Guest Post // 3 Ways to Grow Your Wedding Photography Business // Jaimie Nicole Krause

This is a guest post by Jaimie Nicole Krause, a wedding photographer based in St. Louis, Missouri. Check out the introduction I did for her here!

3 WAYS TO GROW YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS RIGHT NOW

Want to hear something crazy?  My wedding season isn’t over yet.  I still have 4 weddings to photograph.  And you know what my total for 2015 will be?  50. 

That’s insane, right?!?!  

Not all of those weddings are mine.  But 34 of them are.  The other 16 weddings are weddings that I have second shot.  Either way, that’s a lot of dresses, vows, first kisses, first dances, and wedding cake.  Mmmmmm. Wedding cake.   

So how on earth did I manage to grow my business and successfully book weddings? 

A lot of things, actually.  And it doesn’t happen overnight.  It’s a combination of hard work, marketing, experience, and a bit of trial and error.  (I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but you know it’s true.) 

But you know what the biggest part of it is?  Just being myself. 

TIP 1: BE YOURSELF.  (And actually, honestly, truly, and unapologetically yourself)

At the end of the day, the only difference between you and the photographer down the street is you.  It sounds nuts, but that’s the truth.  You’re probably thinking of all the differences between you and other wedding photographers in your area, and you probably have a list a mile long.  They shoot Nikon and you’re Canon.  Their packages are different than yours.  They’ve been photographing weddings longer than you, or maybe they’re just starting.  You’re probably comparing your work to their work.  

Stop.  

It’s ok for there to be differences between you and other photographers.  I mean, how boring would it be if everyone were the exact same? 

But listen to me: YOU HAVE TO STOP COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS.  YOU ARE NOT THEM.  THEY ARE NOT YOU.    

Let me tell you a little story.  

At the end of 2014, I thought I was failing miserably.  I had photographed 45 weddings last year (28 of my own), but I only had 4 weddings booked for 2015.  I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what I was doing wrong.  I felt like my work was strong, and I’m far more knowledgeable of off camera flash and lighting than most photographers in my area, so my reception images and night shots are pretty solid. I did my research and knew I was priced competitively.  I would obsessively check my contact form to make sure it was working.  I just couldn’t comprehend where I was going wrong. 

I felt like every other day, I would see another wedding photographer in my area proclaim on Facebook that they were almost completely booked for 2015, or they had just booked their 20^thwedding for 2015, or they were already booking for 2016.  It would kill me a little bit inside every single time.  

How were they almost booked and I had nothing? 

It finally occurred to me that I just wasn’t standing out in the sea of incredibly talented photographers in my area.  My website blended in with all the other ones until it was just one big ole pretty blob of smiling brides and cliché phrases like, “I love love!” and the ever popular, “after your wedding day the cake will have been eaten and the flowers have wilted and all you have left are the memories and your photos.”  The wording on my website sounded JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE’S. 

I was always so concerned about being neutral and appealing to the masses, and using this image or that image because I thought brides would like it, that I lost myself in the process.  I became just like everyone else, which meant I wasn’t connecting with brides. 

So in a last ditch effort to save my soon to be non-existent business, I completely revamped my website.  I ditched the cliché phrases and completely threw my personality into everything.  I’m not one of those insanely cool, trendy, super chic photographers.  I’m painfully shy and socially inept most of the time.   I decided to own and embrace my awkward, non-traditional, slightly unconventional, cat-and-dog-loving, coffee addicted, cake obsessed, pink flamingo fan girl, weird sense of humor self. 

I spent December 31 redesigning my website and adding my new text, and went live with it on January 1. 

January 2, I woke up to like, 15 wedding inquiries in my inbox.  Seriously.

When I finally decided to own all that awkward that is me, I finally started to really connect with brides.  I didn’t blend in anymore.  They could relate to me.  MY BRIDES FEEL LIKE THEY’RE THE MOST AWKWARD PERSON ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH, TOO!  And they also love cake.  And their pets.  

Here’s the thing.  You don’t need to appeal to every single bride in your area.  If you only want to shoot 15 weddings a year, then you only need to appeal to 15 brides.  Those 15 brides are out there.  And they want to work with you, but you have to put yourself out there. This is where the marketing part comes in. 

TIP 2: YOU GOTTA NETWORK. 

I get a lot of referrals from other photographers.  All those weddings I second shoot?  Those photographers know my work, and feel comfortable referring me to brides when they are booked. 

A lot of my close friends are wedding photographers.  In fact, I share a studio with two other full time wedding photographers.  No, we’re not worried about “losing business” to each other, and we don’t consider each other competition.  I sit next to them day in and day out and I know their work like I know my own.  I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to trust them to shoot one of my weddings.  Those two are the first photographers I refer brides to when I’m booked.  We all second shoot for each other, we bounce ideas off each other, we ask each other for advice, and we support each other.  Having amazing relationships with other photographers in your field is an invaluable thing to have.

The longer you are in the wedding industry, the more you get to know other wedding vendors.  Florists, planners, caterers, bakers, venue owners, videographers, officiants, etc.  The biggest mistake I see others make is being rude to other wedding vendors.  The old adage, “You never know where your next referral will come from!” is true.  Be kind, courteous, and professional.   

Make sure you are getting a list of the other wedding vendors from the bride, then send those vendors a gallery of watermarked photos.  They’ll really appreciate it, and the more you share your images, the more those vendors will get to know you.  And when they share the images you sent them on their website or on social media, they’ve just introduced your work to a whole new group of people.  (Don’t just assume that couples choose their venue, then the photographer.  Some couples have everything else lined up, then they book a photographer.  There’s no right or wrong order to anything.  Kissing one venue’s butt and being rude to other vendors won’t get you anywhere.  We all talk. We share horror stories and compare notes.)

TIP 3: TAKE CARE OF YOUR CLIENTS. 

Take care of your clients, and they will take care of you.  This seems like a given, but unfortunately, it’s not.  Have you ever been in any photography related groups on Facebook?  Are there not MULTIPLE PEOPLE DAILY who are posting and asking advice because a client is upset with them, most usually after they (the photographer) have dropped the ball on something? 

Your clients trust you; that’s why they hired you.  Don’t break that trust!   

1.       First and foremost, you need to set your clients’ expectations by thoroughly and effectively communicating with them.  Never be afraid of clarifying something with a client if you need to.  Let your client know (and send reminders via email) what your processes are and what your timelines are.  After booking, send them an email confirming the booking and remind them of the next step.  Remind them to schedule their engagement session.  At the end of their engagement session, explain how long it will take them to get their images back, remind them of how their gallery will be delivered, then thank them for spending the afternoon/evening with you.  Remind them when they need to fill out their wedding questionnaire or when they have a payment due.  At the end of their wedding day, ask them if there’s anything else they need photos of, then remind them again of what your gallery delivery timeline and processes are.  And since they’ll be overwhelmed and won’t remember anything, send them an email on Monday morning that goes over everything.  Same rules apply for your album design process, and anything else you do.  Yeah, you probably told them during the consultation or when they booked, but let’s be real.  Do you remember everything everyone told you one time… a year ago?  EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION = LITTLE TO NO CONFUSION 

Tip: Using a client management software program like Pixifi or Iris can automate these emails for you, which makes your life a lot easier!    

2.       Respond to emails/phone calls in a timely manner- which means 24 hours at the most.  If a client emails or calls you in the middle of the night, then obviously, you don’t need to answer/respond right then.  But you do need to respond the next morning or afternoon, no matter how irked you may be.  If you don’t have an answer for them right away, COMMUNICATE THAT.  Otherwise, they think you’re ignoring them.  If you’re out of the office, COMMUNICATE THAT, then let them know you WHEN you will be back in the office.  Don’t leave your clients sit for days or weeks with no response.  That’s insanely rude and unprofessional.  And for the love of God, please, please, please: DO NOT SEND SNARKY / PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE REPLIES TO CLIENTS. 

Tip: If you have difficulty trying to figure out what to say when responding to emails, purchase an email template book.  There are several different ones out there, and it will definitely come in handy!

3.       Under promise, over deliver.  I generally turn weddings around in about 3-4 weeks.  In busy season, it’s 4-6 weeks.  My contract says 90 days (which is a little over 12 weeks).  Obviously, I get their gallery to them much faster than that, which makes my clients happy.  Now, if I told them I would have it back in 4 weeks, and it took me 6, then they would be very upset, and probably angry with me. 

4.       Show your clients how much they mean to you.  Sending little, inexpensive gifts goes a long way.  I surprise each of my clients with handwritten note after they book, thanking them for choosing me and letting them know how excited I am to work with them.  After their engagement session, I surprise them with a few proof prints (which are 0.20 at my lab) tied with a pretty ribbon and a handwritten note.  It costs around $2, but almost every single one of my clients have emailed me and thanked me or tagged me in a super excited post with a photo on Facebook and IG.  

5.       To you, it’s a job.  To them, it’s one of the most important days in their life; a day they’ve waited a long time for.  A day that can never be re-done, not for any cost.  These couples chose you to document this day.  And you know what, that’s pretty special.  Don’t ever, ever forget that. 

You can find Jaimie on social media, the links to her pages are: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Trust me – you want to follow her! Her website is incredible as well! It’s: Modern St. Louis Photography Be sure to stop by & leave her some love to thank her for sharing!