As a photographer, you don’t just capture moments; you craft experiences.
Designing your clients’ journey is an art form itself, and it’s what will set your business apart.
That’s where Sprout Studio Workflows come in – you can simplify the process of designing your clients’ journey in a way that is reliable and consistent.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- How to create a map or blueprint of your ideal client journey
- How to turn your client journey map into a Sprout Studio Workflow
Quick note – I recommend walking through this process for each type of photographic experience you offer. For example, the client journey that you create for a couple planning their wedding and that for an expecting mother who’s booked a newborn shoot will be very different.
It begins with a blueprint…
Before you build out your Workflow in Sprout and get caught up in the weeds of the tool, it’s important to map out your client journey first. You want to create the blueprint for your masterpiece so you can get clarity on it and see a bird’s-eye view of the entire experience first.
You need a map.
This thoughtful planning ensures that your Workflows are not just functional but extraordinary, delivering the exceptional experiences that your clients deserve.
Step 1: Understand your client
Before diving in, take a moment to see things from your client’s perspective. Understand their thoughts, feelings, and actions as they experience their photography journey with you.
Step 2: Define key milestones
Start by identifying the crucial moments or ‘pivot points’ in your client’s journey. In Sprout Workflows, we call these Milestones. For example, this might be:
- When your client books you
- After you do an engagement session
- After the session
- When you do an IPS session
- When you deliver the finished product
Step 3: Plan your actions
For each Milestone, determine what you want to do before and after that Milestone. In Sprout Workflows, we call these Actions. For example, you might want to:
- Remind yourself to do something by creating a task.
- Collect answers to questions by sending a Questionnaire.
- Set expectations by sending an email.
- Schedule appointments or follow-ups by sending a Scheduler.
Step 4: Set the timing
Decide when each Action should occur in relation to its Milestone. In Sprout Workflows, we call this a Step. Each Step is a “container” for a series of Actions to take place. For example, you might want to create a Step:
- 2 days after your client books you
- 2 weeks before the Shoot
- 1 day after the Shoot
Step 5: Plan follow-ups
Consider any follow-up actions after doing the initial actions. For instance, after sending a questionnaire, you might want to follow up with an email providing more details.
Step 6: Move through the journey
Determine if you need to change the client’s status or move them to a different Milestone after specific steps or actions. This can help with organization and progression through the journey.
You can see that by mapping out your client journey first, you gain invaluable clarity and perspective. This will guide you through the creation of a remarkable client experience.
We’ve created a simple fill-in-the-blank template that simplifies this process for you. It serves as your canvas for mapping out your clients’ journey step by step. You can download it here.
To see it in action and get a feel for how it works, watch the video here, where we’ll walk you through creating your own client journey blueprint using this template.
Turning your client journey map into a Sprout Studio Workflow
Now that you’ve mapped out your client journey on paper, let’s bring it to life using Sprout Studio Workflows. Follow these 6 simple steps:
- Make your templates – Before you dive into building your Workflow, make sure you have all your templates ready for the actions you planned. This might include email templates, questionnaires, and any other things you’ll be sending to your clients.
- Create a new Workflow – In Sprout Studio, create a new Workflow.
- Add your milestones – Start by adding the Milestones you defined in your client journey map. These are the pivotal points that mark different stages in your client’s experience.
- Create steps within each milestone – For each Milestone, create your Steps – think of these as containers that hold the Actions. Each Step represents a specific point in time in relation to the Milestone, ensuring actions occur precisely when they should.
- Add your actions – Within each Step, add the Actions you mapped out using the templates you created.
- Include Follow-up Actions – Consider any follow-up actions you noted in your client journey map and add them as follow-up actions to the Actions you just added.
Start designing your client journey with our FREE fill-in-the-blank PDF map:
Get it down on paper! Download and print off Sprout’s step-by-step Photography Workflow Planning Sheet PDF. This free resource is designed with simple prompts that will produce strategic results! By the time you’re finished, you’ll have a customized workflow roadmap that will guide you through every phase of your client’s experience.
Watch the how-to video tutorial here, full with examples from Bryan Caporicci to get you started!
Reclaim your time! Try the automation tool that saves photographers 28 hours per work week!
See the simplicity for yourself! Build you dream client experience and elevate your photography business in Sprout today! Unlock the possibilities – try it for free.
