundred or a few thousand dollars, it's important to hear from someone else who has invested in that same thing. It's important for us to hear their experiences so we can be more confident in our buying decisions.

Essentially, people do what other people do so utilizing testimonials all over your marketing reassures your prospective clients and provides social proof that you and your photography service is amazing.

And as a bonus, using client testimonials will also alleviate much of the strain you may feel when it comes to coming up with marketing content to post because you get to use your clients words!

So now that we've established that client testimonials are important, what actually makes a good testimonial?

Good testimonials incorporate two things:

First, good testimonials have a clear before and after. In other words, the testimonial shows a transformation that occurred in your client, ideally in measurable terms.

A perfect example of this is one of my brand clients named Elle. After I photographed Elle's brand portraits, she shared with me that she was seeing more people in attendance at her in person events, many of who were saying that they came because Elle looked so friendly and approachable in her branding photos!

So that's a clear and measurable result that one of my brand clients had as a direct result from her brand photos: More people showing up to her in person events which meant higher sales for Elle. 

And the second thing that a good testimonial includes is the client's experience on an emotional level. As photographers, we are all about creating an amazing, confidence boosting experience for our clients, so when they can share how our photography and experience boosted their confidence level in their own words - that’s gold!

Alright so now we know that client testimonials are a great form of marketing and what makes a good testimonial, how do we actually go about getting them?

In the simplest terms, ask for them. Simply ask your clients to leave you a testimonial and review. 

You can do this through one on one conversation or through email. When you provide your clients with an amazing experience, they are eager to help you out and express their gratitude.

Personally, I incorporate questionnaires within my client life cycle. So after I photograph someone, I send them a follow up questionnaire. On that form, there are two questions that have allowed me to gather amazing testimonials from my clients.

The first question is "Before my photography session with Heather, I felt…."

This is a fill in the blank question and normal responses include emotions around feeling nervous or insecure about being in front of the camera.

Second question is: "After my photography session with Heather, I felt…"

Yet again, this is a fill in the blank question, but this time my clients insert positive emotions such as increased confidence, feeling beautiful and loving their images.

Using these two fill in the blank questions sets the stage for a clear transformation my client experiences. When I have their answers, I tie them into together to make one kick butt testimonial.

So there you have it friends! You can up level your marketing by simply using client testimonials throughout your social media, website, ads and emails. Sharing past client's stories and experiences will allow you to better connect with your prospects and will lesson the strain you may feel when it comes to creating marketing content because you get to use their words.

Now I would love to hear from you. Tell me in the comments below, do you incorporate testimonials in your marketing? And if so, how to you go about gathering great testimonials and reviews?