If I have one vice in this world (besides finding the most perfect gluten-free chocolate chip cookie) it would be my addiction to wedding magazines. You can ask my husband but even before we were engaged – come on, I knew it was coming! – I had a collection that would put most magazine collectors to shame. So, it is no surprise how utterly honored I am to have my very first wedding print feature EVER published in the latest issue of Minnesota Bride. Seeing my name in physical print among friends and vendors I admire has been such a huge blessing and something that I vow to never take for granted.

Big, hug-you-until-you-cry-uncle thanks to my wonderful friends at Minnesota Bride for publishing Alyssa & Matt’s stunning Nicollet Island Pavilion wedding in their Spring/Summer 2012 Issue (on stands now – hint, hint!) and even bigger thanks to Alyssa & Matt for hosting such a beautiful and special day and trusting me to document it!

Oh, Minnesota Bride. I just can’t quit you.

You can see the original blogpost from their gorgeous wedding here!

Ok. I’ll admit it. I’m a huge Valentine’s Day nut. Put two of the things I love most in this world together (love and paper products) and you have the world’s most perfect holiday.

Matt Oholendt? Decidedly not the world’s biggest Valentine’s fan. In fact, I believe I’ve heard the words “hallmark holiday” come out of his mouth in recent history but when you are married to a girl who still gives out Valentine’s every year (a slight upgrade from elementary school’s Disney Valentines) and whose Love Language is indeed “Receiving Gifts”? Ignoring the holiday isn’t really an option.

So last year, when February 14th came and went in the Oho household with nary a card, flower or chocolate in sight, I lost it. A full blown, complete Melissa Oholendt melt down in the passenger seat on the way home from our Valentine’s meal of Chipotle burrito bowls (take-out, no less). I cried. I shook my fist. I told Matt we needed to do better. We needed to infuse some romance back into our lives. We needed to exchange gifts because MY LOVE LANGUAGE WAS RECEIVING GIFTS AFTER ALL. I needed this. And after five years of marriage and not even a Valentine’s Day card or a romantic dinner out, WE needed this. It is a day about showing people how much you love them and what is not to LOVE about that? And for the record, we were not going become that couple that ignores Valentine’s Day.

The next morning a box showed up on my desk with the iPad I had been lusting after for months. With an order date of February 10. And a card that said, “Happy Valentine’s Day! Love, Your Husband.”

I will never, ever live the Valentine’s Day of 2011 down.

#worstwifeever

I am having a hard time attracting the type of clients I want to serve in my business. How do you find clients you love and who love you?

If you missed Part One last week, I talked a lot about branding and why I branded the way I did. But this second half is about that unique client experience that only you can provide because I believe it is arguably the most important thing you can do for your business. So grab your second latte of the day; this is a long one.

One of the first photography books I ever read was Fast Track Photographer. In it the (awesome) author, Dane Sanders, spoke about building a business based on who you are because there is only one you in this world and no one can duplicate you. It sounds elementary but trust me when I say it took me two excruciating years and a lot of self-doubt to get to the point where I actually was building a business based on me.

That little idea, the little nugget of goodness, that no one can duplicate ME is a thread that runs through my entire business. It’s been repeated one million times in different words, but this is a crucial key of what I have built my client experiences out of.

From the time I first meet with my clients, I want them to feel special. Because they are. After a contract is signed, I want them to know how thankful I am to be their wedding vendor and how excited I am to get to work with them. I want them to love me and not just for vanity sake but because a great working relationship can only mean good things for everyone. I want them to be so pleased from the very beginning of their experience that before they even see an image for their wedding, they are referring me to their friends. After their wedding, I want to photograph their anniversaries, their births, their special moments and even their hard times. This is my goal in my business and everything I do from when I first meet a client to months after I’ve delivered a final product is to get to this end goal.

If this is not your goal, your client experience will look different than mine. But even if your end goal is exactly the same? Your client experience will still look different. And it should.

In Part One, I talked a little bit about how I struggled with looking at what my colleagues and friends were doing and trying to implement those same ideas into my business and how when I finally looked at my business, I didn’t recognize it. There were small parts of me in there – somewhere – but mostly it was a patchwork of ideas and concepts that didn’t reflect me AT ALL. And that terrified me because my business was headed down a path that I couldn’t control because I had so, so little to do with it. (That seems dramatic right? Hello. Welcome to MelissaOholendt.com. You’ve arrived.)

The reality is that the photography industry is saturated and if you are not doing anything to set yourself apart from the crowd in having a solid brand and exemplary client experience that only you can deliver, you will end up competing on price alone and more often than not, you will always lose that war. This is a tough industry to be in just based on the ease of entry and although it’s easy to get sucked into the “what everyone else is doing” bubble, there is nothing more dangerous.

In so many ways, branding and your client experience go hand in hand but they are also vastly different concepts. A brand is a creation; a visual representation to attract your target client and to tell your target client who you are. A client experience is almost always based purely on emotion and the age old customer service question, “At the end of the transaction, how did you make your client feel?”

Have I ever told you the story of the one time, three and a half years ago, I purchased a pair of the most gorgeous pair of blue, ombre, 5 inch, peep-toe Christian Louboutins on impulse? No? Well, I did. An eight hundred dollar pair of shoes for no good reason other than the sales assistant made me feel special on a day where I really needed to feel that way.

How is this experience any different than when we are approached by potential clients? I truly believe it’s not.

My client experience starts, literally, from the moment someone happens upon my website. Is my website fast enough so that this busy bride won’t give-up before the site has loaded and click out of the browser and onto the next photographer? Are my online galleries just pretty pictures or do they tell stories and evoke emotion? Is my client contact form easy to use and understand? If they prefer to email vs. use a contact form, can they do that? These branding items tend to evoke emotional responses (happiness vs. frustration that a website loads fast, pictures that evoke an heart emotion, ease of contact methods, etc) and can add or detract from your (potential) client’s experience and interpretation of your brand.

And even beyond my website “experience”, what about my client communication? I can’t tell you how many potential clients I meet with who tell me that over half of the wedding vendors they contact never email them back. If getting myself in front of a potential client is as simple as returning an email? I’m going to return that email. I know inquiries get lost and junk mail folders eat emails, those things cannot be helped, but if you are not returning phone calls and emails within a reasonable amount of time (and most times for me, that means 24 to 48 hours) you are risking losing that inquiry to someone who does.

Past that, to the first in-person client experience, my preferred way to meet people is over a bottle of wine because the majority of my most memorable dinners and greatest conversations with friends have been over a bottle of wine. Some of my favorite movies are about wine (Bottle Shock, anyone?). And because, quite frankly, I just really love wine. This is a side of my personality that has been integrated so solidly into my brand and client experience but it’s not the only way to do it. I have a great friend who meets potential clients at a tea shop because she adores tea. I have another friend who brings clients into her home and surrounds them with her family’s photos because her home is such a wonderful representation of her life. Just like my friends utilize locations that show who they are, I want these potential clients to remember the good time we had that evening over a bottle of wine getting to know each other because that is how my life actually is.

So now that I’ve attracted my wonderful target clients with my brand and initial client experience and they have just signed a contract (over wine); now what? Would it sound too simplistic to say, “just take really good care of them”?

Return their emails within 24 hours. If you promise, over deliver. Always. Make an effort to not be an added stress in their already stressful lives. Be on time. Keep in contact with them. Create wonderful photos for them. Deliver their files or prints in a well thought out and beautiful way. Be a really wonderful addition to their lives.

You will hear and read the phrase “adding value to your client’s lives” from branding experts and people at the top of their game. The first time I heard this, I mistook the phrase to mean adding a physical value for your client in ways of extra prints or products but I’ve come to realize that for me and my clients it’s more about emotional value. Yes, I do give little gifts but even those gifts are purposed to make my clients feel special, taken care of and really loved. Because that really is a representation of who I am.

You can do this. Think about the things that make you tick. What is your Love Language? What are your Strengths? Implement these things into your business. Utilize your strengths and make them a part of your client experience. If you love coffee and attract couples who love coffee? Include a 1lb bag of beans in your final file delivery. Make an effort to meet at a different local coffee shop every time you meet. Give them a gift card a month prior to their wedding to share a coffee date; just the two of them. There are a hundred million bajillion ways to do this, but it all starts with you.

A client who raves about their experience with you is more valuable than gold. The ability to hire a photographer to document a moment or time in a person’s life is a luxury so give them the best client experience of their lives and I promise, 9 times out of 10, you will have past clients who will tell anyone who will listen how great you are.

Which is kind of amazing if you ask me.

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As always, if you have any questions you would like answered, feel free to email me at melissa@melissaoholendt.com anytime. Night or day. Day or night. Preferably day though.

Not even going to lie, I have the best job in the world.

More than a year ago I had the opportunity to have Thomas Sellwood in front of my camera and let me tell you something. From thigh high snow drifts to icy walkways to frigid temperatures (and an evil photographer who made him go without a coat), this guy is exceptionally talented, hilarious and kind. Hire him. Immediately.

The amazing folks at Minnesota Bride have always been such encouraging supporters and I could not be more grateful to be associated with such a wonderful and respected industry publication! Much love Minnesota Bride!

And, always, a huge thank you to my amazing clients who plan, coordinate and execute such spectacular wedding days and allow me to be a part in them. xoxo

To see Kim & Nate’s full blogpost, click here.
To see Kristine & Brian’s full blogpost, click here.

I don’t think anyone knew how hard it was for me to hit publish on the first Q&A with an Oho. I sat at my desk and debated scrubbing the whole thing and pulling out bits and pieces for another (less opinionated) blogpost. Out of nowhere, my iPhone chimed with a text from a dear friend I hadn’t talked with in months.

“I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you for building a business that is so true to who you are.”

Seconds before, I had decided to not publish. I was going to leave the public advice giving to the people who were experts and keep my safe, comfortable blog safe and comfortable. But here’s the thing. I’m an opinionated person. And I’ve done my research. I don’t know everything and that is ok but if I am so passionate about building a business that is authentic to who I am, that business – this blog – has to include the open book side of me. I mean, I already told you about Chuck Norris; why would my opinion on film be any more shocking?

Something surprising happened when I did hit publish. Over the last two months I have received more emails from young photographers than ever. I didn’t expect that; I really didn’t. But it told me something. That this, this kind of openness, is needed. And desperately wanted.

Here’s the thing. The honest to goodness truth is that I want you to succeed. I want you and your business to blow up and for you to be so busy that you are turning away business. Because when your business is successful in the true, authentic, brand-driven way, that turns up the heat for all of us. THAT pushes me to be better and do more for my clients and up my game to not be left behind. And when we all are pushing ourselves to do and be better, that is how the wedding industry elevates as a whole. And that, my friends, is good for everyone.

Now, let’s talk about target clients…

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I am having a hard time attracting the type of clients I want to serve in my business. How do you find clients you love and who love you?

This is such a huge, huge topic. Can I say huge again because it is. Huge. Big enough, even, that I’m going to tackle this question in two parts; the first being my thoughts about the importance of a solid, cohesive, true-to-you BRAND. The second, of which I will cover next week, is that unique client experience that only you can create for your clients.

Let’s be honest, my first website was a flash-based nightmare. I loved my logo but hated everything else about the slow, clunky, esthetically seizure inducing mess of a website I had. My marketing collateral was anything but consistent with a navy blue and gray logo on my website and coral/light blue business cards that I adored to (not) match. My blog was an incredibly well known and commonly used template that I liked well enough but wasn’t perfect – and about 40 other Minneapolis photographers were using some version of that template at the time.  This followed through even to my communication with clients and my blog writing and email writing were incredibly inconsistent and, truly, just a bunch of nonsense most days. I looked to what my friends were doing and tried to implement their methods. I looked to what industry peers were doing and I tried their processes. I looked anywhere but at myself to see that what I was actually doing was the exact opposite of a solid business practice. I was marketing to some pretend generic client that never really existed, pieced together from so many different sources and in the process was likely alienating some of the people I actually did want to work with.

After all of that, it really was a MIRACLE that these amazing clients who were so wonderful and perfect for me fell into my lap. I am, literally, at a loss for words about that since there really is no rhyme or reason to how or why that happened; it just did. (To my clients who were the beginnings of Melissa Oholendt Photography, THANK YOU. And I’m sorry.)

During the early stages of the Great Rebrand Of 2010, I gained some advice from an much loved mentor of mine who asked me point blank – who exactly is this client you are targeting? I assume she could tell that the way I was currently operating was…all over the place. I was flailing around trying to hit something, anything, that resembled some version of a target client and in the process, not actually accomplishing anything.

She encouraged me to take literal pen to paper and detail this ideal bride I wanted to work with. Things she liked to do. Places she shopped. Things that were important to her. Places she like to eat. Did she prioritize her career over having children right away? Did she love animals? Did she get regular pedicures? Did she like to cook? What kind of music did she listen to? What were her great loves in life? On a free day would she head to an art museum or would she stay at home and watch movies? Questions like that, anything really, that could better help me understand this person I was trying to market to.

And it really did all start there for me. Detailing this target client was the beginning part of my brand. I had ideas of the emotions I wanted to convey and the colors I wanted to use and while most of those things changed during the branding process, one thing never did; that target client. I was fortunate enough to have the ability to enlist the help of a brilliant designer who worked and reworked until we both felt like it was a brand worthy of this bride. But even if you don’t – this is a concept that goes WAY beyond a logo & beautiful marketing materials.

Since the beginning of my business, I knew one thing: I wanted to create a business that was 100% me. I am the girl who loves J.Crew, the smell of grapefruit and can talk endlessly about her dog. I’m the girl who is scared of thunderstorms but loves rainy days. I’m the girl who thinks of a person as a friend the first time she meets them and truly does believe in happily ever after. And even though I’m not always great at blogging about my personal life, if you look at my business and my brand, every single, little, simple, big thing is a reflection of who I am.

Even this target client. This wasn’t someone I pulled out of thin air, this is someone I would be – and in a lot of cases am already – friends with. This is someone I knew I would connect with on a deeper level than just the fact that we both love J.Crew & dogs. I knew that given the opportunity outside of a business setting, we would likely be friends. And I knew that for my brand to be a good representation of me, this target client would need to be someone I truly wanted in my life.

I know for some in the industry, they have built a brand around the wedding they would like to photograph (destination, glamourous, vintage, etc) and believe me when I say, that is a perfectly wonderful way to build a brand. I chose to keep my brand centered around targeting a specific type of person because I believe that is where I shine. You have to do what is right for your business and I do believe this means examining what motivates you to do and be better for your clients. If that is a stunning, detail-heavy wedding? By all means. I know, for myself, that truly getting to know my clients and falling even just a little bit in love with them pushes me to do the very best job I could ever do because I want to do that for them.

Now is every inquiry a perfect fit? No. Not at all. But the majority of the potential clients I end up meeting are. And that, to me, is a sign that this brand is a genuine reflection of who I am and where I want to be.

I know what you’re thinking; “I don’t have the money to hire a fancy-schmancy designer to hand me everything on a silver platter”. I want to be honest and very, very clear about this. I THOUGHT I DIDN’T EITHER. Really. But I made it happen. I made this happen because I knew how important it was. And if you really just can’t afford to hire a designer for the full monty, you certainly can take on a few extra sessions and hire a designer to create a logo. I cannot stress enough how much this is going to pay off for you in the long run and it’s worth making a small sacrifice now to get it done sooner rather than later. If I were 2012 Melissa giving 2009 “am I going to rebrand or not” Melissa advice? I’d tell myself to quit making excuses and just do it. It’s 1,000,000% worth it.

You can fumble around the first couple years of being in business like I did and hope the right clients come to you or you can consciously brand yourself to those clients and get them in the door from day one.

I’m not an expert in branding and I don’t think I will ever claim to be one but this is what is working for me to get the clients who make my heart sing. I’ve been blessed enough to have some wonderful, wise counsel from a variety of trusted sources and while my brand – any brand – is a work in progress, this is a brand I am extremely proud of and that has come a long way even from a year and a half ago.

There are some incredible educational sources out there and if you don’t listen to me, I would – without a doubt – listen to what these folks have to say.

Lara Casey : Get Branded Twitter Series
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
Making Brands Happen
Linchpin by Seth Godin

Next week, I’ll talk about how I went about creating that unique client experience. A solid, authentic brand will get someone in the door; a unique & special client experience will create a fan for a lifetime…

Emma & Brian. The words fail me. You two, your wedding, your friends, your love, your families, your individual selves, your laughter, your silliness, your everything make my entire heart happy.  You believed in me and gave me so much all those months ago and I hope, I really hope, that this sneak peak into the romance & heart filled event that was your wedding day gives you a little piece of that back. Starting 2012 off with your wedding was quite possibly the best thing ever and I’m not afraid to say it. Love you both oh so much. Mean it. xo

Wedding Planner: Lasting Impressions Weddings
Ceremony & Reception Location: James J. Hill Reference Library
Bride’s Dress: The Wedding Shoppe
Hair: Mezzanine Salon
Groom’s Suit: Custom Suit from Top Shelf
Floral: Custom Floral Design
Invites co-designed by Emma Phillips, Liz Maddy
Custom Tree Illustration by Abby Phillips
Catering: Chowgirls Killer Catering
Cake: Amy Hughes
DJ: Krista Haskins
Officiant: Peter Kirwin

Many thanks to my fabulous friend and super second shooter, Gina Zeidler!

And this blogpost would not be complete without a HUGE thank you to the amazing ladies at Lasting Impressions Weddings who truly took care of everyone and everything throughout the day and coordinated and executed to perfection!

Winter Wonderland of Love, a styled shoot.  A shoot I’m incredibly proud of for multiple reasons, one being this shoot was photographed using 100% film. But secondly is that the gorgeous styling was the pure brain child of one of my dearest & most talented friends, Faith Brue, who’s stunning fashion views for this shoot equaled sequins, J.Crew plaid, Minnetonka Moccasins, and vintage fur. Right? I know.

And even more HUGE sparkly, heartfelt thanks is owed to the beautiful real-life couple, Julia & Kye Samuelson who certainly know how to make this photographer one happy girl.

Styling: Faith Brue
Hair & Make-up: emily j. hair & makeup
Assistant: Monika Hubka
Special thanks to my local favorite Parc Boutique for lending fashion & accessory pieces for the shoot!

And MORE huge sparkly, heartfelt thanks are owed to my friends at Minnesota Bride for their kind words when they published this shoot pre-Christmas.

BIG. Huge. BIG, BIG year.

This is going to sound cliche and you might throw-up a little but I am going to say it anyway; 2011 is the year I finally found myself and the year I found my voice more than as just the person behind the lens. And justifiably, it became the year that I changed. That my business changed. That my marriage changed. That everything changed. Everything.

It was the year I was pushed out of my comfort zone and the year that I conquered my biggest personal struggle to date. The year I learned how to say no. The year I dance-partied. A lot. Maybe too much. Jury is still out.

The year I said yes to photographing things that actually meant something to me. The year I chose to only photograph couples that touched my heart in deep ways. The year I learned the best thing in life is a Blueberry Almond Milk smoothie.

The year I said yes to putting myself out there. More than once. The year my marriage turned six, my dog turned 4 and my knees turned 83.

The year I traveled a lot less but was ok with that. The same year I invested in my friends and family more than social media. The year 90% of my friends had babies or ended the year pregnant. (Coincidence? I think not.)

The year I made the animals in Japan my priority. The year I turned an age older than Julia Robert’s character in “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and learned that life is more than a steady paycheck and a matching 401K.

The year my work was published in a national magazine and on the Washington Post website. The same year I was published or featured in 10 different online blogs & magazines, including Minnesota Bride and Real Simple. Oh and Pinterest. But that doesn’t really count.

The year I expanded my fashion portfolio. The year I shot the same amount of film as I shot digital. The year I used hashtags more than real sentences. #hookedonphonics

The year I looked fear, uncertainty and the guarantee that life was never going to be the same in the face and made things happen for myself that I never thought possible. The year I learned that the stove really wasn’t out to get me and that I kind-of, maybe, sort-of really enjoy cooking.

2012 already holds so many big, huge, wonderful, exciting things I can’t wait to do, announce and make happen but let me just say. 2011, you were good to me. 2011 clients? You were the BEST and changed my life and my heart.

If the past two years have been any kind of indication, 2012 is going to change everything. All over again.

CAN’T WAIT.