How To Attract High-End Clients as a Wedding Photographer
As a business coach for wedding photographers, one of the most asked questions I get is, “How do you start attracting high-end wedding clients?” It never fails to pop up in conversation and I love diving into this topic. After all, every photographer’s dream is to increase your income without having to take on more work. Working with higher-budget clients lets you do that.
The catch is – most of us don’t start out working with high-end photography clients. There are some shifts you can make to move into the high-end space.
Booking High-End Wedding Photography Clients
1. Curate your wedding portfolio
Photos are the real selling point for any photographer. Your ideal client is looking at your social media feed and website first. They need to see that your photos fit the aesthetic they’re envisioning for their wedding. It’s hard to attract high-end clients if your photos don’t match what they’re looking for.
To fix that, host a model call. (Find out how here!) Model calls allow you to carefully curate the type of wedding “scenes” your ideal client will be attracted to. Try to get several model couples so there are more chances of your ideal client seeing themselves in your photos.
Once you have those photos, post them to social media and on your website portfolio. Start to phase out photos that don’t represent the high-end weddings you’re going for.
2. Uplevel your photography website
While you’re working on your website photos, take a moment to look at the design and branding. Your clients will expect a high-end experience. That starts with your website. It can’t look like you DIY’d it in a hurry. (Even though, I’m sure all our first websites looked like that!)
Think of other high-end brands. Their websites have a certain “put together” look to them. They’re clean and easy to navigate. The branding (colors, fonts, etc.) all look elevated and cohesive. To take this into a practical example, go to Christian Louboutin’s website. It feels very different than going to Walmart’s site.
Changing the photos on your site is a great time to decide if you need a website refresh. If you’re not sure whether your wedding website exudes a luxury, expensive brand then ask a few friends to give their opinion. (Very honest friends!) You could also check out some other photographers you’d consider to be “high-end” to see how they’re using their website design and branding to attract the clients you want to work with.
3. Add value by creating a seamless client experience
The more you charge, the more you need to have your ducks in a row. While you’re reimagining how to use the visual elements of your business to attract high-end clients, you can also look at the backend. Having a seamless client experience is critical.
A client experience is every interaction you have with someone, from the moment they inquire to your email correspondence to handing them their wedding album to your client gifts. Wedding clients want an effortless experience that leaves them feeling valued.
The easiest way to achieve this is to set up automatic systems in your business. Using a CRM like Honeybook will help you provide a seamless booking process (e.g., proposal, contract, and payment collection). You can use tools like email templates designed for wedding photographers to create automatic email communication workflows, reminders, and check-ins.
4. Find ways to show your value
One of the reasons why luxury brands continue to attract clients is that they understand their unique value and how to show it. Take a cue from them and get clear on your unique value proposition. If you’re not sure how to do that, check out my blog which will help you work through discovering your value proposition.
Once you’re clear, there are lots of ways to feather it into your brand. Start showing what people can expect from working with you in your marketing. Create Stories and Reels that show you working with clients behind the scenes. Show yourself hand-wrapping client gifts. Highlight client reviews.
Get creative! The more often you show your value, the better.
When it comes down to booking high-end weddings…
Attracting high-end wedding clients isn’t going to happen overnight. It takes time to build up the assets and reputation needed. That’s ok. Take all the tips in this article and create a checklist so you can take small actions over time. Until then, subscribe to my email list for more tips on how to book more clients at the price point you want.
Through my best-selling courses, thriving 1:1 tailored coaching experience, professional done-for-you business services, and powerful business templates, I inspire and empower photographers to take control of their businesses and realize that “Wow, I can do this!”
I do this by teaching photographers how to run their businesses and not how I successfully ran my own. I firmly believe that with proper business education and tailored resources anyone can build a life and business they love through the incredible art of photography.
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