As a photographer, your service doesn’t have to come to an abrupt end with delivering images to your clients in an online gallery like Pic-Time. Instead, this should just open up a new beginning for your clients to re-experience their wedding, elopement or portrait session – this time seeing themselves in your photos.

Because of this, when clients (and their families and friends) access your Pic-Time gallery, it presents a real opportunity to enhance their experience even more and give them options of things to buy from you – helping you to increase your sales for the year. This is where physical product sales come in – and now we can talk about the power of print!

Offering high-quality print products can significantly enhance your revenue and provide your clients with tangible memories they’ll cherish for years. Pic-Time is a powerful tool that can help you streamline this process, but to maximize its potential, you need more than just a great platform—you need a strategic approach.

In this blog post, we’ll explore effective strategies to increase your print sales using Pic-Time, based on real-world experiences and proven techniques.

Introduction to Pic-Time

Real quick if you’re not already super familiar, Pic-Time is a popular online gallery platform designed for photographers to deliver images to their clients in a sleek, professional way. But beyond image delivery, Pic-Time provides a robust suite of tools to help photographers increase sales through integrated print stores and built-in email marketing campaigns (called “Campaigns” and “Automations”).

What Pic-Time Does Best:

• Beautiful Image Galleries: Delivering a seamless client experience through stunning, mobile-friendly galleries.
• Integrated Print Store: Offering a variety of print products directly from your gallery, including albums, canvases, and small prints.
• Automated Email Marketing: Built-in email campaigns that automatically promote your print products to clients, helping you generate passive sales after the images are delivered.

While these features can certainly make print sales easier, they work best when supported by additional marketing efforts. By setting the stage for print sales early and consistently engaging with clients about your products, Pic-Time becomes a powerful tool for converting interest into revenue.

The Print Sales Challenge: Why Pic-Time Alone Isn’t Enough

As we’ve now mentioned, Pic-Time offers an array of features, including built-in email marketing campaigns and an intuitive online store. However, relying solely on these features without additional marketing efforts may yield inconsistent sales (or honestly – none at all).

The key reason is simple: if clients aren’t aware of or excited about your print products, they’re less likely to make a purchase, especially when cheaper alternatives are readily available at big-box stores like Wal-Mart or CVS.

To get more print sales through your Pic-Time store, it’s going to require a little bit of work on your end to set up a process that facilitates your clients learning more about what you have to offer…but this can translate into a lot of extra sales revenue coming into your business if done well.

So – let’s talk about a few key things you should be doing from your Pic-Time store set up to actual marketing efforts to make this happen!

Strategy 1: Implement Significant Markups

One effective pricing strategy is to apply a substantial markup on your print products—think in the range of 300% to 500%, or even more. This might seem steep, but higher prices can:

• Differentiate your offerings from low-cost, mass-produced prints.
• Convey a sense of luxury and exclusivity, appealing to clients seeking premium products.
• Ensure a healthy profit margin, making the effort worthwhile.

In our photography businesses, this change has been important because it insures the sales we do make, actually end up being profitable. And not just “chump change” – but actually makes an impact on our revenues.

If you’re still wondering – will my clients buy things at these types of price points? The simple answer (and we know because we’ve tested it) is…yes* – As long as you are also doing the work to market and make your clients aware of things you have to offer, and what makes them special.

Strategy 2: Curate Your Product Selection

Less is often more. By offering a limited selection of staple products, you can focus on quality and relevance. In our businesses, we’ve narrowed our options down to the following –

• Albums: High-end, customizable albums starting at a premium price point (e.g., $1,000). Set these up as custom products in Pic-Time, directing purchases into a personalized design and review process with your clients.
• Canvases: Mid-to-high-cost wall art options that cater to clients looking to display their favorite images prominently in their homes.
• Small Prints: Affordable yet superior-quality prints that are a step above consumer-level alternatives. These are especially popular among family members of your clients.

Keep in mind, you should select products you are excited about.

By narrowing your offerings, you make the decision process easier for clients and emphasize the value of each product.

Strategy 3: Sell What You Believe In

Only offer products you’ve personally tested and approved.

We can’t state how important this is – and we say this because we know a lot of photographers (ourselves included) kind of hate spending money on samples.

But let’s be real for a second – holding samples in your hands not only boosts your confidence but also allows you to:

• Showcase tangible examples during client meetings.
• Provide authentic testimonials about the quality and craftsmanship.
• Build trust with clients by standing behind what you sell.

Why should a client buy an album, a canvas, a print from you – if you won’t even buy one yourself to check out and make sure it’s going to be an awesome quality product?

Strategy 4: Start Marketing Early and Often

Marketing your print products shouldn’t begin just when the Pic-Time gallery goes live and out to your client—it should start from the first point of contact. Here’s how:

Website Content

Include dedicated sections on your website that highlight your print products. Use high-quality images and compelling descriptions to pique interest even before clients reach out to you.

Consultations

During initial consultations, make it a point to discuss the print products you offer. This sets expectations and plants the seed early on. Sometimes, they might even add a print product on during this initial purchase of your service – but even if they don’t, you are setting them up for a future purchase!

Email Newsletters

Leverage email marketing to keep print products top-of-mind:

• Share stories about clients who’ve purchased prints and their satisfaction.
• Offer special promotions, such as discounts for purchasing products before the wedding or event date. For example, an 8×8 album with 10 spreads could be offered at $800 instead of the regular $1,000 if purchased in advance.

Engagement Shoots

Use engagement sessions as opportunities to mention print products casually. Comments like “This shot would look stunning as a canvas print” subtly reinforce the idea without a hard sell.

Can you think of other opportunities you might have to tell your clients about your print options?

Strategy 5: Understand the Power of Touchpoints

Sales statistics suggest that it takes an average of eight touchpoints to convert a prospect into a customer. Each interaction—be it an email, a mention during a meeting, or seeing products on your website—counts as a touchpoint.

If the first time clients learn about your print products is through an automated email from Pic-Time, you’ve only established one touchpoint – and most people aren’t going to buy something from you just based on one mention of it.

By proactively creating multiple touchpoints throughout the client journey, you significantly increase the likelihood of making a sale.

Conclusion

Maximizing print sales through Pic-Time is entirely achievable with a strategic approach that combines effective marketing, curated product offerings, and genuine client engagement. By implementing these strategies, you’ll not only boost your revenue but also enhance your clients’ experience by providing them with beautiful, lasting memories in physical form.

Remember, the goal is to make your clients aware of the value and uniqueness of your print products well before they receive their online gallery. With consistent effort and multiple touchpoints, you’ll turn interest into action and significantly grow your print sales.

Ready to elevate your photography business? Start implementing these strategies today and watch your print sales soar!