In the past week, we have been contacted by 4 wedding clients. Two have already booked, and the other two are likely to commit in the coming week. These are all new clients.
This recent surge in business is a direct result of our market efforts. These 4 clients came to us through internet marketing, and prior client referrals. Our current marketing strategy includes a 3 pronged approach: Internet Advertising, Social Marketing, and Client Referrals.
With internet advertising, there are many, many choices. We have chosen two paths: Google AdWords, and ServiceMagic. Both are driving clients to our doorstep. We are spending less than $200 per month on advertising, and drawing in a lot of business this way.
Social Marketing includes Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs. So far, this is not bringing any new clients to our door, but it is bringing repeat business. We are keeping in touch with clients, and some are starting to contact us for their next session of portraits.
Client Referrals can be handled actively or passively. Passively just means treating your clients well, and hoping they refer future business to you. We have started being more active, more directly enlisting our clients help. We now follow up with all of our clients with a nice Thank You card, that also details our referral program. Under the program, when new clients are referred, we provide the original client with a gift certificate for future business with us. We have just started this program, but we expect it will start to bring us more business in the coming year.
As our clientele grows, we should be able to back off on our paid advertising efforts. The important thing is constantly re-evaluate your strategy on a regular basis to make adjustments.
Please visit us on Twitter, ("shadowsphoto") our company blog, and on Facebook
