- Testimonials for your photography business are a must.
We now live in the era of reviews,
and we won't make a purchasing decision
without reading at least one.
The problem is that when you ask
even the happiest customer for a testimonial,
it can often come across as pretty bland when you get it.
So, how do you get more powerful testimonials?
That's coming up.
(electronic music)
I know you know already
that good testimonials are essential.
You need them everywhere.
You should have them scattered all over your website,
and the rest of your marketing and your communication.
You need them for your business, because clients need them
in order to make a decision about you,
as humans rely on the feedback from others
because we desperately don't want to make a mistake
with our hard-earned cash.
The internet and social media
has ramped this up to epic proportions.
How often do you buy something nowadays
without any kind of recommendation at all?
Exactly.
But testimonials can be mildly helpful
or they can be mind-blowingly effective.
Let's start by looking at some mildly helpful ones,
like this one.
Julie's a great photographer.
She was so good with our kids,
and we're so delighted with our photographs.
We'll treasure them forever.
Or this one.
We had a great experience from start to finish.
Everything from the first email to the relaxed photo shoot
to the delivery of our gorgeous products.
First class!
Pretty good reviews, right?
I mean, you'd probably be happy to receive them
as the business owner.
But the truth is they're quite bland
to your potential customer.
They could have been written for any photographer.
I mean, let's face it, you're not going to put bad reviews
on your website, are you?
Now, someone considering booking you
will get some comfort from testimonials like these,
but they won't be struck
by a burning desire to book you immediately,
not at all.
Testimonials like these are generic.
They don't do any harm,
but they're just mildly helpful.
You want more than this from your testimonials.
So, how do you do that?
You'll be glad to know that it's actually easy.
You just need to collect testimonials that link directly
to your dream client's concerns and desires.
So what does your ideal client worry about when it comes
to booking a shoot with you?
And what does she want
more than anything from this experience?
These are the testimonials you want.
These are the testimonials that are going to make
that dream client of yours
sit up and take notice.
So, get specific.
Stop curating bland reviews,
and stop asking your clients for general testimonials.
They're rubbish!
Look for specific snippets in their messages to you
and start asking for specific reviews from specific clients.
Let me explain.
Let's say you're a pet photographer,
and you've just finished working with a client
who was really worried about her dog not behaving well
during an outdoor shoot with you.
Obviously, you rock the shoot,
and you use your amazing skills
to get some great shots of her wild dog.
She realizes that she needn't have been concerned
about this at all, and she tells you this
as you're walking back to your cars.
Now, you know this is a worry
that lots of your potential clients of yours have,
so all you need to do is ask her to write a sentence or two
about the concern that she had before the shoot,
and how she felt afterwards.
This testimonial is going to be a fantastic addition
to your website and your welcome brochure,
and it's going to be really easy for her to write
since she just said the words to you.
You could even ask her if she would mind if you wrote
what she just said down as a testimonial.
This is a great way to make sure
you collect all the juiciest ones,
because with the best will in the world,
she might forget to get back to you with that review.
You know, life gets in the way.
She gets busy, and she doesn't do it.
This way, you can write it yourself using her words,
and just send it to her for approval.
So, here's some more examples.
A curvy boudoir client is so worried
about looking overweight in her images,
but she cries with delight when she sees
how beautifully you've captured her figure.
Now, how many more beautiful curvy ladies
are not booking a shoot with you for the exact same reason?
Would it help them to read about this woman's experience?
So, this time a dad tells you
that he was absolutely dreading
being involved in a family photo shoot
but he was surprised at how much fun he had
and how relaxed he felt.
How many moms are not booking a shoot with you
because they think their partner will probably hate it?
Would it help them to read about this dad's experience?
You meet one of your past clients on the street,
and she tells you that everyone who visits her home
gushes over the wall gallery that you created for her,
and how it's the best thing she's ever bought for her home.
How many potential clients are worried about the money
they might spend after a shoot with you?
Would it help them to read about how this client
values and cherishes her purchase?
A bride tells you that every time she looks
through her wedding images,
she cries, and laughs, and gasps throughout the whole thing.
And so does everyone else.
How many more brides-to-be deeply desire wedding images
that bring back every emotion from every moment
so that they can relive the day over and over again?
I know I always say this, but humor me.
Put yourself in your client's shoes for a moment.
Let's say your photographer got in touch with you
and said, if you enjoyed your family photography experience
with Julie Christie Photography, I'd be so grateful
if you could write a few sentences as a testimonial.
Honestly, how likely are you to put that request off?
And if you ever did get around to doing it,
how generic would you end up being?
Wouldn't this be better?
I was so delighted to hear
how much you both loved your viewing and ordering session.
Some clients are concerned
that they might get the hard sell,
and as you know, that's not the case.
I'd be so grateful if you could write a few words
about your viewing experience
and why you enjoyed it so much.
I know potential clients would get a lot of comfort from it.
You know what it is you're going to write,
because you've already said it to your photographer.
They're telling you specifically what they want from you.
It's way more likely that you're going to do it,
and it's way more likely that it's going to be good.
But, what about this,
wouldn't this be even better?
I hope you don't mind, but I wrote down what you said to me
about your viewing and ordering session,
and I would love to use it as a testimonial.
You can read it below and let me know
if you're okay with me sharing it online.
Please let me know if you'd like
anything changed or added to it.
This time, you don't have to write anything at all.
Your photographer has done the work for you.
She's used what you said to write her own testimonial.
All you need to do is say it's okay or not.
Awesome!
When you have specific testimonials like this,
you can put them in exactly the right place on your website,
and across the rest of your marketing.
And when a potential client reads them,
they'll be miles more effective.
So, think about all of the concerns and desires
your potential dream client has.
Who have you worked with in the past
that could help you address these?
Start reaching out with specific requests,
not to everyone,
just to chosen clients.
Make it easy and quick, for both of you.
Just one of these easy quick specific testimonials
will hold more weight than 20 general bland reviews
that say what a great photographer you are.
Don't feel you have to go forth
and collect tons of these right now.
Be realistic and just add one at a time
when it feels right to ask.
Add it as a task in your client workflow,
so you don't get too busy and forget.
As always, if you want to immerse yourself
in more in-depth training, coaching,
and mentorship for your photography business,
you should check out the Togs in Business membership.
It's just $39 a month, and you can apply right here.
And before you go,
don't forget to Subscribe.
(electronic music)