PPA Today

What Should I Look for in a Press Printed Book?

Now that couples are asking for press printed books and  being tempted by low cost books online, here are some of the choices you have  to distinguish your offerings and make sure your photography is professionally  presented and preserved.

Print Quality
To get the color you desire, request and use the printer’s  color profile. And be sure to embed your color profile in all images. You will  need color correction the same as you did for your prints. When you make your  first press printed book, ask for sample pages of your photos so you can see  how your photos look. Both you and the printer can then make adjustments if  necessary.

Paper Weight 
Paper is sold in the US using a crazy system of lb  weights. The “lb” part refers to the weight of 500 standard size sheets - but  the standard sheets vary in size depending on their assumed end use – usually  Text or Cover.

Create a smile: Family Portrait Month

October is PPA Charities' Family Portrait Month

A smile is universal in meaning...and it's pretty contagious! But what about  children who cannot smile? Those who find it difficult to even speak or eat?  Now's your chance to give them a smile.

Participate in Family Portrait Month, a national fund-raising effort in  October to benefit Operation Smile, a worldwide children's medical charity  dedicated to improving the health and lives of children born with cleft lips,  cleft palates, and other facial deformities.

It's easy. Pledge to contribute a portion of each October Family Portrait  Month sale to PPA  Charities, which has chosen Operation Smile as its charitable partner. Just sign up online and make the small $25 donation, and you're on your way to making  a difference.

7 Steps You Can Take Right Now for a Stronger Existing Client Relationship

To stay in business, you need customers. Too often, though, people focus only on bringing in the new customer—marketing and communicating to those with whom they’ve never done business. While that’s essential, it is equally important to retain existing clients.

Acquisition of a new customer can cost you up to five times more than keeping your existing ones happy and coming back. Granted, if you’re in wedding photography, you might not have a returning customer…but a referral has much more weight than any number of full-page ads.

Develop a competitive edge in the industry

Develop a competitive edge in the industry
Six in a series of six articles from Collages.net

Modernize and market your studio with your own blog. Blogs are an inexpensive way of getting your company’s name out there, as they allow you to reach a wider audience and maintain considerable web presence. In addition, blogs can help you gain a competitive edge in the industry by keeping your current and potential clients up-to-date with the latest trends. Try these four tips for bringing your blog to a new level:

1) Capitalize on your clients’ enthusiasm. There is a certain amount of lag time between shooting and posting an event. During that time, your clients are anxious and excited to see their images – so why not benefit from this enthusiasm? Use your blog to give your clients a sneak preview of their event! In your blog entry, post two to four images that will “wow” them, write about how much you enjoyed photographing their wedding, and post the log-in information for their event site to ensure that they remember to view the entire gallery. Your clients will love seeing a preview of their event and will undoubtedly send your blog’s link to their family and friends, giving your studio instant exposure and immediate referrals!

When deciding which images to post in your blog, choose wisely. Post the images you want your clients to buy as large-scale prints, images that illustrate your style, and images that others will find inspiring! The first images your clients see are usually the ones they will want. 

2008 Sweepstakes Marketing Co-op

Want to give your customers even more? Try the 2008 Sweepstakes Marketing Co-op. The 2008 Co-op gives PPA and SEP members the ability to offer clients and potential clients expensive prizes…without shelling out a large sum.

Sweepstakes aren’t for everyone, but they do let you offer a prize few—if any—competitors could (a good draw in bridal shows, especially). And if you don’t use this to get new customers, offer it to existing customers! Think about it…would any of the families you photograph enjoy a trip to Disney? Would any high school seniors like a new car (or the cash equivalent)? Would couples like a cruise for two? Become known as one who gives even more than great photography to your clients.

• Join the 2008 Co-op for only $100 per sweepstakes/studio location (the only fee paid to PPA and SEP).
• Get the right to offer prospects a cruise, a car, and/or a Disney vacation (along with other prizes)…without buying the prizes outright.
• Presto—you have created an event, giving you something to talk about in promotions!

Imagine the excitement and publicity your studio would get if one of your clients or prospects wins. Join at www.ImageSweepstakes.com by January 31, 2008 to be eligible.

Use a studio logo to strengthen your brand

The fifth in a series of six articles brought to you by Collages.net

Your studio’s logo serves as a powerful marketing tool, giving your wedding, portrait, and event websites the personal touch needed to make your studio even more memorable. Choose an online posting company that can display your logo on each of your event sites/galleries to remind visitors of the studio behind the images.

A well-made logo is essential to accurately represent your business. When designing or redesigning your studio logo, it is important to keep in mind these easy steps:

The fifth in a series of six articles brought to you by Collages.net

Your studio’s logo serves as a powerful marketing tool, giving your wedding, portrait, and event websites the personal touch needed to make your studio even more memorable. Choose an online posting company that can display your logo on each of your event sites/galleries to remind visitors of the studio behind the images.

A well-made logo is essential to accurately represent your business. When designing or redesigning your studio logo, it is important to keep in mind these easy steps:

Can other professional photographers help me to grow my business?

The fourth in a series of six articles brought to you by Collages.net

A good way to stay current in the photographic industry is to learn how other photographers are branding their studios, developing an edge, and experiencing marketing success. Many online posting companies offer invaluable resources to help you do just that, including articles written by professional photographers, newsletters, and sample event sites featuring exceptional work and presentation.

Articles written by fellow photographers always include priceless insight into trade techniques, industry news, and business tricks. Why not listen to other pros in the field and learn from those who have “been there, done that?” You can get a wealth of advice on what works and what doesn’t.

The fourth in a series of six articles brought to you by Collages.net

Use your event sites to market to potential clients

The third in a series of six articles brought to you by Collages.net

Today’s photographers know the importance of having a professional, up-to-date studio Web site to market to the higher spending, technologically savvy clients. Much of your business will be generated through online searches and potential clients browsing through your studio site…you need to present those visitors with as many reasons as possible to choose you.

One key to closing business through your studio website is effectively communicating your online posting offerings. Don’t just tell them – show them. Place a button on your studio website to serve as a link to a sample online gallery of your images. Not only does this allow prospective clients to get a feel for the interface you offer, it also gives them the opportunity to view an extensive gallery of your work. Focus group testing with consumers shows that they are more comfortable with a studio that lets them see an entire event - from beginning to end - rather than just a select group of images.

In addition to demo buttons, event listings are another effective way to drive more clients to your website. Normally, guests are instructed to login to event sites/galleries through the home page of the online posting company. However, when you add an event listing to your studio website, guests have the ability to access event sites directly from you, increasing your exposure and referrals.

Because of their effectiveness, demo buttons and event listings have become an indispensable part of many successful studio websites. To see a beautiful example of a demo button, please visit www.weddingdayart.com./weddings-view.cfm.

To view examples of both types of buttons, please visit www.clayblackmore.com.

Increase reprint orders and generate more business for your studio

The second in a series of six articles brought to you by Collages.net

Posting your images online automatically generates added exposure and sales. Move your studio to the next level by taking advantage of your increased publicity and marketing your products and services to the guests, friends, and families of your current clients.

E-mail marketing is free, can be done quickly, and requires no postage or four-color printing. Plus, the value of collecting e-mail addresses multiplies when marketing to an audience that already knows your work (as guests of a previous event).

Look for an online posting company that stores and organizes all of the addresses you collect, as well as those of all event site/gallery visitors. You then have the ability to send marketing e-mails to very specific groups, from guests who made a purchase on a certain site to all event guests who have ever logged into any of your sites. It is not uncommon for a medium-sized studio to aggregate over 20,000 local email addresses in just a few years.

Use this e-mailing tool to:

• Advertise discounts and special offers on event prints and products.
• Market your studio’s photographic services to the guests, friends, and family of your current clientele. Target this audience, and you connect to people who have seen your work’s quality and have experienced its online presentation. More importantly, they know that your services were successfully used by someone they trust. These leads are not only purchasers of your images for the events they view; they are your best prospects for future business.

Sending a marketing e-mail is the perfect way to remind recent and potential clients about your studio, increase your sales and referrals, and build your brand. For creative ideas and examples of marketing e-mails used by other professional photographers, please see www.collages.net/studiomarketing.

The importance of building your brand

One of the most significant changes in the professional photography world began with the advent of the sharing professional images through online posting. Since the majority of professional studios offer all of their clients this highly desirable and highly-profitable service, it is more important now than ever to set yourself apart from the competition by building your brand through effective marketing techniques.

Professional photographers who have already successfully incorporated online posting into their businesses are now taking the marketing potential of this service to the next level. There are several key elements that are crucial to maximizing the brand-building benefits of online posting for your studio. These elements are as follows:

1. Driving traffic to your event sites
2. Increasing reprint orders and studio business
3. Using event sites to market to potential clients
4. Learning from others in the industry
5. Using a studio logo to strengthen your brand
6. Developing a competitive edge in your community

This week we answer the question, "How can I drive more traffic to my event sites?"

You’ve posted your images in an online gallery, and they look stunning. So how do you get more people to visit the site to view and to order them?