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Advantages of Maintaining Photography Client Relationships

Maintaining good relationships with your wedding photography clients could keep you top of their minds and possibly even help you get referrals from those clients in the future (word-of-mouth marketing is still going strong, people!). As a result, you could earn a positive market reputation. Building and maintaining a great relationship with your clients could also be instrumental in increasing your chances of gaining access to many other jobs that you might not have marketed or advertised for. For example, when your wedding photography client starts their own family, they might come back to you for family portraits. So, even if that’s not a new client, it’s certainly proof that your existing clients trust and like you enough to request your services again. And in our opinion, that’s always a sign of a good relationship!

Related Read: How Building Relationships Can Help You Book More Weddings

How to Maintain Client Relationships

1. Make a List of Clients

If you have hundreds of past and present clients, you might not have the bandwidth to maintain a relationship with all of them. And that’s okay. If this applies to you, we’d suggest you a list of all the clients you want to stay connected with. Your selection could simply be based on your experience with them or their professions. For example, suppose you worked for a wedding vendor, a blogger, an editor, a marketing professional, or any other professional who can add value to your business or bring in more clients. In that case, you could add them to your list of clients you want to stay in touch with. 

2. Build a System to Keep Track of Clients

Having a list of clients you want to maintain a relationship with is a great tactic, and adding relevant details under their names could be the key to making them feel like they matter to you. In the list, you can add their geographic and demographic information, interests, likes, dislikes, and the services they used. You may also add details related to your past interactions with them to help you pick up from where you left. Once you are done, you could divide your clients into different groups based on their preferences, and then you could customize your messages to target specific groups. To keep track, you could create digital folders or use client management software such as Tave or HoneyBook.

3. Try Email Marketing

Email marketing could increase the recall value of your brand and also help you maintain client relationships. Scheduled and automated emails could be a practical and great option for reminding your chosen clients about your brand and updating them about new services. Through your emails, you could also send different client groups customized newsletters that meet their demands/interests or links to your blogs. If you have the time, you could also send your clients emails with a personal touch, or if they had chosen a phone call or text as their preferred mode of communication, you could reach out to them through those. Just make sure you are calling at a good time. 

Related Read: Fast 5: Email Marketing Campaigns

4. Connect With Clients Over Coffee

If you want to build and maintain a strong relationship with specific clients (past or present), you could extend an invitation to a coffee meet, or if your timings don’t match, you could ask them a date and time that works for them. With present clients, this might work wonders as it could help them open up about their photography needs and expectations. It will also give you the chance to get to know them better before their wedding day. 

In the case of past clients, this could be a gateway for you to learn more about their experience with your services, what’s happening in their life currently, or if there is any way you could provide your services to them in the near future. Moreover, if they are in a profession that could help you learn a thing or two about running your business more efficiently or making it more profitable, you could even request that they share some expert tips with you. 

5. Call Them For Interviews

Clients who trust you and believe in your wedding photography could potentially help you create content for your website and social media. How? By giving interviews! Yes, by interviewing your selected clients about their love and wedding stories, and their photography experience with you, you could potentially get your hands on some gold (in terms of content). You can also use their quotes as captions while uploading their images on social media (of course, with permission). Some of them might be big names in their own industries, and recommending you to their circles could make a big difference for you and your business.

6. Set up a Credits or Loyalty Points Plan 

Rewarding clients through credit or loyalty programs is a customer retention strategy, but it can also play an essential role in maintaining client relationships. If the clients on your list get points each time they use your services or refer someone who eventually becomes your client, they’d be more interested in staying connected with you. They would look forward to the freebies or discounts they can get on accumulating a specific number of points. This way, they wouldn’t just add value to your business but also get something in return. To get your chosen clients onboard, you can send emails informing them that they’ve qualified for the plan.

Further Read: How To Build Relationships With Wedding Coordinators

Establishing trust and building a bond with your clients might take a lot of time but maintaining client relationships could be a lifelong process. And it doesn’t have to drain your energy. Using CMS, you can keep a track of all your clients and also send them personalized emails without having to cram every detail in your head. If your schedule allows, going out for a coffee is a great and casual way to meet up with your clients and perhaps even get some new business or helpful tips from them. The bottom line is – old or new – keep your clients close. And to do that, you might have to go slightly out of the way, but maintaining that relationship might just bring you professional and perhaps even personal gains. 

At ShootDotEdit, we understand your needs and love sharing tips that can enhance the way you run your wedding photography business. We also offer professional photo editing services to help lessen your post-production workload. To learn more about our services, check out our pricing plans.