PHOTOGRAPHERS, DO YOU FEEL OVERWHELMED WHEN IT COMES TO THE IDEA OF ADDING ALBUMS INTO YOUR BUSINESS WORKFLOW?
You might feel like there just isn’t enough time in your busy week to add ANOTHER task to your to-do list. I get that, 100%.
The thing about albums is that they can be the key to increasing your bottom line, without needing more clients. When you create a system that is efficient you will actually SAVE TIME while making MORE MONEY. Albums can be the key to creating the lifestyle you want while reaching your financial goals.
I’ve spent the last 5 years refining my album workflow, so much so that now I only need to dedicate 1 HOUR PER WEEK to the album process even though I sell them to 95% of my clients. This means that I’m corresponding, designing, selling, and delivering an average of 30 albums while only working 50 hours PER YEAR. So if you could get a return of $50k for 50 hours of time, would that be worth it to you? I’m hoping that you answered yes. Why? Because that would mean you’re making $1000 in that 1 hour that you dedicate to albums every week, and that’s a great value for your time spent no matter who you ask.
OKAY, SO MAYBE YOU’RE NOT FINANCIALLY DRIVEN
Financial goals aren’t your number one priority for your business. Maybe you’re happy where you are with your finances and lifestyle and the reason you are in this business is to create the most INCREDIBLE CLIENT EXPERIENCE. You want every single client you work with to enjoy every moment of working with you, be elated by their stunning photographs, and then brought to tears when they flip through their album that you hand delivered. (Take it from someone who has had this experience with the majority of her clients, it’s pretty damn fulfilling.)
As photographers it’s our responsibility to ensure our client’s memories are preserved forever. We take so much care in creating beautiful images for our clients, we should be putting that much care and attention into what happens to the photos after the fact.
Albums are the perfect opportunity to protect our client’s images and etch your legacy as a photographer. Now you might be thinking, “But Ryanne, my clients have their images accessible online, that’s all they really need and want.” Well I agree that online galleries are great and clients love the beautiful presentation and accessibility. But have you ever wondered how often your clients are actually bringing out their phone or laptop to show that gallery to friends and family? Or, thinking even further down the road, how will they show them to their grandchildren?
Technology is fast-paced and ever-changing, so we can’t really guarantee that our photos will be available for our clients to look at in 10-15 years if they are sitting on a usb stick or on a hard drive. It’s more likely that the technology will be extinct or no longer compatible with current devices which means the photos will be as good as gone.
When I think about that it makes me sad. There is no way I want my clients to lose access to their images in the near or distant future. In fact, I want to ENSURE that their images are preserved in a way that they will be able to pass them down for generations. Cue, albums.
This is the reason I have invested so much in creating a seamless client experience that results in the delivery of beautiful products that become family heirlooms. This is my why.
ALBUMS HAVE BEEN THE MOST FULFILLING ASPECT OF BEING A PHOTOGRAPHER ON TOP OF BEING THE REASON I HAVE A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS THAT ALLOWS ME TO HAVE THE LIFESTYLE I WANT.
SO WHERE DO YOU START?
There is a sort of fire that you feel when you realize how powerful and meaningful albums can be, use this fire to get shit done. If you’re not sure where to begin you can check out my Free Resource: 6 Things You Can Do Right Now To Start Selling Albums.
After you complete the worksheet you will have taken actionable steps towards incorporating albums into your business. You’ll also have pinpointed your own why and learned how to incorporate it organically into your brand messaging. These steps will get your clients excited to order their own albums and will be the beginning of your new life, with financial freedom and time to do what you love.
Good luck, I can’t wait to see the beautiful heirlooms you create,
RH
