As photographers, we often hear the questions from potential clients inquiring about why we are so expensive. They don’t understand all of the work that goes on before and after the wedding and $3,000 (or whatever you’re charging) for a taking pictures for one day seems a bit excessive to them. Here are some ways to justify the value that you’ve set on your work.
Show them that you’re a professional. You can portray your professionalism by talking about how many weddings you’ve photographed. If you haven’t done a lot of weddings and are just starting out, don’t talk about how many you’ve done; this isn’t a selling point. (I’m not saying don’t tell them how many you’ve done, but don’t advertise it as a reason to book you.) On the flip side, if you’ve been doing this for years and have a lot of weddings under your belt, explain to the couple how many years you’ve been in business and how many weddings you’ve photographed during that time.
If they are getting married at a specific venue and you’ve shot there 3 times, send them direct links to those blog posts so they can see your work there. Once they see, that “Wow this is actually what they do for a living…”, that’s going to gain their trust. They will know you’re a professional and not just someone with a nice camera who is shooting for fun.
Re-word your packages. Couples spend a lot of money on their wedding photography; it is an investment. You need to make sure that you explain your services so they know their money is being used wisely. For instance, tell them EVERYTHING that they will be getting for the price of the package.
When you include your pricing packages on your welcome packets or sites, you want to keep it simple. I don’t suggest doing more than 3 packages. You don’t want to overwhelm them. However, you want to keep the value of your work.
Look at the difference between these two packages:
Wedding Package 1: $2,500 for 8 hours of wedding photography, an engagement session, 300 images on a disc.
Wedding Package 2: $2,500 for full wedding day coverage (up to 8 hours), a customized engagement session with an online gallery for easy ordering, a complimentary consult prior to booking and prior to your wedding, a disc of 300 hand-selected images with custom retouching and editing services on every image, an online proofing gallery to share with all of your loved ones, unlimited emails before and after your big day to answer any questions you may have, a featured blog post all about you and your fabulous wedding, and 5 sneak peek photos on Facebook.
This is the same exact package, but the second one sounds a lot better. It includes everything that you already do for free, but it shows the client that they’re not just paying for the 8 hours, an engagement session, and 300 images. It shows them that you put time and effort into their wedding images.
If you just have package number one, they may be wondering…Why does that cost $2,500? But if they see all the services that are included, then it justifies the amount. If you don’t include the services in the package, you’re losing a lot of value. The package is still short and sweet, but it looks like a bigger bang for the buck.
If you don’t want to re-list those services each time, you can put a note that says, “All packages include these services,” then list them off just the one time. That way, they don’t have to read the same paragraph over and over again either.
Give them resources. When I send emails to potential clients, I send them the three best weddings I’ve worked with recently. I say, “Here are some of my most recent couples.” and list off the links to 3 of my best weddings and 3 of my best engagement sessions. Then I tell them, “If you’d like to see more, click here for my engagement gallery here and click here for weddings.” Even if they’ve already seen my portfolio, I want to make sure that they’ve seen my best work so that they know for a fact that I’m capable of giving them what they want.
I also want to give them additional resources about my company, so I send out a welcome packet. I add in at the end of the email, “For wedding tips, reviews, pricing, and more, view my welcome packet online.” Make sure to link them to your welcome packet here. This gives them all the information they need about you. It shows them more of your work, gives them advice about their wedding, shows them your pricing, and reviews from past clients, and a list of frequently asked questions. It’s everything they need all in one place. This will help eliminate a lot of questions and going back and forth through email.
Show them your reviews. I mentioned in the last tip that you should include reviews in your welcome packet. You should be getting reviews from your past clients to help give you credibility. But more importantly, you need to get reviews from the vendors you’ve worked with. Brides trust wedding vendors. In order to allow someone to have a part in one of the biggest days of your life, you better believe there has to be a lot of trust there. If you have personally worked with a vendor that they are using and that vendor gives you a great review and recommends you, then that is more of a reason for the couple to trust you and book with you.
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