ONE BIG IDEA to get clients to return!

"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still."   

~Dorothea Lange

Clients are fickle; that's true, and although it seems worse now, it has always been true to some extent. That's why, several years ago, we developed a more systematic approach to give our clients reasons to come back, again and again. We found it much more cost effective to get a client to return than to get new clients. 

As you set up your own system to get return clients, you must first be able to answer these TWO CRITICAL questions.

1. When should I come back again?

2. What should I do when I come back?

Our YOUR LIFE IN PORTRAITS PROGRAM provides our clients answers and direction to these two very important questions.

 How did this start at Walden's? 

When we realized our employees could not answer a client's question of when her kids should be photographed and offered no direction on what we offered and what would be appropriate at each age.

When we realized this, we took the time to sit down and develop a timeline we believed were the most pivotal times for parents to have their children photographed in our opinion and through our experience. 

After all, if we couldn't tell a mom when the next portrait should be done, how could we expect the mom to know? It is not their job to know; it is ours! 

We first named our document, "Ages and Stages" and later revised and updated it, changing the name to "Your Life in Portraits." We put it on our website for our clients to download.

Your Life In Portraits proposes that there are 5 stages in a child's life, and under each stage, there are several highlight ages that should be captured in order for a child to have a complete photographic "history" of their lives.

The FIVE STAGES are:

     Babyhood

     Toddler

     Childhood

     Youth

     Young Adult

Once we determined these stages, then we determined the ages under each stage. The AGES under each stage are:

     Babyhood: Newborn to 3 months, 6 months, 9 months 12 months

     Toddlerhood: 18 months, 2 years, 3 years

     Childhood: 4 years, 5 years, 7 years

     Youth: 10 years, 12 years

     Young Adult: 16 years, 18 years

We didn't stop there, but we also suggested the type of our photography that would best fit each age. This allowed us to suggest specific styles we knew would work the best, knowing that what works with a newborn is usually not what works with a toddler or teenager. Under each stage, we also pointed out what we consider to be a HIGHLIGHT AGE which should not be missed, even if the parents have to skip the other ages under that stage.

If they don't make the next appointment at this time, we ask for permission to remind them and then put it on our studio calendar. This is a softer approach to marketing as you now have their permission to contact them as opposed to interruptive marketing where you keep blasting them with emails, etc.

Whether you create a digital PDF brochure or have one printed, it is vital that you are able to steer your clients on a timeline of photography of their children. After all, if you don't, who will?

In conclusion...

Your Life In Portraits

What is it:  It is a comprehensive, pro-active program that lays out a plan to educate your clients on how often and when they should have portraits taken of their family and children. Each portrait stage is represented in one document.  It is also on our website so that our clients can see each stage and what type of portraits we suggest.

Philosophy:  This program explains each Stage and Age that a child should be photographed as well as when to include family portraits. There are 5 Stages covering newborn to high school senior, and under each Stage, there are several ages.  Not only do we put forth these recommendations of Stages and Ages, but we add suggestions of which products we offer that would be best for each Age.  It is a pro-active way to remind both us and our clients to think ahead to their next portrait when they pick up their current order.

How to use it:  At each Design appointment, we plant the seeds of a lifetime portrait plan in our discussion with the client, emphasizing its importance. It is on our website for clients to download.