Book more baby sessions by taking the path of least resistance by Ariel Cannon
Photo by Ariel Cannon
No pain, no gain? Not necessarily. As business owners, we know that marketing can be challenging and that the right strategies for growth often lie at the end of a long road full of twists, turns, and dead ends. Sometimes, however, there is an easier road.
I’m a maternity, newborn, and baby photographer in Los Angeles, a competitive market. As a business owner, I’m passionate about growing my studio. Still, as a mother and a solopreneur, I often run up against the reality that I have limited time and energy for marketing. That’s why I’m all about the path of least resistance when it comes to generating more revenue
So, how do you get on this path?
Photo by Ariel Cannon
Look to your existing clients first.
I have the potential to book four sessions with each client in the first year: Maternity, Newborn, 6-Month, and One-Year. My goal is to photograph 100 sessions a year. If I’m falling short, I could spend my energy generating more leads or booking more sessions per client. So, book a new client or convince a client who already knows, likes, and trusts me to book an additional session?
The second option is easier by far.
Make it easy for your client to book multiple sessions.
Imagine if all my clients booked a year’s worth of sessions simultaneously. Well, that’s the ultimate goal.
Like most photographers in my genre, I offer incentives for booking multiple sessions from the outset. I make sure that my first-year collection is featured on my website, in my pricing guide, AND mentioned in my inquiry responses.
Make your offer multiple times.
Photo by Ariel Cannon
Some of my clients are ready to book everything from maternity to the first birthday, and some are not. I also have many clients who book only a maternity or newborn session. Of course, I could leave it at that, and of course, I don’t.
Just because my client doesn’t want to book a six-month session when she is booking her newborn session doesn’t mean she doesn’t want a six-month session.
Maybe she isn’t ready to commit to multiple sessions when she hasn’t met me yet. Perhaps she doesn’t have the money because she’s busy furnishing her nursery. Or maybe, as a first-time mom, she doesn’t know how much babies change in 6 months.
I reach out to all my maternity and newborn clients around the six-month mark to offer a sitter session (and explain what the heck it is). I do the same when their baby is approaching their first birthday. And you know what? Plenty of them book sessions.
Some would have reached out and booked a session anyway, but I suspect many would not. A simple email with a simple offer makes all the difference.
Photo by Ariel Cannon
Automate your offer
Does following up with all your past clients seem like a lot of work? Well, not if you automate.
I created an email template in my CRM for my six-month and one-year session offers. It took about 20 minutes.
When I close out a maternity or newborn session, I schedule those emails to go out on the appropriate dates. That part takes about 30 seconds.
That tiny bit of effort yields terrific results. About half of my clients respond to their emails and book an additional session. Moreover, they are so grateful that I reached out to remind them.
Ariel Cannon is a maternity, newborn, and family photographer based in Los Angeles, CA. Follow this link to check out her website, and this link to follow her on Instagram.
