​Traditionally, albums have been the mainstay for wedding clients. They have evolved and changed over the years but are still popular among wedding couples today.

However, when digital came about, many photographers opted to go the route of offering “Digital Only Packages”. For some, this may have been in reaction to the consumer asking for “just digital images” and for others, it was just the easier option. After all, it takes a lot less work to supply a disc, USB or an online gallery at the end of the process than going through the motions of proofing and designing, re-proofing, ordering and delivering an album.

However, by offering digital only packages, it’s very possible that the beautiful moments you captured in camera that day will never see daylight. Unfortunately this is the sad reality of a digital world. Yes, they may put a few up on social media but photography is an art and art deserves to exist in a physical form. 

So you have 3 options:

1. You continue to just supply digital files to your clients knowing they may never get printed

2. You continue to offer albums to your clients and take the hit on those who don't want an album

3. You could try offering an alternative product and see the results for yourself but this requires an open mind. How open-minded are you?

When you're browsing a website and you need more information on something, what's the first thing you look for?

Very often, you have to dig around in navbars and footers for a phone number or an email address. In some cases, it feels like you need to be Sherlock Holmes to find it and it becomes very frustrating! In fact, if I struggle to find it within a minute or 2, I'll just leave.

For me, the first thing I look for is an Online Chat. If they don't have that, I will look for an email address or an online contact form and failing that, a phone number. I'm not a fan of talking on the phone, especially if I have a simple question about something and I'm not alone. For people aged 54 and below, the majority of people would prefer to use text over voice as a form of communication on a mobile device so it's no wonder that messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have become so popular.

Do you actively market to the Baby Boomer generation? If you don't, you could be missing a trick!

Marketers often forget or overlook Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964) as a marketing generation as they tend to focus on the younger generations and Millenials in particular. However, people over the age of 50 account for 51% of consumer spending and in the US, 70% of the disposable income is controlled by Baby Boomers (Nielsen, 2016).

Baby Boomers are the wealthiest age group this century and are therefore too big to ignore. They have money to spend but they want to spend it wisely. They have a reputation for being diligent and hardworking and have saved and spent wisely over the years, so it's up to you to make a case for why you would be a good match for them as a photographer.
​

Offering an unforgettable, positive experience is a great way to generate repeat business. 

In this post, we're going to explore one method we can use to enhance our clients experience of our service. 

It's important to put yourself in your client's shoes when looking at your business sales process. The experience you offer your client is absolutely critical to long term success. If you offer them an unforgettable experience, they are bound to come back in the future and buy from you again.

Also, it's highly likely that you can increase your business through referral marketing because they'll be raving about you to family and friends.

Today, I want to talk about the "Champion" of your sales process and how you can use one simple technique as a way to offer an incredible experience for your client to ensure that they will feel compelled to recommend you to their family and friends..

I know many people would regard you as their "Champion" (including me) if you offered them a hanging service for any wall art they have bought.

Rather than discounting your wall art when your clients buy more, why not offer them a free Wall Art Hanging Service? 

Offering a Wall Art Hanging Service is a great way to become a "Champion" in your client's mind. 

People won't remember what you say or do, they'll remember how you made them feel, and by giving them an exceptional experience, you're sure to be front of mind when it's time for their next shoot or when a friend is considering one.

Adding this special touch also helps you build and maintain your relationship with your clients, which is a major factor in them returning to you for future shoots not to mention referring you to others.

In my upcoming posts I'm going to be talking about how you can maximise your AOV by offering the perfect "cherry on top" product to complement your wall art sales. 

In the meantime, for more tips, hints and ways to grow your business, join our 3XM Insiders Facebook group by clicking here, or on the button below. 

Till next time!

Understanding how to better connect with your clients is critical to the sustained success of your photography business and bridging the value-gap is an important piece of the jigsaw. 

This is our third and final part in a series of posts that will discuss exactly how you can do this. 

In our first post we discussed why clients might be asking for "just the digitals" and the irritating effect it tends to have on photographers. 

In the second part, we looked at why we need to embrace the change, shift our mindset about selling digital files, and how we might adapt our offerings so that we can bridge that value-gap. 

For this final part in the series, we will explore some examples of the best way to bridge this value-gap with your clients.

Understanding how to better connect with your clients is critical to the sustained success of your photography business and bridging the value-gap is an important piece of the jigsaw. 

This is part two in a series of posts that will discuss exactly how you can do this. 

In our previous post we discussed why clients might be asking for "just the digitals" and the irritating effect it tends to have on photographers. 

In this second part, we will look at why we need to embrace the change, shift our mindset about selling digital files, and how we might adapt our offerings so that we can bridge that value-gap. 

Understanding how to better connect with your clients is critical to the sustained success of your photography business and bridging the value-gap is an important piece of the jigsaw. 

This is part one in a series of posts that will discuss exactly how you can do this. In this first part, we will look at why clients ask for digital files.

Before we look at ways to combat the "digital only dilemma", let's analyse why consumers might be asking the question in the first place.

In my analysis, I tried to remain objective, and some of what I suggest might initially hurt some people but I strongly believe that as an industry we need to wake up and smell the coffee - quickly.

I believe that we as vendors have got it wrong, that established photographers have got it wrong, that our associations have got it wrong and, that many of those teaching photography have got it wrong.

Many of us collectively fail to understand what the consumer is actually saying when they ask “What do you charge for just digitals?"

What they are actually asking is “Can I buy the digitals too?”

​Why does the consumer want the digital files?
We live in the Digital Age. Most consumers nowadays use social media in some form or another. While they may still want to buy Folio Boxes, Wall Art, Albums and Prints from you, they also want a copy of the digital files to share on their timelines, or to show friends and family when they meet for coffee. Some people also want them for safekeeping in case anything ever happens their prints or indeed the photographer who created them.

In summary:

1. They want to share it on their social
2. They want to show them to family and friends
3. They want it for "safekeeping"

Why do we not actually hear what they are saying?

It's because we have been conditioned to see ‘Danger’ when the consumer asks for "Digitals Only". 

The biological human reaction when we anticipate ‘Danger’ is for our adrenaline to start rushing, which causes us to make irrational decisions around whether we ‘fight’ or ‘flee’ instead of trying to truly understand the question, and why our prospective client is asking it.

Let’s try to change our mindset as an industry from one of ‘Danger, Danger, Danger’ to one of ‘Opportunity, Opportunity, Opportunity’, not just to survive, but to prosper.

So how can you turn the desire for digital files from the consumer into an opportunity for your photography business?

Find out in the next post... stay tuned...

P.S. Make to join our free 3XM Insiders Facebook Group here for more fantastic content. 

It can be tricky to keep up with the evolution of the modern consumer and to keep an open mind about how you should adapt your business to the ever changing landscape, especially with the speed at which technology is changing. More photographs are being taken than ever before due to the fact that everyone now has a camera in their pocket. So what does that mean for professional photographers like you?

Well for a start, we know that most consumers want a digital copy of their photos. It has become the norm. And we're glad to see that many photographers have embraced that change rather than shying away from it, but does that mean professional photography has to become a digital only service? 

Absolutely not.
​

Hi all, welcome back to the 3XM blog.
 
Today we’ll be looking at ways for the modern photographer to stay productive while working from home.
 
We’ve got a whole range of marketing tips in our previous posts, you can check them out here: Learn how to market to millennials, how to start a photography blog and different types of social media for photographers! 
 
So, onto today’s topic!
 
It’s something nearly all photographers will have to deal with at some stage – working from home.
 
There are times when you just need to get in the zone and get things done and a home office can be the perfect place to do so – provided you’ve taken the right steps!
 
So, we’re here to help, we’ve thrown together 5 easy steps you can take to ensure you’re always productive when working from your home office. 

Black Friday has long been an American tradition but it has seen a huge surge of popularity in Europe over the last number of years. Retailers and businesses everywhere are jumping on the opportunity to drum up more business and as a photographer, you can take advantage of the opportunity too.

Here are a few marketing tips for Black Friday:

1. Contact Existing or Past Clients

a. New shoots from old clients

Reach out to past clients and encourage them back for another shoot. You may want to offer them some sort of discount or other incentive to whet their appetite.

b. Create More Sales from Past Sessions

It’s a great time to get in touch with previous clients whose sessions are well and truly finished and the sale already made. It’s a good opportunity to get another sale by offering them a discount on additional prints. You might also consider offering them digital files if you feel they’ve well and truly maxed out their print and product sale, especially if you don’t usually offer them. Just make sure you sell them at an appropriate price! Remember, if the client has finished their order and is unlikely to purchase anything else in print from that session, it’s the right time to offer them the digital files. After all, you won’t be making any money from them but your clients may very well be willing to pay for them now.

Simply send out an email, a cute card in the post, drop them a text or Messenger, or maybe even pick up the phone. The thing is, if you don’t ask, you won’t get and you’ll be surprised with how many say yes!


2. Attract New Clients
If January and February tend to be quiet times of the year for you and you want to give your booking diary a boost, offer a Black Friday discount off all photoshoots booked for Jan/Feb. It’s a great way to get a few extra dates in the book in an otherwise slow period.


3. Shout about it on Social Media!
Get active on social media and make sure you promote your offer(s) to the right audience using Facebook’s targeting feature. If you have a database of past customers, upload them and create a custom audience. That way you can target them with the right advert and message. 

If you’re looking for new clients, create a Facebook lookalike audience from your existing customers (you’ll need a minimum of 100) and target them with an offer. Don’t forget to put a bit of budget behind your ads to maximise your reach – organic reach just doesn’t cut it any more unless you can magic up a brilliant video that’s destined to go viral!

Don’t forget to ensure you have your Facebook pixel in place too so you can re-target people who saw or interacted with your Black Friday promos. The more they see you, the more likely they are to take action.

So get your plan together and take advantage of one of the biggest sale days in the year! 



For more tips and tricks, join our Facebook group, 3XM Insiders