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Meet Kathleen

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.

Getting Started

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.

More Growth. Less Work.

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!”

Enter PhotoDay:

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.”

The Results

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.

A Pivot for Charity

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.

Words of Advice

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.

”Innovators, game-changers, movers, shakers… trailblazers. Meet more trailblazing photographers who have tried PhotoDay and are seeing results.

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!

• (1) 8×10 Luster Print
• (1) 5×7 Luster Print
• (1) Social Sharing Download
• (1) 8 Wallets Luster Die-cut
• (1) 4×6 Luster Print
• (1) 4×6 Luster Print
• (1) 5×7 Graphic Print Luster Horizontal
• (1) 3.5×5 Magnet Luster

‍

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 + 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.

AdvancePay

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

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.

Gallery Offers

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.

Custom Promo SMS

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!

‍

Free Shipping

       
• SHIPITFREE
       
• FREESHIP
       
• FREESHIPPING
       
• SHIPPINGBONUS
       
• FREESHIPONPICS

AdvancePay

       
• EARLYBIRD
       
• SPENDANDSAVE15 (add savings amount here)
       
• FIRST50SAVE
       
• SAVEANDWIN
       
• SAVEBIGEARLY

Halloween Promo

       
• SPOOKY25 (add savings amount here)
       
• WITCHESBREW
       
• NOTRICKS
       
• TRICKORTREAT
       
• BIGTREAT
       
• PUMPKIN

Black Friday Promo

       
• BFLIMITED
       
• MYSTERYDEAL
       
• DOORBUSTER
       
• SHOPPINGSPREE
       
• GIFTGUIDE

Christmas Promo

       
• MERRY15 (enter the amount of savings)
       
• SANTASAVES
       
• FESTIVE10
       
• RUDOLFSDEAL
       
• HOLIDAYSPIRIT
       
• PICMAS

New Years Promo

       
• RINGIN2021
       
• CHEERS20  (enter the amount of savings)
       
• CELEBRATE
       
• JACKPOT
       
• NEWGOALS

St. Patricks Day Promo

       
• IRISHLUCK
       
• POTOFGOLD
       
• RAINBOW
       
• CLOVER20 (enter the amount of savings)
       
• LUCKY10

Mother's Day Promo

       
• MOMSDAY10 (enter the amount of savings)
       
• MOMLOVE
       
• MOTHER25
       
• PICS4MOM

Father's Day Promo

       
• FATHERSDAY25 (enter the amount of savings)
       
• DADLOVE
       
• FATHER35
       
• PICS4DAD

Fourth of July Promo

       
• INDEPENDENCEDAY
       
• HAPPY4TH
       
• FIREWORKS
       
• BARBEQUE25
       
• HOTDOGS

Back to School Promo

       
• BUSRIDE25
       
• BACKPACK
       
• BACK2SCHOOL
       
• TIME2LEARN
       
• SCHOOLISBACK

‍

AND NEVER FORGET…The four keys to a successful online sales strategy. Happy Selling!

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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:

       
• I don’t buy the digital file because they are too pricey and the image is usually not my favorite.
       
• I bought a digital download once because I love the way it looked, but did not print.
       
• I don't usually buy it b/c it's pricey. I'd much rather have affordable packages.
       
• So I can share with family and friends.
       
• I like to buy the digital download if it is affordable. I like to post it on social media. I also like to have a printed professional photograph as well.
       
• As a backup, in case the prints get destroyed
       
• I only buy the fridge magnets for sports. I find packages to be overpriced and I do not need to display a bunch of photographs.
       
• I print some from home. I also share the file with family because everyone is spread out across the county.

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.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

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.

IMAGE QUALITY

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.

LET’S GET SOCIAL

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.

A COUPLE OF NOTES

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!

HOW DID YOU ACCESS YOUR PHOTOS?

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE EASE OF FINDING YOUR CHILD'S PHOTOS?

“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.

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE PRODUCT OFFERINGS?

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!

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE PURCHASING EXPERIENCE?

“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.

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE NOTIFICATIONS REGARDING YOUR ORDER STATUS?

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE TIME IT TOOK TO RECEIVE YOUR ORDER?

HOW DO YOU PREFER TO ORDER YOUR PICTURE DAY PHOTOS?

HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND PHOTODAY TO A FRIEND OR COLLEAGUE?

Once you have the recipe mastered, images + communication… you’ll receive a lot more of these comments.

“Thank you! It was easy!”

“Pretty slick operation”

“I like that I get to see my photos and pick the background I want.”

What your customers want you to know…

“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.

Showcase Your Images!

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!

Interactive Shopping Cart

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.

Show the PhotoDay Process

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.

Sell It

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!

What is Customer Success?

Customer success is proactively providing solutions to your customers and helping them achieve their goals. This in turn will drive customer value from the product, create customer retention, and generate more revenue. Customer success is achieved through a cross-team effort between Sales, Support, Service, and the Product.

Did you know?

80% OF CUSTOMERS

feel that the experience of using a product is as important as the product or service itself. - Salesforce

84% OF COMPANIES

feel that work to improve their customer experience report an increase in their revenue. - Forbes

Building loyalty and customer success

The first step is to begin a discussion internally of what makes your brand unique, creating your core values, making your workflow efficient and making your customers happy. The next important step is to demonstrate those values to your customers.

Let’s start by identifying what makes you, you.

Taking a great photo can be replicated. YOU CANNOT. To identify what makes you, you, you need to ask yourself a few questions.

       
• What are things you value in life and in business?
       
• Look backwards. What is your background?
       
• What are your goals for the future? How are you going to adapt those goals to your business and customers?

By searching within first, you can bring these attributes to your business and set your brand apart from others.

Core values & how you can use these effectively

Core values are the fundamental beliefs of your brand and can help you stand out amongst your competition. These help guide you to fulfill your goals and ensure you don't waver off on the wrong path. It also helps ensures that everyone within the organization are on the same objective and maintain the brand identity.This projects a level of customer service that satisfies you, your business, and your customers. The core values that we found to be successful in customer success are Empathy, Solidarity, Quality, and Craftsmanship

Empathy

Empathy is the tone you set. Put yourself in their shoes, listen to their wants and needs, and deliver above and beyond. This in turn helps you build connections and encourages longterm business with them.

Solidarity

Solidarity is the protocol you set for your customer service. Ensure everyone on the team has strong communication skills and maintain the level of service that you set. When customer issues arise, ensure that it's tracked from beginning to end.

Quality

Quality is obtained by providing quick & accurate solutions, following up with the customer, creating a personal relationship with them, and listening to their feedback. Elevate their wants and needs to improve your studio.

Craftsmanship

Craftsmanship is the service you provide. Every customer is a priority and should be created equal. Ensure accuracy, always ask engaging questions, and adapt to their uniques situation and needs.

Company Efficiency and Happiness

Efficiency

Customers care about service but don't always know what happens behind the scenes. What they see is your response, and the time they put into the service and whether or not it has been wasted. To prevent this, your team needs to be efficient by having the proper tools. Streamline some customer interactions through automated responses, create a structure that follows conversations from start to finish, include multiple methods for contact (especially chat) and collect metrics of your performance.

Happiness

Happy customers and employees drive sales. You are in a service industry in which customers pick up easily on your emotions. Depending on how you portray yourself, it can alter their experience, communicate the wrong message, and hurt you professionally. According to HBR, customers that had the best experiences spend 140% more compared to those who had the poorest experience.

Applying all of these together creates customer retention and loyalty. According to Forbes, "96% of customers say customer service is important in their choice of loyalty to a brand."

How do we know this all actually works?

Not only have we found success ourselves, but we've seen it done time and time again by many other successful companies. Our favorite example to mention is what we call the "Nordstrom success story". Nordstrom has continued to survive over 100 years and continuously appeals not only to their older generation of loyal customers but also with young adults that they are building new relationships with.

This story takes place in 1975 where a man tried to return four tires at Nordstrom, a luxury department store. He had bought them at a tire store that closed and was replaced by Nordstrom. Although they don't sell tires, they took them in and refunded the amount he paid. Why do this? As a result of customer happiness, and above & beyond service, this story has been told millions of times. It has given free publicity to Nordstrom, increased customer loyalty and retention, opened them up to new customers, and has made them stand out from other competitors.

How will you improve your customer service and ensure success?

For more information on transitioning to online sales, watch this webinar replay‍

Today, we’re going to let you in on something - we’re sharing PhotoDay’s secret recipe for a successful marketing strategy for both urgency, as well as maximum sales!

The good news? You only need these two main ingredients: images and opt-ins!‍

Instructions

Before our official first step, be sure to prepare your marketing materials - we have plenty of templates available in the Marketing Kit in your Resources section!

Step 1: AdvancePay

Customers who purchase AdvancePay credits will get the best deal. Simply create an offer for Free Shipping on orders of $35 or more*, and set your AdvancePay credit amount to $35. This will ensure your customers have enough credit to apply to their final orders, and they get to take full advantage of the best deal possible!

‍* To prevent customer confusion, we suggest setting your AdvancePay credit and offer minimum to the same amount.

Step 2: Best Pricing

Get your info to your customers well in advance, just so they know to order as soon as possible to get the best price. We recommend expiring your best pricing 2-3 weeks after publishing - this gives you the leeway you need for that last push to close sales without expiring the gallery.

Step 3: Social Sharing Downloads

Use this lower-resolution download product as a time-sensitive offer to build up excitement. Customers can only receive social sharing downloads by purchasing a package within the first 48 hours the gallery has been published. First, you’ll need to duplicate your “Best Price” price sheet from Step Two.

Then, add a social sharing download to each package.

Make sure to update the description of your package to include the text “FREE Social Download included with this package - 48 hours only!”

Finally, send us a request in the orange support bubble to deploy a promotional text when you’re ready to publish the gallery. If you’re using PhotoDay’s Publish Later feature, make sure you allow enough time to coordinate with our team.

Step 4: Publish + Sell

Expect around half of your sales to happen within the first two weeks after publishing. In addition, you should expect a few customer questions - but don’t stress! We’re here to help you if any of them stump you. If at any time you need us, feel free to reach out in the orange support bubble, or forward an email to support@photoday.io.

Step 5: Expire Your Best Pricing

By now you’ve got sales rolling in, though they may be starting to stall. You can give your gallery a boost by requesting PhotoDay’s “Best Price” text series from the support bubble!

Step 6: PD100

Wondering what #pd100 is all about? You might have earned one by this point! If you get a sale over $100, don’t be shy - share your success in our Facebook Users Group! When you combine special offers, multiple poses, and a slick customer experience, #pd100 happens quite often!

Step 7: Review the buy rates checklist.

If you haven’t already, read this comprehensive guide to everything you need to do to succeed with online sales!

Step 8: Demo Gallery

Make sure your staff (and YOU!) are knowledgeable and comfortable with the entire process. You can do this by creating a demo gallery, or by using one of our existing demo galleries here. Check this post out to read all the reasons why you should be promoting your studio with a demo gallery!

The Result

In about 30 days time, you’ll have successfully transitioned your first job completely online. And one of the best parts about this? You’ll be able to adapt and tweak any of these steps until you find that perfect online success strategy that suits your studio’s unique needs. Happy selling!

Laying the Foundation

Justin Grafton of Justin Grafton studios was in the middle of attending WPPI in early 2019, along with his girlfriend and business partner Emily. On a whim, after passing by White House Custom Colour’s booth, Emily picked up a brochure that included information about WHCC’s recent partnership with PhotoDay. Thinking it might be exactly what they needed to cut down on their back-end operations, Emily tried to convince Justin to consider giving PhotoDay a shot. At that time, however, he was not convinced online sales worked - past attempts were met with disappointing results.

After WPPI, Justin and Emily went back to work at their Oregon-based studio. However, the possibility of transitioning to an online business model did not entirely disappear…

Justin was always a sports fanatic. His passion filtered down to his two young daughters, who he was raising on his own before his reinvention as a photographer. At that time, he was working construction and doing his best to provide a good home for his family. It was only on a whim while at Costco did he purchase a camera kit, spending nearly an entire paycheck to take photos of his children at sporting events.

Up, and Up, and Up

His initial attempts proved unsatisfying for Justin - he just wasn’t capturing the images he wanted of his kids in action. But after receiving some helpful advice from the professional photographer at these sporting events, his images became better and better. “Naturally”, says Justin, “I’m competitive so I had to figure out how to make [my images] better - and it went from there”. Over time, Justin began attracting business with his newfound photography skills. “Getting better and competing against myself is what drives me every day. I figured out that I could actually make money at this. I loved seeing the other parent’s reaction”.

As his business grew, so did the workload. Justin brought in his mother to handle much of the back-end work, processing forms, orders, and billing. Even with the extra help, though, the stress of juggling both the artistic aspect of his craft and the intricacies of running a business were taking a toll. When Justin’s mother became ill and had to take a step back in mid-2019, he remembered the pamphlet Emily had brought to him at WPPI. This was the push Justin Grafton Studios needed to once again attempt online sales.

The results showed promised right from the start. The first two high school jobs using PhotoDay saw a 100% increase in sales from previous years. Not only did Justin see more sales, but he found more time. “It blew my mind”, says Justin, “all I had to do was capture, edit, and post and then just sit back and watch sales”. He was able to use this time to focus on once again improving his skills - his focus shifted away from the business, and realigned with taking better photos.

The View from the Top

[Emily gained similar satisfaction watching him zero-in on what he loves most. “[Justin’s] talent is so under-appreciated and under-recognized. Having PhotoDay has been able to make us have the security and time to do the things he loves and thrive at [them]”.

Justin’s customers have also appreciated his turn towards online sales. With PhotoDay, there is an opportunity for sales at any time. When faced with parents who could not afford to pay for their photos right away, he was able to assure them that their photos will still be there when they are able to purchase. He was even able to use FaceFind to quickly locate a family’s photos after they had recently been lost in a house fire, and replace them at no charge to the family.

These experiences proved to be a revelation to Justin, who is now convinced the future of photography sales truly is digital. “If you don’t start learning this, you will get left behind”, warns Justin, who stresses the importance of developing trust and communication with leagues and organizations. “It’s hard to get people to buy online if you haven’t built the trust. Stay the course, and keep pushing ahead and learn”.

Innovators, game-changers, movers, shakers… trailblazers. Meet more trailblazing photographers who have tried PhotoDay and are seeing results.