5 Packaging Tips to Help Your Photography Business Stand Out
No matter what type of photographer you are, the way you provide value throughout the entire client experience says a lot about you and your brand. From booking a session to delivering the final product, all of it contributes to your brand’s image.
In this blog post, we’ll be sharing the importance of photography packaging and giving you 5 packaging tips to help your photography business stand out.
Photo Packaging vs. Online Galleries
Delivering photo packaging is a way to go above and beyond and establish an emotional connection with your clients. While online galleries are convenient, they don’t offer the same tangible experience that physical photos and products do. In order to fully showcase the value of your work, we recommend incorporating photo packaging in your offer (either in addition to or instead of an online gallery).
You can think of photography packaging as the final point in the customer journey which really drives home the value of your brand. It is something that will likely live forever in your clients’ homes and therefore should have considerable thought put into it.
5 Photography Packaging Tips
Make sure your photo packaging reflects your brand.
When choosing your packaging, make sure it reflects your brand. Look to your existing website (if you have one), logo, and photography style for inspiration.
What colors do you use? What style of photos do you like to take?
If your style is moody, you might consider a black leather folio box. If your photos are usually light and airy, perhaps a delicate glass photo box would add an extra touch of elegance to your final delivery.
The quality of the boxes you choose is important as well. Something that is made from low-cost materials might not hold up over time. For this reason, we always recommend selecting photo boxes that have been made out of real walnut or maple hardwoods like these, or other quality materials.
Don’t skimp on the shipping box either! You may not realize it, but this is part of the packaging experience too. If you can, have your shipping box branded with your logo or even your colors. This makes the delivery just as special as opening the box itself!
Put yourself in your client’s shoes.
When putting together your packaging offer, put yourself in your client’s shoes.
Imagine being on the receiving end of your final photography package: What would you expect to receive based on the price you are paying for the service? A few ways to accomplish this is by offering your customers studio samples of different products to choose from, or by considering the style of their event and then going from there.
Chances are, your client will be more likely to display a product that has been personalized to them as opposed to something with your company logo on it. To get the best of both worlds, you could print the clients’ names on the photo box and put your logo on the accompanying USB drive.
The majority of customers, particularly those hiring wedding photographers, allocate a large budget toward having someone capture their once-in-a-lifetime memories. Therefore, when they receive the final product, it should feel like their investment was worth every penny. For this reason, it is important that the packaging you choose conveys the value of your services to the customer.
Add a personal touch.
The customer experience doesn’t end right after the photo session. Be sure to follow through with a delivery that exceeds the customer’s expectations and don't forget to add in an element of surprise. Maybe it’s a handwritten note or a few candid polaroids from the couple’s wedding day. Whatever you choose, add your personal touch to the final photography packaging.
Even if the client only ordered a digital album, deliver the final product with a gorgeous fine art printed photo of the best shot from their session. Whether you hand it to them in person, or send it to them in the mail and include one of your business cards with it, your client will appreciate the surprise and will be more likely to refer you to friends and family.
Showcase the value of prints.
With everything going digital these days, printed photos and tangible items are rare.
By giving your client a few prints from a professional, trusted photo lab, they will be able to experience the texture and beauty of quality printed photos. This is something that no digital album or consumer photo lab can replicate. Printing off a few photos also ensures your clients can see the quality difference between a professional photo lab and a consumer lab.
To further enhance the final product and emphasize the value of your work, consider delivering your prints in a custom photo box. Many clients will display photo boxes in their home - meaning that everyone who visits them could potentially flip through the photos inside. This is a great opportunity for you to continue promoting your photography services after a shoot - not only to the original client but to all of that client’s friends and family.
Make the final delivery special.
When it is time to deliver your photos, make delivery day extra special by hand-delivering the final photo package if you can. If you are not able to deliver the photos in person, add in an element of surprise such as a handwritten note, some additional photos, or even a short video message on the USB thanking your clients for being awesome.
The final photo package could look something like this:
- 10 fine art printed photos
- A beautiful photo box engraved with the client’s details
- A USB personalized with your brand’s name or logo
- A handwritten note
- A ribbon to tie it all together
- A branded shipping box
Final Thoughts
When you take the time to create a truly memorable and exciting experience through custom photography packaging, your clients will feel it! They will be able to tell just how much thought and care you put into making their lifelong memories extra special, and will keep you in mind for future events.
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