By working with a company that handles order fulfillment, you can book more events and spend less time worrying about the complex aftermath of your photo-sessions. You may be wary about handing your workload over to a large company, but if you're working with experienced people who know how to get the job done, rest assured, your profits will increase. Here are some tips that will help you understand the world of online print sales.

The Basics

Once you've established your e-commerce site, it's important to take full advantage of all that your storefront has to offer. When clients browse your galleries, they will be able to purchase your photos in the various print and product forms offered by the lab owned/contracted by your online service. This is important because it gives buyers instant access to your work. One of the great things about online sales is that they help you widen your market. Don't limit yourself! Use online services for stock sales, marketing, event fulfillment, fund-raising, reprints, etc... If your service is established and efficient, you WILL increase your profit margin. Our partners at http://www.photostockplus.com offer a two in one solution that allows you to work events and market your stock photography internationally.

Customer Service

Work with your representative in order to understand the intricacies of the system you are using. Any decent company should assign you an agent who will track your progress to ensure that you are using your site effectively. Good customer service is crucial with any business, so be certain to work with a company that will view you as a partner and not as a dollar bill. Ask questions and make sure that your service offers a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. Remember, the company only does well if you do well. In many senses, they depend on you.

Uploading Images

One of the major problems you can encounter when working with online photo-business solutions is getting your pictures uploaded without spending hours in front of your computer. Many companies require you to upload high res versions of your images before clients can begin to purchase your work. This can take days depending on the number of pictures you have in queue. Some services set you up with stand-alone software that will compress your high-res files into previewable thumbnail format. The high res files are only requested once an order has been placed. This allows you to edit only the images that sell, drastically decreasing the time spent at the computer. Effective compression tools can have thousands of images uploaded in less than an hour. Ideally, a compression tool should enable you to assign images to multiple sub-folders so that you can leave your desk while the files are compressed. Think about it:12 hours of your time is valuable! This is time that can be spent booking events and moving your business forward as opposed to dealing with tedious technicalities that will only bog you down.

Customizations/Templates

As we've seen, professional web-design is a key element of any photo-business. Make sure you work with a company that offers you the ability to customize your storefront. Verify that you can include your company logo, your own bio (at least 2 paragraphs long), and your contact info. You should be able to select the background for your site by choosing from a series of pre-designed templates. If you're shooting events, separate home-pages for each event are recommended. Avoid flash-heavy design. Try and keep it simple but sleek. You want your background to draw attention to your images, not distract your buyers. Some services will offer you the ability to further customize your storefront so that it is seamless when linked to your primary website. Usually, an additional fee is involved.