Those of you with Websites, How do you Handle this...

[valenda_welch]

<p>I have a new wedding photography website that has a Contact Me page. People are starting to fill out parts of the contact form with their name, email, and date. However, they aren't writing anything in the comments section.</p>

<p>When I get these requests, I've been sending a simple email back, confirming that I have their wedding date available and saying I'd love to learn more information about their wedding plans. I also say I'd be happy to chat on the phone or meet them for coffee to discuss their ideas.</p>

<p>The problem is, of the 10 contact requests I received from this weekend, only one person got back to me. I would think more people would reply, as they contacted me and provided their email and sometimes phone number. Yes, I also left phone messages for the people that supplied them.</p>

<p>So, my question is, how do you handle contact requests from your website? If they provide an email and a phone number, do you use one over the other? Do you have a general email you send them back?</p>

<p>Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!</p>

 

[mark_t5]

<p>I wrote a javascript to force them to write stuff on the comments section. that way i dont get an empty email. they have to write something.</p>

<p> </p>

[katrin_d.]

<p>I don't use a contact form, I find it to be too impersonal but that's just my opinion. I provide prospective clients with my email as well as phone number on the contact page. While it might not be as quick and easy and requires them to switch from my website to their email account, the emails I receive contain more information about them, their plans, why they want me to be their photographer etc. which works just fine for me. I don't generally use generic templates because they're well ... generic. I have one template when the date is already booked but that's about it.</p>

[peter_mounier]

<p>This doesn't directly answer your question, but I don't like to communicate via website forms because I don't have a record of my questions or comments after the form is sent. When dealing with contracts or businesses, I want all my communications somewhere on my computer so I can refer to them should the need arise. Forms don't allow me to keep a complete record of all communications, specifically, what I write in the forms.</p>

<p>Peter</p>

[mark_t5]

<p>i fail to see why you guys say a contact form is no good but you rather deal via email.<br>

contact form is just a frontend for emails. if anything a contact form is easier for them to initially ask you questions since you can tailor the form to suggest to them what to fill first do you don't have to email them back asking the questions that they could have answered via the form.</p>

<p>no record keeping with website forms..uh...you keep the email that came in from the form don't you? there is your record keeping.<br>

or am i missing something here and you guys using some weird things masquerading as contact forms.</p>

 

[aimee_pieters]

<p>Valenda,<br>

I don't think that anyone wants to hire an electronic photographer! Seriously, make the email address and phone number fields required and CALL them! They want to know that you're interested in them and their wedding. Don't hide behind emails.<br>

This is the most special day of their lives. When you speak with them live, you can ask questions and more importantly, you can listen. Better yet, set up a face-to-face meeting where you can show them your work and become involved in planning their special day....-Aimee</p>

[katrin_d.]

<p>Hey Mark. While I realize that a contact form is just another version of electronic communication, it feels impersonal to me - like trying to resolve a customer support issue with Amazon (or any other online retailer) through one of their forms, it has always irked me and I therefore don't offer it on my site. Not saying one is better than the other but rather a simple matter of personal preference.<br>

Valenda, if clients completed the form, expressed interest, you emailed/called them and then one out of 10 followed up with you after - maybe you want to add another line for "would you rather be contacted via email/phone" as well as "best time to call" so you don't end up reaching an answering machine. You could also ask for their venue as well as other details (size of wedding party/theme etc.) in your form so you can personalize your response and tailor it towards the couple. Trust me, I used to work in customer support for what now appears to be an eternity and people can tell the difference between a canned response vs. an actual human expressing interest in their day. Maybe your "thank you so much for your interest" email needs some tweaking?</p>

[wedding-photography-denver]

<p>My site requires certain parts be filled in, for the form to be sent.</p>

<p>I usually get more than a 1 in 10 response though. More like one in 3 I would guess. I also make my first contact by asking to meet with them since I know they have already seen my basic pricing and some images/weddings.</p>

<p>I would imagine that a portion of those inquiries are people fishing for email address'.</p>

<p> </p>

[rachel_peek]

<p>Aimee's right. Try responding with a phone call instead of an email. I've found that most of the time, people are just really busy and you're not their number one priority at the minute they send that information request. So even if they're set on booking you without even meeting you, they may take a few weeks to get it together and get back to you. And there's always people who ask for information when they're not seriously looking. Perhaps they're still in research mode, which is why it's good to call to get a seed of familiarity planted using a personal voice, which gives you a leg up over the competition when the couple is ready to seriously start interviewing photographers. And then of course sometimes, people ask for info, find out you're way out of their budget and are too embarassed to reply back. These people are typically the ones who never call back. And radio-silence is FRUSTRATING!!! So, to avoid the frustration of this type of scenario, I usually do this:</p>

<p>I follow up with a call, and if I get a voicemail, I leave leave a message saying that I'm responding to their info request and to please call me back at this number blah-blah-blah, and that I'll also be sending them a reply email so check their inbox. I send a reply email saying the same exact thing, never giving any information other than ball park figures for rates, and very basic info about what wo do. I stress that we'd love to meet with them for a personal consultation where full details including pricing will be available. I then give them two-three days to respond.</p>

<p>If I don't hear from them, I email again. I start out with, Hey it's been a few days! Then basically say the same thing as before, ending the email with, if you're no longer interested in our services, kindly let me know so I don't continue to follow up. I then give another two-three days.</p>

<p>If they still haven't responded, I call again, if I get voicemail, I leave another message and then I email again with a line about, "Because people tend to get busy, if you are genuinely interested, I don't want to let you fall through the cracks. I will continue to try to follow up as a courtesy, so if you're no longer interested to kindly let me know so I don't continue to bother you."</p>

<p>At this point, they usually respond back with, "Yes I'm interested" or "No I'm not." If they still don't follow up, I don't bother calling again but I may send them one or two more emails about setting up a consultation. Plus they're automicatically added to our mailing list when they submit info through our contact form, so they still receive emails and annoucements from our studio, unless they opt out. It might seem like a blitz attack, but we've had at least two-three brides book a couple of months after hearing from us over and over again. In those cases, they were just really busy and appreciated us following up so politely. So it was worth the extra effort in those cases.</p>

[valenda_welch]

<p>Thanks everyone for your opinions and ideas. Yes, I always try to get a phone conversation and actual meeting with the potential clients. Perhaps I'll try tweaking the contact fields for a bit more info and be a little more persistent with follow up calls. I just don't want to annoy anyone ;)</p>