Guest Blog by Melissa Jill, Founder of Align Album Design

Hey guys! I’m Melissa Jill — the founder of Align Album Design. I shot weddings in Phoenix for 16 years and just recently retired from shooting in order to spend ALL my energy helping other photographers succeed at offering albums. Align’s mission is to do just that!

We design, revise, print and bind albums for professional photographers and we can even communicate directly with your clients throughout the album process as your “in-house album designer”. In addition we offer a ton of free album-related education and resources to help photographers increase their profit through album sales. I’ve recently had some interesting conversations within the photography industry surrounding albums. It seems like there are a lot of photographers who should be selling albums, but aren’t for various reasons.  Many think they are not at the “right place” in their business to offer albums to their clients. Some are hesitant to take this step because they are just starting out or they feel like they don’t charge enough to be able to add albums to their packages.  

But here’s the truth: THERE IS NO ULTIMATE MILESTONE THAT YOU NEED TO REACH IN ORDER TO SELL ALBUMS SUCCESSFULLY. That’s right! You can start selling albums from the moment you open your business doors.

In fact, because albums increase your perceived value in the eyes of your clients, the sooner you can offer them … the better! Having one great wedding that you LOVE under your belt is the only helpful milestone to reach before you take this step. That way you have photos you can use to create a sample album that you are truly proud of and will be excited to show off to your clients! 

When to Start Selling Albums

For me personally, I knew it was time to start offering albums when one of my clients asked for one. After that, I scrambled to try to figure it all out! But I wish I had made the time to set up my album systems and processes long before my clients started asking for them. I missed out on a lot of profit by not offering albums sooner. And I ultimately learned how to produce albums the hard way — through a lot of trial and error.

The good news is that there are ways to make the process SO much easier on yourself. Here are my best resources and tips for starting to sell albums:

Check out our Album Start-up Kit

This kit includes 11 done-for-you plug-and-play tools. For example, a custom sample album with YOUR images, pricing guides, email templates, contract text and so much more that will save you HOURS of time. I put this kit together with all of the knowledge and experience I’ve gained over 16 years of selling albums. My goal in creating it was to save photographers allll the trial and error I went through. I learned things the hard way! And, I want to get them selling albums in the EASIEST and FASTEST way possible.

Check out my comprehensive list of tips for selling albums effectively. 

The truth of the matter is, when it comes to albums — the sooner you offer them, the sooner you legitimize your business and start making a profit. Offering albums allows you to take your clients through a full-service experience. It enhances your brand in a tremendous way AND it impacts your bottom line. It’s a no-brainer!

Melissa Jill is the founder of Align Album Design. She was previously a wedding photographer in Phoenix for 16 years and just recently retired from shooting in order to spend ALL her energy helping other photographers succeed at albums.