Photobook business full step-by-step guide
Starting capital - from 10 thousand rubles or (141.00 United States Dollars)
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| How to start a Photobook business full step by step guide |
Albums familiar to us from childhood, in which printed photographs are neatly sorted, fade into the background. in this article we will be talking about how to start a photobook business They are gradually being replaced by more unique and interesting ways of storing pleasant memories. The most common of these is photo books. In fact, these are photographs / images printed on special paper or collages made from them, which are intertwined with a binding. Most often, such an album comes with a hard cover.
Low-cost items generally have no more than 50-60 pages and are made according to a general template (it all depends on the thematic focus of the selection of photographs). But also more “luxurious” souvenirs are in great demand. The most popular ones are: greetings for the holidays (birthdays, New Years, Christmas) and weddings. Such gifts have a larger format, more original design and a non-standard cover.
Photo books have appeared quite recently and have not yet gained due popularity in Russia. This phenomenon can be called a novelty in the fields of printing and photography. However, the demand for them is high, especially during the holidays. Nowadays, there is a great variety of ways to design, print, create - which means that the range of such products is very wide. At the same time, the spread in cost, quality of performance and originality is very high. For this reason, even among entrepreneurs working in this direction, there is no consensus on the specific definition of "photobook". The only important thing is that such a range of services is very relevant and in demand due to its uniqueness.
- content
- Organizational moments
- The working process
- Advertising campaign
- Pricing
- Outcomes
Organizational moments
You don't need a lot of start-up capital to start your own photo book business. If you have good skills in working with graphic software and at least a general idea of the technical requirements of printers for layouts, then at first you can do without outside help and do everything yourself.
In addition, the development of a unique design for a photobook is an additional service paid by the client separately (the approximate cost is from 200 to 500 rubles per spread, the main criterion is the complexity of the work).
Photo processing, printing on the cover, the process of creating photo books, adding text - for each of the listed services that are not included in the standard set of services, it is also better to draw up a separate price list.
It is better not to offer your customers cheaper methods of making photobooks (for example, laser printing, the use of inexpensive and low-quality paper, conventional lamination). A client can do such simple operations on his own at home - for this he does not need to go to your company. Of course, the quality of the work will be appropriate.
The working process
The most common methods of making such publications are classical printing and photo printing.
The first method is more accessible, due to which it has gained wider application, both when creating editions in one or several copies, and in thousands of copies.
A photo book made by the photo printing method has thicker pages and a more attractive appearance. Each page is soldered to the next - on each spread, a common plane is created (like children's books with pages made of cardboard), while with the printing method of creating the page at the base, you have to turn it aside for viewing.
The cost of photo printing is 2 times more than classic printing. The main area of application is the creation of special single editions for holidays and other events (weddings, birthdays, and so on). At the same time, it is not enough just to print a photobook - it must be carefully assembled. This requires the following equipment:
Press;
Creasing machine/creasing machine;
Guillotine paper cutter.
It is unprofitable and unreasonable to purchase expensive installations, especially at first. Single editions will be more profitable to print directly from the publishing house or through advertising firms.
Advertising campaign
It is advisable to conduct preliminary monitoring for the selected region:
compare the cost of services provided by other firms;
Consider what advertising sources your competitors are using;
establish cooperation with the necessary companies.
Despite the aesthetics, uniqueness, convenience and relatively low cost of photo books, for many they are an “exotic” phenomenon in the field of photography - thus, ignorance of such a service narrows the target audience. Therefore, it is better not to neglect the advertising campaign.
Expand your services as much as possible: contact professional photographers and photo studios, modeling agencies, firms organizing weddings, corporate events and other events, directors of educational institutions (for example, every school regularly makes photo albums for each class).
You can also search for leads using newspaper ads, local forums, and topic areas. You can arrange with private photographers or shopping and entertainment centers to distribute flyers / business cards on their territory.
Your own Internet page is not only a powerful tool for attracting a larger audience. For example, you can create a personal archive of photobooks, lay out design options, prices, customer reviews, and more. But the most important thing is the opportunity for potential customers to download the photo album template they like and prepare the layout on their own. The larger the assortment of templates of different directions you put on the site, the better. Also, be sure to indicate your contact information - for feedback with clients, as well as so that potential partners can establish cooperation with you remotely.
Pricing
The approximate cost of creating a photobook of a classic format using the printing method is about 1-1.5 thousand rubles per edition. A wide assortment of formats, varieties, textures and colors of covers, associated goods (unique bookmarks, non-standard covers) make it possible to choose an option regarding the client's preferences and budget.
Outcomes
A huge markup for photo books (from 60 to 100%), an almost complete lack of start-up capital (the main expense item is conducting an advertising campaign and organizing a workplace if you decide to rent an office), the relevance and relevance - all this allows you to recoup your initial investment in enterprises in a few months. Sales peaks are observed before the New Year and in the summer season - the beginning of the wedding season. In the rest of the months, sales will be lower, but will still remain high.
