Why Storybook?
For Photographers
Save Time. Make More Money.
If you’ve been in business for a little while, you know that running a successful photography company is not as simple as showing up, shooting, and editing.
You need to focus on creating an amazing client experience, having a great website, maintaining an organized CRM, being responsive and helpful when clients reach out, handle sales at a high level, and sooooo much more. I am just skimming the surface here.
What we’ve found is that studios get to the point where they have all of these systems dialed in pretty well, but then realize there are still areas where they’re not serving their clients quite the way they want to.
One of those ways is often how they (fail to) serve their couples AFTER the gallery is delivered. Or, how much of their personal time with friends, family and hobbies is eliminated because they have ANOTHER IPS meeting with a couple to design their album and wall art.
We get it. We were there too.
We designed StoryBook Design Co to not just ‘help’ with some of the problems photographers face with IPS after the gallery is delivered, but rather to take it off of their plate completely… The entire process.
Done. For. You.
Keep reading to see how it all works and what it would mean for your studio.
For Your Clients
Memories. Easily Relived.
Have you ever heard the expression: “You don’t know what you don’t know”?
Well, having been a wedding photographer for the last 17 years, one thing I’ve realized is that unless you clearly communicate to your couples what you offer, and why it’s important, they aren’t just going to magically decide to purchase products from you one day.
You cannot just message them after the wedding, offer them an heirloom album or wall art, and have a ton of success with sales. Sure, you may get some here and there but by that point, you’re likely too late to the game.
Our process at StoryBook Design Co is to serve your couples from the start by showcasing what is available to them, help them better understand why print products are an amazing way to remember this day in their lives, and also walk them through what the entire process will look like so that everything is clear and there are no surprises.
After the wedding or event, your couples will know what is available to them, what the process looks like, what everything costs, and much more.
Expectations Matter.
We eliminate surprises and create an experience that will have your couples raving about you to their friends and family after they get their wedding album rather than fuming because they feel like they fell for a bait and switch.
How It Works
1
We Onboard Your Company
Our onboarding process is designed to get to know you, your couples, and your brand so that when we interact with your couples, our messaging, tone, branding matches yours. Remember, we are an extension of your brand. Your couples never know StoryBook Design Co exists.
2
Submit your couples
Once your clients are entered into our system, we’ll send them the right info, at the right time, with the right messaging so that whether they’ve already invested in an album or not, we’ll be able to nurture the process in a client-serving way. Sometimes this is helpful info, other times it’s a special offer or a gift, and if the timing is right, it’s when we schedule their album design meeting after their wedding/event. No fluff, no spam, an no non-sense.
3
Nurture. Educate. Offer.
Once onboarding is complete, you’ll submit your couples to us. We have individual workflows for handling past clients, current clients, and future clients. Our messaging and approach for each are unique and we’ll make sure you’re in the loop the entire time. The goal here is to serve each couple where they’re at in the process without coming across ‘salesy’.
4
Schedule. Design. Excite.
After the gallery is complete, we’ll send the client an email to have them schedule their album design session. We outline the process, set expectations, and remind them of upgrade pricing. After they select a date for their Zoom meeting, we get to work on designing their rough draft and create several wall art options for them to consider. Our communication during this process is designed to get the couple excited about getting their dream album in their hands.
5
Customize. Order. Support.
During the Zoom design session, we’ll outline the entire process before we begin, and then guide the client through the journey of customizing their album to make it exactly what they want it to be. For some couples, they’ll add many additional spreads, upgrade the size and order parent albums. Other couples will choose to stay with what has already been purchased. We’ll care for and support them both the same way. Creating an experience that leads to referrals for you is our top goal. After they’ve finalized their design, we’ll place the order with your preferred manufacturer.
6
Update. Communicate. Repeat.
After the couple has paid for their upgrades and we’ve placed the order, we’ll update your client portal so that you can see all of the numbers from the sale and hear from the designer on how the meeting went. You’ll be able to see all of your couples in our system and what their statuses are at all times. We believe transparency is key. Finally, your client gets their album and experiences the joy of having their favorite memories in their hands for years to come.
…It’s on to your next couple for us at that point!
Frequently Asked Questions
I've never offered albums to my couples before. Is that okay?
Absolutely! Whether you currently offer albums to your couples or not doesn’t make much of a difference to us. We’ll be able to create a streamlined process for you and your couples that saves you time, makes you more money, and cares for the individual needs of your clients.
I've heard IPS can be somewhat aggressive and can lead to buyer's remorse. Is this true?
While we cannot speak to how others operate their IPS programs, we can assure you that our number one goal is to create an experience for your couples that leads to raving reviews and referrals to their friends and family. We take time to understand their individual wants and needs, and commit to never using shady manipulation tactics to get a bigger sale. We’re in this with you for the long haul!
How does StoryBook Design Co. get paid?
We structure it in a way where when you win, we win. We collect a commission (it varies from studio to studio based on volume, pricing, and some other factors, but it’s generally between 40-50%) from each sale we get for you. If you sell an album in your package when they book, that’s all yours! We also have a base $175 design fee for each couple we meet with (we only meet with couples who have albums). This covers our nurturing sequence, communication, scheduling, design, IPS meeting with the client, and ordering. Think of it this way: Would you pay $175 to have the entire album design process off your plate even if we didn’t get you a dime in additional sales? For the studios we work with, it’s a resounding YES! The additional sales we get for you are an added bonus!
Does that mean you're always going after the biggest sale possible?
I am so glad you asked! We consider ourselves an extension of your brand, so our short and long term goals are the same as yours. Our aim is to create an experience for your couples that leads to them referring their friends and family to you long after we’re done working with them. Some couples will choose to invest thousands while others may choose to stay with the base album- we will love and care for them the same way and commit to never making someone feel bad for not wanting to further invest in their final product. We’re not interested in manipulation, shady tactics, or making clients feel pressured into doing things they aren’t comfortable with.
Has a studio ever fired StoryBook Design Co?
Nope. We pride ourselves in being a partner that our studios couldn’t imagine life without.
Who actually meets with my couples?
You will have a dedicated designer assigned to your studio, by name, so that when you talk to your couples about the album design process you can say “FIRST NAME will be getting in touch with you…” rather than “My album designer will be getting in touch with you”. This builds trust and a better overall experience for you and your couples. That being said, when it comes to actually scheduling the design meeting, there are times where your designer may not have availability for a few weeks, so in those cases, your couples will have the option to select an earlier day and time with one of our other designers. This creates the perfect balance of personalization, service, and efficiency.
“StoryBook Design Co has been an invaluable partner in my photography business. Their attention to detail, creativity, and exceptional customer service make them stand out. They’ve helped me wow my clients with stunning albums and wall art while allowing me to focus on other aspects of my business. Highly recommend!”
“Storybook Design has not only given me time back in my business, but they’ve provided my couples with an amazing experience that I wouldn’t have had the time to do myself. Every one of my couples that has completed and album with Storybook has expressed how easy, fun, and delightful the designer was to work with. Initially I was very hesitant with allowing another company to handle my couples in the post wedding experience, but with StoryBook it has been wonderful and I’m happy I was able to let my guard down.”
“Storybook has done what I couldn’t do. I have always hated feeling salesy, so when it came to album sales I just gave my couples everything for a fraction of the price. I wanted to provide my couples with albums, but I didn’t know how to go about actually profitting from the album sale. Storybook was able to take something off my plate and do it better than I could, while also making me more money.”
“I’ve loved working with them. Right away, they became an extension of my business, acting as team members. They are diligent and professional and I’m excited that I can now offer my couples more than I could on my own.
“Switching our album design process over to StoryBook Design Co was a great decision for our business. It has been very freeing to hand over an area of our business without worry to a company who has their processes streamlined so eloquently. We’ve been able to focus our efforts in other facets that we feel more passionate about personally completing. Our clients have been very happy with our new processes and we are excited to be delivering a beautiful heirloom product that we are proud of as a result.”
“We have been working with Storybook Design Co. for years now to improve our client’s experience in getting albums. What was once a time consuming (and sometimes difficult) process has been turned into a process that passively supports our clients and brings in additional revenue to our business with virtually no effort on our part (after everything is set up through their detailed onboarding process). Highly recommend for anyone wanting to more easily sell albums in their photography business!”
“The onboarding process with StoryBook has been wonderful and has felt very personalized! I have been able to ask a ton of questions and received quick, detailed responses. So far I am very impressed with the process and level of professionalism. I am new to working with StoryBook, but I’m hopeful that this partnership will translate to new product sales for my business. At this point, I’m honestly I am just extremely excited to be able to offer better services and product options to my clients without putting a massive amount of additional work on my own plate!”
Is Storybook Design for you?
Is StoryBook Design Co a good fit for every photographer?
(The short answer is No.)
Let’s first dive into who StoryBook Design Co IS an amazing fit for:
1- Studios who are not currently offering an IPS model to their couples or may not even be offering albums to at all. You’ve created a wonderful brand and your couples love you, but when it comes to products (albums and wall art), you don’t really have a process. The couple is somewhat on their own to either buy through your gallery site or 3rd party supplier. We’re a great fit because we will build your album design process from the ground up in a way that serves you and your couples at a really high level- With minimal effort on your end.
2- Studios who are currently offering albums and wall art to their couples but it’s not a process they love, is effective, or is making them the additional revenue they desire. They know they want to continue offering albums to their couples, but they would rather have our expert team handling the communication, nurturing, scheduling, design, and ordering so that they can focus on doing the things in their business and personal life they love.
So, who isn’t it great for?
StoryBook Design Co is not a great fit for studios who are already absolutely crushing IPS, absolutely love the process AND don’t feel like it’s taking up time in their lives that they’d rather invest in family, hobbies, etc. Basically, if the thought of having a dedicated team handling your IPS makes you sad, keep up the great work and pass off the other parts of your business you hate to someone else.
