Outrageous specials! Limited time only! Your studio’s bottom line will benefit. Do you know what we’re talking about? Collages.net’s annual Cyber Monday specials are coming soon. Do you want to be the first to know about outrageous deals on Collages.net’s hottest products?

Then mark your calendars! We will be announcing several product specials that you can take advantage of only on Monday, November 30, 2009. Cyber Monday is Collages.net’s response to Black Friday.

Collages.net’s hot product specials will be posted on Collages.net’s Facebook fan page and Twitter page throughout the day, so stay connected to these social networking sites. These specials are so incredible that they will be available for a limited time only. You don’t want to miss this!

Collages.net’s most outrageous deals of the year will be available to Collages.net Insiders first on Saturday, November 28th, so become a fan and follower today!

‘Tis the season to make your holiday deadlines! In order for products to ship by Friday, December 18th, orders must be placed before 12PM EST on the following days:

It’s that time of year again. The time that most children dread, but many parents eagerly anticipate. It’s time to send the kids back to school! As a professional photographer, don’t forget to capture your own family’s special moments.

If you are a proud parent, aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, or friend, now is the perfect time to capture the special moments in a child’s life. Instead of rushing around and taking last-minute shots before the bus comes to pick them up, ask your children to re-create their first day of school look before or after their first day starts. They’ll be much less anxious and you will be much more relaxed without the first day jitters hanging over everyone’s heads. Make the shoot as natural as possible - don’t force kids to pose - let them be kids! Also, ask them to include their favorite toy or prop in the shoot. When you look back at the photos years later, you’ll be sure to remember how they were at that age.

Don’t let these memories just sit on your computer or away in an external hard drive. Take advantage of collagesColor’s lower print prices and order prints for yourself or a family member. Upload the photos to a Premium Website and send a link to the entire family. Who doesn’t love seeing photos of the kids? You can also take the images you uploaded to that site and order a matte finish book with all of the day’s image to give to grandma to show off her pride and joy. A 5×5 book is the perfect portable size for keeping in her purse. Gallery wraps also provide a great way to show off children’s portraiture. Purchase a set of three or four square gallery wraps to hang in a row or in a square configuration in your home or studio.

Don’t forget about seniors going back to school. For tips on how to market your studio to seniors, read a recent article we featured on our blog.

Photo Credit: Small Wonders Photography

We’ve released our updated products and services catalog containing all current product offerings and a few shocking developments.

Extensive information about each product line can be found in the catalog, including collagesColor print products, presentation materials, albums, books, cards, gallery wraps, design services, and online posting. From turnaround times and file requirements to marketing advice, Collages.net’s product and service information is clearly detailed in one place.
Prepare to be amazed! Make sure to check out collagesColor’s new shockingly low prices. collagesColor print prices have been significantly reduced so your studio can profit even more by using collagesColor to fulfill both online and in-studio print orders.

There are also several new sections in the catalog. Check out the page dedicated to Collages.net’s cycle of success – a workflow diagram displaying how photographers are using Collages.net as the one-stop solution for their studio. Another addition is the community page, which features proven marketing tips and ways to become a part of Collages.net’s unique community of professional photographers. The tips and suggestions on the community page allow your studio to experience the benefits of using Collages.net as your one-stop shop. Increase your time savings by eliminating paperwork from multiple vendors and generate more sales by using proven best practices to market and brand your studio.

For more information on our products, please visit www.collages.net/products. To download your copy of our new products and services catalog visit www.collages.net/pricing.

How well do you really know Collages.net? You might be surprised. We are now revealing the top ten myths about Collages.net and the truths behind them.

1. Myth: Collages.net isn’t Mac friendly.
Truth: Collages.net loves Macs and the photographers who use them! (There is plenty of water cooler talk among employees about the latest iPhone apps!) Collages.net’s event upload tool and product ordering systems are cross platform. Whether you choose to upload Express events for manual print fulfillment through collagesColor + ROES or Full Service for automatic print fulfillment through collagesColor, all photographers, Mac included, have access to an online workflow, professional print lab, and product solution that fits their studio.

2. Myth: Collages.net is just for online hosting.
Truth: Online hosting is just one part of Collages.net’s complete product line. In addition to offering an elegant, user friendly online presentation and workflow solution, Collages.net is a full service professional print lab with several product lines including albums, books, cards, design services, and gallery wraps. Every Collages.net product is reviewed by our color experts before being printed. If you haven’t tried collagesColor for yourself, use the coupon code 88083EM on your first order to receive a $25 discount.

3. Myth: Collages.net is too expensive for my studio.
Truth: Collages.net is priced as a viable one-stop shop solution for any studio. With a variety of product options, Collages.net provides photography studios the professional products their customers want at competitive prices.

4. Myth: Collages.net is only for large studios.
Truth: Collages.net is perfect for any size studio. Both large and small studios benefit from the time savings they gain when choosing Collages.net as their vendor for all of their studio’s product needs.

5. Myth: Collages.net is just for wedding photographers.
Truth: Collages.net offers products and services for all types of photography. Whether you shoot maternity, baby, child, boudoir, senior, family, event, sports, or wedding photography, every studio can profit from the exposure that hosting images online provides. In addition to online hosting, Collages.net offers a full range of professional prints and mounts, albums, and press printed products for every type of shoot.

6. Myth: Collages.net’s Full Service workflow won’t work for our studio.
Truth: Do you find yourself complaining about having too much time? We didn’t think so. All studios can benefit from saving time. Our Full Service workflow is designed to do just that. With automatic order fulfillment, you can now use your time on activities to grow your business. What’s the catch? No catch. There is no cost difference between our Full Service workflow and our Express workflow.

7. Myth: Collages.net doesn’t offer album design.
Truth: Collages.net does offer album design for $1 an image. We guarantee we can simplify your design workflow immediately. At this price, how can you afford not to try it?

8. Myth: Collages.net doesn’t offer networking opportunities for photographers.
Truth: Collages.net offers several opportunities to connect with other photographers. Facebook, Twitter, our blog, and local photographer meetings all provide opportunities for photographers to connect with one another.

9. Myth: Collages.net can’t give my studio personal attention.
Truth: Collages.net is not just a vendor; we become partners with our studios. Our product consultants and customer service team want to know what’s going on with your studio. What challenges are you facing? What successes have you had? What tools can we provide to help your studio? No other company has a team of people who will come out to your studio to talk about products, packaging, and sales strategies. Collages.net cares about what’s happening with you, and we are committed to strengthening that relationship.

Ross and Kammi Bothwell, Elegant Images & Photographs

Robert and Kathleen Trenske, Robert & Kathleen Photographers

10. Myth: Collages.net makes collages.
Truth: Collages.net does not make collages. However, if you make them, we’ll print them for you!  Checkout our lab’s offerings at www.collages.net/collagescolor and see what other products we have for you.

Are there any myths about Collages.net that you’d like us to debunk? Contact customer service at www.collages.net/chat or leave us a comment!

Photo Credit: Laurel McConnell Photography, Elegant Images & Photographs, Z Media, & Schmitt Photography,

Work smarter by using free tools provided by Collages.net.

Collages.net event favorite folders and PictureChat make ordering albums simple. Each online event site you upload contains favorite folders, allowing clients to choose their favorite images from the site to be used in their album. Collages.net Premium Websites offer PictureChat, another communication tool that can be used for selecting and confirming album spread choices.

When clients use favorite folders, they can send an e-mail with their favorite files directly to you. You also have access to these folders through the Image Organizer in Site Builder. Once you receive your client’s favorite image choices, locate the high resolution copies on your computer. When you’re ready to place your album design order, send your client’s favorite images to Collages.net’s Album Designers, who will create the album spreads in the style of your choice.

After the spreads are designed, Collages.net can post the spreads to a Collages.net event site. Once we post the initial design, you and your client can communicate via PictureChat regarding the exact changes that you would like to see in the next revision of your album. Photographers are reporting incredible time savings and efficiency using this simple technique. Once you are completely satisfied with the design, you approve it, we then build it, and ship the album to you or directly to your client. Following your final approval, albums are shipped in two weeks or less. Ordering albums has never been easier or faster with Collages.net!

For more information or to get started with Collages.net Album Design, contact Collages.net Customer Service by e-mail customerservice@collages.net or collagesChat www.collages.net/chat.

With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, Collages.net wants to give you ideas of creative ways to position your products for increased sales. Mothers Day is the perfect excuse for clients to purchase photography gifts for the moms in their lives. Here are a few simple, gift ideas:

Special Portrait Package: Offer a special portrait package for Mother’s Day that would include a family shoot with press printed book, prints, and gallery wrap. This package could be purchased now to be shot after Mother’s Day or purchased and used immediately.

Press Printed Books: Help your clients who are fathers give their wives the perfect Mother’s Day gift. Professional images of their children bound in a press printed book will be a gift mom will keep forever and show to all of her friends. Plan an early photo shoot with the children or use existing images and create a press printed book that can be given to mom on this special holiday.

Prints: For your newlywed or engaged clients, suggest that clients order a 16×20 or other large-scale print for their mothers. What mother wouldn’t love a large print of her children to treasure for years to come?

Albums: Take your existing wedding album designs and create a duplicate parent album for your clients’ mothers. Choose a 5.5×7, 6×9, or any other small albums size for easy handling. Their portable size is perfect for moms to show off to family and friends.

Gallery Wraps: Have you recently shot a maternity or newborn portrait session? Encourage fathers, sisters, and other family members to purchase a gallery wrap of mother and child as the perfect gift for Mother’s Day. Purchase a set of 8×10 gallery wraps showing the baby’s growth to display elegantly in her home.

We’d love to hear about gift ideas you’ve used for Mother’s Day. Leave a comment and share your favorite Mother’s Day gift idea with us!

Image by Laurel McConnell Photography and Analise Catala Photography.

During these tough economic times, Collages.net wants to help your business prosper. We reveal proven techniques to promote your photography business by maximizing Collages.net’s free marketing tools. Below are ten free or cost-effective ways to market your studio to current and new clients.

1. Attend your local Finding Your Blue Ocean workshop. Learn what profitable studios are currently doing and how to plan for your studio’s future.

2. Become a part of your community and create an army for referrals. Stop by and visit every wedding planner, florist, DJ, and limo company in your area. Hand out your business card at every opportunity and a small portfolio of your work whenever possible. Clients won’t know you’re out there unless you expose your studio and brand to them.

3. Talk about your favorite vendors on your website and blog. Add a link to their websites and leave comments on their blogs. Vendor relationships are a great way to gain more exposure.

4. Send a Power Marketing E-mail about a promotion your studio is running or about updates you’ve made to your studio. Your clients won’t know about the promotions you run or about new happenings in your studio unless you tell them. Collages.net’s Power Marketing E-mailer is free and easy to use.

5. Sign up your studio on Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites. Then link your favorite event site to your Facebook profile as a demo event site. Gain more exposure and boost sales using the popular social networking sites.

6. Use your blog to your advantage. Blog as often as possible by posting a few favorite images as a teaser a few days after a wedding or portrait shoot to create a buzz about your work.

7. Send thank you press printed cards to every client. Order several cards with a stock wedding or portrait image on the front and your studio logo on the back. Send a card to every client you book, thanking them for working with you. Adding personal touches and saying thank you is a sure way to keep clients coming back to your business in years to come.

8. Submit you best photographs to a local magazines and online publications. Bridal magazines and other publications are a great way for brides to view your work.

9. Take photos of local events and happenings and submit them to your local newspaper. Brand exposure is key to booking new clients and retaining old client relationships.

10. Send a surprise 5×5 soft cover press printed book to your bride a week after her wedding. Starting at under $25, they are an affordable way to thank your clients for their business. Brides also love the small, portable size and they will appreciate the surprise addition to their wedding package.

Do you have any tips that you use to market your photography studio? Share them with others by leaving a comment!

Thinking strategically about packages and marketing campaigns is vital to your studio’s success. Below are nine tips for using Collages.net Press Printed Books to increase customer spending and book more clients.

1. Start adding a 5X5 soft cover press printed book in all lower priced packages and then offer an upgrade to the hard cover version. These books become essential for your word of mouth advertising. Make it easy for your clients to share your studio’s style with their friends and family.

2. Make vendor samples. Photograph portraits for local florists for free and then offer them a 7X7 hard cover book to display the images to clients. Be sure to leave a stack of business cards with the florist to hand out to clients after viewing the book.

3. Run a contest with your seniors. The person who brings in the most referrals by the end of April will receive a free 8 ½ X 8 ½ hard cover press printed book for free. These books are a huge hit with seniors because of the vibrant colors and black linen spine.

4. Do a portrait party for free for wives of men in the military. Then offer the 5X5 soft cover press printed book to them at cost. These books are easy to mail and are extremely portable. Create a press release of the event and send to local newspapers.

5. Do a marketing campaign around the theme “Little Black Book”. Create Little Black Book sessions by offering to photograph a boudoir session and adding a 5X5 hard cover, black press printed book free for each sitting booked. These are perfect for wives, husbands, or boyfriends.

6. Add a soft cover designed press printed book to your wedding packages. This “carry around” copy of the bride’s photographic album will give you increased exposure as she shares it with friends and co-workers.

7. Leave a variety of soft or hard cover press printed books in your local obstetrician’s office displaying your baby and maternity shots. Ask the office if you can leave your business cards as well.

8. Have a variety of sample press printed books in your studio to display a variety of color and size options. When discussing packages with clients, hand them the products they would receive if they upgraded to a larger package. This way they will see and feel the difference in the packages you offer.

9. Make sure your family portraits do not leave without a press printed book. One family has the potential to bring in more referrals just by sharing the book with friends and family.

If you have more ideas, feel free to share by leaving a comment.

Collages.net is pleased to announce the latest addition to its album collection - album design! Let Collages.net take album design off your to-do list. Today’s studios are constantly looking for ways to create time and find good values. Collages.net’s Album Design Team is dedicated to providing a personalized design that is tailored to your clients’ individual styles. Send us your images and we do the rest - color correct, design, print, and bind.

Collages.net Album Design features include:

• Color Correction - Color correction can be added to any album design order.
• Turnaround Time - Album designs are completed within ten business days or less.
• Design Review - Upon completion of the album design, you will receive a low resolution PDF.
• Revisions - After you have reviewed the design, up to ten changes all given at the same time can be made to the design at no charge.

Collages.net’s design, print, and bind album solution helps successful studios across the United States save time and money by centralizing their product workflow. To learn more about Collages.net’s Album line that includes leather and photographic covers, visit www.collages.net/albums.

For more information or to get started with Collages.net Album Design, contact Collages.net’s Customer Service Team at www.collages.net/chat or customerservice@collages.net.