When it comes to running a wedding photography business, it’s no secret in-person sales photography can be a challenging skill to master. We have shared how outsourcing your images to photo editing companies can help to give yourself free time to focus on your marketing, blogging, and networking. That free time can also be used for mastering wedding photography in-person sales! Although it can be difficult, selling your products and services is key to increasing the profit for your photography business.
After months of planning and preparing, the big day has finally arrived for the bride and groom. Before you shoot the ceremony, portraits, or the reception, you typically begin by capturing the wedding getting ready photos for both the bride and groom. Since this is a time they will spend apart, it will be exciting for them to see images of one another getting ready.
[···]
Throughout every shoot you do with your couples, you coach them on the best ways to pose, ensuring that they look stunning in each image. When you receive your images back from ShootDotEdit’s photography editing services, you review to make sure that your clients sent a proper message with their body language that represented the wedding day. If they were slouching or leaning in the pose, the message is not as strong. Body language is the key to sending the right message, especially in photography!
This applies to you as a business owner, as well! One of the reasons your clients booked you is because they had a positive experience with you during the initial meeting. When you interact with your clients, it is crucial for you to begin creating trust. Not only does your body language increase your clients’ trust, it also boosts your confidence, which enhances the ability for you to book and sell your highest packages. Here are 4 tips for you to ensure that your body language is sending the right message.
1. Maintain Eye Contact
From the moment you meet your potential clients, eye contact is crucial! There is a balance to this, though – too much eye contact can make you come across as intimidating and even rude, and too little eye contact can give clients the impression that you are insecure or unprepared. So how do you find a balance to the right amount of eye contact? As a rule of thumb, keeping eye contact between 30%-60% of the time will help to create a comfortable atmosphere for both you and your clients! [···]
In today’s technology driven society, we are glued to our devices. As you rush to meet with potential clients for a meeting, you strive to fit in as many texts in as possible before you need to shove your phone in your pocket and be personable for the next hour. Once you arrive at the meeting, you realize something – you are blanking on what to say, and without your email in front of you, you are drawing a blank on the names of the clients you’re meeting with. As a wedding photographer, the power of communication is a crucial and necessary tool you need to develop strong relationships with clients and vendors.
“Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success” – Paul J. Meyer
Here are six communication tips for better networking connections that will help you create lasting relationships with your clients and vendors.
1. Showcase Authenticity
When you are meeting with clients or vendors, one of the most important things you can do is to be yourself. Create a unique message that represents you and your brand, and let this shine through in every interaction you have with others! Say what you mean, not what you think clients want to hear – it is important to always be yourself. When communicating, be open and honest, ensuring that you are properly representing your brand at all times. As long as you are always being authentic, it is okay if you are not booking every client – remember, you want to focus on finding your ideal client each time! [···]
After you shoot a wedding, you head home, sit at your computer, and begin the hours of post-processing work to quickly get your images to your clients. What you may not realize is that the hours invested into editing your images is time that you could spend growing your wedding photography business! Here at ShootDotEdit, we cure the pain of post-processing for photographers around the globe. Outsourcing photo editing to us means that we take care of 90% of the workload, leaving you with only 10% (adding your Signature Style). When you use our photo editing services, you are freeing yourself up to do more of what you love – shooting!
As a wedding photographer, booking clients is the lifeline to your photography business. One way to achieve your goals is to utilize luxury brand marketing to book high end brides who will pay you what you are worth.
As a wedding photographer, one of the best ways for you to get the word out about your business is through client referrals. We have spent some time sharing with you how to create a loyal following of Advocates and Evangelists, both of who will happily recommend you and your wedding photography business to friends, family, and colleagues. So how do you move clients to become True Believers, the third and highest tier of customer referrals? True Believers refer you to others because of YOU rather than what you do – they believe in you as a person. You want to make it a goal of yours to create a band of True Believers who will spread the word about you and your business!
Know Your Message
To convert clients into True Believers, you must develop a clearly defined message and live by it. Having a strong message is essential because True Believers want more than just a quality product and a sharable experience – they need a message that they can stand behind and share with their friends and family as they refer you! Taking the time to know who you are and what you and your brand stands for is the only way to develop a genuine message. Remember to make your message as specific as possible! [···]
If you ask a wedding photographer in the digital age if selling prints are valuable to their business, you may hear an array of conflicting answers. Though giving prints to clients used to be standard for photographers, advancements in technology has made it more difficult to convince clients to purchase prints in addition to digital services.
Here at ShootDotEdit, we understand the importance of growing your business. We allow you to outsource photo editing to save you time for other parts of your business, such as sales! Understanding how to sell prints to your clients will not only increase the profit for your business, but it will also allow you to reach future clients. Think of the friends and family that will see your prints in the bride and groom’s home! They will admire your work and know that they can call you if they need photography services. To determine if selling prints is worth it for your wedding photography business, here are some ways to help clients see the value in purchasing prints!
Educate Your Clients
You must provide insight to the bride and groom about the benefits of purchasing prints. It is necessary for you to discuss prints the first time you meet with your clients, so they are continuously hearing about them throughout their relationship with you. Most of them have little knowledge about photography, nor will they understand the true benefits of purchasing prints from the wedding day. When you sit down for your first meeting, explain why prints, canvases, and wall art is a must-have! They are a physical representation of the most important day of their lives. [···]
In 2014, adding Lightroom Presets was the #1 Requested Feature from our ShootDotEdit Customers. So, we made it our mission to partner with the very best in preset developers for wedding photographers. Totally Rad! was up for the challenge, and developed a set of custom ShootDotEdit Presets!
With over 20 presets, from rad black and white options to stylized sharpening to your favorite film emulsions, you can use these to enhance your Signature Style in union with ShootDotEdit’s custom color corrections. The best part? They are included for free as a ShootDotEdit Customer! Take a look at how wedding photographer Leeann Marie uses these presets on her images in this short video:
Through the hustle and bustle of a wedding day, it can sometimes be hard for couples to truly enjoy all of the details surrounding them and the moments that occur. So how can you help preserve the memories of the wedding day for them? Create an album! Not only is this a piece that your couples will cherish, but it is an easy way for friends and family to reminisce about the details of that special day as well! Incorporating albums into your packages assists you in maximizing your profit. If you want to satisfy your current clients and book ideal future clients, album design is an important aspect to include.
In our Profitable Album Design and Sales Webinar, wedding photographer Melissa Jill shared effective ways for photographers to utilize wedding albums to increase sales within their photography businesses. Here are the top 5 tips to help you boost your album sales.
1. Show your passion for creating albums
Since digital images are usually high in demand, it is your job to educate your clients on the importance of also having an album. A wedding day is a sentimental part of your client’s lives, so explain why an album will create memories that will last a lifetime. While having the digital files are great, share with couples how wonderful it is to have a physical item that truly captures the highlights and most memorable moments of the day. [···]
