I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received the question, “Amanda, how do I get my clients to talk to their friends about their photography session with me?”

I always reply with, “Well, do you have a system in place that encourages them to do so?”

And usually, their response is, “Ummm… no.”

And that usually is the conversation that leads to an entire thought process of how client referrals work. In the good old days, before social media, word of mouth was king when it came to client referrals. Then, social media came along and a lot of photographers began to lean on social media more than word of mouth encouragement. We stopped asking for testimonials and stopped offering referral motivation to our clients. We decided that posting a sneak peek reached our audience better for the time being, but suddenly realized that we were shooting ourselves in the foot.

Can I tell you a secret? WORD OF MOUTH IS STILL THE BEST!

Even getting a testimonial from your client has a higher motivating factor than just posting a picture from their session on Instagram. Combine the two of those and BAM! You’re handling marketing dynamite!

But guess what? There’s still a higher power when it comes to referrals… and that’s getting your clients to talk to their circle of friends about how amazing your brand is! Whether they call them, text them, post on their Facebook, or shout it from the roof tops – THAT kind of referral is best because it comes STRAIGHT FROM THEM!

So… how the heck do we encourage this referral phenomenon to happen? With a Client Referral System that not only encourages it, but motivates it!

So… how the heck do we encourage this referral phenomenon to happen? With a Client Referral System (or referral rewards program) that not only encourages it, but motivates it! 

Here’s how to build a SOLID & EFFECTIVE Client Referral System:

1. Easy to follow program guidelines: an elaborate ladder or point system just won’t work for this. Remember… this is NOT a senior rep program. This is a referral rewards system for ALL your clients to motivate them ALL to get their friends to hire you. Keep it simple (your friend mentions your name and hires me, you get $50 referral reward) – easy peasy.

2. Relevant motivators: most seniors don’t care about an 11×14 or product credit. They want hard cold cash, gift cards, etc. If you’re not using a reward that gets your clients excited, your referral program will be dead in the water.

3. Personalized sharing tools: give your clients something to share with their face on it! They will be way more likely to share something of their own than one of your past clients on a standard referral card.  

We created the CLIENT REFERRAL COLLECTION for photographers who want to implement an easy system to kick word of mouth referrals in high gear!

Want a product that will have a DIRECT effect on your bookings? Our Client Referral Collection is for not only your seniors, but their parents as well. We all know that parents love to pass out tangible cards to their other senior and junior mom friends while our seniors love to text and post graphics to their social media accounts. We wanted to create an entire cohesive collection that would encourage BOTH types of referral methods. Not only does this collection include digital and tangible referral cards, it also includes the entire program and client how-to guides to make it incredibly easy for your clients. Covering all your bases, this collection includes every piece you need to help your clients refer more seniors to you.

Showcasing stunning design with ALL TEXT INCLUDED, the Client Referral Collection features an entire system to help your clients refer their friends, social circles, and teammates to your brand. This referral collection is an extensive resource of several points of contact for your clients and their referrals through beautifully designed graphics that showcase your client’s favorite images and motivate them to share their love of your business.

WHY WE LOVE THIS COLLECTION:

• This product will have a DIRECT effect on your bookings.
• 86% of Gen Z reads reviews before making a first-time purchase. These referral cards are a natural way for your seniors and their parents to spread their love for you.
• You can give your seniors’ parents the tangible cards and your seniors the digital graphics.
• 48% of Gen Z has made a second-person word of mouth recommendation.
• The client referral collection is a great way to diversify your marketing methods.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

5X5 REFERRAL GUIDE TRIFOLD TEMPLATE
• Intro to the referral program
• Referral program main details 
• “How to Spread the Word” – ideas for referring your brand 
• “Share it to Your Feed” – brand social media handles
• Sharing Etiquette Rules 

5×7 REFERRAL CARD TEMPLATES
• 4 cohesive front & back card designs
• 2 vertical, 2 horizontal
• front: feature of referring senior
• back: cash or credit motivator text 
• instructions for booking with credit

DIGITAL REFERRAL GUIDE
• Intro to the referral program
• Referral program main details 
• “How to Spread the Word” – ideas for referring your brand 
• “Share it to Your Feed” – brand social media handles
• Sharing Etiquette Rules 

DIGITAL REFERRAL GRAPHIC TEMPLATES
• 4 cohesive digital designs
• shareable for text,  IG stories, or Snapchat
• instructions for booking with credit

CLIENT REFERRAL TRACKER
• Client Referral Spreadsheet Printable
• 5×5 Order Pop-In Referral Card