“Don’t forget about the grandparents [for photo products]. They’re important too!”
I came across this post recently on a popular, reputable community exclusively for professional photographers. Good advice, but at the same time, lets back up a minute. What about the parents?
Don’t forget about the parents! I declare. Especially for the wedding; they are extremely important, and for the photographer, an opportunity for an upsell.
Love that Comes Around
I don’t think I need to delve into much detail or cite lengthy psychology literature to assert that most parents love their children and those children generally love their parents all the same.
Nor, do I have to remind everyone that parents are often extremely supportive throughout the wedding planning process – be it with the time and support they give, the opinions and advice they offer, or even money they spend (sometimes substantial amounts too).
Lastly, I don’t believe I need to bring up that a wedding is still often felt by families as the defining, symbolic moment of ‘moving on’, or the next chapter, for the child being wedded and their parents.
OK, so now that that unnecessary bit is out of the way, we can see it’s likely parents would like a piece of their child’s most important day. Also, it wouldn’t be too hard of a push to remind the couple of this fact and how much they themselves and their special day means to their parents as well.
Sure, some couples may get some flowers, or a gift for their home, or a dinner on the town, but none of these are as long lasting or desirable for the parents as an elegant, high-quality personalized photo album capturing their child’s happiest moments with their partner.
Think, (you can ask of your wedding couple) how much a copy of the wedding album as a gift would mean to the parents. It would not only elegantly cement this proud moment for them in tangible eternity, but also be a heart-warming gesture to say “we didn’t forget about you. Thank you for all you’ve done for me; for us.”
Even still, the best part is this gesture doesn’t have to cost the wedding couple an arm and a leg.
The Business and the Sell
In fact, it doesn’t have to cost you, the photographer, anything either. With a photo printing lab like nPhoto you have the option for the appropriately named Parent Albums package – where you receive a true size album for the couple and two smaller exact copies for the parents. Meanwhile you gain a serious discount price for the three products.
Thanks to this discount you are left with many ways you can advertise and price such package for your clients. The pricing of the package for you leaves a lot of ‘profit room’, or ‘wiggle room’ to settle on a good price for both parties.
Put more simply you can present your clients a great deal while still turning a good profit for yourself.
One other bit to remember, is while in the end you will have three albums to offer, they are all using the same project. Therefore, the time used for designing and editing is only that for the original, main album. With nPhoto, the lab will scale down the original project for you appropriately.
It is then up to you how you present to your clients this package of three albums - three albums that didn’t require you as much time, effort, or money as three separate albums.
A Parent’s Ideal Present
Nonetheless the parents of the wedding couple are the most engaged, invested in, and concerned people involved after the couple themselves. It is only natural to suggest they walk away with a keepsake as well.
Given the emotional bond most couples share with their parents, it is likely to only require a small suggestion to get a consideration, or even a deal. As a professional photographer, it is worth the try and, as parent myself I can attest, nothing is a better gift for a parent than the happiness of their children – no matter how old the parents and children are.
A personalized wedding album for the parents is an ideal gift which quite literally captures and brings to life some of the happiest moments their kids can have – only equaled once the grandchildren arrive.
So, for future wedding couples, lets be sure to remember the parents, and then once their kids start to come we can be sure to remember the grandparents – after all, they are important too.