Business Resources

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UPDATED! Everything you need to know about the new CARES Act (U.S. Phot...

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84 Topics

Megan
MeganGenius
published in Business Resources

Blog Prompt: How Your Clients Can Work With You Right Now

This is the first installment in our Blog Prompt series. These prompts will be posted bi-weekly, providing you  inspiration for 2 blog posts a month! The goal of this activity is:Give you, the photographer, a blog prompt you can write about to educate and inspire your clients Help you take advantage of all of the amazing benefits of content marketing- you can send these blog posts out as emails to your subscribers, use the blog as inspiration for your social media posts, or even use the prompt to make a video!So, here’s your assignment, should you choose to accept it:Write a blog post about how to work with you right now. Answer the questions your clients will have, such as:What types of sessions are you currently offering? How are these sessions different from how clients have worked with you in the past? What precautions are required for your state/town/country, and how are you executing those?   How are you executing sales sessions? How will the client receive the products they buy

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Megan
1 year ago
Rachel
ShootProof Team Member
RachelShootProof Team Member
published in Business Resources

UPDATED! Everything you need to know about the new CARES Act (U.S. Photographers)News

Signs of hope are here!  The U.S. Congress just passed a groundbreaking $2 trillion stimulus package called the CARES Act. What does it all mean?! The bill allocated $350 billion specifically to assist small businesses – like yours.  The key takeaway is you can access capital to keep your business running. This matters for  photographers because it offers financial relief for small businesses based in the United States. This is an unprecedented lifeline for your photography business.  We translated the CARES Act for you HERE, with actionable steps you can take NOW! Attached is a wonderful fact-sheet from the SBA, which walks you through the steps you should take next. *Updated with SBA Application form - see attachments at the bottom of this post!        

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Rachel
ShootProof Team Member
2 years ago
Megan
MeganGenius
published in Business Resources

Stop the Bleeding by Patrick Williams

Photographer and ShootProof user Patrick Williams (PWP Studio) has graciously shared his experiences over the last few weeks, along with actionable tips you can take right now to help mitigate the financial impact to your home and business. Feel free to leave questions for Patrick in the comments below! First off, we are in this with you: my studio handles large corporate events. We capture about 25 large large trade shows including WPPI and PhotoPlus Expo, large sporting events including the NFL Draft/Super Bowl, and had contracts on the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Final Four tournaments in ATL and NOLA; by most accounts, we are killing it. Wait, let’s make that past tense – we WERE killing it. Literally 100% of our business has been erased until July at this point. These days our book of business looks oddly similar to what we had 18 years ago when we started: NADA! We are probably worse off than most because this crisis hit while we are dealing with a December breast cancer diagnosis/Jan

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C
2 years ago
C
CindyMeyerConversation Starter
asked in Business Resources

Customer "Screen-Captured" hundreds of photos from gallery on their Iphone & Ipad

Looking for advice on how to deal with a customer who "Screen-Captured" hundreds of photos from the gallery instead of purchasing those images from me where they cropped my logo out.Has anyone had this happen to them?  I am not sure how to handle this and am looking for advise.Thank you kindly,Cindy MeyerYellow Dog Studio

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AshleyB
5 months ago
Megan
MeganGenius
published in Business Resources

Blog Prompt: How to Navigate Your Galleries From a Client Perspective

Start blogging to connect with (and book) more clients!Take advantage of all of the amazing benefits of content marketing- you can send these blog posts out as emails to your subscribers, use the blog as inspiration for your social media posts, or even use the prompt to make a video! Remember, your audience is your clients and future clients! Over time, the blogs you write will build a story of working with you, what experience they can expect, and educate your clients on the ins and outs of YOU being their photographer.   Here is this week’s prompt:Write a blog showing your clients how to interact with their images in their galleries! ShootProof is versatile, and therefore photographers can have variations in their customer experience. Create a guide for your clients to make it easy for them to follow the flow you’ve created. As a bonus, you’ll get to spot-check your setup and make sure it’s perfect!How to log in as a client- start by sending yourself a Gallery Release email, and clic

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Jill Nissen
1 year ago
A
AprilConversation Starter
posted in Business Resources

Do YOU watermark files for Social Sharing

Hi.  I recently succumbed to the Front Porch Sessions, which were super fast sessions, low cost sessions (basically the opposite of my biz model) that included files for social & option to order more (prints and digis).  This is the first time I’ve ever offered files of any kind inclusive of a shoot, but I caved after seeing so many others do it.  I am intended on making those avail with a watermark, but I’m curious what others do.  I know I’ll lose sales if they aren’t watermarked…. 

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J
1 year ago
DavidGrupa
DavidGrupaHelper
posted in Business Resources

Add a New Revenue Stream with Team Sports Photography

If you’re looking for a way to fill in the gaps during the slow season and gain additional revenue by adding a new niche to your repertoire, check out this program tomorrow at 12 noon CDT. I’ll be discussing the things we did right or neglected to consider when we added team sports photography to our portrait studio. Let’s talk about the benefits of adding this profitable genre to your lineup! Sign up here: https://shootproof.community/events/building-a-volume-sports-photography-brand-with-david-grupa-21 I hope to see you tomorrow! David

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Megan
2 years ago
Megan
MeganGenius
published in Business Resources

Blog Prompt: Client Payment Plans

Start blogging to connect with (and book) more clients! Take advantage of all of the amazing benefits of content marketing- you can send these blog posts out as emails to your subscribers, use the blog as inspiration for your social media posts, or even use the prompt to make a video! A checklist of options is included after the blogging prompt. Remember, your audience is your clients and future clients. Over time, the blogs you write will build a story of working with you and what experience they can expect, as well as educate your clients on the ins and outs of YOU being their photographer.   Your prompt:Do you offer payment plans for your clients? Clients appreciate knowing the options that they have when hiring you. Sharing details of payment options has the potential to remove a barrier for your clients and starts an open conversation about the price (and worth) of your work. Do you offer payment plans? Are they through you (such as using installments with ShootProof Invoices) or

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Megan
1 year ago
Megan
MeganGenius
published in Business Resources

Blog Prompt: The Products You Sell & Why Your Clients Need Them

This is the second installment in our Blog Prompt series. These prompts will be posted bi-weekly, providing you  inspiration for 2 blog posts a month! The goal of this activity is:Give you, the photographer, a blog prompt you can write about to educate and inspire your clients Help you take advantage of all of the amazing benefits of content marketing- you can send these blog posts out as emails to your subscribers, use the blog as inspiration for your social media posts, or even use the prompt to make a video!Remember, the audience you’re writing to is not the photographers who will find your link here, but your clients and future clients! Over time, we will be building a story of working with you, what experience they can expect, and educating your clients on the ins and outs of YOU being their photographer. For bonus points, you can even use the blogs you write as content for your email list. Talk about a win-win! What other ideas do you have for getting this content in front of you

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Megan
1 year ago
Rachel
ShootProof Team Member
RachelShootProof Team Member
published in Business Resources

Client Experience Checklist (PDF Download)

Your clients are your best marketing channel–even better than Instagram.  And that’s why *every* photographer should have a client experience checklist! Our team made one for you–just grab it here.   Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do. –Walt Disney    Image by ShootProof Pro Eirik Halvorsen

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M
1 year ago
Megan
MeganGenius
published in Business Resources

Launch a Limited-Time Offer in 5 Steps

Not sure what to do for Black Friday or want to run a limited-time sale? We got you! In this 5-day series,  we guide you through deciding and setting up a limited sale. This is not a step-by-step guide on how to set up each of these steps within your ShootProof account; instead we focus on the strategy behind these decisions and making the best choices for your business. For questions on specific steps, please leave a comment on the corresponding article and tag me (Megan!). Each video is about 12 minutes long, so in under an hour you can watch each of the videos, outline your steps, and be ready to launch your offer!  Step 1: Choose Your OfferIn this article & video, potential offers are suggested for your selection, along with rationale for which might be the best choice for you and your business.  Step 2: Set Up Price SheetsShould you just add your offer to an existing price sheet or set up an entirely new one? Pros & Cons are discussed in this article & video.   Step 3:

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Megan
1 year ago
Kelly1234
Kelly1234Conversation Starter
posted in Business Resources

Coronavirus Photography Guidelines

Does anyone have a set of guidelines for coronavirus? We're looking for a set of guidelines for how to shoot a wedding or event, a set for staff on how to interact, and one for a studio space with the type of signage you may want. I'm hoping to purchase a set from someone before going too far down the path of developing it myself. Things like: 1. It is suggested that all group photos will be taken outdoors when possible 2. Photographer will try to maintain 6 ft of distance when possible. 3. Staff will wear a mask.

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Dajuan
2 years ago
Andrew
AndrewConversationalist
posted in Business Resources

Fun sale idea for Senior Portraits!

Hey all! Hope this finds you safe and healthy! Just wanted to share a quick marketing idea we’ve done the last couple of years and seen some success with.   Around Graduation time, we queue up 2-3 emails to all of our senior galleries saying we wanted to give them a graduation present to celebrate their graduation with them. The emails contain a discount code for $20.20 (previously $20.19 etc) off anything in their gallery. (I’ve pasted this year’s initial email below) We usually send an initial email and a reminder or two about the promo. It’s simple, but a fun way to celebrate with your seniors, provide value and drive some more sales.    Subject:  Dear Class of 2020, We got you a little something...    Body:  Dear Class of 2020, All of us here at Vernon Photo have been thinking of you and your class. I know this year has turned out differently than any of us could have expected. But, your senior year is still one to celebrate and we'd like to celebrate with you! Normally graduati

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Matt Specht
Moderator
2 years ago
Megan
MeganGenius
published in Business Resources

Blog Prompt: Holiday Photo Offerings

Start blogging to connect with (and book) more clients! Take advantage of all of the amazing benefits of content marketing- you can send these blog posts out as emails to your subscribers, use the blog as inspiration for your social media posts, or even use the prompt to make a video! A checklist of options is included after the blogging prompt. Your audience is your clients and future clients. Over time, the blogs you write will build a story of working with you and what experience they can expect, as well as educate your clients on the ins and outs of YOU being their photographer.   Your prompt:Believe it or not, it’s time to plan holiday photos! Create a plan and clearly communicate it to your clients. These prompts will get you started, but you may have additional details to share. Leave a comment below if we forgot anything!Are you doing set dates for holiday photos? Do you have available session times left? Share set details- are you in a studio, at a farm, in a field, in client’

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Megan
1 year ago
AshleyB
AshleyBGenius
published in Business Resources

Are You Using These Shootproof Features to WOW Your Clients and Make More $$?

Fall Family Mini Upgraded GalleryThe more I learn about the features in my Shootproof gallery, the more I love it! My most recent use of a new feature for me was adding a gallery intro message.  I used the intro message to deliver a slideshow video that I created for my clients, as well as a quick gallery walkthrough so they knew exactly how to download their included images and how to purchase more.And guess what?!  BOTH galleries delivered this way upgraded to their full gallery of images.  This is just one example of how Shootproof gallery features helped provide a better client experience and helped me to bring in some extra $$. I’m always on the lookout for new ways to up my gallery games so I will definitely be catching the webinar this week as they explain all of these great features:How to give a single client special gallery permissions, such as labeling and hiding images. How to personalize your client experience through gallery intro messages. How to set privacy and accessib

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AshleyB
7 months ago
Megan
MeganGenius
published in Business Resources

Change.org Petition: The Photography Industry Supports the Fair & Equitable Treatment of Photographers of Color

Dr. Tomayia Colvin, founder of The  Photo Cookout, author, and educator has created a petition for changes in the photography industry to support fair & equitable treatment of photographers of color.  You can read more and sign the petition here.

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Megan
2 years ago
Rachel
ShootProof Team Member
RachelShootProof Team Member
published in Business Resources

Your Guide to Selling Prints and Products (PDF Download)Tutorial

If there’s one thing that sparks joy, it’s photos!  And when photographs are printed, displayed, and showcased in albums, they’re time machines. They take us to a magical place called memory. Ready to learn how to sell photography prints to your clients? This guide will help you fine-tune your sales process –for FREE!   Get My Free Guide  

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Rachel
ShootProof Team Member
2 years ago
Edel
ShootProof Team Member
EdelShootProof Team Member
published in Business Resources

Three Easy Ways To Boost Your Income Over The Holiday Season!Blog

 ‘Tis the Season of Giving… so why not make the most of it and offer your clients some great gift ideas?Over the course of a year, we hear photographers ask the same question over and over again: “How can I boost my income?” Well, one important factor to consider is timing. And there’s no better time than over the glorious holiday season! One of the easiest ways for a photographer to boost their income requires almost no effort at all! By connecting the Print Store to your galleries, clients have the option to go in and purchase products directly, using the images from the gallery. This is ideal if you are typically a digitals only type of photographer, or if you’ve already sold the client on prints. for example (once their purchase of prints has been made, you have the option of switching from the traditional store to the print store where they can purchase things like photo mugs, blankets and pillowcases for example!) You get 20% of the sales made from the print store… and considerin

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Richie
7 months ago
GabeTaviano
GabeTavianoConversation Starter
posted in Business Resources

Puzzles during the pandemic

I just left the excellent community call, led by Megan this afternoon. I let everyone in the room know one thing that was working for me and my customers right now (during the pandemic), and that is offering my photography as custom jigsaw puzzles. I am a landscape / travel photographer, but I can also see this working well if you have customers who might have purchased a portrait or wedding photograph from you. I probably should have done what Megan suggested and just provided the puzzle as a self-fulfilled item in my pricelist through my ShootProof store. Will give that a shot soon. I’ve updated my process to provide the puzzle product twice now, and here are the details for both: I started by just providing 241 of my photos in a gallery on Facebook and letting people direct message me the title and size they wanted. You can see the graphic / post for that here → https://www.facebook.com/GabeTaviano/posts/10156847900426784 I then decided to put all of the photos on my personal blog a

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LaurenceSweeney
2 years ago
C
ChrisSempleConversation Starter
posted in Business Resources

Selling portrait shoot vouchers

I’m a long -time Tave (11 years!) and shootproof user and there is a gaping hole in the services. With wedding business wiped out this year, I'll be turning to portraits to survive (and hopefully thrive!)   I wish to sell shoot vouchers easily & automatically. I want to be able to automatically schedule sessions or integrate with acuity. (or similar service) I hope you can understand what I am wishing for? It's something I'd hoped Tave would have sorted years ago to be honest. Maybe there is a work-aroung way to do this now? The option to have a proper start to finish solution for fast efficient processing of lots of clients is the dream! Can you please feed this request up to the bosses and make it real? -thanks!  

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Megan
2 years ago
Megan
MeganGenius
published in Business Resources

Photographers Unite: Register now!

ShootProof, Táve, and Design Aglow are proud to support an unforgettable educational event that directly benefits communities impacted by COVID-19. We’re joining industry leaders to raise money for the Coronavirus Global Relief Fund.    All of the instructors are donating their time and there’s no fee to attend. The only request is that attendees make an optional, charitable donation, for any amount.   Even though we may be apart, we can gather together virtually to make a difference and learn new skills, too!   Who can you learn from during this event? Glad you asked! You may recognize some of these names: Sam Hurd, 37 Frames, Luke Edmonson, Citlalli Rico, Tyler Wirken, Chris Knight, Tomayia Colvin, Jerry Ghionis, Fer Juaristi, Sara Monika, Jide Alakija, Joseph Radhik, Victor Lax, Kesha Lambert, Blair DeLaubenfels, Pye Jirsa, Gabe McClintock, Elena Blair, Roberto Valenzuela, Dave Moss, Cliff Mautner, Susan Stripling, Lindsay Adler, Jesh de Rox, Kanayo Adibe, Chrisman Studios, S

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Megan
2 years ago
AshleyB
AshleyBGenius
published in Business Resources

Selling Prints for the Holiday Season

Each year for Christmas, I make my grandmother a calendar with photos of my children (her great grandchildren). She LOVES it, and I love making it for her because I get to go through our photos from the year and pick out my favorites. I also don't have to wander aimlessly through the store trying to figure out what on earth she needs that she doesn't already have. It's a win-win! I personally think photos for Christmas are a great idea, and a lot of my clients do too. So, this is the perfect time of year to encourage print and photo gift sales! I know some people even open all of the galleries back up from the entire year to allow people to purchase additional prints and gifts. As I'm getting ready to reopen galleries and trying to decide how I will encourage print sales this season, I would love to know what works for you! Please share your ideas below. Also, if you're interested in learning more about selling prints through your gallery, tune in for the webinar this week and learn ho

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AshleyB
7 months ago
James
ShootProof Team Member
JamesShootProof Team Member
posted in Business Resources

Challenge your insurance policy's pandemic clauses

Most agents and carriers are telling insureds that they have no coverage for issues arising as a result of pandemic. This is in their best interests. We recommend you pull together your policies and review them carefully, particularly general liability, property damage (if your landlord has shut down your building for work or you have been ordered by a government authority to cease work other than remotely), any business continuity coverage, directors and officers, and event cancellation insurances. Depending on your coverage, you may have certain losses covered under your policies – however, you must notify insurers of your intent to claim in writing. It is expected there will be massive litigation over insurance coverage for the pandemic.

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Carrie Swails
2 years ago
Megan
MeganGenius
published in Business Resources

About: resources when you need them most

When you need some help from your photo friends, start here. Some of the resources were created just for you by the ShootProof team, and others we’ve collected so that you have one go-to place to reference. When things get tough, community gets us through to the other side.   ✨If you’ve found something relevant and helpful to share, or are looking for something specific, start a new topic or ask a question using the button in the top right corner. ☝🏼   P.S. As always, if you are in need of account-specific assistance, our support team is your first point of contact.   

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Megan
2 years ago
Rachel
ShootProof Team Member
RachelShootProof Team Member
published in Business Resources

Your Business Planning Guide (PDF Download)Tutorial

Are you ready to refresh your photography business plan? Want to get control over your business and feel confident in the future? This free planner will help you set achievable goals and fine-tune your brand for success! Grab this free booklet of worksheets dedicated to: Priorities, Processes, Products, and Profits!   Get my guide now!  

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C
2 years ago

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