How to Effectively Use a Folio

Posted on February 1, 2010
Filed Under Digital Photography, Marketing Yourself, Packaging = $$$$ | Comments Off

By (Guest Contributor) Allan Tyndell

Folios are an elegant delivery system used to advertise, market and highlight a photographer’s work. When folios are used properly, they generate revenue at no additional cost to the studio.

1. The folio gives the customer an ego boost and makes the images worth more.
2. A folio allows the student to share their photographic experience with friends.
3. Folios give the student instant gratification by the comments of their peers.
4. Senior photographs are a must have item. The need is created by the students. The more the students see their friends pictures, the greater the need to have their pictures taken.
5. Folios elevate the overall appearance of the product.
6. The folio is an easy to show item and can be easily transported.
7. The folio should always be imprinted with the studio name.
8. Folios allow the photographer to sell extra previews to the customer.
9. The extra previews that don’t go into the folio can be put into Royal Preview Packs.
10. Previews must be on your price list.
11. Photographers must sell their previews.
12. The cost of the previews with the folio must be less than just purchasing the previews.
Example: previews are $9.00 each, $72 for 8 or $69.00 for the previews and the folio.
13. The photographer should pick out the best eight photographs that they want to display to the general public.
14. After delivery, the customer is able to pick their favorite eight photographs from their original previews to put in the folio.
15. The customer receives a discount if they purchase the same folio that their previews were displayed in. Some studios lower the price of the folio by the amount of the purchase. The more money spent, the less the folio cost.
16. If the folio is purchased, the photographer can offer as a complimentary bonus, four low resolution images that can be posted on MySpace or Facebook. This gives the customer a feeling of satisfaction for their purchases.

Will Your Granchildren Be Very Upset With You?

Posted on October 20, 2009
Filed Under Digital Photography, Packaging = $$$$, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Author: Fred Molesworth, Salem, Oregon

I’m willing to bet your grandchildren will be upset with you. Here’s why. Imagine, 50 years from now, as your grandchildren or great grandchildren are going through the boxes in the attic. They are enthralled with the treasures and keepsakes they find and how they tie into the story of your life.

Amongst all the old items, they find a number of round silver objects. Some have writing on them, some are blank, but they resemble some kind of a small platter about 4″ across, with a hole in the middle.

Puzzled, they take them to their parents. “What are these, Mom?” they ask. “Oh, I think those are all of grandma’s photographs. Yep, here’s one labeled ‘My Wedding’. Here’s some more labeled ‘Family Photos,’ and some more labeled ‘Vacations’.”

“How do we look at them?” they ask.

“Well, I’m not sure we can. First of all, no one has the device that reads these anymore. Besides that, I doubt after all these years that they’re any good anymore. Being stored in the attic, the heat and cold probably ruined them.”

The kids are very disappointed. Nowhere amongst all the treasures are any actual prints. All that history is lost. Their connection with the past and all the wonderful stories that might have gone along with all those photographs are gone as well.

Along with all the wonders of our digital age come some significant problems that most people have never thought of.

Did you know that over 90% of all images taken on today’s digital cameras are NEVER PRINTED? I’m guilty of that myself. I have gigabytes of personal photographs that have never been seen other than on a computer screen.

In the old days, film went to the lab and everything that was printable was printed. Even if it was a bad photograph, it still was a hard copy, a part of your family history and it had permanence. Even if they never went in an album, they at least went into a box, to be discovered as treasures years later.

The same problem exists in professional portrait studios today. Many people are simply asking for the images on CD. “I’ll print them later” or “I’ll design my own wedding album” are common phrases. Usually this is done with the thought that they’ll save some money by doing it themselves.

But you know what? Most never make it into any kind of an album. Life gets busy and 20 years later they’ll be looking for some way to read those disks.

I bring this up only to point out the importance of what we, as a professional studio do. Our job is not just to create the images, to create wonderful story telling photographs about the people in front of our camera; it’s to create a final product, whether it be a professionally retouched and printed single image, a family heirloom wall portrait, or an incredible storybook album using a collection of the images that were created.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a wedding, a newborn baby, a senior or a family. Having the final product created for you is important. To do less is to leave the job half done and to short change the customer.

So, if you’re asked for a disk with all the images “so I can print them later”, that’s fine, just make sure your customers understand that if not printed, the conversation their grandchildren will want to have about their family history may never be able to happen.

Fred Molesworth

In addition to running a full time portrait studio in Salem Oregon, Fred Molesworth is a small business teacher and advisor, and the author of the Portrait Studio Marketing blog (www.portraitstudiomarketing.com). He’s also a nationally known business and marketing speaker in the portrait industry, and past president of the Professional Photographers of Oregon.

The Latest Innovation in CD Packaging

Posted on July 15, 2009
Filed Under Packaging = $$$$ | Comments Off

With the increase in online communication thanks to social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, to name a few, clients are now seeking low resolution images of their photo sessions to use on their internet pages. (Don’t be afraid to give them these images. The quality is not good enough for them to do anything with except to use them on their internet pages). What a great opportunity this demand presents to upsell your clients. Move them into a higher priced package by offering them unique packaging for those low resolution images.

A paper CD Sleeve is the most economical option but doesn’t hold value. A CD case is better. Numerous companies offer attractive CD folios but why not WOW your customers with the latest innovation in digital packaging? The newest digital option on the market is something called DPS from TAP. The DPS dual purpose packaging line includes folios, easel frames and albums all equipped with a patent pending retractable CD tray hidden in the back seam, allowing your images to be the focal point of the packaging, not the CD.
DPS. Digital Proofing System by TAP

In today’s economy, it is more important than ever to emphasize the perceived value of your product offerings. Your photographs are your best advertising but don’t forget - the packaging makes the first impression when your images are delivered. Make your first impressions lasting ones!

Tipping the Bride Balance Between You and Uncle Joe

Posted on June 6, 2007
Filed Under Packaging = $$$$ | Leave a Comment

Bride and Groom By the year 2009, the average wedding is expected to cost over $30,000.. The bride expects to pay just over $2,200 for the photographer. (*This is the bride’s expectation. Professional Photographer Associations have reported actual averages are much higher). If you are a wedding photographer, have you thought about what this means for you? Needless to say, $30,000 is quite a bit of money and with the cost reaching these kinds of levels, brides are looking for ways to cut costs. Unfortunately, one of the first things brides look to cut is the photographer.

I know, I know. It is not right. They will regret it. Uncle Joe doesn’t know the first thing about how to properly photograph a wedding. But lamenting this won’t stop a bride from making this choice.

So what can you do to stop her from making this choice? You have to offer her more for her $2,200 than a bag full of pictures. Uncle Joe will give her that for a chance to use and show-off his new digital camera and maybe a free meal and cocktails.

There are three things that you as the professional photographer can offer a bride that Uncle Joe can’t; eye, experience and end-result.

Eye = Know How
You need to convince the bride that your eye will capture the moments that the average Joe will miss. This means it is essential that you have a portfolio ready to show a bride. Not only should you have your best and most beautiful images ready to wow her, you need to make sure that those images are in packaging that enhances them. Using photo packaging from the start sets you apart from the Uncle Joes in the world. Not only does the packaging add more substance to your work, you can show her what is possible for her own photographs later on.

Experience = Presentation
When your bride to be comes in, do you just toss a portfolio and price sheet at her and ask her to fork over the money? If you do, that Uncle Joe just started looking like a much better option.

Throwing a price out first thing is one of the best ways you can kill a deal. You need to woo your bride. You need to make her feel like the center of the world. Ask her about what moments she wants to remember. Lead her through an imagined step by step of her wedding. Help her to see the wedding the way you will see it. Only then will you have her convinced that no one (not even Uncle Joe) will be able to capture her wedding the way you can.

End-Result = Satisfaction
Uncle Joe might be able to take the picture, but can he give her photographs that are displayed in an album made of buttery leather? Remember, to the average client, there is no reason why Uncle Joe can’t take photos that are as good as yours. As mistaken as this opinion is, you have to offer something more than a bag of pictures. Knowing that her photographs will be show-the-world ready (not to mention for her parents as well) is the little boost that you need to get her to your side of the Uncle Joe or Professional Photographer decision.

Focus on Folios

Posted on May 18, 2007
Filed Under Packaging = $$$$ | 2 Comments

By (Guest Contributor) Dave Wacker

Over the years, folios of all shapes and sizes have been the mainstay of our high school seniors’ and children’s portrait presentations. Folios have brought in thousands of dollars to our bottom line. When Mom can’t decide which of her baby’s poses to choose, we sell her a multi-opening folio, then add one for Dad’s office, and two more for the grandparents. People who say they can’t afford a 20″x24″ portrait will invest far more in a collection of folios. Folios fit everyone’s home or office. There is always room for a folio on the shelf, desk, or in an entertainment system.

All the folios we sell feature our gold-embossed logo, which makes them effective marketing pieces. Folios have become an even stronger marketing tool since we started entering folio competitions. When we win an event, we bring the subjects to our studio and photograph them with the winning folio, the awards, and our photographer. We give them the folio, the ribbon, and take them to dinner.

Word spreads as they share the news with friends and family. We follow up with a newspaper ad thanking them for helping us create another Best in Show, and display their images on our website.

Despite predictions of a decline in folio sales with digital capture and paperless image presentation, we’re seeing the opposite. Digital photography allows us to offer seniors so many must-have images that 8-up folios are no longer the standard; 12-up and 16-up folios and books with 20 images have become the norm. Folios displaying 22″x11″ composites are getting the most attention. The incremental sales of folios and composites have raised our average significantly.

Packaging presentation items have become an asset to sales, rather than a business expense. We have raised our annual gross, in spite of the population decline. More income, less work: a formula that works for us.

Dave Wacker, owner of Photography by J.D., a family studio in business for 101 years through four generations, is co-author of The Wackers’ Digital Cookbook & CD, a PPA Affiliated Juror, and an international lecturer. This article was originally published in Studio Photography magazine. All images in this article are copyrighted by Dave Wacker.

It’s The Little Extras That Make The Difference: Adding To Your Photo Packaging

Posted on March 23, 2007
Filed Under Packaging = $$$$ | 11 Comments

Details For most photographers, over half of your clientele is probably requesting that you record a major event in their life. Most of the photographable events are typical ones, like Graduation, Weddings, Birth of a New Baby and Religious Ceremonies. The one important thing about all of these events is that to your client, these events are the most important things in the world.

When you are trying to impress a client and make your service a memorable one, one of the best things you can do is to make your client feel that this very important event in their life is also a very important event in your life as well.

This may seem like a major task, but in reality it is not. It is amazing how easy it is to help your clients feel that you care about them and the events in their lives. One very easy way is through how you package your photos.

Let’s say that your client hires you to take their child’s senior portrait. A very simple action of making sure they get the final package all tied up with ribbons that match the school colors of the child will make it abundantly clear that you have more invested in that client that snapping a few photos. It shows that you took time to find out just a little more. For you, it takes all of two seconds to look up this fact, but for your client it means you care.

Another example would be when you are photographing a brand new baby. There is nothing in the world more proud than a new parent. One little inexpensive touch you can add is to include a small print of their new baby in an easel mount or frame. These make it so that the parents can immediately have a sharable picture of their child. It can go in a purse or on a desk. It is something they didn’t ask for, but you know it is important to them and you show that they are important to you when you do it. Not to mention that if your logo is imprinted on the print or mount, your studio will look good to all of the people that pround parent will show the photo to.

With wedding clients, you have a whole slew of things you can do for your client. One of my favorites is to provide “stress reliever treats” in the initial discussion meetings. Giving your client a small tube of perfumed lotion or a scented sachet with a comment on how you realize that this is a stressful time and you are there to help make it easier, will help to make your client feel like you are there for them and not just their checkbook.

Ornaments also make the packaging special for any occasion. I pick up little themed ornaments from my local craft store in bulk and attach them to the box I used for final packaging. Little booties for babies, senior caps for graduations and bells for weddings are tied onto the box with stylish ribbons. These make for little inexpensive extras that make a big impression on the clients.

Can you think of a few little extras that you can do to help make your client’s feel special? Do you have some little extras that you do that you could share with me?

What Do You Know About Your Photography Client?

Posted on March 13, 2007
Filed Under Packaging = $$$$ | 12 Comments

What very few people realize is that marketing and packaging (since packaging is really just an extension of marketing) is actually little more than catering to what you know about your intended audience. Believe it or not, chances are you know quite a bit about your intended audience, even if they have just walked through the door of your studio and you just met them 30 seconds ago.

The first thing you know is a universal truth about professionals and their clients. You know that the chances are good that your client knows, comparatively speaking, little to nothing about photography.

You also know that your client is most likely someone who is more interested in quality, as opposed to cost. Let’s face it, if your client was more interested in the cost of getting a picture taken, than how good that picture would look, they would have headed out to their local Wal-Mart and gotten the $9.95 sitting done there. This client chose to step into your studio because they are looking for something more than cheap. They are looking for quality.

You know if they are a man or a woman (hopefully). And I would be willing to bet that it is most likely a woman. Woman are frequently in charge of luxury purchases within a household. Women tend to be more concerned with luxury and the perceived quality of an item.

So, chances are, what we know is the client you will most likely talk to is a woman who is looking for perceived quality and she does not know what makes a photograph a quality photograph.

This is where packaging comes in. Most consumers depend on their senses to help them decipher whether a product is quality. There are certain things that most consumers would agree are signals of quality.

Some of these things are:

Does the product have heft or how substantial does it feels when you pick it up?
The feel of the exterior… is it soft, silky, slippery, rough or what?
The smell of the product. Does it smell pleasant or does it reek?
Is it pleasing to eye? Are the colors and lines what you would expect?

As photographers, we have the “pleasing to the eye” part nailed. The rest… well, that is how your photo packaging can help. Mats, mounts, print boxes, albums and frames help to add that weight and feel the client may unconsciously equate to quality and value. Making sure these items are made of high quality materials that feel nice will give them the textures that their fingers crave.

In the next article, I will talk about some easy yet novel ways you can add a little extra to make your photo packaging have even more impact.

Taking Packaging Tips from the Big Dogs

Posted on February 27, 2007
Filed Under Packaging = $$$$ | 12 Comments

By (Guest Contributor) Greg Stangl M. Photog Cr., CPP

Packaging Tips from the Big Dogs America’s consumers are becoming increasingly interested in purchasing upscale products. From automobiles like BMW to lingerie at Victoria’s Secret, the middle market consumer is willing to pay a premium price for goods and services that reflect quality and innovation. This trend is fueled by the real rise in discretionary income in certain population segments and can also be seen as a sign of conspicuous consumption.

According to Michael Silverstein and Neil Fiske in their book Trading Up, “Consumers today are willing to pay a significant premium for goods and services that are emotionally important to them and deliver the perceived values of quality, performance and engagement.”

However, independent portrait studios have been slow to receive this message. In a article in Shutterbug magazine, Maria Piscopo wrote: “The retail outlets continue to devalue the portrait experience and the perceived value of the product. The average portrait photographer must either turn toward the upscale market or the mass market.”

Many photography studios try to offer a product that has neither a price nor an emotional benefit. Today’s upscale consumers are simply not motivated or interested in the middle of the road studio.

One real way to add value at the end of the portrait experience is through the use of upscale packaging. Premium packaging is a combination of both form and function. It is a marriage of aesthetics and functionality that works and promotes the images within. Your choice of packaging is the link between the customer and the portraiture.

Although today’s sophisticated consumers will not succumb to the packaging only, it is often the packaging that puts the studio and the images over the top. There is a saying among marketing professionals, “It’s the package that will get you there, but it’s the product that will keep you there.”

The world is full of companies that have remade their brand with upscale packaging. Maybelline Incorporated unveiled its “Revitalizing” range of make-up packaging whose white, black and gold color theme conjured up visions of Chanel. The brand is priced about 35% higher than its traditional offerings.

Gosling’s Black Seal Rum introduced new packaging that highlights the increasing importance of shelf and back bar presentation. There is a renewed emphasis by this brand on elegance and the need to visually communicate their upscale personality.

Even restaurants are getting into the trend by offering upscale doggy bags to their clients. Today more guests are opting to take home leftovers from their restaurant meals according to a survey by American Demographics magazine. They discovered that 62% of diners leave restaurants carrying a doggie bag. As more guests choose to take home leftovers after a meal, operators are offering customers unique packaging to prolong dining enjoyment. Glastones Malibu has their waiters wrap leftover foods in gold foil made to look like crabs or handbags. The Cheesecake factory offers its leftovers in reusable plastic bags that prominently display the company’s logo on the front and back.

Leftovers!?! These companies, these very sucessful companies, are investing money in packaging leftovers. They are doing this because they understand the value of packaging and we should take a few notes from their book.

Get a little creative. Be a little fun. Make your packaging memorable. Most importantly, pay attention to how you package. The results will pay off in dividends.

How the Digital Era Affects Photo Packaging

Posted on January 25, 2007
Filed Under Packaging = $$$$ | 20 Comments

By (Guest Contributor) Greg Stangl M. Photog Cr., CPP

Digital camera lens Last time, I wrote about why photo packaging is important. Today, I want to talk about one of the biggest things affecting our industry, the digital era.

As digital technologies progress, photographic presentations are changing. Single-image prints are being replaced with multiple-image montages in increasing numbers. As photographers put more time, energy and effort into not only their originals, but also into creating the final images, they are looking for ways to reduce the overall time they put into their creations. One way many photographers accomplish this is by reducing the amount of time they need to invest in assembling their final presentations.

To this end some photographers have selected to give up a portion of their profits by allowing others to create the collage images or assemble their albums. However, savvy business photographers are looking for ways to keep those profits inhouse by finding simpler ways to produce their final presentations with options that showcase their images. This trend seems to be especially true with albums.

When we introduce premium display options to the client we are servicing both their needs and ours. Our goals as professional photographers are many, we work hard to satisfy our clients with creative images that capture memories, but we also owe it to the success of our businesses to do that in a professional, profitable manner.

A photographer’s mission is to combine portraiture with packaging to provide value greater than the sum of the parts.

The use of premium packaging creates instant impact with the client. It enhances the “wow” factor and gives the product a finished look. In my opinion, it’s the packaging and presentation that puts the images over the top. Packaging really reflects what your brand ultimately is.
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In short, our goal is to turn pictures into profits and customers into satisfied clients. Great packaging offers you the chance not only of making a good first impression but a lasting one.

How is a Photographer Like a Florist

Posted on January 23, 2007
Filed Under Packaging = $$$$ | 13 Comments

It’s not magic, simply common sense and a little extra effort.

By (Guest Contributor) Greg Stangl M. Photog Cr., CPP

So what is the biggest difference between the amateur and professional photographer?

In my mind, the amateur’s images usually end up stored in shoe boxes or hidden in a computer file somewhere. A professional photographer’s images are displayed everywhere, in wedding albums, on the mantel, and on the wall.

An easy way to make sure your images end up displayed rather than in a shoe box (and, incidentally, add to your bottom line) is not only to provide your clients with images, but also with completely finished presentations including folders, frames and albums.

As a photographer, I want the images that I create to be seen and enjoyed by everyone. As a business person, I want the images to be shown at their best and displayed properly. If you think about it, the professional photographer’s situation is similar to a florist. The florist gains profits, not merely from the flowers she offers, but from the entire presentation she provides.

As an example, imagine a beautiful collection of flowers in an artistic arrangement with decorative highlights and ribbons plus a nice gift card. Now picture the same combination without the vase or the other accessories? What have you got?

It’s nowhere near the same product artistically or profitably. Without the vase and the rest of the detail, those flowers just do not have the same impact. This is exactly what albums, folios and frames can do for our portraiture. Just as the florist wants their flowers presented in the right vase, I want my photographic images on display in the best presentations.

“The key to increased profits is providing the client with complete presentations, ready to display, not just photographic prints.”

Be sure to tune in for the next post when I will continue to discuss why a professional photographer should invest in packaging and presentation for their work.

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