The Simple Technique To Get Your Clients Coming Back Again And Again

I’ve gotten my photos taken on several occasions over the years, and one thing really stuck out to me on every session with various photographers.

I’d get a referral from a friend, talk to the photographer, make an appointment, have a great shoot, get my proofs and retouched photos…

And that was it!

Sounds good…

But I never heard from them again, unless I somehow remembered to go to them for another session.

So what’s missing here?

This is a huge missed opportunity to turn new customers into repeat business

The most effective thing that creates repeat business is follow up.

What’s the follow up like in your business? Do you make a sale and never hear from most people ever again?

That probably means your follow up needs some work.

A great way to follow up is to get everyone’s email address, then send an email here and there that adds to the experience. Not trying to get another sale just yet. You need time to solidify the relationship.

For the photographer, it could be…

• a thank you email the day after the shoot with info about when to expect the retouched photos.
• Send the final photos. And then a week after that, just ask how the client is doing. Again, no pitching, just be interested.
• And then you can send an email newsletter every week or month to give your customers extra helpful info and keep them thinking of you.

If you do headshots for actors, you can send a follow up after 6 months and check in to see how the pictures are helping them book work, or if they need a new ones because their look has changed.

Or do an email campaign before pilot season when most actors will want new pictures and are looking for photographers.

Computers Are Standing By, Ready To Help You

If your mind is swimming imagining remembering to send all these emails, there are tools that can help.

Sign up for an email marketing service like AWeber to help you out (this is the email service I use).

You can sign up your customers during every appointment, and create an auto-responder sequence that will send follow up emails at various intervals AUTOMATICALLY!

You create the emails once, and then forget about it. A computer does the rest.

And then every few weeks or so you can manually send an email (or schedule it for later) to everyone on your list about new projects you’re working on… or helpful tips for storing & sharing photos online.

Consistently follow up providing value and people will keep coming back

Value over time turns into loyalty. You’ll get more referrals too!

Do you plan to create a new follow up sequence for your business? What questions do you have about creating customer loyalty? Leave a comment below.

Photo: “My Camera” by Paul Reynolds