5 Tips for Photography Client Testimonials

People love to read past client testimonials before they select their photographer.  Testimonials are a powerful tool.  Put this on your to-do list immediately! 

Today, social media is present everywhere. Not only can clients share your facebook post, they can post a review almost anywhere online. Google, weddingwire.com, theknot.com boards, weddingbee.com boards, and yelp are all places where brides are looking for input from other brides. But, not only are they looking for brides who have had a good (or bad) experience – they want to know if that bride had similar challenges to themselves.

Having 100 5-star reviews is great. However, there are aspects to a great testimonial that make it speak to directly to a bride and help you win the client. If you are going to pick a review and share it as a testimonial, make sure it has these essential elements:

• Details, details details. We have talked about details throughout this post, and here is another place to make sure they are. Early on in wedding planning, brides classify themselves as a “type of bride.” Theknot.com even encourages this. They can be a DIY, vintage, winter, budget, or even a country bride. These all have aspects that relate to the type of wedding they are having. Pick a testimonial that mentions details of the type of bride/wedding you are trying to attract. When a potential client sees themselves in the testimonial it’s powerful. They know you have the experience they are looking for. 

• Include testimonials with statements like, “my photographers were unobtrusive at my wedding.” This explains how you fit into their wedding day. It also lets brides who don’t want their photographer in their face during their vows, know that you won’t be.

• Share testimonials that show you are a great investment. If a bride shares her reluctance to invest in the large price tag but feels she made an amazing choice after her wedding day that has the power to sway other brides to invest also.

• Add pictures from the testimonial givers wedding day to support the details she included in her statement. If she mentioned you took an amazing photo of her DIY wedding cake, include that photo. It encourages other DIY cake bakers to choose you as well. 

• Avoid statements like, “great photos” or “thanks!” These are too general and not a great use of the testimonial tool.

Take advantage of sites WeddingWire.com that collect testimonials on your behalf. Check back to these sites often and comment on the reviews. This shows your dedication to your clients before and after the wedding. Including some details into your response will help deepen the connection between you and the reviewer. Potential clients will want to have a vendor who gives that much care to their clients.

Follow these tips to create a successful marketing kit that helps you close more contracts and attract more leads. Let me know, do you currently use any of these tools? How have they worked for you?