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The Invisible Signals of a Luxury Brand · Luxe & Legacy Podcast

Welcome to the Lux and Legacy Podcast.
I'm Marie from Marie Elizabeth Photography.
And I am Amber from Light Live in Photography.
We created this show for photographers who are ready to run a luxury business with clarity, intention, and elevated artistry.
Each week we uncover the strategies behind high level brands from shooting and styling to client communication, to marketing, to designing heirloom products that increase your value.
If you want to attract aligned clients, produce, work with a recognizable aesthetic and build a business that supports the life you want, this podcast will guide you there.
Let's dive in.
Alright, welcome back.
Today we're going to talk about invisible signals of a luxury brand.
So basically what gives off luxury that are like really little details.
And so.
First, we're gonna really go into first impressions because most potential clients will be able to tell if you're a luxury brand right away.
So before you even have the opportunity to communicate with them so they decide your value before they ever meet or talk to you.
Now, we talked a little bit about.
Or we talked a lot about boundaries in an entire episode, so we're just gonna dive into this a little bit.
But essentially you wanna sound confident in all client responses.
Luxury brands never cave to client requests and they do not overexplain.
I think Overexplaining is a.
Big one because a lot of us, when we jump into the luxury market, we wanna justify, justify, justify our prices or our process because it's different than bargained photographers, but luxury brands.
Don't do that.
So if someone asks you something that is outside of what you offer or how you work, you just respond warmly and clearly without justifying yourself.
This is the way it is.
I had a client ask the other day if digital files were included with like if she paid the digital file fee once for her membership or if she had to purchase them after each.
Session, which is the correct answer, and it's an uncomfortable question because I have to say, no, you're gonna be paying so much more because you're buying them after each session, which I'm not going to say it like that, but I simply responded.
They're purchased after each session and that was it.
No need to go into some long explanation and she was completely fine with it.
When you over explain.
It is a subconscious signal of insecurity and lack of confidence, and clients will take that and transfer it to other things you're doing in your business.
So clear structured emails also matter, and this sounds obvious, but you want to have proper spelling and grammar in your emails, but something that.
I was reminded of in my teaching days is you really want to avoid long emails because they're exhausting to read.
Most people won't read them.
Right.
We know that, and even if someone is going to, let's say, read all of it, they're gonna have a difficult time.
Remembering everything that I need to touch on that you explained in the email, so it creates more potential work for someone to read all the way through and respond so.
If you have a lot to say, you really want to first ensure that you organize it into clean sections and keep it as concise and short as possible.
Okay? Those that long email, it's going to feel like over explaining does in person.
Then the last thing I wanna say on this is, luxury brands also use different lexicon or just different wording for some things.
So you totally wanna avoid words like cheap, affordable.
Discount or even prices because those words align more with bargain and price shoppers.
So I use terms like investment for pricing.
You can also use something like offerings.
I never say, oh, this is a discount that you get with the.
Luxury membership.
Instead, I'll say, oh, this is a perk of the membership.
Or a at a bonus you get with the membership.
So you're relaying a similar message, but the feeling is vastly different based off the wording you choose.
And that alone shifts how people perceive your brand.
I love that.
And before someone ever even emails you or fills out the contact form, something you need to keep in mind is your website investment page.
It should already be showcasing what you are worth, the type of photographer you are, that you're not budget, you're not using.
Lexicon, like Marie was talking about with affordable or discount.
Exactly.
High-end photographers use language like collections begin at or have a, most families invest on average type of thing, and they also don't immediately start with that on the investment page.
So first they're gonna be focusing, you're gonna be focusing on the experience words that bring out the emotion that they feel.
So you're going to be talking to them on an emotional level first.
Why are they investing right now? What is most important, important to them in life? Why are they documenting this season of life? So that's gonna be primary before you just jump into.
This is how much I cost and you get X, Y, Z.
Right.
I also, I strongly believe in showing a minimum or a range of what you are at if you're in the luxury price point, because a lot of people have no idea.
They'll see someone who's so talented and still think that they might be cheap because all of their experiences with cheap photographers You don't really wanna waste your time with a bunch of budget inquiries because those could really bring your confidence down.
If you get all these no's and you take it personally and you start going, oh, should I lower my prices? Because these people are all reaching out saying they expected me to be 500 and I'm actually above 1500.
And the answer is no.
You actually just want those people to be turned away before they ever contact you, so it doesn't muddy up your time in doing.
calls with the wrong clients.
You want to make sure the right clients are the ones filling out that contact form.
For me, this is really important that they're super aware of at least the minimum investment.
So for me, the minimum investment is 1600.
So I'll say it starts at 1600 and then you can add on artwork, artwork from there.
And Marie, do you have like an average investment on there or just say collections? Start with.
So I don't have an average investment on there.
I, so the first time that they see pricing is actually in the contact form for me, and it actually says.
Verbatim, like what that minimum is, which is the 4 75 creative fee for a single session and 2000 digital files for a single session.
So it says that on the inquiry form, so that way they know what that minimum investment is.
Yeah, that's really similar though, because if they're gonna start filling that out and see that it's super clear, it's not confusing.
It's not a bait and switch.
People know immediately, do I need to X out of this because this is not within my.
You know, poss realm of possibility okay, that sounds appropriate for what I was expecting and I'm gonna go ahead and fill it out.
So I think that's super valuable to put on your website.
there should never be urgency or discounts on a luxury investment page.
It's simply, this is how we work.
We would love to create something beautiful for you.
No apologies, no excuses.
Yeah, and now we're gonna talk about hidden signals of luxury in the actual experience.
So we're not gonna dive into a luxury experience.
We've talked about that.
These are little details that go a long way to set our brand up as a luxury brand.
So I think a key.
Or it's probably the word of this podcast, it's intention, right? So everything needs to come across as intentional luxury, feels relaxed, slow, intentional, spacious.
So this can come into play with a few different ways.
So first, I do photograph with film and digital.
And film is old school.
It's in a lock.
It needs to be developed in a dark room in a lab.
And so because of that, I am not going to have a two day turnaround time.
And so I'm not using that verbatim with clients because I don't wanna.
Focus on the turnaround time.
I wanna focus on the benefits of film and what it brings, and I'll share with clients that it will take three to four weeks for their images to be ready at the end.
But again, I'm focused on the value of film first while still communicating what that timeline is like.
Then artwork.
So when you offer fine art prints, fine.
Art prints don't arrive in a week, oftentimes not two weeks either.
So I communicate with clients that artwork arrives usually between eight to 10 weeks because of the fine art printing and fine art framing.
Now my hope is that it arrives less than that.
That's on the extremely long end, but that gives me a chance to.
Exceed expectations when they arrive early, or it gives me a buffer if artwork arrives and there is some kind of printing era.
But again, the idea with the artwork is it's not rushed.
This is not something cheap that you're getting from Amazon, right? This is an investment and the fine art printing is going to take a little bit longer.
So clients should expect eight to 10 weeks, and then I think it's important that.
With a luxury experience, they always know what's coming next.
And this is something I've talked about before in courses and probably on this podcast.
And it's a very small detail that I think makes a big difference, and that's always telling clients what happens next.
Now, as soon as someone books, you should send them a complete overview of the experience.
I like to send that email right after they complete the contract.
And.
Pay the creative fee and outlines every step of the client experience.
It's everything I've talked about on the discovery call.
But every step of the way, every client interaction, every email, at the end, I am letting them know what happens next so they're not wondering, structure makes people feel safe and taken care of.
Then website.
So my website is very simple.
Visually, luxury brands are not noisy.
You're not going to find luxury brands with tons of graphics or font that's super difficult to read.
They're clean and classic.
Okay? You want everything that is going to be portrayed very clearly, cleanly, and will stand the test of time.
And then another small detail is when I order an album.
I have them shipped to me.
That's partly so I can do quality control, ensure there's no printing errors, but also so I can photograph them.
And then I repackage the album in a white packaging.
Box and I include branded tape to tape the box and ultra thick note cards and usually some kind of small gift.
So again, all of these little details really communicate the the feel of our brand and show that it's a luxury brand.
We're providing structure and structure makes people feel safe and something people pay for.
Exactly, and one thing I forgot to mention above is the website it should be very clear that you offer artwork.
I think that a lot of people forget to include pictures of, I know I did when I was first starting to raise my prices and wanting to get into luxury.
really forgot to put mockups and images of my framed work all throughout the website, and that makes a huge difference because luxury clients, they want a high-end tangible product.
Usually budget clients don't.
They're used to doing DIY ordering it themselves.
They enjoy that or.
They're just used to doing that, but luxury really expects to see some sort of artwork offered and showing it all throughout your website.
So the investment page, the portfolio page, the homepage, of that is really, really important.
Okay, so part I wanted to talk about as a an important detail is using A CRM.
some of you may be like, well, this is just.
Easy peasy.
I already know this, but other people, you'd be surprised how many photographers I talk to, just do everything in their calendar, on their phone, ask for Venmo, they haven't realized the magic power that comes with using A CRM.
I have a full workflow built out where every client has the same beautiful experience because know that my brain.
It's very right brain.
I'm not a very organized person naturally, so I have to put these systems in place so that every client gets reminders, every client knows what's happening next, like Marie talked about in this email, we're gonna get the full style guide and the heirloom artwork guide.
We're gonna get information about what's clearly happening.
I pretty much never have questions because these emails.
I'll lay things out so clearly that when we're on the call that we do, we do a consultation call.
It's pretty simple.
We just plan their dream shoot, but there aren't all those nitty gritty questions that you might get if you haven't already sent that in an email.
So from the moment they inquire, they receive a response email that's written in my voice.
However, it is automated, so they don't think it's automated, but they think that I'm at my computer all the time, I guess, and responded immediately.
This immediate response I think is actually really important for clients who are a lot of my clients.
They're powered working women.
They work at tech companies and things like that.
They don't have a lot of time, so if it's on their mind right now to.
To fill this contact form out and book a session.
They wanna know the details and as much as much detail as possible right away.
And then in that email, there's information about a slight amount of information about my styling so that I make sure they know that in advance before they book a call and then they can book a consultation call with me and after they book.
The consultation call, then everything flows automatically.
So the invoice, the contract, the questionnaire, the session date on my calendar.
Then they receive reminder emails, prep guides, and helpful tips.
I even send a link to my blog about getting genuine, genuine smiles from kids, and it talks about staying positive with their kids no matter what is happening, letting me as a photographer take the lead.
Making sure kids have full tummies, avoiding sugar before sessions.
All of that good stuff is included.
So I don't have to remember to tell clients this before the session, and it clears my brain of a lot.
So clients feel really guided and really supported, and I don't have to remember everything.
So.
talked about how on that first email, there is a link to book a consultation call with me, and I love that because I just get the booking and it automatically sends them the reminder.
I have them only on certain days of the week so that I know, okay, these are the days I do consultation calls.
Keeping things really blocked in my schedule, helps me keep things clear and not chaotic, which is important as a luxury photographer.
And then when I get on the consultation call, I'm not trying to sell whatsoever.
I already assume they're booking 100%.
I'm just trying to understand them and get to know them and their needs and their dream shoe is gonna look like.
I ask them about their kids, their season of life, what they wanna do with their photos.
And what they want hang on their walls, and it's all about how I can serve them and make their dream shoot happen.
We can talk about wardrobe, colors, location, all of that good stuff before they ever book.
And then they feel like, oh wow, this photographer has got me taken care of.
And like 95% of those consultation calls do complete the booking process and pay their retainer the day of the call.
It all comes back to how they.
Feel right.
And I think that that invisible signal of luxury in the consultation call is really the connection.
And I have heard that people who are going to spend a lot of money on somebody want to.
Like and know the person, and I've had clients tell me this, they've gotten on the consultation call and said that they want to establish a relationship with the photographer for their family over the next few years.
So when someone's going to be investing a lot of money on something, they wanna feel really good about that investment and having that connection that is established in a consultation call can be extremely valuable.
Okay, so we did a whole episode on authority and boundaries.
Go listen to it if you have not, but boundaries are one of those small things that signal confidence and demand.
I list my office hours on my website, on my inquiry page, as well as my email signature.
So if I get a client who sends me an email Friday night, they'll.
Know that they can expect a response come Monday.
I also share on my contact page when sessions are scheduled, which is weekday mornings, and I include this in the planning guide as well, which is shipped to clients before their planning appointment.
If clients miss this and ask me during the planning appointment or even the consultation call, if I photograph on weekends, I just tell them.
Sessions are photographed on weekdays so I can save weekends for my family.
No one wants to fight this statement because it's not only a very respectable boundary, but the whole purpose of this business is preserving memories with family.
So when you calmly or when you say no, calmly and kindly, clients trust you more.
It adds to that structure that makes people feel safe.
Yes, we talked about this a lot on that last.
with the boundaries.
But yeah, for me it's really important to not instantly respond to texts that are out of work hours unless it's an emergency.
Like, oh my gosh, my, my daughter's sick.
We're gonna have to reschedule our session tomorrow.
Something like that I will respond to.
yeah, people don't expect you to respond out of business hours.
They are perfectly fine with you responding the next day, if it's like a text or an email.
After the fact.
What I do, the only thing is that's the automated response.
They do get that right away when they inquire because you wanna make sure you're continuing them on the process.
But once they've already booked, you don't need to instantly respond.
I mean, make sure you get back to them within a good reasonable amount of time.
So like the next workday, right? When you start your office hours, you don't wanna wait three or four days to respond to them for sure.
But.
do not need to respond at 9:00 PM and I think this is something that a lot of photographers get burnt out because they get questions at 1:00 AM sometimes, and the client's not expecting you to respond at that time.
That's just when sometimes people are like thinking about things and they wake up, so just don't feel that pressure.
You guys.
It's actually more luxury if you don't respond outside of office hours.
Okay.
Now to wrap things up, we're gonna do just a little rapid fire section, sharing some small little details about our business that help establish it as a luxury brand.
So first is email signature.
My email signature includes my name and my office hours, so clients always know when to expect a reply from me.
Auto replies, so I actually don't do any kind of auto replies.
I don't do auto replies when I get an inquiry.
The only time I do an auto reply is if I'm on vacation with my family.
And then I'll just include when clients can expect a response.
Scheduling process.
So for my scheduling process, clients first fill out that inquiry form.
They schedule discovery call, and upon booking we meet again on Zoom for planning appointment, and that's when we'll talk it out to schedule the session, day and location.
And this works really well for me because a lot of the locations in the DC area are only open certain days of the week.
Score specific times so I can show clients galleries of certain locations.
We can kind of pick a location and talk about the pros and cons versus another location, and then look at dates that fit that location.
Yeah, and before a session, you wanna make sure.
You're using guides that you have created beautiful pricing guides that are included a style guide so that they have something that's very high-end looking that explains how to style and you'll go over it on your consultation call.
But it's really important that they also have that in a written form that they can refer back to.
And questionnaires, questionnaires before your session.
We've talked about this before on some podcasts, but I think it's so important because even though I do a consultation call, then the session may be three or four months later, I have forgotten.
Their family's names and certain things, so I often will refer back to the questionnaire that they filled out and make sure that I have everybody's names, what their interests are, I know their personalities.
The more I know about them, the more customized I can make the session.
And the name of the game in luxury is custom, right? So I use 17 hats as a place to have my questionnaires, and that is part of my automated workflow as well.
So another thing that I don't have to think about sending after they've signed the contract, it's automatically triggered in my workflow as one of the things to just send my clients.
And a lot of you are already doing this, but if you're not.
your CRM, like 17 huts or HoneyBook to send your invoices.
Please do that.
If you're wanting to be in the luxury space, it's not professional to ask for a Venmo or a Zelle.
It's much more professional to send an email through your CRM with an invoice that.
They can record it.
They can have, you know, documentation, you have it for tax reasons, they can deduct it off their taxes if they need to, all that good stuff.
So that is definitely an important factor.
Alright, so in summary, it's little things like boundaries, intentional wait times with artwork or film connection during booking, like with the consultation call, the feeling of a slow and unhurried pace with each client.
The words you use to describe things like pricing and the structure you use to book and pay like a CRM, these.
All seemingly small details quietly signal luxury.
And luxury is not about being cold or exclusive.
It's about clarity, confidence, being custom and taking care of your clients.
So systems, your language, your website, and the artwork you offer.
I'll quietly tell clients how much you are worth.
All right, we'll see you next time.
Thanks for listening.
Thank you so much for spending time with us today on the Luxe and Legacy Podcast.
We love being part of your journey as you build a luxury photography business that feels aligned and elevated.
Be sure to follow us at Light underscore Live in underscore photography and.
At Marie Elizabeth and if you enjoyed today's episode, we would be so grateful if you left a review.
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Like you discover the show and join this community.
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We have another conversation that's going to inspire and give you even more tools to grow your brand with confidence.
We can't wait to see you then.
Bye.