Business vs Power account for selling

Georgespyros

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I have some hesitations concerning the upgrade to full pro account.

There is a middle solution here, i can just watermark my photos fully, and ask customers to mail me what they want and pay me this way, and i can mail them back the photos and a nice resolution water-mark free.

Or there is the solution of the Pro/Bus account, and let smugmug handle all the digital downloads for me.

The question is.

Will the extra glamour of the BUS account and the professional features upgrade the feeling of my site, make the customers feel this is more serious work and do the trick, and push the "desicion" to buy, compared to the other way that looks amateur?

I believe, because we talk about small amounts of money here, it is all judged on small details.
The extra cost of a pro account compare with the "amateur" middle way, is substantial.
60$ vs 300$ (ok maybe 150$), but more importantly 15% cuttoffs vs 5-6% of simple paypal or even nothing if i ask for a bank deposit.

OOO, and one last think.
Super important to me.

If i customer pay lets say 10euros, in the Pro account for a digital download. He actually pays that to Smugmug, and then smugmug gives me back a comminsion. Even if that commision is 85%. Who gives the receipt? Do you give a receipt? thank you in advance.

Georgespyros

To put in simple, will the shopping cart etc, the more prof. look of the site, convince better people that this is serious work worth buying.

I believe i do good work, but sometimes you have to show it too...

OFC, nobody can guarrante something, dozens of factors included but i am just wondering if that helped some people here, and what was their experience and thoughts.

denisegoldberg

Georgespyros wrote: »

Will the extra glamour of the BUS account and the professional features upgrade the feeling of my site, make the customers feel this is more serious work and do the trick, and push the "desicion" to buy, compared to the other way that looks amateur?

There is no difference in the look of Power, Portfolio, or Business accounts. I'm not sure where you're coming up with "...the extra glamour of the BUS account". You need to make a choice between the account types based on your business needs. If you want to fulfill orders using the capabilities available in SmugMug you will need either a Portfolio or a Business account. The choice between these two will likely be driven by the ecommerce features.

Keep in mind that the overall look and feel of your site is up to you and is not based on the account level.

--- Denise

Georgespyros

Hi and thanx for your answer.

What i meant with the extra glamour is not aesthetic.
What i meant, is that it looks more profesional to have a shopping cart and an automated system for ordering digital downloads, than asking the clients to mail you what they want, mail them back and ask for price, then after 1-2 mails, fullfilling the delivery by sending them the pictures.
I believe that a customer that will see an 100% complete e-shop, will feel the photos justify more their price, than an almost amateur job.



I believe that the minimum amount of effort should be required from customers to buy something. Or else they will be discouraged.
The question is. Will this boost sales, or the "mail me what you want, i mail you back the pictures" also works just as good?

There maybe not be a clear answer, i just want some thoughts.

Regards, and thanx in advance.

johng

Let me ask - what types of photos are you trying to sell? Who are the clients - people you've been contracted to shoot for or people who you hope stumble across your site and want to buy? Give us more details about your business and we can help you on different methods of payment and fulfillment.

Georgespyros

I shot sporting events. From major official events, such as finals of track and field, to mass races, like 10K, marathons etc.
2-3K pictures from each event.


Right now, i do make some money from donations but i think that people feel because it is free, it's quality is cheap. Or it doesnt worth paying.

I have 50K photo views after last event, the first day! Its is a big traffic to my site i think.

www.georgespyros.com, take a look if you have time to the sporting galleries.

I have a small "name" now, and people wait for me to upload the photos and message me when they will be ready.
Unfortanately, 99.8% of them doesnt donate anything and just grab the photo for free. My photos now have a very subtle watermark, i wanted them to take them free, and i felt that people would feel obliged to give anything at some point.

I know some people will think it was a stupid idea, what you think it would happen? I dont know. It was an experiment that failed.
I will try maybe communicating the need for donations a bit, but honestly i dont feel at all comfortamble this way.


The middle solution is to heavily watermark it, and force them to ask me with an email the photo, and thus pay. No business account, no more costs per year, almost no risk.

But will it look more professional and be a gentle push, to offer, via a PRO account, the options for basket, digital download, direct payment, order prints etc.

Will it make a difference it the sales? Will it make people think, since it has so many thinks in his site, it must be worthy?

AceCo55

At the moment anyone can save a high resolution copy of your photos ... is that a deliberate choice of gallery settings or a mistake?
If you don't want people to be able to do this you might want to read this thread:
ORIGINALS = a gateway to free photos, & right click protection is NOT PROTECTION.

Glort

I really have trouble understanding why people go for these online hosting services so much.
I have heard excuses of them " Not having time" to do it themselves which to me sounds sus. If they have time to shoot, they have time to get their own host, set up one of the many easy to use photo shopping cart templates and print and post a pic when someone buys it.

IF you are mainly selling Digital downloads then doing your won site would allow you to have control of your site and the way the images are presented and save yourself a small and ongoing fortune.

The very best thing of all if you are serious about making the best returns for your efforts is to set up onsite Viewing and take orders when the people are the most hyped about the pics and are in front of you.
Online is a very poor way to sell in comparison to onsite.

johng

So - now that people have a TASTE - especially the ones contacting you via email, you need to reply to them and offer up your services for a fee. If they value your work they should be willing to pay you to come shoot an event. Then just give a disk of the images. Forget prints. Sell the service of you being there to make photos. NOT for a donation - for a fee.