One of your main focuses as a wedding photography business owner is to attract new clients and book more weddings. Booking more weddings helps your business grow, and allows you to place your images in front of larger audiences of ideal clients. Since there are many strategies you can use to book more weddings, we reached out to the International Academy of Wedding Photographers to gain their valuable insights. Below, they are sharing one surefire way you can book more weddings throughout the year.
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It’s the beginning of a new year, and as you look at the calendar, you can’t help but have a little knot in your stomach. You may be a great photographer. You may have great branding. You may be a friendly person. But, how do you get more couples to think about using you? The number one way we have received more bookings is by REFERRALS! Referrals from our clients, the wedding party, or family we have worked with, and the vendors we’ve worked alongside!
Not only should you be spoiling your client with great service along the way, but a lot of photographers also forget how important the wedding party is in your marketing strategy. These potential brides and grooms are with you all day long and watch you work. Here are some key ways to get this group on your side and calling you first when they get engaged.
Image Compliments of Matt Kennedy Photography
1. Make a Great First Impression
Your introverted personality may try to prevent you from being the first to say “Hi”, but do your best to walk into the room with a smile on your face and introduce yourself to everyone. Do your best to learn their name right away. Stepping out of your comfort zone and trying to make a warm first impression gets you off to a great start for the day! Try to do this without your camera in hand, and show up a bit early so you have time to introduce yourself before you are supposed to be working.
Related: Are you utilizing these 4 tips for better body language?
2. Encourage them
Your clients may have the most awkward smiles or may not know what to do with their hands, but it’s your job to be their biggest encourager. People LOVE getting positive feedback. There is a balance between fake encouragement and genuinely helping people look their best. Be sure to fix necklaces that are out of place or boutonnieres that are crooked. Noticing the little things to help them look goodwill goes a long way.
Related: How can you quickly identify (and eliminate) branding mistakes in your business?
3. Be Helpful
As photographers, we have an important and stressful job on the day, but OUR job is to be as kind and helpful as we can to the people we are working with. Opening doors and helping carry flowers can go a long way in getting the wedding party on our team. Anything you can do on the day to continue to make a positive impression will stick in their mind (especially if they are looking for a wedding photographer!).
4. Befriend and Tag Them
Hopefully, you have the wedding party’s names ahead of time on your questionnaire, so you can add them as your friend on social media. Make sure you tag them on sneak peeks you post after the wedding day! Be sure to have some sneak peeks that include the wedding party or the bridesmaids and groomsmen separately. It’s amazing how quickly these turn into their cover photos on their page!
Tip: Make sure you include some images cropped as squares that would be good for profile pics, as well as wide rectangle photos that would be good for cover photos. This will subconsciously encourage them to use these in those spots.
Now that they are your friend and respect you and your work, they’ll be happy to follow your work and call you when they are ready to plan their big day!
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Now that you have a few tips up your sleeve, you can continue to encourage referrals throughout the year! What are other strategies you can use to attract and book more clients? Our Guide to Marketing for Wedding Photographers dives into the strategies industry leaders use and how they can work for you. Grab your copy today.
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