If having the right skills and a natural talent for photography were enough, most photographers today would be successful. But that is not the case.
As a photographer, you might want to land more gigs or bring in a more stable income. You need to go above and beyond just the skills and techniques.
The secret to most successful photographers is their ability to build and maintain good relationships with their clients. If you want your customers to keep coming back to you with more work and refer you to more customers, then you should try to put in an effort right from the start.
By building successful relationships with your clients, here are some of the benefits you’ll get:
- You’ll see your clients repeatedly coming back to you with work.
- Your clients will recommend you to others, bringing in more profitability.
- New and existing opportunities will open up for you as you’ll become a well-known name in the photography space.
So, if you are looking for some top strategies that will help you build and maintain long-lasting relationships with your clients and help you scale your career, then read on to learn more about them.
Identify the People you want to Maintain Relationships with
Trying to build relationships with your clients should be a conscious and strategic effort. If you begin with a specific goal and a list of people in mind, you’ll get much better results. So, this should be your first step.
You can begin by making a list of people you want to build relationships. These could be your clients, potential clients, fellow photographers, or anyone who can be potentially profitable for you in the long run.
Start with a list of your previous and current clients. Also, think about the prospects you would want to work with. You can also find fellow photographers and other people who might be valuable for you to network with.
Have a System
As a photographer, you’d have worked with quite a few clients. Everyone would have communicated with you using different means and thus keeping track of all these interactions can be challenging.
This is why you should have a system for keeping track of all client communications and managing them in one place. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself losing track of all the client information you have gathered.
You can use a spreadsheet or tool to record all your client and prospect details. A client portal platform is also highly effective when it comes to managing all customer communication in one place. You can include information such as their necessary contract details, conversation history, and any other things you want to note.
Add Utmost Value
Of course, the most important step to build good relationships with your clients is to add value to your clients. This çan be one of the most important things that will help you grow your photography career.
Every relationship should be two way. So, instead of always expecting your clients or prospects to work with you, try to add value to them. You can help them out with small tasks, offer them suggestions and advice.
You must focus on the customer experience. Customer experience will directly impact the way your clients will perceive you. Over time, your clients will notice how valuable you can be to them, and you’ll see them reciprocating.
Find Ways to Stay Connected
Staying in touch with people will always keep you one step ahead of your competitors. Hence, you must find ways to stay connected and have an omnichannel approach to it.
For instance, you can connect with all these people on social media. Post useful photography tips and showcase your art to stay in touch with them. You should also engage with their posts and have meaningful conversations.
You can also build your email list and send weekly newsletters to these contacts to stay connected. Maximize this platform by encouraging engagement and gathering feedback. This way, your customers know that you’re committed to improving your services according to their needs.
You can also try to include attending networking events, conducting webinars, or even phone conversations.
Have an Omnichannel Approach to Networking
As mentioned in the previous point, you should have an omnichannel approach to networking. Not all people will stay on one platform. Different people in your contact lists will be active on different platforms.
So, try to analyze the places where your clients are most likely to hang out and try to stay active on these channels. One thing that would help you with this is to come up with a plan for each of these platforms. You can have a social media posting plan and email newsletter schedule to stay on track
Keep Adding People to your Network
Simply building and maintaining customer relationships is not enough. You must actively connect with new people and add them to your network. As your network grows, you’ll find your photography career flourishing to great heights.
You can do this by making a conscious effort to connect with potential clients and industry people on social networks. When you find someone who shares interests with you or looks like a potential client, then make an effort to interact with them and bring them into your network.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, we can say that building a strong network of clients can change your photography game entirely. You’ll find yourself surrounded by numerous photography offers and new opportunities will open up for you.
So, take this step today. Start implementing the tips given in this guide and build successful relationships with your clients.
