Photography Business: How To Get Killer Referrals From Your Blog
Summary: "Photography Business: How To Get Killer Referrals From Your Blog"
Many photographers have a referral program for their clients, but the majority of them are not working as well as they would like. This post discusses some of the possible reasons why, and also offers a killer alternative that can generate you a steady stream of excited referrals, all eager to work with you.
We’ve all heard it before… The idea that word of mouth marketing is the best type of marketing we can get for our business. Occasionally, we’ll even get a new client who is already raving about our photography simply because one of her friends introduced her to us and our work, which is great.
But are you getting anything like the number of referral clients you really need or want? Would you like to see more?
Do you rely on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter to help drive the marketing buzz for you and your studio, only to find that it’s mediocre at best?
Or, like many photographers, do you have a client referral system designed to help your clients get rewarded for referring their friends and family, only to see it fizzle and die?
Read on to learn how to fix that!
The most common form of referral systems entail the use of a physical referral card. This requires your clients to hand out a business card or something similar to their friends, which they bring to the studio with them when they book their session.
Usually, the new client will receive some form of incentive, such as a free session, discounted prints, or a special product not available to regular clients.
In the majority of cases, the referring client will also get a reward in the form of a studio credit, cash, or a free follow-up session. The reward for the referrer is essential in making the referral program work. Without it, the referrer has no real incentive to pass on your information to anyone.
Don’t you sometimes wish that you had an almost foolproof client referral system that could generate a steady stream of new clients for you?
Well now you can. I’m about to share with you a new way of generating referrals for your business that is practically guaranteed to create a flood of enquiries and new clients for you and your studio!
The Problems With Physical Referral Cards
Referral cards seem like a great idea for encouraging your clients to promote your photography business. You can do this for seniors, children, babies, families, pets etc. and you might see some results, but probably not the number you might expect.
The big problem that I’ve found with physical referral cards is that the return rate is abysmally low.
We typically give the client between 25 and 50 personalized cards when they come to pick up their portrait order from the studio. We’ve already explained the referral program to them once, during the pre-portrait consultation, mentioned it a second time during the photography session, and reinforced it again at their projection viewing appointment.
Having gone to such lengths to communicate the value and mechanics of our referral program, you would think that the client would be more than ready to start handing out those cards at the first opportunity, especially if they are overjoyed with their finished portraits.
Sadly, the opposite seems to be true for most photographers who try this tactic.
This quickly leads to a state of disillusionment and the idea that “client referrals just don’t work“.
After several of these stalled marketing programs, I began to wonder why they weren’t producing the results I wanted.
After all, the clients were happy with their portraits, they were certainly willing to provide me with glowing testimonials, they loved to share their photographs with their friends on Facebook, they even responded positively to the idea of the referral program.
So what went wrong?
The answer is simply that “life got in the way.“
In order for the referral cards to make their way to new clients, the referring client had to physically hand them over. I suppose they could mail them to their friends, but that didn’t seem very likely. The usual scenario entailed the client meeting her friends at home, in a restaurant for a lunch date, at the hairdressers, or a chance meeting at the grocery store etc. A conversation ensues, and the subject of our photography might come up. During the conversation, the client might remember that she has referral cards, and she might have them with her…
The problem here is that there are just too many “might’s“.
Let’s say that out of all the possible opportunities for the card to be passed on, our photography is mentioned 10% of the time, that the client has a 50% chance of remembering she has referral cards, and that 50% of those actually have them on their person. Then let’s assume that 10% of the people who receive a card actually get in touch with us…
These percentages are, of course, mainly estimates, but I don’t think they’re too far off the mark. This means that in order to get even the chance of ONE new client, it will take an average of 400 client-friend interactions!
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I meet 400 of my friends in a month. Admittedly, many of those interactions may be multiple times with the same person, which may increase the chances of the card being passed on, but the numbers still don’t look terribly good, do they?
So What’s The Answer?
This post would be way too long if I went into all the details here, so I’ve prepared a 19-page eBook on this subject, which is FREE to all my email subscribers. In it, I share with you a fantastic way to use your blog to generate a steady stream of excited referrals, all willing to work with you.
Not only that, but I have a really cool system for taking all the work out of it!
To get your copy, just fill out the form at the top of the sidebar to join my mailing list.
As an added bonus, you’ll also get a free download of my MP3 audio interview with Michael E. Stern on the psychology of sales.
Thanks for reading and I wish you continued peace in your business.
Connect With The Photography Coach On Google+
Connect with the author, Nigel Merrick, on Google+
View our official Google+ page at: Photography Business and Marketing Google+ Page
What advice could you give to a Fine Art Photographer who is just beginning this work?
Thanks Nigel.
Have a great day :^)
Hi Vincent
Thanks for your question, this is one I hear a lot from my coaching clients, so you aren’t alone! There is a great interview with fine-art photographer Karen Stiles here on the blog, which is available for Zenologue Insider members. The post can be found at http://www.zenologue.com/blog/2011/07/how-to-find-success-with-fine-art-photography/ – If you are just starting out as a professional, or have even been in the business a while, then joining up to be able to listen to and download these interviews is a must-have.
You have a great day too, and wishing you business peace.
Nigel