I ordered 50 8gb drives and 25 2 gb drives and I reworked my packaging to accommodate for this change. I loved it! Packaging a flash drive is so much faster than my CD’s. I’ll be sure to share where I order all of my packaging supplies but before I mention that, let me explain a little something.
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I truly believe that it is only a matter of a few years before “packaging” becomes obsolete in photography industry. I’ve already switched to a gallery program that allows my clients to download high res files instantly. (I’ll be blogging about PASS soon!). So why package up weddings and engagements when the client already has access to their files online? I think it comes down to two “P’s”: Personal & Presentation
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When you’re a small business, your greatest asset is YOU. You have the ability to be personal with your clients! When you only work with 30 couples a year in your business, why not take advantage of the fact that you can actually KNOW them individually. Every time I send out a client’s flash drive, I include a personal note that is handwritten. I never understood how this was important until I received my CD and note from Jasmine for our engagement pictures. I loved that she took the time to write us! And I still have ALL of her notes and packaging saved with our wedding stuff. Why? Because that was a part of our experience! Being personal in little ways makes an incredible impact on your clients because it allows them to feel connected to you in one more way.
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The other perk of packaging is that it’s a tangible presentation of your business. To be honest, my packaging costs over $1200 a year. That’s pretty pricy for something that isnt necessary. So when I started using PASS, I told Michael that my packaging days were over. Then I was reminded of why presentation is SO important when several clients tagged me in picture on Facebook that showed off their packaging that they had just received in the mail. Now, it’s common to see at least 1-2 of those posts a month! My brides love getting little pretty things in the mail and I can totally relate!!
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So even though packaging isnt a necessity for file distribution, it’s a necessary part of my business. It represents my brand in a classy, chic way and my brides are loving it!! So here are some resources that I use:
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Flash drives : Flashbay.com
Stationary and paper products: WHCC
Boxes: h-b photo
Ribbon: Walmart
Stamps: zazzle.com
Return address labels: Vistaprint
(I’ll include links when I’m not 20,000 feet in the air with sketchy wifi!)