8 Client Workflow Must-Haves for Family Photographers
Wanna know what one of the most CRUCIAL parts of your business is as a family, maternity, or newborn photographer? Your client workflow. It’s one of those things that can make or break your bookings, and turn your clients from one-off bookings into returning clients who end up hiring you to document every single milestone for the rest of their lives.
As a family photographer who built her business from the ground up, I know it can be super tough to get started and to navigate the process of working with a new client. So today, I wanted to share 8 client workflow must-haves that help me deliver the most incredible experience to each and every family I serve—from the moment they inquire until the moment their gallery is delivered (and even after that).
What Are the Phases of a Family Photography Client Workflow?
Before I dive into the 8 key elements of an easy, effective client workflow for family photographers, I wanted to do a quick review of the main phases of the workflow in general. This way, you know exactly what is happening and when!
Every phase of your client workflow will have two parts: backend, and client-facing.
The backend parts of your workflow are what you see as a business owner & the tasks you’re doing behind the scenes, whereas the client-facing (or front-facing) pieces of your workflow are what your client sees/experiences. Both work hand-in-hand to create an effective, efficient process on your end as the business owner as well as a smooth, stress-free experience for your clients every step of the way.
Phase 1—Inquiry
This is the very first part of any project workflow, starting when a potential client inquires with you—duh! This might look like filling out your contact form, sending you an email, or sliding into your DM’s. For the sake of this workflow, we’re going to pretend that they’ve filled out your contact form, and are ready to move onto the next step of your inquiry workflow: hearing back from you.
Backend tasks may include
Creating a new project in your CRM
Adding a task to your to-do list to respond to the inquiry
Checking your calendar to see if you’re available for their session
Client-facing tasks may include:
Sending out an auto-response letting them know you received their inquiry
Writing a personalized response email
Sharing a welcome guide
Phase 2—Booking
The next phase of bringing on a new family photography client is the actual booking process—aka making things official.
Backend tasks may include
Preparing a contract
Preparing an invoice
Setting up a payment plan
Adding the project to your calendar
Client-facing tasks may include:
Sending the contract + invoice
Sending a booking email
Phase 3—Onboarding
Onboarding is one of my favorite parts of the client workflow, because it’s always so fun to bring on a new client and start planning once they’ve signed the dotted line! This will be their first glimpse of what it’s like to work with you as a paying client.
Backend tasks may include
Preparing a questionnaire
Granting access to a client portal
Client-facing tasks may include:
Sending a questionnaire
Sending your phone number/preferred communication method
Phase 4—Planning
Next up is the longest part of your workflow: the planning process. This is pretty much the entire time period between when they book you, and when their session actually happens.
Backend tasks may include
Scouting locations for their session
Brainstorming unique ideas to fit their vision
Putting together a list of personalized recommendations
Client-facing tasks may include:
Communicating via text about outfit recommendations
Sharing a Pinterest board for inspiration
Sending check-in emails as the session date gets closer
Phase 5—Delivery
After their session happens, it’ll be time to deliver the images they’ve been looking forward to for so long!
Backend tasks may include
Culling + editing photos
Preparing their online gallery
Changing download settings in their gallery
Preparing coupons/discounts for prints of their photos
Client-facing tasks may include:
Sending sneak peeks
Sending a gallery delivery email
Phase 6—Offboarding
A lot of photographers think their client workflow ends once the gallery has been delivered, but it’s super important to be intentional about what comes next—especially if you want to increase your rates of client retention + ensure every client is super happy with their experience. The offboarding process could last a week after you deliver their gallery, or it could go until you send them a special holiday coupon for prints months down the road.
Backend tasks may include
Setting up automated check-in emails
Preparing a testimonial request form
Creating coupons/discounts for prints
Client-facing tasks may include:
Sending a testimonial request form
Sending special coupons
8 Client Workflow Must-Haves for Family Photographers
Now that you’re familiar with what your client workflow will look like, I wanted to give you 8 things your family photography client workflow NEEDS to have in order to impress your clients as much as possible—and make it easier on yourself as the photographer.
1. A personalized inquiry response + welcome guide
When a client first reaches out to me, I respond in 24-28 hours with a personal message and my welcome guide. You can absolutely have an automated response set up as soon as they inquire, to let them know that their inquiry has been received—it takes a little bit of the pressure off of you to write up a personalized response right away!
I highly recommend creating a welcome guide that you can send over to new inquiries, as it will save you SO much time answering questions you frequently get asked. Chances are most of your potential clients are wondering the same things, so if you can get ‘em answered right away, it’ll not only make things easier for you but show them that you’re an expert who knows your stuff.
Here’s what I include in my welcome guide:
Session pricing
Add-ons
Details about travel
My approach to family photographer
A timeline of what my process looks like
A link to book with me
2. An effortless booking process
Having a seamless booking process is CRUCIAL to booking clients as quickly as possible after they inquire with you. I recommend investing in some sort of client management system that allows you to do everything in one place, from contracts to invoices to picking a date for their session. This makes it super-duper easy for you to send over all the necessary booking info, and allows them to have a streamlined experience booking you—which is incredibly important when they’re paying you a significant amount of money! I personally use a platform called Session, which helps them pick a time and day, prompts them to sign my contract, and directs them to pay their deposit at the time of booking.
3. An automated booking confirmation
Next, my clients receive a booking confirmation email from me—which I 10/10 recommend automating if you’re able to. When a client pays their deposit, it’s key that you provide them with immediate validation + reassurance that they made the right decision in hiring you, and that can be through something as simple as an immediate welcome email. In this email, you can include not only a confirmation of their booking, but also a section about how excited you are! Reassure them that you can be as hands-on as they’d like, and that they can reach out to you with questions at ANY point in the process. This is the start of your working relationship, so it’s your job to make an amazing first impression and leave them feeling so grateful that they chose you!
4. An onboarding questionnaire
Once I’ve sent over their booking confirmation email, I then send them a questionnaire that helps me better understand their family. This is one of the most important steps in my process that allows me to really dig deep into their vision, get to know who they are and how they interact with each other, and begin to envision what an authentic, storytelling session would look like for their family.
If you’re curious about what’s inside this onboarding questionnaire, I’m an open book during my 1:1 mentorships and am more than happy to give you a peek behind the curtain—this way, you’ll know exactly what questions to ask in your own! Booking info for these coming very soon :)
5. Open communication leading up to the shoot
Based on the answers I get in the onboarding questionnaire, I then message back and forth with my client to help them plan their session. Some of my clients will send me all their outfit ideas, or maybe a Pinterest board featuring inspiration and color palettes they love. I have some clients who ignore all of that and simply pick a time and place—and that’s it!
I like to keep an open line of communication through the planning process to make things as easy as possible for them, and for me, texting is the best option. In my experience, it’s been a lot quicker than email, and feels more personal, but it’s completely up to you and what your boundaries are as far as client communication goes.
Finally, a week before our session, I’ll reach out and see if they have any last-minute questions or concerns we need to chat through before the big day arrives.
6. Clear expectations
About a week after their session, I’ll follow up with my clients letting them know that I’m editing their pictures, and when they should be expecting their final gallery. This is a must in your client workflow, because even if you mentioned your turnaround multiple times throughout the inquiry/booking/onboarding process, it’s very likely that your clients could have forgotten by this point—plus, they’re probably super excited to get their photos back now that the session is done! Make sure they have clear expectations and know exactly when they’ll be getting their gallery, and then if you end up delivering it earlier than expected, they’ll be over the moon.
7. Seamless gallery delivery
When the time comes to deliver my clients’ photos, I send them an online gallery through Pixieset, thanking them once again for allowing me to be a part of their journey. I love Pixieset for few reasons:
The galleries are beautiful and easy to navigate
The system looks super high-end + professional
It’s easy-peasy for clients to save their photos
There are plenty of gallery delivery programs out there, though, so I suggest exploring all your options and finding the one that best fits your budget, needs, and style!
Along with the link to their gallery, I like to send them step-by-step instructions on how to save their photos. Even if it seems obvious to you as a photographer, it’s nice to go that extra mile and make sure they know exactly how to access everything—sometimes it can be confusing to search for the download button, know whether to download web-size or high-res images, etc.
8. An automated testimonial request
Finally, I send them a testimonial request about 2 weeks after the final gallery is delivered. This gives them enough time to really look through their entire gallery, soak up the experience, and reflect on the process, but is still soon enough after the session that everything will be fresh in their minds. Every bit of work and dedication you’ve put into giving them an above and beyond experience should hopefully be reflected in their review, and you’ll thank yourself for all the time you put in
1:1 Mentorships for Family Photographers
Hi friend—I’m Madison, but you can call me Madi since I think we’ve already become friends here :) As a professional family, maternity, and newborn photographer, I know just how difficult and overwhelming it can be to start get your photography business up and running—which is why I’m bringing my years of experience into my brand new 1:1 mentorships and passing everything I’ve learned along to you.
During these hour-long mentorships, I’ll personally be taking a deep dive into where your business is currently at, in order to determine how to get you to where you want to be: this will include a comprehensive look at your website, Instagram, current marketing strategies, and brand messaging.
You’re also welcome to ask me questions about anything related to photography or business, including (but not limited to) client onboarding, editing, and whatever else you may be struggling with!
My goal is that you’ll leave this mentorship with a confident plan to make progress on your business goals, tangible action steps to elevate your client experience and marketing strategies, and clarity on who you want to serve + how to reach them.
Booking info for these mentorships is coming VERY soon—but in the meantime, I invite you to browse through my own website and reach out to me on Instagram if you’re interested in having my support in elevating your family, maternity, and/or newborn photography business. I cannot wait to help you reach your dream clients with ease, and deliver a seamless experience that’ll keep them coming back for more for years to come!
