Five Steps for Turning Mini Sessions into Long-term Clients
Turn Mother’s Day into a Buzz-Worthy Portrait Event
This Mother’s Day, honor moms and make sure their families give them what they really want: a memorable time together and some beautiful images to show for it. We’re talking about a Mother’s Day mini session event!
Everything about a mini session is a ‘mini’ version of your full sessions: a lower investment for your clients, only a few minutes per session, and limited package offerings. Mini sessions provide a low-commitment way for more people to sample your business. They also create an opportunity to make a lot of money over a short period of time, with quick back-to-back sessions.
With proper planning, you can make a lot of money in one weekend while also cultivating relationships with future full-session clients. Here are five steps for turning mini sessions into longterm client relationships.
1. Follow a Promotional Plan
Carefully map out your mini session event from start to finish so you can give yourself enough time to promote and book the sessions. How and where you promote your event determines the amount of qualified leads you’ll book. Consider your local media outlets and marketing partners, as well as social media.
Create Postcards to promote your event. Make sure to include:
- your branding with samples of your images
- dates, times, and length of mini sessions
- special mini session packages and pricing
- a convenient way to book a mini session
2. Curate Your Mini Session Event
Make your mini session event exclusive and irresistible; schedule a small window of time, like a day or a weekend. Limit the availability to only a certain number of clients and choose a backdrop or setting that will appeal to the moms in your area.
Create a price list just for your Mother’s Day mini session event that includes:
- only a few package options
- a small mix of products
- optional a la carte items
3. Stay on Schedule
Mini sessions should be set for just enough time to create great photos for those who are only interested in your promotion, while identifying which people you’d like to invest more time with in the future. The longterm goal of a mini session event is to bring in clients that will later invest in your full sessions and collections. Your mini sessions should:
- be back-to-back sessions that are only 15–20 minutes long
- stick to the clock so you don’t get behind and keep everyone waiting
- allow you to capture a few photos that clients will fall in love with
4. Book In-Person Ordering Appointments
Schedule in-person appointments with your mini session clients within two weeks of the event. These meetings can go very quickly, as you’ll only have a few images to show. All they need to do is select images for the product package they’ve chosen.
For potential future clients, you can turn these meeting into much more. It’s your opportunity to invest time with them, form personal connections, and introduce your full service experience. They might be interested in add-ons such as:
- Framed Prints
- Gallery Wraps
- Gift Prints
- even future sessions.
Make sure to send clients home with an order form in case they decide to add on to their order after the appointment! This is a great way to make sure you don’t leave any sales on the table.
5. Plan the Next Steps
Delivering an incredible mini session is the goal, but it’s just the first step. If you want your mini sessions to really pay off for your photography business, figure out what’s next for your mini session clients. Add them to your contact list and plan to follow up.
Clients are not always good at staying on top of their photo needs. Keep track for them and touch base in 3–6 months when they’ll want more portraits. Document what you learn about your clients during their mini sessions and use that information to follow up with them later. Keep note of things such as:
- if they are expecting
- do they have teenagers who will be graduating
- children’s birthdays
- any upcoming events coming up like weddings or anniversaries
Perfect product ideas for Mother’s Day mini sessions
Beautiful Basics
Show clients the delightful simplicity of a mounted Photo Print with a Wood Display Stand. It’s a great way to enjoy a favorite image, plus the stand can be moved around and styled however mom wants!
Framed Favorites
Frames are always in style and can go with any decor. For mini sessions, why not offer Small Framed Prints? Order with an easel back so mom can display it at work or on a shelf or dresser at home.
Something Specialized
An Image Box is a unique product offering that will make you stand out. Print an image from the session on the cover and have a special Mother’s Day message engraved on the inside lid. Mom can select images for Photo Prints she wants in the box. You can even select one or two of the images to be a matted print to display on an easel. Present the box as something mom can add to over the year from each session she does with you. She’ll be excited to work on filling up the box with the beautiful images you create for them.
For All the Little Things She Does
Mini Books are cute little accordion books that moms can display on a shelf, stick on the fridge, or take on the go to show off her beautiful family. Surprise mom with this little keepsake and she’ll show it to everyone she knows! Simply drop in her favorite images into each panel or choose from fun designs at resources.whcc.com. You could even include an individual image of each child and add their names and ages.
