Now that I’m on hiatus, I’ve been passing any and all remaining wedding inquiries that still land in my inbox off to other excellent Boston area photographers. Usually when I post a referral, I get anywhere from 20 – 40 reponses. I try to pick 5 to send off to the prospective client, unless the client wants to see a wider range, in which case I can send up to 10.
Some people have been curious as to how this progress works on my side, so I’ll explain in this post. This isn’t necessarily how it works for every photographer, but I think come with pretty simple principles: target correctly, be detailed, network, and follow up.
Target correctly
I usually collect a lot of information upfront from a potential client regarding their wedding (date, venue, style, etc.). I post most of that (anonymized) on to the board. Sometimes, they’re specific. When my post specifically says something like… client does not like super posed photos or the vintage look but wants something modern, it does not help if you post and your style is nothing like that, even if the venue sounds fabulous! Believe me, you will be the happiest photographer when you shoot clients who love your style and can completely connect with you.
Post within your price range
I post referrals in all different kinds of price ranges. It makes no business sense when I see a photographer reply to every single referral that lands on the board. You can’t be everything to everyone. If I post a $4500 wedding, I’m not looking for people whose websites start out at $2000, because the people who’ve worked by the skin of their teeth to get to a starting price of $4500 (AND their work shows it) deserve that referral.
Be detailed
I usually do ask for details from the photographers – give me your email, give me a blog or a recent wedding… and I especially ask this from photogs who I don’t know. I want to see how much care you are putting into an inquiry. If all I see is “Name, website”, it just sounds like you were browsing through the posts on the phone. If my client asked for a detail-oriented, professional photographer, that was my test to see if you pass. And I change it up every now and then =)
Network
Now that I’m away from Boston, I don’t have the luxury of being able to meet everyone. Nevertheless, there are people who have been able to video-meet me, chat with me on Twitter, etc. etc. Meeting with a photographer from whom you want to get a referral will boost their ability to remember you. So get OUT, start having coffees, assist, like their pages on Facebook, comment on their posts. There are instances where I’ve seen a photographer post on pretty much every single one of my referral posts but NEVER emailed, wrote, or said a word to me. When you’re asking for a wedding referral, I view it as you’re asking for the potential to fulfill a part of your income for the year. In many other instances in business, that’s a big ask, so you have to establish a connection.
In business school we often refer to the concept of “social capital” – you get out what you put in. I exhausted a lot of my social capital in looking for a new job in Cali, so I’m not going to be asking these same poeple for something for a while =) If all you ever do is take, people are less likely going to want to help you in the future.
Keep in mind that networking is only half the battle. A famous photographer in his early career once approached a mentor of his and asked why he never got referrals and the mentor said, “your work just isn’t good enough”. Sadly, you could be the nicest and most network-y photog in town, but if your work isn’t good enough, I’m not going to risk that on a bride and groom. If you’re not booking work, make your OWN shoots happen! I have referred photographers whose work I saw improve drastically over a year’s time.
Follow Up
As much as it pleases me to send out referrals, I want to find out who gets it! So, if you book a referral from a fellow photographer, let them know! It’s good information for them to have AND reflects well on you.
The best way to get wedding referrals though? Do FANTASTIC work, have happy clients who will rave about you to their friends =)
April 24 – 27 – San Francisco, CA
May 1 – 4 – San Francisco, CA
May 22 – 24 – San Francisco, CA
May 25 – 28 – Boston, MA
June 1 – 3 – Boston, MA
June 9 – Graduation, Chicago, IL
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July 1 and on – Living full-time in San Francisco, CA
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September 1 – 9 – Boston, MA
October 5 – 10 – Boston, MA
October 11 – 14 – Chicago, IL
Shang is a jetsetting wedding photographer for dynamic couples. She captures imagery that pops with color, personality, and energy.
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by Shang
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