So you’ve selected the perfect photography welcome guide template to help educate your clients about your photography services, in one neat and complete package – now what? These welcome guide templates shouldn’t stop working for you when your clients have finished reading them, in fact they should continue to do some of the marketing legwork you don’t have time for. Here are some easy and approachable ways you can use your photography welcome guides to enhance your clients’ experience and get more clients.
Many clients want to see the end result before you even get started. Give your prospective clients a taste of what they can expect from their own photo session, in a fully customized magazine, complete with sample images and text. Change out the images to appeal to your client’s expectations. For example, if you’re meeting with a client who has a large family, create a photography welcome guide packet showcasing your best family images. Or if you’re meeting with a mom-to-be make sure you feature some maternity images. If you show your client exactly what they want to see they will be more likely to book you. This may require some additional information gathering on your part before the initial consultation but it will make all the difference!
There are often some great networks that form within small business and entrepreneurial communities and if you live in an area where this thrives then get in there and join them! Ask your local cafes, salons, gift shops, florists, pet stores or real estate agents if they would display copies of your magazine in their shop. Perhaps your magazine can showcase your work as well as their business. As an incentive you could offer to place a small ad of their business in your magazine to show your support and collaborative relationship. The Headshots Photography Magazine Template for instance, is the perfect magazine that would be suitable for modeling agencies to share with their clients, introducing you as their ‘recommended photographer’. This same photography magazine template can be used in a similar fashion by way of cross promoting hair and makeup services in salons. There are endless outlets when you stop to consider who could best refer you, and it is often simply a matter of connecting with the right people.
Instagram and Pinterest offer great visual platforms to promote your photography business, cross promote and also link back to your portfolio. Whether you want your clients to download a copy of your magazine, have them preview a page or even call out other businesses or individuals you are working with, social media can capture a wide audience instantly. Hash tagging and tagging other businesses is a sure way to increase your followers and get discovered by new potential clients. On the reverse, make sure your magazine clearly shows your Social Media handles so your clients can easily follow you.
Word of mouth marketing is one of the most effective methods of getting photography clients. When your clients tell their friends about you it (a) cuts out the search for these new potential clients (b) comes from a source they would normally trust and (c) reduces any risk in the potential clients’ mind. Implementing a referral scheme is also one way of building up customer loyalty with your existing clients. You can dedicate a page in your magazine to a referral scheme, by offering a 20% discount on their next photo session. Similarly, you can offer first time clients an introductory discount to make your service more inviting.
PR is about getting others talking about you. Do you know any bloggers or other service sites (like a modeling agency, as in the earlier example) that could mention your services and link back to your welcome guide? This strategy is a great way to drive traffic to your photography website without the costs of traditional advertising, and is a more organic way of gaining an audience and attracting new customers. You might even gain some insight as to the origins of the web traffic from your web statistics and this could help you decide where to best place your links.
As you can see photography welcome guides are multi-purpose tools that can work for you in a variety of ways. When you know WHAT your clients want, WHERE they are, WHO they know and WHEN they might need you, you’re in a good place. Be as creative as possible with marketing your photography business, there are many paths to one goal. And remember to BE your clients’ dream come true - show them what they want to see.
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