I hope you are all enjoying your holidays! I have yet to start my Christmas shopping -- ack!
Today I wanted to share another installment of my workflow series for photographers -- how I systematize the sharing of wedding photos with guests. If this is your first time tuning in, click here to find a complete list of the posts in The Workflow Series and get caught up!
At every wedding reception, I collect email addresses from wedding guests as a service to my clients so they don't need to worry about being responsible for sending the photos or a link to the gallery to all of their guests after the wedding. They have so many things to think about and are so busy after the wedding, that this helps alleviate the burden a bit.
My office manager preps the forms you see in the above photo for each client and includes them in the folder I bring on the wedding day. We also bring along a pouch of my branded pens that I got from Proforma. At the beginning of the reception, before the guests arrive, my non-shooting assistant places one of these 1/2 sheet forms and one pen on each table. Then, at the end of the night, she collects them and returns them to the folder so they make their way back to the office.
On Monday, my office manager takes the forms and inputs the guest information into Emma -- the tool we use for our branded emails and monthly e-newsletters (more on those in an upcoming part of this series). Once I post some of my favorites from the wedding on the blog, she then sends out an email through Emma to the guests, giving them the link to the blog post and a link to sign up to receive notification when all of the photos are available for viewing on Pictage, our online lab. This is an example of what the email looks like:
Today I wanted to share another installment of my workflow series for photographers -- how I systematize the sharing of wedding photos with guests. If this is your first time tuning in, click here to find a complete list of the posts in The Workflow Series and get caught up!
At every wedding reception, I collect email addresses from wedding guests as a service to my clients so they don't need to worry about being responsible for sending the photos or a link to the gallery to all of their guests after the wedding. They have so many things to think about and are so busy after the wedding, that this helps alleviate the burden a bit.
My office manager preps the forms you see in the above photo for each client and includes them in the folder I bring on the wedding day. We also bring along a pouch of my branded pens that I got from Proforma. At the beginning of the reception, before the guests arrive, my non-shooting assistant places one of these 1/2 sheet forms and one pen on each table. Then, at the end of the night, she collects them and returns them to the folder so they make their way back to the office.
On Monday, my office manager takes the forms and inputs the guest information into Emma -- the tool we use for our branded emails and monthly e-newsletters (more on those in an upcoming part of this series). Once I post some of my favorites from the wedding on the blog, she then sends out an email through Emma to the guests, giving them the link to the blog post and a link to sign up to receive notification when all of the photos are available for viewing on Pictage, our online lab. This is an example of what the email looks like:
Here are a few keys to making this system work:
-Ask permission of your client before placing these forms on the tables at the reception. We've had issues with the planner or catering manager resisting us putting out these forms in the past, so I like to make sure I know what the bride wants ahead of time, so everyone can be on the same page. We use my Final Details Questionnaire about a month before the wedding to find out the bride's preferences regarding this matter.
-Systematize the steps so it happens EVERY TIME. We have all the steps needed to complete this task on our Wedding Workflow Checklist and each person involved knows their role, so it happens with little effort. Every time.
-Take control. Don't depend on guests. Some photographers hand out Event Cards at weddings that have instructions for how to view the images later. These are great in theory, but what typically happens, is they end up left on tables and strewn across the floor and never make it home with guests. And if they do, you are still relying on guests to do the work and follow-through. By collecting emails yourself, you can better systematize the follow-through and deliver a link straight to each guests' inbox. It's a service for your clients AND their guests.
Let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below. And to find out about more resources I offer photographers, click here!
Click here to read part 17 of this series -- Sharing Images with Vendors
-Ask permission of your client before placing these forms on the tables at the reception. We've had issues with the planner or catering manager resisting us putting out these forms in the past, so I like to make sure I know what the bride wants ahead of time, so everyone can be on the same page. We use my Final Details Questionnaire about a month before the wedding to find out the bride's preferences regarding this matter.
-Systematize the steps so it happens EVERY TIME. We have all the steps needed to complete this task on our Wedding Workflow Checklist and each person involved knows their role, so it happens with little effort. Every time.
-Take control. Don't depend on guests. Some photographers hand out Event Cards at weddings that have instructions for how to view the images later. These are great in theory, but what typically happens, is they end up left on tables and strewn across the floor and never make it home with guests. And if they do, you are still relying on guests to do the work and follow-through. By collecting emails yourself, you can better systematize the follow-through and deliver a link straight to each guests' inbox. It's a service for your clients AND their guests.
Let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below. And to find out about more resources I offer photographers, click here!
Click here to read part 17 of this series -- Sharing Images with Vendors
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