One of my first memories about Apple products was the feeling that I got when I opened up a new Apple product. I was almost borderline obsessed with their aesthetics. I loved the clean modern packaging. I loved how well thought out everything was and how they made everyone feel like they were opening up the most valuable piece of tech in the world. When I was structuring how I wanted to brand my business, I wanted my clients to have that exact same feeling that I had.

Packaging and delivery are two areas of your business that I don’t think any photographer should skimp on. It’s easy to try and justify not spending a few extra dollars on a nice quality bag, but think of it like this… the product delivery is one of the last touch points that you have with your clients and possibly the last physical piece of your business that they’re going to interact with. That’s why I believe it’s so important. You started on a strong note so you want to make sure that you’re ending on a strong note, too.

Packaging

For packaging, you want to make sure that you have branded pieces to package up your artwork with. Both my bags and my USB slide boxes are branded, which comes across very professionally. Photographers that buy in bulk at Best Buy for their USBs are going to come across very differently to their clientele than a photographer who has taken the time and went to the extent of making sure their products are branded. I love the bags from Rice Studio Supply and once you have your initial setup done, ordering is super easy! I personally use Millers for my USB slide boxes and crystal drives because I usually forget to purchase my USBs ahead of when I run out and need them quick. If you order in bulk, you do get a discount. I order 10 USBs at a time so I get the discount as well as not having a ton of inventory on hand all at once just in case I want to change something up; then I don’t have a bunch of unused inventory if I do switch.

I always make sure that my gift prints and albums are in boxes wrapped up with a ribbon. I personally use ProDPI for my printing and love their boxes they use! It works with my brand perfectly and because I don’t have interns or employees to package up my products, especially during busy season, I value having my prints packaged up perfectly right when they arrive and all I have to do is check everything is there and put it in their bag. Top it off with a thank you note, tissue paper and it’s all good to go!

Thank You Notes

If you are not doing this as a photographer, you absolutely need to. Thank you notes are the perfect personal touch to make sure that your clients are feeling valued. For every client, I write a handwritten thank you note addressed to my client. This makes sure that I am telling my clients that they are valued and that I couldn’t do this without them. Not every photographer does this and it’s a huge way to make sure that you are keeping good client relations.

Delivery or Pickup 

It’s easy to want to select the drop ship option from your lab, but making sure that you are delivering your images in person or having them pick up their products, I believe that you should absolutely be there during this step of the process. Not only that, but I also make sure to Instagram Story the clients opening up their products and document the delivery process. This is because people react authentically when this happens and you want to make sure that you’re showcasing the beautiful, finished artwork that you create. Not every photographer is doing printed products that are gorgeous much less capturing their clients ecstatic reactions when they see their photos for the first time.

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Sean Brown is a senior portrait photographer based out of Vancouver Washington and Portland Oregon. His goal is to bring out every senior’s personality in their images and is dedicated to making sure that every senior session is different so that no two senior images are alike. Sean is now booking the Class of 2020. To learn more about being an SBP Senior, click here.