You can market, advertise, and promote your business on social media, but without word-of-mouth marketing, your wedding photography and videography business will never reach its potential. Unfortunately, word-of-mouth marketing is also one of the toughest types of marketing to control. It relies on other people spreading the word about your business for you — which is the reason it’s so successful.
People won’t recommend a vendor unless they truly believe in their work, therefore clients will almost always take their word for it — which, then in turn, means you, the recommended vendor, will see an uptick in business. And believe me, this is not just speculation. Almost all of my wedding film clients have been a result of networking, on-site collaboration and happy clients. Even better, those coming to me through a recommendation will pay higher rates because they trust me as a vendor.
As you can imagine, building a word-of-mouth strategy doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of work, both during weddings and beyond. Here are four best ways to get your own word-of-mouth marketing off the ground.
1. Give 110 percent on wedding days
It’s easy to tell a photographer or wedding planner that you’re dedicated or easy to work with, but showing up and proving it is significantly more effective. Wedding planners and photographers want someone who will make their lives easier, and showing up on wedding day is your best opportunity to demonstrate that you, the wedding videographer, are that person.
Be a team player, collaborate on angles (instead of stepping in their shots) and spend time during vendor meals actually talking to the photographer or planner. If you’re not only agreeable but fun to work with (and of course, you deliver a solid film post-wedding), you better believe you’ll make their preferred vendor list.
2. Network with fellow vendors
Unfortunately, you can only meet so many photographers and wedding planners at weddings. You need to supplement these opportunities by attending local networking events or conferences. Look for creative events in your community, such as Tuesdays Together. These meetups bring together a variety of professionals across the creative community, which often includes wedding photographers and, in some cases, planners.
Once you’re in person, don’t just throw your business card at your peers and call it a day. Connect on a deeper level — as in, talk to them like friends — so they can get a sense of what you might be like to work with on wedding days. People want to work with those they know, like, and trust, so if you can get them to know and like you, you’re much more likely to get recommended for a wedding film gig (which is where you can prove your trustworthiness).
Another note on networking: Don’t forget to follow up with those you’ve met after the event. Avoid the hard sell, but send a quick “it was great to meet you!” note along with a link to your wedding film website so they can easily view some of your work.
3. Focus on client satisfaction
While vendors can recommend you, the most important review of all is your client’s. If a bride or groom leaves a negative review because you, say, showed up 30 minutes late, you better believe that’ll deter other couples from booking you. The vendors from that day will also nix you from their list of their recommendations because you’ve proven you’re not trustworthy.
Treat every wedding day like a new job interview; show up early, dress professionally, go out of your way to impress and try to connect with the bride and groom during the short amount of time you have with them. Of course, this should start before the big day with friendly, prompt and organized communication; you can follow this up with a friendly approach and big smile throughout their big day. (Trust me: My clients consistently tell me that my friendliness helps them feel at ease while I’m filming. A smile can go a long way!)
4. Have a professional website
It’s tough to recommend someone who doesn’t have a clean, polished website; sending someone to a typo-ridden portfolio will hardly make the referrer look professional. That’s why you need to make sure your website puts your best foot forward in terms of design, copy and work samples, and have at least one area (likely your about page) that includes a photo of yourself. This way your potential clients will feel like they know you (part of the know, like and trust factor!); your “about” copy will then help them decide that they like you. And that trust element? That’s the whole point of word-of-mouth marketing in the first place; if another vendor recommends you, the trust will be there!
Whether you’re just getting started as a wedding filmmaker or you’ve been at this for years, word-of-mouth marketing will help you not only grow your client roster but increase your rates as a wedding filmmaker.
And we all know what increased rates mean: more money for gear! If you’re looking to invest in some new additions for your 2019 lineup, check out the latest and greatest video gear for 2019.
