How to win at your photography business

 
So... we're going to talk about word of mouth.

Is it just me who dislikes the subject of word of mouth?? I feel like I needed to rip of the plaster (or band-aid whatevs :) ) for this post. 


 I know from experience how annoying it is when people tell you that the key to your photographer business is word of mouth. OMG I know!!! I want other keys!!! That key is so pants... there must be another one.

I realised recently that it's because I'm not in control of it that I dislike it so much. You can't ask your customers to talk about you, just like you can't force your friends to share your facebook posts. You could end up with an amazing customer who does it without asking, but they are few and far between.

So I realised what we need is a real, honest way to push the dreaded word of mouth. How do you make your customer's happy to talk about you? I want to give our customers an easy way of saying 'Our photographer is great because...'

So I made a list of tips because lists are awesome...

1. Amazing customer service
You should be on top of your game for this one anyway, but it's top of the list. Be efficent, friendly, attentive.

(On a side note, I heard an awful story from the Mom of three gorgeous, very energic little boys that the last photographer she used kept shouting at the boys. He was actually getting annoyed that they were having fun! Do Not Do That!! Negative talk is worse than no talk. If they are rolling about, let them roll about. They'll eventually pose and then you'll get a real photo of them not a staged smile because the photographer is scary.)

2. Give extra
When they order 10 prints - give them 11. Maybe they were umming and erring over one photo and chose not to purchase it. Don't tell them, just get it in the order. It's a way of saying thank you, here's something for you. And it's a talking point for people.

3. Share on Social Media
After they purchase - whether or not they bought digital files. Always post one - just one - and you'll be happy with the results. Make sure your watermark is obvious and that it came through your work media page not personal one. Try to tag, because if that doesn't work (aka Facebook hates us) comment tag because they might share.
And always check that with the family beforehand, we have a lot of customers that are pretty private and don't want shared photos so we don't, simple as :)

4. Send cards
Christmas is a while off now, but we send cards to everyone at Christmas. If you know their birthday,s those too. Just a reminder that we didn't forget about them and don't let them forget about you.

5. Send Presents
 We tend to pick our 5 best customers and send presents. Best is not nessecarily from how much they've spent - but often how much they're involved in our business. If they share our work, talk about us, if someone says to us 'Hey, Julie gave us your number...' etc etc, give them a $10 coffee card or an amazon voucher.


 That's all I've got at the moment but if anyone else has great word of mouth tips I would love to hear them!!

Love, Georgee x



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