Hi all,
I've been lurking for awhile, but this is my first posting. Just wondering how everyone is targeting high end clients. It seems like the budget for most couples who contact us is $1500-2000 and we're about twice that. I've contacted event planners in town, caterers, venues, florists, bakeries, dress shops...The business is still fairly young, so we're in the process of getting our name out there and building word of mouth right now. We are listed on the Knot, WPJA, and some local free sites, but I am trying to figure out how to reach our clientele, so would love to know what others have done. Thanks for any thoughts! And if anyone in the St. Louis area is interested in getting together for coffee sometime, please let me know!

Hey Becca - looks like your first post. May I be the first to say hello. I'm sure you'll be warmly welcomed on this forum.

Your question is pretty well what this entire forum is all about - start on page one and start reading.

There's no simple answer but it seems the general concensus around here is....

1) Get skills
2) Meet people
3) Create a referral base that raves about you

None of which exactly have one line answers.

This forum has been around for a few years now and represents that continuing on-going discussion as we all try to answer the same question each in our own way.

Good luck, and let everyone else know if you figure it out.

Thanks, Kevin! It seems like the answer to every photography-related question ever posed is that there is no simple answer. :-) I appreciate the welcome and will continue my reading of previous posts! And thanks for your input!

Hi Becca,
I just wanted to say the 'secret' to life applies as well to business, to attract the type of clients that you want, you need to think like them. Take every opportunity to offer high class service. How did you contact the vendors? By phone, mail, or email?

Hi Denitra,
I didn't see this update, so apologies I didn't write sooner and thanks for responding. I debated which to start with, but ultimately, I decided to send emails. That gave them a chance to see my work first and not be caught off guard with a cold call on the phone. I got about a 75% response rate from coordinators, which I was happy with, but no responses from venues and only one from a floral designer. I then followed up with a classy promo packet, hand assembled and hand stamped. Perhaps in retrospect it would have been good to start with the snail mail piece, a rare and novel thing these days! Something to think about for the future.
Take care,
Becca

Everyone talks about "high end clients" as though they were some specific group who all acted and thought alike. The thing is that "high end" has as many variations within it as any other grouping by income. So you have to get more specific in your marketing. What kind of high end clients do you want? You have to think about your clients as people and figure out what about what YOU do and offer appeals to THEM ... rather than thinking of them in terms of just amounts of money.

That's a huge start right there.

karen

Bingo!

There is a one line answer for you!

thanks, karen, for making me stop to think about it. the way i define high end for myself has nothing to do with clients' socioeconomic status. it is defined by the value they place on photography. i don't care if they make $20k a year or $2 million a year. i am trying to reach people who really care about photography, who are interested in the relationship and service behind it and who ultimately become friends and see us as more than "just another vendor." people like myself as a recent bride who may not have the hundred thousand dollar wedding budget or anywhere near that, but are willing to spend on a photographer, because it's an important part of their day. i am always thinking about ways to make our part of their day fabulous (thus the initial post), so it's about much more than the $$$.

you might want to think about going to one of Mike Colon's workshops.

i'd love to!

Becca, welcome to OSP. There are quite a few of us in St. Louis on the forum.

thanks, matt! i appreciate it.

As well as some geographic / regional differences...what's high end in one part of the country might not even hit the median in others... (Ali knows about this stuff... )