Zookbinders has recently added a new page to our website called S.M.A.R.T. – Sales, Marketing, Album Resource Tool Kit. We want to help professional photographers in innovative ways. In this final blog about the S.M.A.R.T. program we will look at wedding album sales strategies. We’ll be focusing on past wedding clients who did not order a professional wedding album.
We’d love to challenge all our clients to give this marketing piece a try. So, download the brochure , get your email copy and get started.
Keep pricing simple.
When you send out your email and wedding album brochure be sure to add pricing. Showing pricing that is easy to understand will help the sale. List the starting price for your album and what is included. Have a fixed number of pages with a few options for upgrading. Keep in mind the pricing talked about here is for illustration. Your pricing should be based on your business cost and profit margins.
EXAMPLE:
Classic Album (Lustre Book)
75 Images
Photo Cover with Leather Spine
12×12 $750
10×10 $650
8×8 $550
- Canvas Cover $75
- Add Full Leather $100
- Add Acrylic $150
Create incentives.
The pricing in this offer to “albumless couples” does not necessarily have to coincide with your current packages. The client will not be comparing your 2020 pricing to what they were offered in say, 2018. You could add a higher profit margin to these “late” orders, however creating a special offer might get more couples to purchase, resulting in more income for you. Here are some wedding album sales strategies to try.
- Offer a special discount and create a sense of urgency by setting an expiration date.
- Share an exclusive anniversary offer. “Get one complimentary upgrade for your first anniversary.”
- Spend some money to make more money. Gift the couple a small canvas print or other keepsake with their album order.
- If you don’t want to spend anything, offer a complimentary family portrait session.
- Allow clients to choose any upgrade for ½ off. You may not make money on the upgrade, but you do get the sale.
- Offer 2 replica parent albums for the price of one with a wedding album purchase. Let say they are $300 each, which more than covers your cost.
Make a suggestion
Wedding album sales strategies that focus on helping your client rather than just taking an order are more successful. People look to professionals to give them guidance on what’s best. Offer a suggestion along with the brochure to personalize the offer.
Ryan and Maddie, I think a 10 x 10 professional wedding album with a canvas wrap cover would look cool with your boho themed barn wedding.
Kayla and Kevin, I loved your images so much I’m planning on making a 10×10 sample album with an acrylic cover. I was wondering if you’d be interested in a copy for yourself?
Do the math.
Let’s say you had 30 weddings and 2019 and 50% of them did not purchase a wedding album.
- You send emails and brochures to those 15 clients.
- That results in 8 people purchasing an album.
- Your pricing is set so that your average profit is $300.
- You earned and extra $2,400.
If that’s enticing maybe look at clients from 2018 and 2017?
Reach out for more!
The customizable sales brochure can go from selling wedding albums to bar and bat mitzvah albums with a little editing. Reach out to all past event clients that you have photographed> Birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, and family reunions can all be converted to album customers. You could even revisit family portraits and senior sessions.
Consider the possibility of selling a wedding album from another photographer’s images. Their loss is your gain. You may be tempted to drop the price because the images are not your own but premium wedding albums should be priced appropriately.
Our goal is to help photographers bring in additional income during this time when events and income might be slow. With wedding album sales strategies that can be easily put into place, sales from past clients can be a bonus revenue stream.