Whether you’re a new StickyFolios or StickyAlbums customer, or someone who’s been using the platform for a while, the goal is to gain word-of-mouth exposure and ultimately get more referrals. We want to help you achieve this, and to that end, we have compiled some of the techniques that successful photographers have used to get more business by using StickyFolios and StickyAlbums.
The first thing to note is that increasing sharing is NOT the same thing as generating more referrals. Your Folio or Album may get shared a ton, but you may not get any additional business. Alternatively, a Folio or Album may be shared just 4 times, yet all 4 people that see the album may turn into future customers.
So the first thing to do is look at those two factors separately. If you’re interested in skipping ahead to read about how to increase referrals, you can do so here: How to increase referrals
Photographers who are most successful share StickyAlbums/Client Folios with their client in person. Before your client places their order, you can share a sample Folio or Album (like the one at http://seniorclientfolio.stickyfolios.com/ or a portfolio or another client's Album from right from your phone.
Opening the app, showing how your client can share their StickyAlbums with friends and family, and emphasizing that the app icon will be an image of your client, are all great ways to get people excited. Your excitement will be contagious; the more you can help your customers understand how easy and fun their StickyAlbums will be to share, the more sharing they will do!
Here are some ideas for increasing sharing. You can choose the ideas that fit best with your business model.
Making albums for clients:
-
You should, of course, make a StickyAlbum for current clients, but you can also create a StickyAlbum for your past clients. In fact, this is the quickest way to create some word-of-mouth buzz, and is a great way to say thank you and generate referrals.
-
To maximize sharing, create StickyAlbums for all clients as a surprise thank you gift. This will make sure you get the most brand exposure and an increase in referrals.
-
Alternatively, you can use StickyAlbums as a pull-through product and sell them on their own or as part of a top-level collection. This can help increase average sales per customer, but since with this strategy not all customers will have StickyAlbums, you may not get as many shares.
Choosing the images:
-
Include your client’s favorite images. They are more likely to share the images that they love.
Presenting your albums:
-
Take the time to really show StickyAlbums in action to your client - help install the app, show how the share features work, and explain why they would want to share. Get them excited about it!
-
Give StickyAlbums to your clients as a surprise bonus gift after their sale. This will show how you go above and beyond to make them happy.
-
Show your clients how to share direclty from their Album.
Encouraging sharing:
-
Have a contest among your clients to see who can share their Album the most.
-
Share your Album on Facebook and encourage your clients to do the same.
-
Encourage clients to text their album to friends and family immediately after they receive it.
Take some time to watch the following videos. They are full of great ideas about how to increase shares and word of mouth referrals.
Increasing your word of mouth referrals AND your PRINT sales with StickyAlbums | Nate Grahek
Pro Marketing Tips | Joy Vertz
Got all of that? Once you’re getting your albums shared, check out this article to learn more about how to turn your shares into referrals: How to increase referrals