Tips for a Thriving Photo Business in the Insta-Era

April 14, 2015

By Laura Brauer

Sponsored by Zenfolio

In the year 2000, a large framed print of a traditional family portrait was a photographer’s best seller. Fast forward to 2015, and things are a little different. Facebook and Instagram feeds have created an entirely new market because people enjoy the instant gratification of sharing photos online with family and friends.

WPPI-RF-ad-mobile

While digital photography and social media platforms are nothing new, you may not be taking full advantage of this market with up-to-date technology that provides a seamless experience for your clients. And it’s not something you can afford to miss out on—according to Zenfolio reports, the demand for digital files is still growing:

  • Revenue from digital downloads in the past two years have doubled.
  • In 2014, digital products accounted for almost 50 percent of the revenue photographers made in post-session sales, compared to only 31 percent in 2012.
  • In 2014, 35 percent of all orders placed were digital downloads.

Here are three things to build or improve upon to give your potential and established clients the best digital experience:

  1. Your website should be mobile-friendly

You’re on the go, and so are your clients. Make it easy for them by ensuring your website is mobile-friendly for viewing galleries, selecting images and making purchases through password-protected client logins. With Zenfolio, every website is optimized to be mobile- and tablet-friendly, so visitors can enjoy browsing anytime, anywhere.

WPPI-RF-ad-photo-moments

  1. Offer digital downloads for sale

We no longer live in a world where framed prints and photo books are in high demand—clients want their photos digitally delivered. “Offering digital downloads is something that most clients in this incredibly social media-driven society want,” says wedding and music photographer Sara Kauss. “In my experience, most people have always wanted the images to display on their home computer with friends over email, even before the huge Facebook, Instagram and Flickr photo sharing phenomena.”

With Zenfolio, you can set up your price lists with a choice of 500+ products to sell; including digital downloads. Simply specify the resolution, choose a license agreement, set your price, and voila: clients will have a social media and email-friendly photo ready to share.

  1. Get an app made for your clients

Most of us are attached to our phones, so it makes sense to use an app that makes it that much easier for clients to access their photos. Zenfolio did just that, with the launch of its latest app, Photo Moments—Your Digital Photos Delivered. With the app, clients can instantly gain access to their digital photos, view them in a beautiful presentation and share with others. Best part? It has all of the powerful Zenfolio features, such as: gallery password protection, ability to download and save photos, client sign-in, watermarks and more.

WPPI-RF-ad-digital-download

Need help learning how to make money selling digital files? Download the free Zenfolio white paper on the topic. Get the guide>>

Need a website that keeps up with today’s digitally driven world? Save 25% on a brand new Zenfolio account with code launchonline. Offer expires on April 20, 2015.