Idea Helps Photographer Get Better Online Reviews

By MANDY MARKSTEINER
Los Alamos
 
When Paulina Gwaltney attended my group coaching session on case studies and testimonials, she had a problem that might sound familiar: Her customers weren’t saying enough.
 
Paulina focuses on taking portraits that are meant to be hung up on the wall and displayed like a work of art. When browsing through the work that she has done for others, you can see how her subjects are beaming for the camera. You can see that she has a wonderful talent for capturing the essence of a person. Making them feel at ease and comfortable in their own skin.
 
Yet, when she has asks her clients for a review, they sometimes come back with a frustratingly brief response like, “It was fun.”
 
Good testimonials are:
  • Positive and enthusiastic
  • Touch upon the specific benefits of the product or service
  • Provide reasons why someone would use one company instead of a competitor
  • Show why it is worth the money
  • Help future customers see how it will solve their problems.
Gwaltney is a high-end photographer who needed to reach out to ideal clients and communicate that her work is worth it. The problem is that short answers like “It was fun” or “That was nice” won’t help her sell her services.
 
My advice was to create a questionnaire that would help her clients express themselves more fully and give her the kind of responses that would help her with her marketing. She could ask why they wanted a photo in the first place, what they expected before walking in, how did this experience compare with other photo sessions they have done, how did they feel about themselves before and after the photo shoot?
 
She followed my advice (I love it when people do that!) and created a simple email that she sends out to all of her clients, asking them to write a review and providing them with questions to get them thinking. She then improved upon my tip by providing them with links to all the places that they could cut and paste their reviews. They could put it on her website, on her Facebook reviews page, on Yelp, on Google, and on a popular business review group.
 
She said, “It was such a simple, useful idea, and such great advice.”
 
She now has dozens of wonderful testimonials that are from the heart, including these:
  • Paulina is not just a photographer; she is an artist. (Liz Martineau)
  • I usually hate getting my picture taken but I really enjoyed the entire process. (Natalie Glass)
  • She has a passion for women that I find inspiring. (Allison Arens)
 
Mandy Marksteiner is a copywriter and content marketing strategist who offers one-on-one consultations. To schedule an appointment or get an updated list of upcoming group coaching sessions, contact her at 505.515.7001 or email@mandymarksteiner.com.
Search
LOS ALAMOS

ladailypost.com website support locally by OviNuppi Systems