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Part of the excitement when taking your business online is using data to help better understand customers and their journeys. We’re able to collect feedback in ways paper-based studios could only dream about. Having an online marketing strategy is important to your success. When executed properly, you can get more creative and offer more image options to your customers - all the while simplifying your backend workflow!

Combining PhotoDay’s text marketing with a fully mobile experience, you are able to continuously bring your customers back to your galleries. This can help mitigate diverted attention spans, and bring eyes continuously to your photos. Here’s a few interesting facts that may help answer some questions you may have had along the way.

When do customers typically purchase?

Customers will typically purchase around the late morning and early afternoon, centering around 12pm. There is also a spike in sales to be found in the mid to late evenings on weekdays. Keep in mind that the auto-SMS reminder series will deploy to galleries all over PhotoDay according to when the gallery was first published. The initial publish text will deploy the minute you first change your gallery status to Published, and will mark the beginning of the automated SMS series. So we definitely recommend publishing your galleries when sales tend to peak! Additionally, if you need an extra push, our customer success team works Monday through Friday to help plan custom text messages that target specific needs for each job. This means we’re working individually with each and every PhotoDay user to ensure 100% success!

Are they using their phone, computer, or tablet?

Clearly, mobile is king with nearly 87% of all PhotoDay visitors accessing the platform from their smartphone. Focusing on staying in front of customers and implementing mobile marketing strategies is what’s going to be most important in this case. The experience should be simple and straight-forward, driving customers to check out in as few steps as possible.

Apple vs. Android

This one is just for fun. PhotoDay has worked to provide the same great experience on any device your customer might be using, but Apple has shown to be the clear winner among mobile-using parents of school-aged children. 82% of all mobile PhotoDay users are using an Apple device!

GIVE EACH CUSTOMER THEIR VERY OWN PRIVATE GALLERY, ALL WITHIN THE SAME JOB

Adhere to these policies by working in tandem with our private galleries - which give each individual their own sub-galleries and exclusive access codes. These codes can still be texted to our PhotoDay short code (90738) for immediate access to their photos. Check out a demo here.

PUT THAT FALL DATA TO WORK ON SPRING PICTURE DAY

Did you use another software option to capture data and images last season? You can import that information right into PhotoDay, and along with FaceFind, it will group your photos exactly where they need to go. Your featured photos become this year’s reference photo. With PhotoDay Capture, you are only required to check individuals in who were not present in the fall. Spring picture day just got a lot easier!

PROOFING JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT EASIER

Sorting images and data can be a tiresome process with other software. Add to that attempting to direct families to your online galleries, only to have to process individual orders once again, and you have a recipe for stress. PhotoDay eliminates all of that with its private galleries. As a studio, you can use your private galleries as an online proof sheet, with printable flyers that can be used to direct your customers right to your photos.

CAPTURE DATA FOR CREATING PERSONALIZED COMPOSITES ON THE FLY

Don’t have rosters or data in advance? You can still put the barcode scanners aside. Simply use PhotoDay Capture during your event to add the individual’s name and other relevant information to your PhotoDay job. Then, export the data and images later! The generated CSV file can be easily modified and used alongside Pixnub’s Sports Photo Automation, or Next Gen Photo Solution’s system to create and personalize your custom graphics.

SIMPLIFY AND EXPEDITE THE ENTIRE "LEAGUE BUY" PROCESS

Much like managing data for custom composites, PhotoDay Capture is your go-to solution for creating all of your bulk pre-purchased packages. Set up a group or public gallery, and sell AdvancePay credits for multiple poses, buddy photos, and more. Then, set up a private gallery to manage league-buy packages, and then export to your lab for easy processing. It couldn’t possibly get any more simple! Chat with us and get setup today

!Stop putting in extra work, and utilize the latest in technology to make your picture day workflow a whole lot better. We promise you’ll love it!

Update: Live Preview is now available with all of our partner labs

Ever since we first conceptualized PhotoDay, we envisioned a product that included several key items we wanted to bring our potential studios and their customers. While quite a few of those items were quickly introduced in the months after our initial launch, there was one key feature that acted as our “white whale”, of sorts - a feature that had been requested many times over from our studios since the very beginning.

Today, PhotoDay is proud to announce the first phase in rolling out Live Preview - a long-awaited addition to our product that allows your customers to preview how their final customizable items will look before they’re added to the cart!

NOT ALL ITEMS ARE THE SAME

Customizable products such as memory mates, magnets, and buttons are offered by all of our partner labs as part of an effort to give their studios options that will satisfy customers. Options can include theming options, colored backgrounds, swappable photos, and even text - providing a product that is truly personalized for the buyer.

WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET

For select products, customers will be able to see how their personalizations will appear before they click the checkout button. Alterations can be made and typos can be fixed right from the customization screen!

THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

Right now, this first phase rollout of Live Preview is only for select products from Reedy Photo. Studios using those labs will immediately have these options available to their customers when purchasing memory mates, magnets, buttons, and trading cards. We are currently working to expand the reach of this feature to our remaining labs and a larger product range, so be sure to stay tuned - we don’t plan on slowing down!

For a more in-depth view on how Live Preview works, check out this article here. And for more information on Live Preview updates, be sure to bookmark our Version Updates page to keep up to date!

Update: Live Preview is now available with all of our partner labs

Leaping into the Future

“The best way to predict the future is to create it” – Peter Drucker

Stella Crase of MiniPros Sports Photos and Onsite Photography happened to be in Nashville in January 2018, where she attended PhotoDay’s official announcement to the professional photography industry.

“When I first learned of PhotoDay, I thought it was a great tool for photographers new to volume photography, but I felt it was too risky to take my business online hoping they would order later.”

Stella initially earned her degree in business, and ended up working in catering sales. After having two small children, she switched gears to teach seventh grade science, due to the more family-friendly work hours. Still though, her career path didn’t feel right. In search of an opportunity that would accommodate all of her needs as a wife, mother, and businesswoman, Stella parted ways with teaching. During this time, she began working with a friend in need of help with her photography business. Within a couple of months, this friend offered to sell the business to Stella. After reviewing the numbers from one of the large fall leagues that were shot, her answer was a resounding YES!

“The previous owner was still film-based in 2005. I bought an entire company in a box - backdrops, cameras, supplies and all. I knew nothing about photography, but I knew business. I did a Google search looking for photo templates and stumbled upon Group Photographer’s Association. We had a great call, and I ended up at GPA’s annual conference. The education and networking that happened were the finishing touches I needed to really take off. The rest is history!

”Today, Stella captures milestone memories of over twelve-thousand athletes, dancers, and students per year.

“Now that my kids are grown and college has been paid for - I’m looking into the future. I want to make my business more efficient and free up even more of my time so I can enjoy more of life outside of work.”

In the Spring of 2019, Stella’s office manager left the company. After gazing at the stacks of paper forms that were piling up due to the increased workload, she hoped for a better solution.

“I went to Lake Tahoe for a few weeks over the summer. I took some time to think about how I was going to leap into fall without falling on my face. My revelation was PhotoDay! PhotoDay was how I would conquer this fall.”

Stella first tried PhotoDay that spring when AdvancePay was introduced. She admits she didn’t market it as well as she could have initially, but the experience gave her more ideas on how PhotoDay could eventually fit into her business. As fall quickly approached, Stella made the decision to move all of her smaller and medium-sized leagues over, utilizing PhotoDay’s AdvancePay feature to prevent any potential loss of sales. All in all, she's pleased with the results!

*PhotoDay orders can contain multiple siblings per order.

By offering multiple poses, she was able to give parents more options from which to choose - which resulted in higher sales! With both the football and soccer leagues, Stella offered three poses per athlete, as opposed to only one pose in 2018.

“PhotoDay has been an incredible asset to my business. Workflow wise, I no longer have to pick the best image, jot it down on a form, scan, and submit to the lab. I already feel like I am ahead in sales this fall, and I cannot wait to tally it up and dive into my full results. I don’t feel like I need to replace my office assistant position. I’m now looking into streamlining my editing process so I can continue to create and expand my image inventory. I cannot wait to try it with my dance schools this spring!”

Advice from Stella:

The ability to capture and sell multiple poses is a huge benefit. PhotoDay’s FaceFind and tagging allow parents to easily find their own images. Be sure to take full advantage of this!

If you are new to volume photography, just go all in. Start with PhotoDay and skip the forms altogether.

‍Communicate AdvancePay. It guarantees participation and sales.

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

“Leverage new technology to increase profits.”

These are the words tech guru, artist, and visionary Brian Derenski uses to describe the manner in which he’s growing his business successfully. It all began on the sidelines, while he took photos of his own child during their games. Curiously, this led to other parents asking if he’d photograph their children as well - beginning a small side venture for Brian. This all changed when he noticed the contracted league photographer taking photos of his son’s baseball team. Brian could tell he had a great way with kids, but he looked extremely overwhelmed. To help out, Brian gave him a card, and the very next week, the two of them were photographing an entire soccer league. Over time, the two became business partners. After experiencing a lot of initial success, the league photographer left their business to pursue commercial work - this left Brian in the position of sole owner and operator of his studio. Without looking back, he has taken on everything, serving as his own graphic designer, marketer, shooter, and editor. His versatile talents have created a unique photography business focused primarily on school sports and senior portraits.

Putting Together a Team

Brian was eager to get away from paperwork and order forms. After piecing together a few different digital services, he stumbled upon PhotoDay. After working with it for some time, Brian fell in love with its use of cutting edge technology to get directly in front of the customer, being able to update his entire volume photography workflow without sacrificing the profitable studio package.

A Solution

Brian tells the story of one specific team to explain how PhotoDay has saved him time, while also increasing his sales -

In 2018, he photographed a baseball team that had been unhappy with their previous photographer. The main complaint from parents was that they were unable to choose from an array of poses for their child. The interim solution Brian proposed involved creating a posing sheet from which parents could choose which poses they wanted - however, this led to a grueling, stressful shoot, taking almost four minutes per player to capture these poses. He later described the whole situation as “a nightmare”.

This changed in 2019 when Brian went back to the very same league, with one very notable adjustment to his strategy: PhotoDay. With the ability for parents to choose which poses they wish to purchase after the photos are taken, time and stress were greatly reduced for both himself and parents. As he said, “the multi-pose thing is gold with PhotoDay. It drives sales”.

A sales comparison‍

This table here shows an example of one baseball club photographed by Brian in both 2018 and 2019. After adopting PhotoDay in 2019, he saw his total sales jump by over $500, even with nine less orders than the previous year. This is explained by his average order value skyrocketing from $33.25 to $50.35!

Advice

“The longer you wait to answer someone, the less likely they are to care about the answer.” Brian believes strongly in communication and uses marketing to drive his business. The vast majority of his senior portrait clients are of individuals he has previously photographed on a team. Brian advises asking leagues for a full roster with contact information so that studios can directly contact parents and explain how their picture day works. Once a studio has this information, following up with customers with reminders and special offers becomes that much easier.

Forward Drive

Brian has so fully incorporated PhotoDay into his business that he’s including it into his sales pitch for leagues. When a new league or team reaches out to him via his website, they are led to a page explaining how PhotoDay work. His website even includes several of PhotoDay’s educational videos, helping potential clients familiarize themselves with the process!

For these next steps, Brian has decided to pursue some new business. He had always shied away from volume school photography due to the large workload but now feels that PhotoDay has simplified things to a point where he can pursue those clients as well as larger leagues he had previously given up.

‍“I like to call PhotoDay my ‘Force Multiplier.’ It multiplies me times an exponent that now I can go out there and get way more than I was capable of doing before because it’s so much faster.”

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

Anyone who knows PhotoDay knows that we like to make a BIG SPLASH with whatever we do. But, for the rollout of PhotoDay 2.0, we kept it on the down-low for the past few weeks, sharing the news only with our users. But, today the wait is over, and I can finally shout from the rooftops - PHOTODAY 2.0 IS HERE!!! Read on to learn what PhotoDay 2.0 means for you:

#1 MORE SALES OPPORTUNITIES WITH EXPANDED GALLERIES

PhotoDay 2.0 has reimagined our online workflow and sales platform so that it can be used for just about every type of photography job: schools, sports, activities, parties, events, portrait sessions...and everything in between! We built 2.0 from the bottom up - we took what worked for volume sports and expanded the gallery types for three different privacy levels - Private Galleries, Group Galleries, and Public Galleries. Learn more about each of these gallery types.

#2 MAGICAL IMAGE MATCHING WITH PHOTODAY CAPTURE

We've created an awesome new mobile app - PhotoDay Capture - that photographers can use on picture day with our new private galleries to automatically match people data with professional photos using FaceFind, our face recognition technology. Studios no longer have to worry about image numbers, bar codes, or shooting tethered. PhotoDay Capture makes sure that the right people data gets matched with the right images. Watch the below video to see PhotoDay Capture in action. Learn more about PhotoDay Capture.

#3 FREE PHOTO & DATA EXPORTS

You can now export photos and data in 3 formats: .CSV – alpha-numeric data, Service Items – photos plus alpha-numeric data, and PSPA Yearbook – photos plus alpha-numeric data. We wanted to give our studios maximum flexibility to take their magically matched data + images with them to create other school-specific products.

#4 QUICKER START WITH OUR NEW JOB SET-UP TOOL

We streamlined job set-up to make it super-easy to set up any job with any of the new gallery access types, AdvancePay, price sheets, offers, and more.

There you have it - the highlights of PhotoDay 2.0 - but there's so much more to see! Sign up for PhotoDay or login to your Studio Panel today to experience the all-new PhotoDay for yourself. And, as always, if you have any questions, chat us up in the little blue bubble! We always love to hear from studios who want to transform their business with the only online platform that has built-in marketing tools to help you drive more sales and work less (for real!!!).

The first week of the “season” for school and sports team photographers is usually smooth. It’s a clean slate. As the weeks go on though, there are rain-outs, make up days, internal staffing drama- these small issues can pile up quickly and before you know it, so does the paperwork. The nightmare of paperwork can cause stress, negativity and headaches, none of which lead to happy photographers or great photos.

PhotoDay can prevent the paperwork piles and the stress, but communication and preparation are key. Before you start working with a new organization, make sure to ask the following questions:

‍How do you communicate the schedule with parents? Email? Text? App? Social Media?

How often do you communicate information regarding important dates with parents?

Can you add picture day information to those channels?

What type of information (files) can I provide to make this easier? (HTML link, PDF flyer, JPG file for social, etc)

Who do I send this information to?

Do you have an official or unofficial “team mom” or manager?

Can you copy me on all communications regarding picture day so I can stay proactive and follow up communications and make picture day a success?

Is there a place for me to hang posters parents will see in the weeks leading up to Picture Day?

Can I have a roster with contact information?

What are your biggest complaints about previous picture days?

‍The sooner you have that information, the sooner you can start your marketing campaign, not just to the league and coaches, but to parents directly.We asked some of our trailblazers, photographers who really take PhotoDay to the next level, to share their thoughts on how PhotoDay has changed the way they prepare for picture day.

How has PhotoDay changed the way you prepare for upcoming picture days?

Sue Ann Cannon

I don’t have to spend time and postage printing envelopes. I no longer have to go drop off envelopes and pick them back up. Even though my marketing has changed pre-picture day, I have less marketing cost. Personally, I have a lot less stress worrying about completing all of these tasks before the season starts.

Doug Owens

PhotoDay has completely changed everything about the way I prepare for picture days.  In the past I would completely freak out about the upcoming shoot. From hiring or finding help to accepting credit/debit card payments, filling and running checks, filling out and assisting with order forms and so on. Now with PhotoDay, other than sending out my contact an email with said league/team announcing the event with a text code, there’s not much for me to do. This allows me to be personable with parents and players, chat up what I do and offer, and get everyone excited about things to come!

Jay & Carinna Boatwright

Before we only took photos of the kids who had an order form in hand. Some organizations had less than 60% participation. Now we use the flyer system and AdvancePay credits, and we assume everyone will have their photo taken - and we check Insights to see if my contact has even sent out the information. We can reach back out and push the information out again if we don’t see enough opt ins. It keeps them accountable. For the organizations who opt to use picture day as a fundraiser and elect to receive a % of sales back, we increase the fundraising amount based on participants (opt-ins) & purchases and the amount of athletes they have registered.

Becky Desenti

I don’t have to worry about order forms, AT ALL! It’s so much easier to communicate with parents - and the way I explain it to the coach- Once we take your athlete’s photos - you don’t deal with ANYTHING else! It’s totally hands-free for the organization!

Arch Boothe

One of the big changes I’ve noticed is that I have become much more proactive from the start. Our industry is maturing, and I feel we must move in this direction sooner rather than later. In the past, I’d meet with the event organizers and drop off order forms. The first question I’d ask is what the issues were in the past. Many of these issues can be addressed with PhotoDay. The most important question I ask is “Who is responsible for all of the marketing and content?”. For example, with one of my organizations I work with various directors for the multiple sports-- but there is also just one person who controls all of their marketing and content. That’s the person we all need to look for and provide all the resources they need to effectively communicate picture day.

Paul Duke

Everything is different. Before PhotoDay - we had to lay out forms, figure out what we were selling and get them printed. Then we had to deliver the forms. We needed to get rosters for the kid’s names in advance. We need less staff at events now, so scheduling is a lot easier!

General Colin Powell once said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” He probably wasn’t talking about picture day, but anyone who has run a picture day knows that it can sometimes feel like a war. At PhotoDay, we’re here to help you win the war and be the most successful you can be.

Today is a BIG DAY for us as we proudly announce Bay Photo as our sixth lab partner. Bay is a powerhouse in our industry, leading the way with innovative photographic print and photo finishing services for over 40 years. Their focus on quality products, impeccable service, and technology make them an ideal partner for PhotoDay.

“We needed an online workflow and sales solution that didn’t just meet the needs of our studios but also anticipated the future of our entire industry, which was a tall order,” said Larry Abitbol, Bay Photo founder and president. “We chose PhotoDay because of its flexible, well-thought-out features for today, and its unrelenting focus on innovating for tomorrow.”

The bottom line is that Bay Photo knows the pro photography market - they’ve served school, sports, portrait, and event photographers for years as a full-feature, full-strength photo product manufacturer. They also know that the secret to success goes beyond providing top products and services. They look to intuition and data to make decisions that best serve their studios - and they know that the latest technology, applied smartly, is an essential ingredient. We couldn’t be more excited to bring Bay Photo onboard.

Our founders Jon Dantes and Rainer Flor have worked with Bay for years before PhotoDay was even conceived.  Jon, PhotoDay’s CEO shared, “The folks at Bay have always been our friends, but now they’re PhotoDay family. This milestone means a lot to all of us.”

WHY BAY PHOTO + PHOTODAY?

100% Online & Mobile

People manage every aspect of their lives from their online, mobile devices. That’s why more schools and leagues are requiring photographers to have an online ordering system. Now, studios who love Bay can give today’s parents the experience they want!

Awesome Customer Experience

The entire PhotoDay + Bay ordering experience is designed to be quick and convenient for customers. Parents can browse photos of their child in different poses/expressions and then choose from a wide selection of Bay products and packages, beautifully displayed and easily customized with themed graphics, multiple photos, and more.

More Choices = Higher Sales

With the ability to marry multiple expressions with a wide range of quality photo products, studios who use PhotoDay are seeing record high order values.

End-to-End Marketing

The key to successful online sales is marketing. Marketing drives everything from participation to order conversion to reorders. PhotoDay’s integrated marketing system kicks in as soon as the customer texts in one simple access code. Customers get alerts right on their phones about AdvancePay offers, gallery access, special discounts and more. We make it super easy for studios to set up price sheets, discount offers, and seasonal promotions, increasing the number of orders, average order values, and total sales $$$!

Central Fulfillment & Direct Delivery

Bay Photo orders are fulfilled out of their state-of-the art facilities in Springfield, Missouri, and Scotts Valley, California. As soon as an order is placed, the order information will go immediately to Bay Photo for processing - and then ship directly to the customer. This seamless flow dramatically speeds up the time it takes from placing an order to receiving the products.

No Upfront Costs

PhotoDay is free to sign up – so it’s super low-risk for photographers to give it a try. It all starts with one job. The PhotoDay and Bay teams are on hand to help with the initial setup to ensure that each job is a success.

Get ready to transform your business with Bay + PhotoDay - give your customers the ease and convenience they expect...and deserve! Sign up for Bay + PhotoDay today – it’s FREE to get started!

Do you usually collect money upfront for picture day? Does the idea of not walking away from picture day with a big sack of cash and checks terrify you? What if I told you that with just a little patience, you can actually earn more!

Taking your business online isn’t just a new workflow, it requires a complete shift in thinking about cash flow for your business. With online sales, you can sell, before, during, and even LONG after picture day. There are many more opportunities to stay in front of your customers with text marketing, gallery offers, custom promos, and many of the other marketing resources we provide here at PhotoDay.

We call this the PhotoDay Sales Tail. We have over a year’s worth of order data that we’ve analyzed. From the data, we were able to find out the percentage earned each day after the gallery publish date for a month’s worth of total order sales. And, here’s what we found:

Our data showed that 80% of total sales for a job come in the first two weeks. The remaining 20% came in the last two weeks! PhotoDay users are bringing in sales up until the end of the month and are seeing OVERALL BOOSTS IN REVENUE AND PROFITS TO THEIR BOTTOM LINE - see for yourself.

‍Why does this work? You're creating a whole new experience for your customers. You're bringing picture day to them - and you're able to continually engage with them personally using text marketing and offer incentives. You're also giving them the chance to view a wider variety of photos, pick the pictures they want, customize packages and product... the more flexibility, options, and convenience you give them, the more they will buy. Remember, also, that with PhotoDay there’s no batching orders or waiting until the end of the month. You get paid every time a customer places an order - and your lab gets paid immediately too - so no big lab bills are looming.

PhotoDay concentrates on helping you run your business more efficiently and drive more sales. We know the move to online selling is new for many of you, so be sure to check out our other blog posts to help smoothen the transition. We'll help you navigate through setting up your first job, giving you sales advice, and much more. Check out our posts 5 Ways to Take Your Business Online Without Risking Sales and Sell Sooner. Sell More. Sell Smarter!

‍Interested in taking your business online? Check out PhotoDay here - it’s free to get started!