Running your own photography business is an “always on” proposition. What do I mean by that? Whether you’re working full-time, part-time, or doing photography as off-and-on gig work, you’re always looking for new opportunities, clients, and business ideas.
This “always on” approach is where we reach the subject of photography business promotional products (I will stop using quotation marks now when I say always on...)
What are photography business promotion products, and how do photographers use them?
Table of Contents:
- What Are Photography Business Promotional Products?
- Photography Business Promotional Products Ideas
- Small Giclee Fine Art Prints - Mounted Unframed
- Mini Acrylic Blocks
- Metal Coasters
- Photo Magnets
- Classic Bordered Photo Prints
- Follow Up On Your Photography Business Promotional Products
- Recommended Photography Gear
What Are Photography Business Promotional Products?
Photography business promotional products are small or lower-cost items made from our images that we can add to an existing order to encourage new orders or referrals. Adorama’s premium printing company Printique is a great source for these items.
These photography business promotional products could also be used to drum up new business by placing them in other businesses or perhaps as a giveaway for a studio visit or a booking.
How you use your images as photography business promotional products is up to you, and many methods could be used. We’ve actually written some articles about how to find new clients. You can find them here on PhotographyTalk.
For now, let’s see what items we could use for our own photography business promotional products.
Photography Business Promotional Products Ideas
Browsing through the products offered by Printique, I came up with five items we could quickly adapt to promote our photography businesses. There are many things they make that could work; this is merely a small list.
- Small Fine Art Prints - Mounted Unframed
- Mini Acrylic Blocks
- Metal Coasters
- Photo Magnets
- Classic Bordered Photo Prints
Let’s examine these in a little more detail. As we do, consider how any one or more of these photography business promotional products could work for your business to find new clients or get repeat business.
Small Giclee Fine Art Prints - Mounted Unframed
When we think of printing our work, we usually consider enlargements, especially prints such as canvas prints, acrylic prints, or metal prints. These enlargements would typically be hung on wall space or be placed via some sort of holder on a desk, table, or shelf.
Standard-size photo prints, 4x6” such as we might have received when developing a roll of film, can garner some attention when presented correctly. The trick is to make these small-sized prints stand out. We do that by printing as Giclee prints on heavily textured paper.
Choose images that look good as a small print, which will be enhanced by the heavy texture style of Hahnemühle paper. As a finishing touch, opt for the single-weight mat board mounting. This will add a nice amount of stiffness that further accentuates the specialness of the small fine art print.
Mini Acrylic Blocks
Acrylic photo blocksAcrylic photo blocks are 1” thick slabs of acrylic with the image printed on them that can stand up on their own and have a unique look due to the light-brightening properties of this printing style.
They come in sizes up to 8x10,'' but it’s the tiny blocks, 2x2” and 3x3”, that really capture attention as photography business promotional products. Choose an image that can be seen as a small print, and these blocks stand out. Consider some monochromatic photos, a bright, prominent single color dominating the image. Black and white images also work out well for these small photo blocks.
Metal Coasters
Printique’s metal prints are another stand-alone style of specialty printing that will work for promotional products. Available in huge sizes up to 40x60”, the small square metal prints of 4x4” can be used as a drink coaster or tabletop art.
Choose bright, contrasty images if you want them to stand out, or use lower-contrast high-key or low-key pictures for a more subtle approach. Since they're metal, they can stand up to wear and tear, such as having hot or cold beverages placed on top of them. They also make plastic and cork coasters.
Photo Magnets
Long used as refrigerator art, photo magnets can also be placed on cubicle walls or partitions, on the side of a metal desk, or on metal doors like those in many offices. The same small metal prints can be made with a magnetic backing to work as a photo magnet.
Classic Bordered Photo Prints
Silver halide emulsion-coated photo paper is used to print these timeless and classic-feeling photo prints. Choose to make them with the 1/8th” border to further add to their nostalgic quality. Available in small classic print sizes such as 3 1/2X5” and 4x6” and also as smaller wallet photos, these are a fun addition to your photography business promotional products offered.
Follow Up On Your Photography Business Promotional Products
You will want to do more than give away your pictures. Make sure they lead back to you and your business somehow. One way is to add an easily recognizable logo to your image file as a watermark.
Another workable method that makes these small pictures work as photography business promotional products is to have a professionally designed label that can be added to the backs of these items. You don’t want it to look like it came from a flea market, so I’m specifying professionally designed labels. You can do it yourself as a professional artist with most word-processing programs and their templates.
Have fun with it, and start reaping the rewards of new and repeat orders for your photography business.