Creating a photography client welcome guide is an essential part of your photography business. A client welcome guide is a comprehensive document that introduces potential clients to your business and services and provides essential information to help you prepare for their photography session. The guide can include information such as notes on and examples of your style, pricing, policies, and procedures, along with helpful tips and recommendations for a successful photoshoot.
By creating a client welcome guide, you can establish a professional and organized brand, build trust with clients, and ensure a smooth and enjoyable photography experience for both you and your clients!
Here are three major benefits a client welcome guide can bring to your photography business.
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What information have clients asked for or needed before their photoshoot? Depending on what type of photography you do, you will want to include relevant and important information specific to your shoots. Include any pre-shoot prep your clients need to do, any information they need to be aware of for the duration of the shoot, and important post-shoot information.
When you are writing your client welcome guide, keep your ideal client and your business voice and branding in mind. Try to write the guide in the tone that best matches you and your business to help establish a sense of consistency, trust, and brand identity between you and your clients. Consistency builds trust and also makes you stand out from the crowd by being unmistakably you in all of your business interactions.
Some people may choose to hire someone to create their guide for them. You can definitely find a designer to do a project like this for you on sites like Upwork. If you want to design your guide yourself, you can choose from a selection of guide templates on canva. You can choose one that is similar to your branding and then make tweaks to its fonts, colors, and add in your logo.
You might find it easier to have a visual of the layout of your guide before you begin outlining the contents, or you may want to start with outlining your information first. Build your client welcome guide in whichever way makes the most sense to you. You could start with a general outline, then get your visual component laid out, and then fill in your information as it fits into your design. You can always make certain sections shorter or longer to meet your needs as you go along.
Here are some key components you will want to include inside of your client welcome guide.
Here’s where you can write a bit about yourself, your background, and your business. You can take a snippet or two from your website about page, add an interesting fact about yourself that clients might not know, like an interest or a hobby, and write a little about your “why” when it comes to being a photographer. Your clients will love to know why you love what you do, as well as a glimpse of who you are when you step out from behind the camera.
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Here you can share what clients can expect on the day of the shoot. No one wants to walk into a photo session and have zero idea what to expect. Preparing your clients for their photoshoots will give everyone involved a better opportunity to be more relaxed, which will result in better photographs and a better client experience.
Include any resources you have on your blog or website that they can use to help prepare for their session. Depending on what type of photography you do, this can be pre-shoot info, including what-to-wear guides, location suggestions, or how to prep their families for the shoot.
Tip: Everyone is busy- your clients and you. In order to save everyone time and stress, don’t shy away from noting when clients will receive their finished photos in multiple places where it makes sense. This way there is no confusion as to when clients can expect their images.
Don’t make your welcome guide too formal. Think of it as a conversation you are having with your clients. Of course, keep it professional, but use a tone that is friendly. Also, remember to keep your tone consistent and on-brand throughout the guide.
This is a good opportunity to highlight and feature your past sessions. These give clients a visual representation of your style so they know what to expect and this will also inspire them for their upcoming shoot and get them excited.
consistency is important to maintain in all parts of your business, and your welcome guide is no exception. You do not have to make your welcome guide with a complicated design, but do keep your colors, fonts, and logo consistent with the rest of your branding.
Using this info should help you get a great start on creating your client welcome guide for your photography business. As you are creating your guide, remember that everyone’s business is different, and make sure to include things that you think would be especially helpful to your particular clients. Also, keep in mind that your business may change over time- don’t forget to update your client welcome guide with any significant changes that you want clients to be aware of when they book you for a photo session
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