I know that wedding season is here and you’ve probably got lots of weddings to shoot. So I wanted to make sure that you’re prepared for the ones that go above and beyond. Just like any other job in life, if you work hard on your clients, they’ll remember it forever. Here are some ways that I have found over the years can help ensure your couples not only remember you but also recommend you to friends:
Be honest and upfront about your business model and pricing structure.
It’s important to be honest and upfront about your business model and pricing structure. This will help couples understand what they can expect from you, and whether or not you are a good fit for them.
It’s also important to update your prices regularly so that they stay current with the market. If you haven’t updated them in years, it might be time for an update!
Leave time in case you run into traffic on your drive and show up just a little bit early.
Leaving your house with plenty of time to spare before an engagement session or the wedding day will set you up for success. It’s easy to run into road construction or hit a delay (especially on long drives) and walking in the door after you’ve promised to be there can make it look like you’re unreliable.
When I’m early to my weddings and shoots, I’ll use that time to location scout. I also know that I’ve got extra wiggle room to stop and use the restroom, get food or grab a coffee on my drive.
Send thank you notes and gifts.
When it comes time to send thank you notes and gifts, make sure that they’re personalized. A simple “thank you” note will go a long way in showing the couple how much their business means to you. If possible, include a photo of them on their wedding day or at the venue–it will help them remember those special moments even more! You can also send along a picture of yourselves with one another.
For couples who are dog lovers, I’ll occasionally slip a bone into their welcome gift or for couples who are eloping in another state or country, I might include location specific stickers.
Send client guides and anticipate your couple’s needs.
As a wedding photographer, it’s important to send client guides that are specific to their needs. The more you know about your couple’s preferences and expectations, the better you can serve them.
By sending client guides, I can also help guide my couple’s through the process and let them know what to expect before they are left to wonder, “what’s next?!”
Genuinely care about your couples and their story.
It’s easy to forget that your clients are people. They have their own stories, and these are what make them unique. What’s the best thing about your couple? How did they meet? What does each person love about the other? These are all questions you should be asking yourself before starting on any shoots with a couple.
Getting to know your couples through questions like these will help you understand how they want their photos taken and what kinds of things they would like out of their sessions with you as a photographer. It also helps set up expectations so that when clients come back after receiving their images from their shoot, there won’t be any surprises!
Pay attention to details and ask questions about what’s important to your couple.
You want your couple to feel comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera, so it’s important to learn about them before the wedding day. Ask questions about what they want and how they want it. Ask questions about their timeline, family dynamics, vision, dating history and more!
You’ll be able to provide a better service if you have all of this information at hand when shooting their wedding day.
You can do this by asking questions like:
- How did you two meet?
- How did your relationship develop?
- What are some of the most important moments from your relationship so far?
- What does each person bring to the table when it comes to planning their own wedding day (or other big events), and what do they value most about that person’s contribution?
- Who are all of these people who will be attending this event with us on [insert date] at [insert location]?
One way I ask questions is by sending questionnaires. You can snag my engagement session questionnaire here!
Overdeliver on your original agreement.
- Include extra images and/or time
- Help with parts of planning
- Be extra responsive to emails
- Send welcome and thank you gifts/cards
- Take the time to develop a friendship and get to know your couple
Ask for feedback so that you can improve your client experience and give them an opportunity to send it to you via email, phone or text.
After your couple has gone through their journey with you, be sure to ask for feedback. It can be scary, but this is important as it will help grow your business by improving the experience of your clients. If they had a great experience they will most likely recommend you to others which helps increase sales and revenue for the business!
On the other hand, if there was anything they weren’t happy with, you have the opportunity to make it right. You can also use this information to ensure that the issue doesn’t happen to future clients.
If you go above and beyond for your couples, they will remember it forever!
It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of wedding photography. It’s an exciting time, but there are a lot of details that need to be taken care of. You want to make sure that you’re doing everything possible for your couples on their big day so that they can relax and enjoy themselves as much as possible!
One way you can do this is by going above and beyond for them – whether it’s something simple like bringing bottled water or hand warmers for families with winter weddings or something more involved like arranging transportation from one location (the church) to another (the reception venue). If you go above and beyond for your couples, they will remember it forever! They’ll tell their friends about how great it was working with such an attentive photographer who went out of his/her way just because he cared so much about making sure everything was perfect during their special day.
Conclusion
We hope these ideas have given you some inspiration, and we would love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments! Please feel free to reach out via email at hello@breeannakay.com or on Instagram @breeannakayphotography.
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