Growing Pains: Unexpected Sales!

On Friday, I got some unexpected sales from my Smug Mug business website.



The father of the groom from my first wedding purchased some 4x6s from the event. What intrigues me about this purchase is that I shot that wedding earlier this year but prints are only being purchased now. I don't know if this is a normal occurrence or not. It seems as if it took a very long time, but I am thankful for any additional sales I could make. I'm glad I decided to leave those galleries up on my website for as long as I did. But I wonder if I could have spurred more sales if I limited the time the galleries were available to the public.

Also, the mother of one of the Auraria college students I photographed two weeks ago purchased several photos. Her son was one of the models wearing clothing with the campus logos. She sent me a sweet email thanking me for the photos and the memories they preserved.



I think it's a great lesson for me and other new photography business owners. Even though I was paid by the university for their use of those images, putting them up on my website also made it possible for others to purchase them as well. Accessibility is key. Plus, the mother said she now knows who to come to when she needs other photos taken in the future. Sometimes the best marketing for your business is the good job that you do.



Turns out those business post cards I put on doors in my neighborhood has helped me secure a sale too. A neighbor needs some family portraits done for Christmas cards. She said she initially was just going to head down to a Sears or some place like that to get some shots of her sons. But her husband remembered the post card I left on their door months ago and told her to contact me instead!