I’ve never met a photographer who doesn’t want to make more money. Not a single one. Yet, the number of photographers I’ve met with and tried coaching who REFUSE to do the things that need to be done to make more money is mind-boggling. Truly mind-boggling. Look, I’m not trying to throw shade at my fellow photographers, but man, you guys sure make your life more difficult than it needs to be.
Let’s just level set before we dive into how incorporating albums into your packages can increase sales. Your business exists to MAKE MONEY. I repeat, your business exists to make money. Let that sink in. Sometimes creatives just really struggle with understanding this and, in turn, make really bad business decisions. For example, if you are delivering digital-only files, what exactly do you think your customers are doing with those files? You know they are going somewhere else and printing these, making albums, and various other products. So, instead of spending money with you, they are giving it to consumer labs and getting average products at best. Ok, I’m getting off the soapbox here. Just know, in the end, I want my photography brethren to be as successful as they possibly can.
Let’s talk about digital files.
As you can deduce from above, I’m not a fan of just handing over digital files to our clients. Now, don’t get me wrong, we of course deliver digitals as part of our packages, but it’s part of a full-service delivery which includes large prints, albums, and other products and services. So, yes, there is a place for digital, but you need to blend that with archival products like prints, canvas, metals, etc. People want this. So, please consider adding packages to your offerings. If you want to learn more about how to do this, read this article on how to grow your photography business.
Offer your clients a complete service.
Your job as a photographer is not to just show up with a camera. Anyone can do that. And truly, that’s a big part of the reason our craft is being eroded by the minute. I believe, and you may not agree, that our job as photographers is to be more than a camera operator. We are creative directors. We are trusted advisors. And as such, we should be guiding our clients on what they need to properly document these moments in their lives.
Clients look to us for guidance. What will they have 20 years from now? A CD? A thumb drive? To give you a real comparison and some perspective, think about today — what would you do with an 8-track tape? And if you don’t know what that is, that’s precisely my point.
Offering your clients a complete service requires you to consider delivering a full product line. Every lab offers a great swath of products. We use H&H Color Lab and couldn’t be happier. If you want to check out some awesome products from a family-owned company, check them out here.
Not all albums are created equal.
You can find albums from all over the world for all sorts of different price points. I’m here to tell you, you get what you pay for. And there is really no reason to offer inferior quality to your clients. Remember, they trust us. We should be offering them a product that will last generations. My advice to you would be to get the best quality you can and charge your customers accordingly. What I see a lot of photographers do is the opposite. They want to charge the least amount possible, and then they have a limited budget to spend on an album.
As you can imagine, I’ve seen it all. There is a company from Europe — and I’m not going to name names — where their album spines are literally held together with duct tape. Yes, duct tape. You think that’s archival? You believe that glue won’t turn yellow over time? This is what I mean. Make smart decisions for your customers. Educate your customers on why things like this are important.
We offer fine art albums and even attached our name to a line we were personally involved in creating for our studio’s customers. You don’t have to use the same albums. There are a ton of high-quality companies out there. Do your research and invest in a sample album.
Something else to consider. Size matters. Shocker. 🙂 Give your clients some options in both size, leather options, paper types, etc. Our go-to size is 12×18, and we give our clients about 30+ options for cover material. This is how we stand out from our competitors.
The importance of having samples.
Every lab offers sales on samples. I highly encourage you to invest in a few different sample albums to show your clients. Once they see and touch the quality, they understand the importance of what you’re offering. This is our superpower. Our albums help us close more business than you can possibly imagine. Because once a potential bride, for example, sees our albums compared to our competitors, they understand why we charge more. That’s what I want for you and your business.
Where do you start if you want to add albums to your offering?
There are a few things to consider. First, you need to find an album company that stacks up to your brand and the quality of books you want to offer your clients. You need to do all the research needed to determine all the details. Visit websites, trade shows, etc. For me, trade shows are usually the best option. This allows you to really see, touch, and feel the books. This is a very tactile experience, not only for you, but for your clients as well.
Once you are armed with cost details, you are ready to start incorporating them into your packages for your clients. This is the key: incorporate albums into your package offerings. This really drives value for your clients and really positions you as someone who believes in delivering a generational product to your clients. Again, this is what we do in our studio. We get clients all the time who say things like, “we don’t need an album — we only want digital,” etc. Our answer to that is always a simple one. We are a full-service studio and believe in the importance of delivering you and your family their first family heirloom. I think that statement really drives the point home. That statement, along with showing them high-quality samples, usually seals the deal for our customers. And that is how you do it.
Conclusion: How to Use Albums to Increase Your Sales Averages
I hope reading this has at least helped you rethink adding albums — and not just adding albums, but adding more than your standard black leather 8×8 or 10×10 album. The need to differentiate your studio and your offering is critical to standing out and charging more. People have money for the things that are important to them. Never forget that point. Give them something to spend money on, something unique, something high-quality, and you will not only start attracting the right clients, but you will start making more money.
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