Being a full-service photographer means that you don’t just shoot the session and hand over a disc of images to your client. You go beyond that. WAY beyond that. I’m not just talking about selling prints, either. As the term implies, you are providing a full service to your clients. Here’s how:
2. Thank You
3. Prints and Products
If you’re going to own a photography business, you need to know how to put a finished-product in your clients’ hands. This may be high-quality prints (i.e. not from a discount store or drug store), a large stretch-canvas, custom engagement albums, holiday cards, calendars, mugs, ornaments, aprons, or even car decals. In other words, whatever your client chooses to put a photo on, you need to know how to do it. Sure, most of my photography sales come from canvas, albums, and cards, but I always tell my clients that if they can dream it, I can make it. There are many companies out there that provide such items, and as a full-service photographer it is our job to know which companies will provide the best results for our clients’ specific wishes. I highly recommend utilizing only professional-grade suppliers. The higher-quality products will stand out and make you look like a super-star when your clients view what you’ve created for them. Not all photographers use high-end suppliers, so this is an easy way to set yourself apart from the competition! 4. Custom Design
This goes right along with #3 above, but if you don’t already know how to use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, it’s time to get to know how to use these powerful tools! Photoshop is an invaluable piece of software for full-service photographers. It allows you to offer custom design-services for your clients, and it helps you stand out even further from your competition. Touting that I can do custom-designed "Save the Date" cards, wedding invitations, senior announcements, albums, and other things has helped drive my photography sales higher than would have otherwise been possible, and it can do the same for you. If you currently don’t know Photoshop well enough to design a card yourself, take a class, or even start by purchasing a template online and learning how the various layers and elements work. By adding custom-design services to your offerings, opportunities you haven’t even considered up to this point may one day become your bread-and-butter! 5. Viewing and Ordering Options
In our world of continually-evolving technology, as full-service photographers we must also continually adapt and update the way we do business. In the not-so-distant past we all had our clients sit around a box of 4x6 proofs, selecting the images they wanted to order larger prints from. For the most part, those days are gone, and offering an online photo gallery, such as Instaproofs, that allows you to display and sell your photography online is a must. These types of galleries provide your clients with the opportunity to view their images on their own time frame and share the images with their friends and family all across the world. Through these types of online services your clients can also order online, which gives them a chance to go home, think about their purchase, evaluate their budget, and possibly even measure the space on their wall first. I consider online galleries a necessity for my wedding business. Many people come from out of state for weddings, and they all want to see the wedding pictures when they’re ready! This works well for seniors, families, and children, too. Grandma sure loves to order updated pictures of her grandchildren for her house!
Another viewing option I provide for my clients is a custom mobile app that contains a premium selection of their images. My clients love that they can have their images on their phone to share with people. And for me, sharing = free marketing, so I love it too! Just the other day a client told me that it’s great that I offer this type of technology to my clients, and I take that as a huge compliment. Many of my clients are young people getting married and they love having a photo app.
For delivering digital images, USB drives are now my preferred method. Many computers don’t even have a disc drive anymore! When discs were the preferred method for delivering digital files, I had CDs imprinted with my logo on them. Now I offer engraved USB drives in a nice presentation box, to keep it safe. Sure, I could just offer them a digital download of their images, but an engraved USB drive that they can touch and feel provides a powerful wow-factor that a clickable-link just can’t provide.
6. Presentation and Delivery
For prints, I've seen photographers use a variety of packaging, including kraft boxes wrapped in ribbon, and boutique bags printed with their logos. Some professional printers offer boutique wrapping and packaging as add-on options when you’re purchasing prints, and these are definitely something that you should consider purchasing. When your client spends hundreds of dollars on a set of prints, the last thing you want them to think when they receive their order is “oh, is that it?” So go for it! Spend a few extra dollars and make your product shine!
The bottom line is, presentation is everything when it comes to delivery. Upscale restaurants plate their meals in a way that is pleasing to the eye as well as the stomach. High-end retail stores wrap your items for you like a present before you take them home. Photography should be the same way; think upscale to be upscale.
Full-service is the future
The age-old saying of “you can’t always get what you want” just isn’t in my vocabulary when it comes to my clients, and as a full-service photographer it shouldn't be in yours either. Gone are the days of full-service gas stations, but the days of the full-service photographer are here to stay. So spend some time getting to know your clients a little better, provide them with a service worth remembering, and do your best to make their dreams come true. The rewards for you and your business for doing this can be substantial.