If this blog title triggered you a bit, you’re in the right place!
For the record, I think strictly selling digital images is a legitimate business and it can work well for photographers – in specific niches. But if you’re a family or portrait photographer, only offering digitals is doing your business AND your clients a huge disservice! And today, I’m sharing my thoughts on why it’s time for you to raise the bar and start offering your clients the products and packages they really want.
Why do I recommend against selling digital images?
Because most digitals don’t make it beyond social media feeds.
Sure, everyone loves a good Facebook update, but I’ll bet you didn’t get into the photography business to have your beautiful work gain 65 likes and some ‘beautiful’ comments before promptly getting buried in the endless barrage of updates, dinners out, and cute cat photos.
Your work is VALUABLE. Why not reflect that in the way you share it with your clients? If you can show your clients easy ways to preserve their photos and help them enjoy the results long-term, they’re going to see your service as something well worth the investment.
Now, you might be thinking, Okay… maybe. But what products should I offer to help my clients preserve photos? If you’re a portrait, newborn or family photographer, you’ll get the most bang for your buck with these offerings:
Offering products like albums, framed photos, and canvases turn photos into keepsakes that can last a lifetime!
All the other products you can put a photo on…(metal, wood, coffee mugs)… not so much.
When I first transitioned my business into selling artwork, I WENT for it. In all of the wrong ways! Every product that could showcase a photo, I sold. From wooden blocks, to metal prints, jewelry to ornaments and everything in between. I had ALL the options for my clients and was SO excited to serve them with so many sweet keepsakes.
But, the million and one products I had to offer DIDN’T result in the income boost I was hoping for. In fact, not only did the products bring in next to zero income, it didn’t really seem like my clients even liked them. The reason?
There were TOO many to choose from!
My clients felt so overwhelmed by the options that they didn’t end up buying ANYTHING. At that point, I knew it was time to re-strategize.
Offering a few products that are aligned with your business and market will not only up your income, but also enhance your brand’s feel and reputation. My studio is a boutique experience that serves in a high-income market, so my products needed to feel curated and luxurious to match client expectations.
Bottom Line: If you are only selling digital images instead of offering artwork products to your clients, this is a huge opportunity for serving your clients and your business.
I know it can sound like a lot of work to expand your offerings as a photographer. Quite honestly, when I made the switch over 10 years ago, I WAS overwhelmed! That’s why I’m putting together a step-by-step process for photographers who are sick of limiting their potential with just selling digitals and want to learn how to DOUBLE (or triple!) their photography income in the next year.
Sound like something you’d like to do? Make sure you’re on my EMAIL LIST to be the first to know when this program drops!
