So you get a wedding photography inquiry, and you’re like, “YES! This is exciting! But wait…Now what?!” If you’re not sure how to respond to your inquiries, here are some things to consider:
Be speedy in your response. THIS IS ESSENTIAL. If they have to wait around all day for your response, you are slowly losing your opportunity to book the client. If you are fast at responding to their inquiry, you are going to subside the horror stories that they have heard about their friends wedding photographer taking 8 years to give their friend the wedding photos. You don’t want to be THAT wedding photographer so answer QUICKLY.
Ask them questions about themselves and their wedding. They need to know you are a real person and not an automated robot. This is also essential to booking! You never want to write them an email that doesn’t require a response. You want to keep the conversation going.
Many photographers often make the mistake of saying: “Thanks for visiting my site, here’s a list of my prices.” The client then has all the information they need and they could just read the email, close it, and never have a need to respond. Think about if you were to say: “Hey! Thanks for visiting my site! I’ve attached a list of my pricing packages. Please let me know if you have any questions about those. Would you be interested in also seeing some tips for engagement sessions or wedding planning? I also have a list of exclusive vendors I work with if you need help finishing up with the planning. I’m here to help! :)” This gives the bride a reason to respond and also lets her know that you still have information she needs and will want to get from you.
Learn to read the inquiries. I don’t just mean read it; I mean read it. Try to figure out what the bride’s concerns and what she’s looking for in a wedding photographer. Is she worried about getting great photos, did she mention price, did she mention she’s on a time crunch? Learn what she’s anxious about and address it!
Here’s a sample inquiry:
This is how I would reply:
In the sample above, after reading the inquiry, I responded and asked her a question about herself. I made sure to really read the inquiry and noticed that she had some concerns. In my response, I’m addressing her issue. She loves my work, but is concerned about wasting money by not being able to use all of my services included and she knows I don’t offer discounts. This could be an issue that would drive her away if I just sent her my pricing packages and didn’t give out any more information. In the sample response, I’m letting her know that my studio is going to take care of her and make her a priority by working around her schedule to give her the best photos possible. I’m also engaging her in a conversation about her future husband and her wedding to help keep the emails flowing.
Look out for more this week when I continue on this topic: 3 Incentives to Book Brides
Want more tips and tricks on how to book brides? Go over to the BP4U store and check out How To Build A 6 Figure Wedding Photography Business.
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Have a question about how to answer your wedding email inquiries? Leave your question in the comments below and I’ll address it here. 🙂