Situation #1
You've just eaten a burger at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant that you found driving home from a concert. It was juicy, had all the flavor and the atmosphere made you want to hang out for the rest of the night. Your server was quick, witty, and entertaining. You'd already decided that you're going to tell your aunt and 2nd cousin about this place, as its a MUST go-to kinda place.
Situation #2
You and your three friends stop at the first restaurant you see on your way home from a concert. Its a dingy dive, your table was dirty when you sat down. It took 10 minutes for the server to make an appearance at your table. Your food FINALLY arrives 50 minutes after ordering, not once did the server come back to your table to refill drinks or see if there was anything else you needed. Your order was incorrect, and you were overcharged for your food.
**a restaurant was used as an example for no reason, other than we can all relate**
Which situation are your more likely to leave a review on?
According to a consumer study from Trust Pilot, the Top 3 reasons people leave reviews are to help others make a better buying decision, to share an experience, or to reward a company for good performance. Research shows that people are more inclined to write reviews when the experience they’ve had strikes an emotional chord, whether positive or negative. Reviews can be out of frustration from a bad experience or an applaud to the company after having a phenomenal experience, writing the review can help the company succeed.
When a company asks for a review, they are throwing themselves out there to the wolves. It's scary asking someone to rate you, they could say the meanest things and we have to take that like champs. It's not always about the human being themselves, but also how a company is ran. At the same time, it can be a very humbling experience to read what clients write. I often get told that when a client sees their images they were brought to tears... Me, I can provoke tears (good tears)!! Who knew??
Looking to write a well written review on my services?
Here's how you can help future clients and my business.
When writing a review here are some key items you can write about.
Time. Was I on-time? Or late? Did we both show up late do to unforeseen circumstances? Did I use the allotted time well? Was the session long enough, or was it too long? Time can be a major factor on whether someone books me.
Fears. What were your fears going into the session? Were they addressed? Did the session go as planned, or better than planned? Tell the reader if you were pleasantly surprised by something.
Why. Why did you choose me as a photographer? Were you recommended by someone? How did I stand out from other photographers you spoke to prior to your session, or from past photo sessions?
Communication. How well did I communicate with you? Was I prompt with my replies? Did I answer all pertinent questions? Were my communication skills lacking?
Experience. How was your overall experience? Was I great with your children? Did you feel at ease with posing? Did you leave your session smiling? What was I like as a photographer? How was the finished product, or prints? Did your photographer go above a beyond than what was promised?
Recommendations. Who would you recommend my services to? Would you recommend my services to a families who hate posing? Would you recommend my services to a family with a child who is sensitive? Would you recommend me to your newly engaged friends or couples looking for a fun photographer?
Issues. Before writing about bad experiences in a review, I highly recommend reaching out to your photographer to discuss any problems, they would be more than happy to correct issues to provide a better experience for future clients. No one likes being blind-sided. If issues go un-resolved, writing about it in a review should be from an objective view, to the point and how the photographer attempted or didn't attempt to fix the problem.
Are you a past client of mine?
If you have ever used my services in the past and would like to leave a review, I would greatly appreciate it. There are two places that are helpful. The first is a Google review, which is a main search engine that people would find me on. You can leave a Google review HERE. You can also leave a review on my Facebook Photography page which also receives a high amount of traffic, you can leave a Facebook review HERE. Thank you!
