22 Ways Photographers Can Improve Their Client Experience From Pre-Inquiry to Post-Delivery (plus an email template!)

UX PT. 3 | Crafting a legendary client experience is tough, even if you perfectly understand all the principles and why they matter. Today, we'll give you 22 concrete ways to improve your experience!

By this point, you understand the importance of a great client experience. But there’s a massive gap between knowing why it matters and executing on it. And photographers are busy people! Who has the kind of time to sit around and identify all the ways you can perfect what you do?

Well, for the busiest among you, we’ve got you covered! By combining the principles of UX Design and advice from the absolute must-read “From Impressed to Obsessed” by Jon Picoult, we’ve come up with 22 actionable ways you can create a better client experience that your ideal client will absolutely love and remember forever.

Let’s dig in:

PRE-INQUIRY

1. Put yourself in your ideal client’s shoes.

The first step in enhancing your client experience is deciding who you’re enhancing it for. A great experience for one person will be a horrible experience for another—your goal is to ensure the person it’s “great” for is the person you want to work with!

So, before you begin, get super clear on who your ideal client is, what they need to know, what they want from this process, and why they’ve decided you’re the right choice for them.

2. Make everything you write easy to read.

Something as simple as the font you choose can win or lose you a client.

During a study, participants were divided into two groups and presented a phone. Their only assignment was to decide whether they wanted to make the purchase or defer it. The only difference between what the two groups saw was the font the phone description was written in—one was a simple sans-serif, and the other was more complex. In the end, the participants presented with the easier-to-read font were two and a half times more likely to make the purchase! That means your tiny serif body text font or your unreadable script headers could be losing you bookings! Yikes!

To make the experience truly effortless for clients, make sure everything you write—website, emails, client guides, etc.—is easy to read.

3. Simplify and clarify your website.

When it comes to booking, “I’ll do it tomorrow” is the freaking worst thing you can hear. Between now and tomorrow, she could have a winning consultation call with another photographer. Her friend could send her another photographer’s website. She could spot another photographer on Instagram. She could…just forget.

So, make it extremely easy for your clients to find what they need on your website, learn what they need to learn, and inquire right away. Don’t confuse them with poetic language that might make them feel warm inside, but doesn’t tell them where you’re based. Don’t make them jump through hoops and answer 50 questions before they can find out whether you’re in their budget. Keep it simple and clear to make the experience better.

4. Tell potential clients what you can do rather than what you can’t.

“I don’t send every photo I take.”

“I don’t retouch images”

“I don’t respond to emails on weekends.”

While these and many other boundaries might be true in your business, what if you tempered these things by telling us what you will do instead of what you won’t?

“I intentionally curate your gallery to only share the best images from your session.”

“I celebrate your natural beauty by editing to enhance how you truly look rather than changing it.”

“I am dedicated to maintaining a responsive communication style by responding to every message I get within 24 hours, Monday through Friday!”

See the difference? Feel the difference?