Want to guarantee success this Commencement season? Our Customer Success and Sales Team has created an amazing downloadable resource free for all PhotoDay Users!
Just create an account or sign in to access the Commencement Success Guide & Price Sheet below.
Download Here
Graduation season is almost here! It’s both an exciting time of celebration and a unique opportunity for photographers to reach new potential customers. PhotoDay is the perfect solution for your upcoming commencements.
Get photos online faster with a quick and easy setup process. Effortlessly connect families to galleries using our smart text marketing features. Promote and spread the word with our free design template resources. And if you haven’t already tested out PhotoDay’s amazing FaceFind feature, now is the time! Get ready for your easiest commencement season ever.
Now, which gallery type do you choose? There’s no wrong choice, but allow us to break it down for you.
Our Favorite Option: Public Gallery
Public Galleries provide open, easy access for everyone involved in this big day—the graduates, their families, the school, and more. Thanks to direct links, Public Galleries are the most accessible option for attendees to quickly access and share the gallery with loved ones interested in purchasing photos.
Customers can access a Public Gallery multiple ways:
- By texting the gallery’s access code to 90738
- By using the gallery’s direct link
- By entering the gallery’s access code at my.photoday.com
When customers visit the gallery before photos are published, they will be greeted with the option to enter their phone number and subscribe to receive updates. Encouraging customers to opt in through text is highly recommended since this automatically subscribes them to gallery notifications!
You can design posters, program ads, yard signs, and other materials to gather additional gallery subscribers both before and during your event. PhotoDay’s Commencement Resource Kit includes templates for a range of collateral. It’s available for free download to all PhotoDay users!
Public Galleries have three customer-facing search options, but for large events with numerous photos, we suggest you turn off “All Photos” and allow customers to use both “FaceFind” and “Tags” to filter their images.
Pro Tip: Before uploading your completed photos, organize them into named folders on your computer or hard drive. This way, PhotoDay can automatically apply relevant tags, streamlining the data set for customers to easily locate their photos.
When building your price sheet, be sure to offer multi-digital packages, print + digital packages, and plenty of specialty items for photo gifts! Speaking of price sheets, our Customer Success and Sales Team created an amazing downloadable resource free for all PhotoDay Users. Just create an account or sign in to access the Commencement Success Guide & Price Sheet.
An Added Layer: Group Gallery
Consider using a Group Gallery for an additional level of privacy. This option eliminates public direct links to the gallery and requires customers to text their access code to 90738 or enter their access code at my.photoday.com before viewing the gallery.
Follow the rest of the Public Gallery steps outlined above, and you’ll be selling in no time!
The Private Gallery Route
Ready to explore the capabilities of Capture + FaceFind? With PhotoDay's Private Gallery workflow, you can offer each graduate an exclusive gallery showcasing only their photos. If you choose to go this route, you have two options:
Route 1
Capture photos during the event just like you usually would.
- Add subject data—either before picture day or on the go at the event.
- Use PhotoDay Capture to snap reference photos of each subject. You can do this before, during, or even after you take their professional photo.
- Let FaceFind work its matching magic. Capture syncs the reference photos and data to the PhotoDay Studio Panel, so all you have to do is upload your professional photos and watch FaceFind match each photo to the right person.
Route 2
Recycle your fall data and images!
- If you already have subject data and reference photos, add a column to your CSV titled “Image Name.” Then add the reference photo's filename to each subject accordingly.
- Upload the CSV file and reference photos to the new job, and it will automatically populate and match the data with the corresponding reference photos for each individual.
- When it’s time to upload the professional photos, let FaceFind work its matching magic as usual.
Since Private Gallery jobs require subject data for generating individual access codes, you can also utilize our Automated Email Campaigns to establish effective customer communication. To implement these reminder email campaigns, ensure that you have parent emails in your data when publishing the job.
In addition to both manual and automated email marketing, all gallery types in PhotoDay include automated smart text marketing. If a customer opts in to notifications, they will receive a strategically timed series of automated texts based on the gallery status, any special offers, upcoming expiration, and more.
Learn more about all of the different ways you can communicate with customers before, during, and after picture day to encourage sales.
Tips for Success
1. For your marketing resources, create a QR code so customers can scan to subscribe. Set it up so it automatically opens their phone’s messaging app and populates a text with their unique access code to 90738. Then, all they need to do is click send to subscribe and gain access to the gallery. Use our free downloadable templates to start designing your marketing collateral.
2. On your price sheet, offer digital bundles to incentivize customers to purchase more digital download products. The more they buy, the more they save. Learn more.
3. Our lab partners offer beautiful commencement products, so be sure to add tassel and print display frames, thank you cards, and more to your price sheets.
4. Increase value by setting up a family portrait station at the event. This can be set up to the side or just outside of the venue exit to capture proud families mingling with their graduates.
5. Consider using AdvancePay (PhotoDay’s answer to pre-pay) to gather early sales and entice customers to buy in early in exchange for a discount or free shipping code. Read more about how offering AdvancePay can boost your sales.
6. Download the free commencement best practices resource! It includes a sample commencement price sheet, a picture day checklist, tips and tricks for before, during, and after your commencement picture day, and more. Just sign in or create an account to access it.
Ready to see how it looks from a customer's perspective? Check out this sample public gallery.
While each gallery type is simple to set up, our Customer Success team is here to help you every step of the way. With online galleries, automated marketing, and an efficient workflow, we’re confident PhotoDay will enhance your upcoming commencements!
If you’re already a PhotoDay user, sign in to explore our complimentary resources to level up your next commencement picture day. Or create a free account and begin your journey 🚀
