Do you ever feel exhausted, bored or frustrated for having to write the same emails over and over again?
For example, your clients want to know what they have to wear for the photo shoot?
Or when they ask three weeks in advance what to do when it rains?
Or the wedding couple sends you the 6th revised timeline and you don’t know what to answer this time?
It happens in every photography business ;-) So don’t worry. This savvy entrepreneur has found the cure for that.
Because there is a way to prevent all these emails even entering your inbox!
Yes, we can prevent it from happening… Whoohooo.
And guess what, you will have happier clients too.
So let’s dive quickly into this magic trick that you should implement TODAY if you haven’t already.
Related post: Email templates that get you testimonials and email templates that will increase your website traffic
Enter: Photographer Email Templates!
Email templates are the cure for writing the same things over and over again.
As Melissa Jill so eloquently put it on her website:
[pullquote align=”normal”]They help save time and they also help to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. We need to remember to communicate certain things at different points in the client experience, and if we write each email from scratch, we are bound to forget important bits of information here and there, and each client is likely to have a very different experience and level of customer service. [/pullquote]
Some people might be worried that an email template is not very personal to your clients but actually, I found the opposite to be true.
I put a lot of time in crafting the perfect email and sending it at the right time. Meaning it contains the right elements of information in my own voice without overwhelming the client.
Having that in place I can always personalize it a bit so it fits the conversation we already had going. But I don’t have to worry about forgetting important details that I want to communicate with every client. Before I used email templates or a system, I would wing it. Meaning I forgot to send them information that would reassure them or that would help them prepare for a shoot. So having email templates guarantees that all my clients get a VIP treatment!
Before I used email templates or a system, I would wing it. Meaning I forgot to send them information that would reassure them or that would help them prepare for a shoot. So having email templates guarantees that all my clients get a VIP treatment!
Having a workflow in place is everything when you want to stay on top of things like sending emails. Check out ShootZilla or download the free workflow chart below:
What do I mean by sending the right email at the right time?
Let’s make it clear with an example:
When clients first send in an inquiry on your website they usually want to know the next thing. Pricing, availability and if you are a good fit for them.
If you send them a big email with everything they need to know from pricing to shoot to final delivery of the images, they will be overwhelmed by all the information.
Clients are usually not interested in ‘what to wear’ tips until after they have booked.
And they are certainly not interested in any upgrades to a package when they have not even decided on booking you in the first place.
So you want to make the ‘buying’ process or the whole experience with you, as smooth as possible. Every email should guide them in the right direction and every email should be an easy decision for them or a helpful advice.
Quoting Melissa Jill: [pullquote align=”normal”]With email templates you don’t need to reinvent the wheel and use valuable brain-power to remember it all. [/pullquote]
Carrie Swails from PhotographyAwesomeSauce is also using email templates. She is a wedding photographer and likes to keep in touch with her couples during the usually long time between booking and shoot.
[pullquote align=”normal”]My goal is to ensure that my wedding clients feel like I’m thinking about them and their wedding in between the time they book and the actual wedding day. I want my clients to know that even though they may book out far in advance, I’m still here and haven’t forgotten them. However, with nearly 30 weddings on my books so far this year it would be impossible for me to remember to do all these emails without a little help. [/pullquote]
Jasmine Star is another photographer that utilizes the power of email templates.
[pullquote align=”normal”]Soon I discovered I spent less time with my inbox and more time with my camera…which is exactly what I wanted. [/pullquote]
So I hope you have discovered the power of email templates in this blog. I will provide you with resources on how to get them as well, but first an important step.
Having a workflow in place is everything when you want to stay on top of things like sending emails. Check out ShootZilla or download the free workflow chart below:
Use your email templates with ease
It has to be easy as one, two, three to use your newly discovered email templates because I know what will happen otherwise. You go back to quickly typing your own messages. And what do you know, you will forget to include something. Making the experience for your clients inconsistent and less than optimal.
So we are going for easy.
I have three solutions for you. I have tried them all, so I am listing them in order of easiness.
1. Use the photography studio management tool ShootZilla
With ShootZilla you get all the email templates, but that’s not all. It will also remind you when to send them to your client! So every day when you check your dashboard you will see a couple of envelope icons. You click them and personalize them (optional) and send them away. 3 Clicks later, clients happy and well-taken care off, you happy and hardly a few minutes further. How’s that for efficiency?
2. Use text expander with a workflow chart
Textexpander is a nifty little software tool (for mac, google alternatives for windows) that allows you to create short keys for large texts. So I could type ;inq and a reply email for an inquiry email would be typed where I was currently typing.
It is a super awesome tool and I use it myself for a lot of other things like remembering my social security number or my bank accounts etc. I even have the iPhone version to quickly add my Instagram hashtags to my posts.
You would need to have reminders for yourself for when you would send out emails to certain clients. You can do that with a workflow chart (you can download a free copy here on the blog) or set reminders in your calendar.
This could work if you have less than 10 weddings a year or around 2-3 shoots a month. It gets old really quick if you have more than that, the investment of the photo studio management tool is an easy one to make when you do more shoots since you win so much time back.
3. Use Gmail canned responses with a workflow chart
Within Gmail, you can use canned responses that basically do the same thing as Textexpander but it’s free! It does require a few more clicks, so when your business grows you probably want to upgrade to a less time intensive method.
Resources for all photographer email templates
Jasmine Star – In a series of 10 sample emails, I show how to effortlessly correspond with clients while maintaining an efficient workflow (approx. $13).
Melissa Jill – I’ve included 14 of my most commonly used templates here – 11 for use with clients, and 3 for use with vendors (approx. $80).
BP4U Photographer Resources – These 75 email templates are packed with numerous emails to get you through the daily grind of strenuous situations and more importantly save you time! (approx. $120)
ShootZilla – Check out ShootZilla and you have immediate access to 26 email templates.
All the templates are written in the tone of voice of the authors. So you want to always use them as guidelines. Better yet, create your own version first and then check the email template to see if you missed any crucial elements.
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Nice tips..thanks for sharing!
Nice post! I have been following your blog
for a few months and I can say that they are always very informative to me.
Please keep up the great work.