Customer Downloads

[joshranwest]

Hello all, I have a quick question. Do any of you offer an online download option of the images from the wedding/session, to the client? I ask, because a lot of my clients are asking me "I would rather download the images in one big file, rather than waiting for a CD in the mail." It would also save me some shipping costs. My second question, what service/method do you use for this? I can upload to my web server, but when I shoot a gig worth of images, there goes the space for my website! Thanks in advance!

[UnivModels]

Your delivering product, what difference does it make if it's Cd or web? I think very little, however I assume that since your delivering digital products you taking that into account on your pricing - ie there is no 2nd print for the grooms family, 3rd print for the brides family etc.

Chris

[joshranwest]

Well in this world of "gotta have it now" people seem to want to download the images/proofs, rather than waiting for the cd in the mail. You are right, it is a digital product, no prints unless agreed upon/purchased in the package before the wedding.

I just read the post that mark mccall added to, saying he charges for proofs (I am thinking about adopting this practice), and not to give out proofs, because there goes your sales/profit. It goes along with this posting, because I am letting the client have the proofs, free either in dowload form or on cd. Hmmm, decisions decisions!

[jfrancho]

Never give the images away - always charge. Heck, I charge $25 to put 600 px. watermarked images up on my site - after the print order is made.

[brian.austin]

I'm no pro nor do I profess to know what the best practice is. This discussion has come up with some friends of mine who own a studio, though, and this was their take:

If you want the DVD full of images, it's $2500 with no print order. If you order up to a certain amount of $$ in prints, he'll toss in the DVD for $25. That $$ number varies based on what type of shoot/package he's selling. A senior portrait session might be $500 and the $25 DVD. A wedding might be $2500 and the $25 DVD.

His reasoning was that, after the initial print order, he rarely gets followup orders, especially with seniors. Once he's done with all the potential sales from a customer, whether the images stay with him or go to the customer is irrelevant. If they stay with him, he just archives them for that 1:1000 possibility of a future sale. If the customer gets a DVD, though, he's got his logo on each image and the distribution of those images might lead to future sales.

[Mark McCall]

John and Brian,
You hit the nail on the head.

Josh, never allow downloads from your site, or give a CD.
If photography is a hobby, then throw this out the window.

If making money is your goal, your killing your sales by giving the CD or allowing downloads.

[joshranwest]

Mark, John, Brian,

Mark - Excellent advice, and I will adopt that practice beginning with my next client. I have noticed my sales are lacking, print orders are small, and the clients are "losing cd's". So, thanks for the advice. I never thought of this before, but it makes total sense. Do you have a lot of backlash from brides/portrait clients/etc that wonder why you dont give out the cd? And whats your response without losing the potential client? Thinking about this more and more it will save a few bucks on postage and cd's. Thanks again for all of your advice everyone, one of the reasons I love this place so much!

[Mark McCall]

Originally Posted by joshranwest

Do you have a lot of backlash from brides/portrait clients/etc that wonder why you dont give out the cd? And whats your response without losing the potential client?

Not at all.
We do get requests to buy the CD from time to time. (full resolution version, not a proof CD). For a wedding, they can purchase the CD for $900 per hour I spent shooting the wedding.
For a portrait client, the CD can be had for my average portrait sale, which is hovering around $850 or so.

A wise photographer once told me...."you sell what you show".
If you don't offer it, few people will ask for it.
But offer it, and everybody wants it.

I don't lose any potential clients over a CD.
If a marketing plan is in place, you won't have that problem either.

[joshranwest]

Excellent, thanks Mark. I will keep these ideas in mind and use them for sure. My marketing plan is primarily web (the knot, decidio, big day small world, etc), and very little print. I need to kick it up a bit, and try some new approaches as well as impliment the no proofs practice. I do sell the original CD for weddings (800) or portraits (300) and the proof CD (was) free. Im thinking too, I might need to raise my CD prices. LOL.

Thats so true what your quote said from the photographer. Im still a rookie, lol! I am learning more and more as I go (business aspect).