How to Create an Amazing Experience Your Photography Clients Will Rave About | Seattle Photographer
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The Importance of a Rave-worthy Client Experience
Since pivoting my photography business a couple years back and reinventing my entire process for portrait clients, I've realized how passionate I am about creating a stress-free experience for families, especially those with young kids. I truly believe the overall experience leads to happy clients, better referrals, and increased revenue. Dare I say an incredible experience may even trump the final images?
Of course the final photos are all a part of a client's journey, but a great client experience is going to make YOU stand out between another photographer who just has beautiful photos, but is disorganized and struggles to connect with their customers. From the initial inquiry to the gallery delivery (and beyond), you want to make your photography clients feel comfortable, understood and taken care of! So let's break down how to do this well.
A First Impression Goes a Long Way!
While I won't go deep into perfecting your website and portfolio, these are obviously the first things your potential clients are going to be looking at. Please don't just have an Instagram account and not a real website for them to contact you. Websites exude professionalism and in my opinion, show that you're a legit business, not just a hobbyist. It's also a great way to show off your expertise on your blog posts and answer common questions before they ever reach out. Your website is the spot to really attract your ideal clients, so make it shine!
From your website, there should be a clear contact form for them to get in touch. A great way to go the extra mile is setting up an automated response to any inquiry that comes in! A CRM (customer relationship manager) will make running your business 10x easier, especially when it comes to emails and automation. I use Honeybook and have loved their platform for many years. When someone fills out my contact form, Honeybook automatically sends a thank you email with limited information.
For a long time, I used to manually reply and send all the pricing information then and there after the initial email. Now I always suggest phone calls with potential clients. In my automatic reply, I include a calendar where they can easily schedule a phone call with me, and this gets things going right away and avoids the back and forth emails.
While many shy away from actually talking on the phone (I know, it can be intimidating!) I find it's the best way to really hear their vision for their photo shoot and in turn, I can explain my own approach, booking process, and set client expectations. This also gives you a chance to humanize yourself: make small talk, banter and get to know each other a little more!
PRO TIP: Follow-up! I know this sounds obvious, but if you are like me, I used to just tell myself if they don't respond, it means they don't want to book me because of x, y or z. Don't assume this until you reach out at least 3 times and try to get an actual answer out of them. People are busy and forgetful and often need several reminders!
Make Booking & Payments Seamless
Aside from a website, having a CRM (also known as a client management system) really is a powerful way to show you are a professional. It helps streamline the entire booking process and is the first step to an exceptional client experience in my opinion!
You can send them a brochure that helps walk them through all the key points and prices that you hopefully talked about on the phone! From your CRM, you'll also be able to send digital contracts and online invoices. Gone are the days of paper and checks. People want easy and efficient! Another awesome feature with Honeybook is the ability to set automatic payments or payment plans. If you require a booking retainer upfront, but then the balance is due at a later date, you can schedule that for your client. One less thing for them to remember!
Once you have a client portal set up, you can create a whole automation for your booked clients. Use automated reminders for the session date, payments, and prep tips. So convenient for everyone!
Guide Clients with Preparation Tips
Once you've officially booked your client, don't lag on sending out prep emails. Start with a helpful client welcome guide! You'll want to highlight the importance of the type of sessions you run so they know what to expect. This is especially important if you didn't end up on a phone call with your new clients. Make sure they know how long the session length is, how many locations or outfit changes are included, what time of day you normally shoot and if you have a more posed or hands-off shooting style.
I'm a lifestyle photographer, so I'm aiming for authentic smiles and connections throughout my sessions. You may have a more studio or posed approach! Either way, set expectations.I include a large section in my welcome guide about expectations for little kids. I want parents, especially new parents, to know it's ok for their kids to not be on their best behavior. I encourage play, exploration, silly faces and definitely breaks during a family photo session. I want families to feel at ease and comfortable going into the session, and let them know their kids do NOT have to be perfect!
Style guides are also a very helpful resource for your clients. Often picking outfits is one of the most overwhelming parts getting ready for a photo shoot. Perhaps you have a Pinterest board of ideas for your couples or families. Including some of your own ideas for color palettes or even creating and sending a blog post you made on what to wear can make a huge impact! I find that helping my clients feel led and cared for during the planning process gets me a step ahead of them. They aren't asking a ton of questions because I've already preemptively sent them all the most important things they need to know!
Giving them ideas for locations is definitely key! Not only do they not know the best spots to shoot, you have the upperhand in persuading them to choose the spots you know the best or have the most beautiful scenery. Of course I always take into consideration what type of look they want for their photo session (ie, beach, forest, field, city, mountains). I will then narrow down options for them from there. If they are truly open to anywhere, I'll send them my guide ono my top ten locations or direct them to an article I wrote on how to choose the best location for their photo shoot!
Lastly, before the session I will always send a short client questionnaire to get to know the family or couple better. In order to create the best experience for them, I want to go into the shoot knowing them and their careers, interests and especially the moments that are important for me to capture during their session. It's also a way for me to have everyone's names (almost) memorized before I officially meet them! Because if you're anything like me, if I'm being introduced to a family of 5, you can bet I'll forget most of their names on the spot!
Create a Comfortable & Stress-Free Photoshoot Experience
From the get-go, you want to set a friendly and reassuring environment. I think it goes without saying, but smile a lot and pump up your clients during the whole shoot. They will be looking to you for reassurance that they look good in front of your camera, so say encouraging things like "that looks great!", "I love your smile", "your dress is beautiful", snap the photo and say "perfect". Another tip that can go a long way is to ask if anyone has a side they prefer or if there is anything they are self-conscious of. Whether this is in person on your client questionnaire, this will help you avoid delivering photos that they nitpick.
Ask questions and carry-on conversations when you're moving from one spot to another or one prompt/pose to another. Keeping things upbeat and casual helps relax everyone. This is very important when kids might be fussy or uncooperative. I need to keep my composure so parents keep their composure. This is where setting client expectations comes in handy. I once had a two year old who wanted nothing more than to run through flower fields and definitely not pose for family photos! Because I had prepared his parents to not stress about kids being kids, we happily chased his through the flowers and caught real smiles and detail shots without scolding, or making him feel confined.
Easy ways to help when kids are being less than cooperative
Introduce a game for them to play (airplane, red light green light, blanket parachute)
Give them a break and possibly a snack! Focus on photos of mom and dad or portraits of older siblings.
Move on to another prompt or pose
Offer an incentive or bribe
Pull out a favorite toy, bubbles or play their favorite song on your phone (this is where the client questionnaire can come in handy!)
Act silly, stay calm and reassure parents!
Keep Clients in the Loop During the Editing & Delivery Process
Sending a thank you email or text after the session really adds a nice touch. You'll want to keep them excited and looking forward to seeing their photos as well. It's always nice to build the excitement with some sneak peeks! You can either email them directly, or post and tag them on social media. If you decide to post on Instagram or Facebook, then your photos can be easily shared with their friends and family! Your clients will thank you and you'll also feel encouraged as you edit through the whole gallery.
Depending on your delivery process, you may want to send a refresh email to let them know how your gallery works. Are they going to be seeing a slideshow of photos? Do you do soft proofing and allow them to pick their favorites for you to edit entirely? Or do they get the a certain number or downloads or the whole gallery? You. may have told them initially how your process works, but an email or even better, a quick video walk through, will help keep it fresh in their mind when they finally do receive the images. Again, you're educating and staying a step ahead of your clients so they won't even have to ask any questions!
The Final Touch
Finally, to top off the best client experience, you want your online gallery to look professional, well-designed and user-friendly! I've been through a handful of gallery delivery software and my favorite has been Pic-Time. It not only looks sleek, pretty and professional, I find it easy for clients to navigate and have minimal questions asked once the gallery is sent off. Their customer service is 24/7 and super helpful! I also love the product shop that makes it easy for clients to order prints (and tons of other products of your choice) and I like how it's a smart shop that will show selected photos from your gallery superimposed on each product.
With all my sessions, I include a certain amount of complimentary print credit to ensure all clients walk away with a tangible keepsake! It's not only something I really value, but it's a great way get clients in your shop. While I do factor the cost of what they print into the session fee, the print credit also serves as a good reason for your clients to buy MORE than the amount of their credit. Kind of like when you get an gift card, is it ever possible to spend the exact amount? Try it out and see if it works for you!
After sending the gallery and they make their downloads and/or purchases, I always like to send a thank you gift. I also factor this into my price of the session as well. Who doesn't love to receive an unexpected present on their doorstep? That's right, no one! It's a thoughtful touch and I highly recommend thinking of what you can afford in your budget. Even a personalized thank you card in the mail is better than nothing. It shows you care, are grateful for their support of your business and gives them one more reason to remember you for future sessions!
When all is said and done, I recommend reaching out to those over-the-moon, happy clients who you know will rave about you and ask for a Google review. Make it a low pressure ask and include the link to your Google Business page so it's easy and quick for them to write a few sentences out about their experience with you. This not only is a great social proof for you to share and obviously helpful for potential future clients, it's also a nice SEO boost! When you decide to ask for the review is up to you. I usually only ask after I'm done with my entire workflow and make sure they are happy clients with no issues. Though I've heard it recommended to ask for the review the day after the session (or wedding) when emotions are high and the shoot is fresh in their mind. You do what feels right for you!
What Do You Think?
What of these steps do you feel you have a good handle on and what do you wish you could improve on or implement soon? Feel free to share your favorite client experience tips in the comments or let me know what steps you're going to take next with your own client experience!