Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Czarina Luna. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Czarina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?

It’s easy for me to show appreciation towards my clients because I genuinely do appreciate them. I like to think my normal relationship with my clients are seen as appreciation. I tend to do simple gesture, I feel it goes a long way. An example would be treating like they are my family and In a way they are. Most of my clients have been loyal and very supportive of my art. They enjoy seeing my craft Improve and want to be a part of it so the appreciation goes both ways. A lot of my clients became good friends and some even went as far as making me a Godmother of their kids. As a incentive I have what you call some VIP clients where I give them good rates because they have been with me from Day 1. I also give rates for those VIPs who get me referrals. To be very honest, In my eyes I try to treat all my clients as VIP’s because I really really do APPRECIATE them all. Without them I wouldn’t be able to do what I love.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My photography journey started in the Philippines. Being in this industry gave me that sense of excitement and purpose . I met a professional photographer and videographer at an event in 2009. I was so fascinated with their craft and by observation alone started to pick up techniques. I was exposed right away to multiple types of events such as weddings, debuts, maternity shoots, family photos. Being in this industry is difficult at times. One of the difficult things I learned along the way is that the balance of a personal life and professional life is challenging. Typically gigs are booked on the weekend and that’s usually the only time I have for my family. I sometimes have to pick and choose if the event is worth the sacrifice at the expense of quality time with my Husband and kids. I try to put myself in my clients shoes and understand the very thing that I’m trying to capture is their family and their quality time with their loved ones, so it’s always a personal battle I have with myself. At the end of the day I’m doing photography for my family so it gives me some justification in my decision. That is the reason I love to shoot family portraits, maternity, lifestyle and weddings. I always make sure that my clients are comfortable in their own skin on camera. My job is to get them to be themselves, not everyone enjoys taking pictures and it’s a bit awkward for them. I have to think of ways to get them out of that awkwardness. I’m proud to say that most of my clients became my friends and are really close to me now, I’m so grateful for their love and support, I wouldn’t be where I am without them.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I keep in touch with my clients by trying to develop a relationship with each one of them. I make sure they get what they want because I’m constantly looking for honest/brutal feedback. A brief text message via social media, even a 5 minute call just to catch up is usually what I do. There’s nothing wrong with a quick hello. At the end of the day, the thing that will make the biggest impact for repeat business and referrals is providing sincere quality service, clients feel that and will come back for it. When you treat each client with care, they’ll be sure to remember it. This is the foundation for any marketing effort. When you have this covered, you’ll definitely start out on the right foot. I intend to gain long term relationships with my many clients as possible. I’ll always have their best interest at heart.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I started taking photos of family and friends for portfolio free of charge while working a full time job as a video editor.. I am capable of doing both photo and video but lean more towards photography. I understand that to get into this industry you will have to build your portfolio first and at the same time practice your craft: lighting, composition etc.. You’re not just taking photos you also need to build rapport with your clients. I used to be very timid and shy but because of this career I was able to build my confidence and learned how to socialize. I’m a constant student of the industry and I know there is always room for improving my skill. Some key milestones in my journey was my very first paid wedding shoot. That’s when I knew I could do this because someone believed in me and paid me what I already love to do. I’m proud to say that for most of my clients, I’ve seen their family grow starting from boyfriend/girlfriend pictures to engagement pictures which led to wedding pictures and finally yearly family photos with their kids and I captured it ALL… I’m so blessed they let me be part of such milestones in their lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.czarinalunaphotography.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/czarinalunaphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/czarinalunaphotography
• Youtube: czarinalunaphotography

Image Credits
Czarina Luna Photography