To Groupon or not to Groupon – that is the question. At least that is one of the questions going around photography forums in the past few months. Groupon offers an amazing opportunity but it also presents some very real challenges. I thought I would present my experience with Groupon in the hopes of helping people get a better understanding if it is a good choice for them and if so, be successful in their efforts. One thing – I’m not going to discuss the details of my contract with them. If you want more information on those details then please contact the folks at Groupon.com.
First and foremost, I have to say that my experience with Groupon has been fantastic. From the very beginning when I contacted them last November to when my ad ran and finally to when they sent me my payments, the staff at Groupon was fabulous. They have a great program and execute it very well. I’ve gone from just a handful of clients to 150+ and my photography improves each week from shooting so much. Plus I just booked my first wedding so I am extremely happy.
I contacted Groupon in November shortly after I went full time with my portrait photography business. I obviously needed clients and thought that Groupon offered a solid opportunity. The name of the game is that you have to offer a smokin’ deal – something that their customers would recognize as a great deal, even if they don’t buy it that day. For photography, that means photo sessions for $50 to $75. In return, you get to reach thousands of extremely motivated buyers. Groupon customers are mostly professional and there are more women than men. There are super bargain hunters but generally the groupon-er is a pretty good customer. And there are a lot of them – businesses regularly sell hundreds and sometime thousands of coupons in 24 hours.
So here lies the crux in the groupon decision. Yes you can book yourself solid for months, but only if you extremely discount your services. This is especially challenging for a one-man show like myself. Photographing, processing, uploading and selling prints from a 100+ sessions is no easy task. And you probably need to do much of it yourself since the $50-$75 price tag won’t cover outsourcing services like Shootdotedit.
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Great read. Thanks!
I found this extremely helpful as I recently just relocated from NY to Phoenix and was considering doing this.
Thanks for writing this, it help me a great deal in my research into using Groupon.
I will try this method, but like you said I will make sure I am ready for the scheduling/proof work first!
Hi Joey,
I know you mentioned you can’t speak about the terms of the deal with GroupOn as it refers to the contract. Do you have the freedom to speak about the sales process with GroupOn? Did you reach out to GroupOn to set this up or did them come to you? I would guess you had a interview process that talked about the specifics of the deal, your objectives, and how you want your brand represented?
I’m helping a friend who is an aspiring photographer, and as a Internet marketing practitioner myself, I wanted to get some first person details before I recommend. I know these grouping buying deals have their advantages & disadvantages so I want to be safe. Thanks in advance and good luck with your biz!
Hi there – couple things. Its not that I can’t speak about the contract, its that I choose not to. Groupon was great to work with and I don’t want to speak about things that only apply to me. As for the process, I called them up (Erica G is awesome), we discussed a couple different deal options and signed the contract. They did everything after that – writing copy, choosing photos, etc. but If your friend that isn’t what you should be concerned about. Big question is can he/she manage a large influx of clients and the associated work. That is no joke. Good luck.
I think this is a fantastic and completely useful post. I’ve been thinking about doing Groupons as well, but the sheer amount of potential sales scared me. I would love to get an update in 3 more months when it’s all said and done. I may consider this option if/when I open my own studio to generate some buzz.
Thanks so much for the informative post!
Hey Joey,
I have been considering Groupon for my new photography business because I’d like to get more customers. I use Pictage for my proofing & print sales and find that it’s a lot more convenient for my clients to order whatever their hearts desire from the galleries I set-up for them. They can even design and order an album if they’d like.
It sounds like Groupon was a great way to get your brand out to the masses!
Thanks for the article!
Some good info here. I am considering this now, but am being undercut by beginners and those who tend to ruin the market. I was told by one deal company that a woman was offering an hour shoot, 20 retouched images, a disc with everything on it and full copyright for $30. While it’s a great customer acquisition tool, it’s offers that cheap that are even killing it for someone who shoots exceptional, original photography as I do. When photographers don’t know the value of their work, it affects things for others who know the difference.
Hey Joey,
Yes this helped a lot. I’m in the should I or shouldn’t I group so I doing some well in advance research. I have some major revamping to do so I would like to be as ready as possible if I make the decision. Thanks again for your enlightening post.
- Nathan
Thank you for this thorough post, including your follow-up notes from July. Followed a link posted in the comments on the MCP Actions Fan page and wanted to let you know I enjoyed the work you poured into writing such a detailed post.
I’m so glad you put this together for the rest of us to read. This was EXTREMELY helpful in my decision-making process!! Thank you!
Your post is just what I was looking for. Thanks for sharing! Do you think doing a Groupon deal is a good way to make the transition from part time to full time photography? I’d love to do Groupon, but I know I won’t have enough time unless I take a leave of absence from my 3-4 day day job, or quit. Is this the time to do it?
Tough call – I would only go full time if you are in it for a long hall. Its not easy and takes a lot of work so you need to be ready for that with or without groupon. But if you are thinking about it and want to jump then jump (but not because of groupon).
Thanks for such a big and detailed review!
It seams Groupon has a great potential!
Interested: Does Groupon allow to offer digital products using their system, or, it’s possible only with physical products and services?
Kind Regards,
Photo Editor of Photo-help.com
Not sure about digital products – I imagine so but you should contact them.
Really good stuff Joey. I’ve been thinking about groupon for some time now, but haven’t spent the time to think about all of the logistics and just how much business to expect from it. This article was super helpful and gave me a lot to think about.
Glad you liked it Ryan. Let me know how Groupon-ing works out for you.
Thanks so much for the heads up. This information is great and oh so helpful!!
Thanks for taking the time to share this. I may be hitting you up soon for a mentoring session. I was thinking of doing this in August.
Great – are you doing the groupon in August or the coaching session?
Hi Joey
I’d lilke to say that it’s a tough call to decide exactly what percentage you should offer off the shoot price and what other products to offer. I guess your terms and conditions should be tight as to what exactly is included epecially location.
Could you say from your personal experience what propartion of the clients that you had from Groupon were from your prefered group. Does anyone have any experince of retaining the groupon clients for other work?
Thanks agin for your post very useful in drafting my first Groupon deal
Rosemarie
Thank you for the informative article!
Photographers please ……. Retain your copyright!!! Dont give out your Hi-Res files. Why give the labs the profit on what you created? Provide a reasonable offer, do a great job and try and sell additionals to your new clients. Even if you average a couple hundred dollars per client, that will make it a worthwhile deal for you. If you wish, give your clients a web quality 72 dpi file of the images ordered or purchased with your studio watermark for use on Facebook or uploading to iPhones, iPads, etc. This will increase your exposure to thousands more people. I’ve been in the business of photography over 25 years, negatives were never provided to customers. Photographers that were rumored to be doing that were often blacklisted. These days all the newbies have started the new trend of shooting and burning files. What was once a respected and profitable profession has turned out to be one of the least lucrative businesses out there with established studios closing there doors daily on a nationwide level ! Let’s stick together and take control. STOP the HI RES Epidemic!!!