Your guide to the PhotoDay world. Tips, tricks, industry news, and more can all be found right here.
A Net Promoter Score (NPS) measures customer experience and predicts business growth. This proven metric transformed the business world and now provides the core measurement for customer experience management around the world, giving your customers a voice and providing you with insight into how your business is performing.
We begin by asking a simple question:On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend {Studio Name} and PhotoDay to a friend?
Then we subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters and arrive at the Net Promoter Score, which can range from a low of -100 (if every customer is a detractor) to a high of 100 (if every customer is a promoter).
With PhotoDay, there are a few variables involved that help determine what the next steps are and if action should be taken.
In PhotoDay, your customer views the image first, prior to purchasing products. Most of the detractors will happen due to asking too much for photo quality that is easily reproduced with a smartphone. Also, be mindful of your package description. There is no need to add the contents of the packages, because that happens automatically with PhotoDay. If you type a description, then add the incorrect products to the package, the customer will not receive the right products, causing frustration.
Passives are typically due to a limited product offering, not enough variety of images to choose from, or even packages and pricing starting too high or not making sense for the type of event.
Promoters have fallen in love with the complete experience. From brand to image to final products—it all fits beautifully together and creates customer happiness.
Detractors happen due to a confusing interface. Maybe they needed additional support along the way, or maybe they just aren’t tech-savvy and have limited e-commerce experience. PhotoDay uses this data to improve checkout and education, ensuring each and every customer is successful and satisfied.
Passives may have had a good experience, but wish it had been much easier. It was just “meh,” and although they are not unhappy, they aren’t singing praises from the rooftops.
Promoters are head over heels with what they just experienced and can’t wait to tell the world about it.
When shipments are delayed, missing, or damaged, the customer is unhappy. This is the main reason for detractors when it comes to lab fulfillment. PhotoDay uses this data to work with our lab partners and continuously improve the packaging and delivery options made available to customers.
Passives happen because maybe everything was just ok. The shipping didn’t blow their mind, and the products were the quality they expected them to be.
Promoters received their orders lightning fast and the packaging and products went beyond their expectations.
Well NPS is a brand-spankin’ new feature of PhotoDay, and we are excited about what this means for our users and partners. Roughly 10 days after the order is placed within PhotoDay, your customer is prompted with a simple text message:
On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend {Studio Name} and PhotoDay to a friend?
Once they answer, we ask another question:
Thanks. Can you please tell us why you gave this score?
The final message they receive is:
Thank you for your feedback. Can we reach out to you for more information?
In this early phase of NPS rollout, PhotoDay is collecting data and preparing for the next steps. In the future, we would like to display your very own personal NPS score within the dashboard, along with visible feedback from your customers to take action on. The data we collect and use is for the sole purpose of improving the Picture Day experience for customers. It gives customers a voice and provides us all with insight into the future to help fuel inspiration and promote innovation within our industry. What would you like to see next? Drop us a comment!
As of November 8, 2021, all PhotoDay users are able to view their Net Promoter Score and responses from their studio panel dashboard.
We are super excited to announce our new Dashboard App (iOS & Android)! You’ve given us your trust and faith in the system, and we wanted to give back.
We want you to be free. Not just from tethers, paper order forms, and data entry, but also from feeling tied to your desk. We know that once you hit publish on a job, you’re constantly refreshing your mobile browser watching those sales stream into your PhotoDay account. With our new Dashboard app, you can step away from your computer and let us tell you when you’ve made a new sale...
On your phone:
And on your Apple Watch:
Now you can feel free to go about your day knowing every sale can be a push notification on your phone. No more refreshing the studio panel a million times searching for the latest sales. Instead, you can step away when you’re on the go while staying constantly connected to your studio.We didn’t stop there! We also made it beyond easy to share your #PD100 sales (or any others you’re excited about) directly to the PhotoDay Facebook Users Group! We love cheering each other on and sharing our successes. Multiple poses and looks are a major contributor to large order values, so this is the perfect way to share among the PhotoDay community and get inspired!
What exactly is a landmark feature? They are the big, exciting features that stand out and can transform both workflow and overall sales with PhotoDay. They change the way you think. They disrupt the current mindset and inspire new ideas. Not all of PhotoDay’s features are considered landmarks, but here are a few we’ve been working on over the past few years—and our vision of how they will change the world of volume photography for pro labs, studios, and customers alike.
Yes, green screen has been around for a while now, but if you follow PhotoDay, you know we don’t do things the same ol’ way. Our backgrounds feature enables studios to upload multiple collections of custom backgrounds, allowing customers to mix and match poses and backgrounds for packages and products with a simple swipe and preview. Studios can also upload a combination of JPG images and PNG images to the same gallery. This encourages multi-pose purchases, higher AOVs, and overall happy, creative customers.
Customers expect to see a preview of their products before purchasing, especially for products like memory mates, buttons, and other various themed items. These previews display any theming options, background choices, photos, and text and crops selected during the customer’s customization process. Live preview offers peace of mind for customers and fewer reprints for labs and studios.
Speaking of memory mates…It’s pretty neat to sell products branded specifically to the organization you’re photographing. You can do just that with custom memory mate themes. While PhotoDay provides our own collection of beautiful custom theme options, studios are also able to create and upload their own designs. This is a great addition to woo and wow both customers and organizations alike.
Looking for extractions? PhotoDay’s knockouts service has you covered. We already know image is king when it comes to selling online, and offering a variety of images matters when it comes to keeping consumers happy. You won’t have to pick and choose which poses to knock out and offer to your customers. Let them choose the ones they love, instead!
Retouching is a feature that magically softens skin, reduces acne, unwanted blemishes, and more. Studios can add retouching to any price sheet, and it will show up during the checkout process for customers to add on to any or all of the photos in their cart.
Ahh, a little bit of familiarity with a twist to meet today’s customer’s expectations. Long have photographers batched orders all together and delivered them back to the organization. While PhotoDay offers direct-to-customer drop shipping for all of our gallery types, we also offer a bulk shipping option for private galleries. Studios can now offer free overnight bulk shipping (which ships all orders directly to one chosen address) or let the customer choose how they would like to receive their orders via drop shipping (which ships as fast as they want to their own address). Bulk shipping is currently available exclusively for private gallery jobs through Miller’s Lab.
Kathleen Martin of LKN Images has always been drawn to cameras, and what started as a hobby naturally grew into a thriving business. Among the many reasons Kathleen loves running her volume photography business with her husband, Ed—like not having to sit still in an office all day and the amazing flexibility it offers for raising kids—what she loves most is the people, “the entire experience, and creating images that impact their lives.”
By streamlining their workflow, incorporating PhotoDay, and creating simplified systems, Kathleen and Ed have expanded their sales over the past year. When the pandemic hit, this set them up to be able to focus on bringing The Front Steps Project into their community and creatively raising over $55,000 in charitable donations.
After studying computer science for 2 years in college, Kathleen decided to pursue her passion for photography with an art degree. Years later, she met her husband—and now business partner— while working in sales at IBM. After being alphabetically seated next to each other while attending a class in Atlanta, the rest was history for the pair. Having kids meant lots of opportunities to practice photography, and soon she was getting requests to photograph their whole sports teams instead of just her favorite players. Now LKN Images is a top studio for high school seniors, family, sports, and business photography in Mooresville, NC, and the surrounding areas.
Eventually, Ed left his career in the tech industry to join Kathleen in running LKN Images. Noticing how she was buried in paperwork and bogged down by tedious, repetitive tasks, he started to wonder if the team and individual events were even worth the effort. Always looking for ways to make things simpler, Ed said, “If I could automate everything, she could do what she does best—capturing images—and it would be way more fun!”
Kathleen had come across PhotoDay on Facebook prior to Ed joining the business, but she didn’t fully understand it at first. It wasn’t until they went to Boatwright Bootcamp in the winter of 2019 that they jumped onboard and fully committed to learning how to sell in an online environment.
We asked them for 3 ways PhotoDay has helped LKN Images:
“No paper! No bad checks! Direct delivery! Enhanced automated communication with the customers, too. I borrowed some of PhotoDay’s communication ideas and have implemented them into other parts of the studio. All of our customers always feel like we are constantly in touch and communicating with them. Because of PhotoDay and its technology, our business stands out from the competition.”
Each year, Kathleen photographs a local youth league with kids ranging from ages 5 to 13. In fall 2018 they were still using “old school” paper forms, but in fall 2019, it was their first big job using PhotoDay—but still before they got “Boatwright’ed” at the Bootcamp they attended shortly after.
In March 2020, COVID brought the volume photography industry to a standstill, and suddenly Kathleen and Ed had an empty calendar and extra time on their hands. Kathleen heard about a movement called The Front Steps Project where photographers take portraits of families on their front steps in exchange for a direct donation to a local charity. She absolutely loved the idea of documenting this historical time in a way that not only provides families with a tangible, priceless memory, but also impacts a charity for good. They chose Feed NC as the organization to receive the donations and quickly got to work photographing the families in their community.
Over the course of 10 weeks, Kathleen and Ed photographed over 700 families and raised over $55,000 for Feed NC. And their local news stations weren’t the only ones who noticed—the founders of The Front Steps Project have published a book and included Kathleen and Ed! You can order The Front Steps Project: How Communities Found Connection During the COVID-19 Crisis on Amazon.
Each of the participating families received 1 photo in exchange for a donation to Feed NC, but Kathleen was able to use PhotoDay galleries to offer more poses and more visibility to LKN Images. They donated a portion of the proceeds from the additional photos purchased (whether digital downloads or print orders). To hear all about this amazing initiative and how they brought it to life within their community, watch their webinar with our Director of Education and fellow Trailblazer, Jay Boatwright.
When asked what they’d do differently if they had to start over, Kathleen said, “We didn’t really understand online sales at first. We tried it (barely dipped our toes in), but more education was needed. We would spend more time immersing ourselves into how to sell and market online—like going to Bootcamp and understanding PhotoDay. Our AdvancePay results would have improved a lot faster if we’d taken the time to understand it more fully.”
Her advice to anyone on the fence about PhotoDay: “Use COVID as an excuse to get online. Just try it. It’s not hard…take a leap and figure out AdvancePay.
A little over 2 years ago, we published the blog Creating Packages that Work. Since then, we have learned even more about selling volume photography in an online world and what customers are looking for when it comes to professional volume sports & school photography.
Forget everything you know about creating packages + products on paper forms.
Paper forms and/or preselling packages online prior to picture day typically include 1 individual image and 1 group image per group, with a fixed amount of products accommodating those specific shots. This strategy includes a printed order form and/or a link to pre-purchase a package on paper or online, sometimes with a display table and example images of the products, money-saving packages, and relies on the trust you’ve built that you’ll create great images—even though customers won’t see them until after the transaction has been completed.
When moving your business online, so many factors change, including the mindset of our customers. Convenience sells—customers love being able to buy what they want, when they want. Now images sell first, and the product is secondary. You have the option to sell instant image downloads and prints together. And most importantly, multiple images can be offered, increasing options for customers so they can purchase exactly what they want. Incentivizing customers to spend more, save more, and order sooner becomes the key to success.
Let’s talk more about multiple poses. Not only do poses increase your odds of getting the best photograph and expression, but they also give customers options and increase your inventory. The more inventory to sell, the higher the potential sales can go.
Now reflect back on the traditional paper form package—one pose and one group photo. Before and during picture day, we paint a picture of what the products will look like with graphics and themes, helping customers envision what their final products will look like.
The customer decides which package to purchase based on offerings and savings. This doesn’t translate entirely to selling online with PhotoDay, especially with AdvancePay, because the key selling points are totally different. Now customers have the option to see before they buy and purchase only what they love.
We always recommend qualifying your serious buyers by requesting an AdvancePay credit purchase. You can make it as little as $5, but we recommend starting at $10. Next, decide on how many images you’ll create for each individual and group (if applicable). A good example is Jay Boatwright’s “progressions.” Progressions are a fast and efficient way to capture multiple images in a high-paced volume photography environment. Add in family and buddy photos, and now the customer has an entire album of poses and combinations to choose from.
Finally, you’re ready to design your price sheet. Start by pricing all of your items in a la carte, then begin adding different products into packages for extra savings—no coupons needed! We also recommend putting the savings in dollar amounts or percentages as part of your package descriptions so customers can clearly see what the overall value is for each package.
An example of a package:
Package Name: Most Popular Package
Package Description: A mix of prints and a social media image to share with your friends and family. Your favorite package! Save $15 instantly, no offer code needed!
By having the same product listed on multiple lines, the customer is able to mix and match poses. By using a graphic horizontal layout product, the image node calls for the customer to order their group photo, which FaceFind automatically locates for them while they walk through each step.
When you sign up and connect to a PhotoDay partner lab, we automatically add a demo price sheet for you. Feel free to modify it as you see fit for your jobs. The best way to test drive your new price sheet is to create a demo gallery, attach your price sheet, and opt-in as the customer. Here are 4 reasons you need to do this right now, if you haven’t already. Leave no question unanswered—we are here to help! Reach out in the bubble, set up a time to chat via phone, or email us at support@photoday.io.
Offers and discounts are determined by your photographer. We recommend reaching out to them directly!
Offers + promotions are an important part of your online marketing strategy. Read on for ideas that will inspire a whole new way of connecting with your customers and getting them pumped about picture day. Before you create and advertise an offer, think about the end goal. Offers are used to incentivize your customers to spend more, sooner.
Incentivize your customer to get a jump start on picture day by attaching an offer to your gallery while it's in AdvancePay Status. Start the sales cycle early, and reward customers with an offer they can’t refuse. This gets skin in the game prior to picture day and connects customers to your galleries for PhotoDay’s Auto-SMS communication.
Flyers live inside of your job under Marketing. You can create multiple flyers per job and even email them directly to each person in a private gallery if you’ve got email addresses in the data. Alternatively, they can be emailed directly to your contact for distribution. You can attach an offer to this flyer, and use it before, during, and after picture day.
This new feature was launched in August 2020 and gives you the ability to attach an offer to a published gallery. A banner will display at the top of the gallery as customers are shopping. The offer code will be automatically applied at checkout. If your offer has a minimum order rule, PhotoDay will prompt your customer to add more to their cart to redeem the offer! It’s pretty slick and a perfect way to offer all of your customers a special deal for a limited time. You’ll find this feature within your job under Settings > Gallery Promotions.
And last but not least, if you can’t fit your special offer anywhere in the above areas, we’ve got you covered with PhotoDay’s Flash Sale custom text message. Reach out to us in the orange chat bubble located on the lower right corner of your studio dashboard to request a custom text. We’re always happy to help! Check out our most popular campaigns here. Naming your offer codes is just as important as the offer itself. Offer codes should intrigue your customer, be memorable, and stand out. Scroll for ideas!
AND NEVER FORGET…The four keys to a successful online sales strategy. Happy Selling!
Digital downloads with PhotoDay won't cost you a single penny (effective 9/15/2020). There are two options you can offer-- Social Sharing or High Resolution (print release automatically included). How do you market and sell digital downloads? Why do customers want digitals downloads? We asked a group of parents of school-age children what they thought about digital downloads and here are a few of their answers:
Digital downloads hold value - and the value is determined by the quality of the product you create.
IMAGE QUALITY + CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE = PRODUCT
Blow customers away by mastering image quality and customer experience and stand out from the rest. PhotoDay’s Director of Education, Jay Boatwright, does just that. He’s created a demand for his product that is difficult to be copied by competition. It’s given sMax Photography an edge and since taking his studio online, he’s increased sales nearly 100% in some cases.
When bringing sales online, there will be a decrease in participation (customer views to unique sales). This happens from a multitude of reasons listed here. To counter this, increase the number of images per person and create more opportunity for higher sales. We know multi-pose works. We also know it’s not just about the pose, but also the expression. So make sure your picture day experience is fun, relaxing, and most importantly, not rushed. Without the mundane task of managing paperwork, barcodes, QR codes, and/or image numbers, replace this time with creating the ultimate picture day experience for your customers.
Jay Boatwright has provided us with some insight into why and how the image affects sales in an online world. During a few Facebook live “image critiquing” sessions Jay breaks the images up into 3 categories: iPhone quality, Paper Forms (pre-pay), and PhotoDay. Studios who have taken this information and executed have reaped the benefits of a hands-free picture day and post-processing effort (no lab submissions), all while increasing sales. Make sure to check out the webinar Image is Everything.If your image looks like something mom can reproduce with her iPhone, then asking too much for a download is going to upset your customer. Today’s customer has expectations beyond what they can capture and edit with their pocket camera and consumer-friendly editing apps. When you increase the quality of the image, the ask becomes much greater. Begin pricing your high-res downloads by using your average order value. If you typically collect $30 per order on average, then use this as a starting point. Add in the cost of multi-pose, which can be valued at an additional estimated $10 (post-processing time).Then, use a touch of psychological pricing. We will use charm pricing, and take the a la carte high-resolution digital from $40 to $39. Now it’s time to incentivize-- buy more, save more.In this case, the studio is pricing a 5 pack of digitals for $119, or just $23.80 per high-res download that includes a print release. There are 5 different looks for each person captured at the events, so be sure to create digital packs that will fit the variety of images offered.
Social sharing downloads can drive higher package sales, and also can be used as a speed incentive to convert views into sales quickly.Include social sharing downloads in your highest print packages to give an extra boost without cutting into your profit. Also, you can use social sharing downloads in a complete marketing strategy as discussed here in step 3, and convert more packages into sales by including social sharing downloads for a limited time.
When it comes to managing images in your PhotoDay gallery, you can disable team images or featured composites from being available to purchase as a download. Here’s how to do it.Please don’t be shy. This is uncharted territory for many volume photographers. We have a fantastic user group community to share and ask questions… join us here!
Every story has an ending - and at the end of every customer’s experience using PhotoDay, we present them with a way to provide us feedback. This allows us to continuously improve our product for every customer with the goal in mind to provide the best experience possible. Happy customers, happy photographers!
We’re sharing the results and feedback we hear with you, so you can also use this information to enhance picture day to be better than ever!
“I had to scroll through 684 photos to find 7 of my daughter, and your prices are ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!!”
Prevent this by fully utilizing Tags and FaceFind, and turning off view all photos in the group and public galleries.
Multi-poses and variation of images make customers happy. It also changes the way you create packages for savings. Don’t try to put your paper form online, it doesn’t make sense. Instead, check out our post here for help.
“I like how we can pick different pictures in our package instead of the same one for the entire package.”
“The photos which were taken are terrible resolution, the background was horrible until photoshopped and that only happened after we complained, the angle of the photos were nearly up the girl’s skirts and completely inappropriate. I am disappointed in this experience. I only ordered the photos because I prepaid for them and we didn’t take any other professional photos this season so they were our only option. I will not participate in the photoshoot next season if it is the same photographer.”
“The hockey poses are ridiculous. Why can't you offer traditional hockey poses? The kids do not hold their sticks like lacrosse sticks, or, upside down normally. It looks ridiculous. I would have preferred an actual hockey pose.”
Lighting, posing, and expressions matter more than ever. Customers view your work before they purchase, even with AdvancePay (PhotoDay’s answer to pre-pay, check it out here) PhotoDay Academy will help make sure you’re set up for success.
“I wish there was an option to order the natural photographs like we have had in years past, though the fancy ones are nice I like the natural look as well and wish there were both to choose from.”
If extracting, offer a little bit of both worlds. You’ll give customers more variety to choose from, and make everyone happy!
“This was an awesome process. 100% honesty - I had NO intention of ordering pics. They normally come out crappy and they require you to purchase a whole huge, expensive package when in reality no one passes out pictures like they used to. So I REALLY loved being able to order just an 8x10!! Will definitely order from you guys in the future if this continues to be the quick, easy, affordable, process!!”
“I thought being able to see the photos beforehand was great.”
"You buy a $50 credit, to then receive 10% off your $49 order. So I have a $3.50 balance but nothing to buy for $3.50. Seems like a scam, where does the money go? Who keeps it or does it get refunded? I’d much rather just pay what I owe."
Be aware of how you’re using AdvancePay. It is not a product, and it will confuse your customer if you try to match it to products or packages. AdvancePay is a gift card - it allows you to qualify your buyers in advance, so you can provide them with the services they want. We’ve got tips and tricks on this webinar to help get you started!
“I will never buy from you again! I take better photos of my kids than what I received w/o the hassle.”
Always create images that are better than what parents can do with their smartphone.
“It was a little difficult to navigate the online order. However, Becky was extremely helpful in actually doing it for me. She was great.”
“It was a little complicated at first to do the order online. But I'm not very good with online things.”
If we could name one positive that happened during the pandemic, it’s that more people used apps and online retailers to have supplies delivered. Most customers won’t need support, but being available to help the ones that do will pay off big time with lots of smiles.
“Thank you! It was easy!”
“Pretty slick operation”
“I like that I get to see my photos and pick the background I want.”
“You were awesome!!!!! I said, "LET'S GO SEE POPEE". You said, "that's the smile I want". You retook my daughter’s pic and got the best smile!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!”
“Lots of mishaps, And not much communication from the owner.”
There will always be a balance between good and bad. We just have to do our very best to listen, learn, and improve.And there you have it! We hope you find this information useful. If you’re wondering where this survey appears, we send a link to each customer via text after an order has been placed. The survey is completely anonymous and only meant to be used to help us improve picture day with PhotoDay.
What is a better way to promote your studio than to let your images speak for themselves? You can set up a demo gallery within PhotoDay to both show off your skills, and to get people familiar with the PhotoDay ordering process! Display your work from many different kinds of jobs - sports, composites, school, dance…the more variety, the more you can show how versatile you can be to prospective clients!
Exhibit your product lineup by creating a demo price sheet with sample packages and products. Let your potential clients drive the cart and explore all of the different items they can purchase from your studio and partner lab.
Provide them with your demo gallery access code, and have them text it to the PhotoDay shortcode (90738). Try and make the code something fun, yet recognizable - like your studio name! By opting in, prospective clients can see the experience for themselves.
By asking prospects to opt-in to your demo gallery, you know have their phone number, as well as the date they opted in. Add these numbers to a follow-up lead campaign, and reach out to book the job!
Get more info on PhotoDay and begin your picture day transformation!