spring forward

It’s no big secret my family has had a rough couple of years, but we were all left unprepared and reeling from the events that took place two weeks ago. My little sister Jennifer, age 30, passed away on February 27th. She was married and they have a 14-month old son.

Hopefully that helps explain why the site has been left without updates and and e-mails have gone unreturned. I tried to update the Paperie Facebook page as I was able, but there’s just only so much you can do from an iPad on I-40 travelling to and from a funeral…

Slowly but surely I’m catching up with my life again and we have a few contest winners to announce!




First up are the winners of the three packaging contests here on Paperie: The “cameo / timeless” boutique packaging winner is Dawn Corwin. The “three strikes / spring training” custom packaging winner is Lynette Weber. And the “lipstick / tarte” boudoir packaging winner is WhirlieGirl Photography!

And the winner of “the savvy set” giveaway by Panache Collective over at The Savvy Photographer was…Sugar Bug Photography!

Thanks to everyone who entered, congrats to our winners, and thanks again to The Savvy Photographer for hosting one of these great giveaways!

For all our winners – you should hear from Robyn in the next 24-48 hours. Your packaging will need to be assembled and should ship within 3-4 business days of contact. Thanks for your patience!




Thanks for everyone’s support and prayers for our family!
-Robyn & Todd

P.S. “Like” the new Panache Collective Facebook page!

tag you're it: 2012 • advertise • advertising • banner • blog • bow • bows • boxes • branding • business • camera • contest • giveaway • H-B Packaging • HB • HB Packaging • kraft • materials • orange • packaging • Panache Collective • Panache Collective giveaway • Paperie Boutique • PB • photo • photograph • photographer • photographs • photography • photos • prize • ribbon • Savvy • Savvy Photographer • supplies • winner • winners • wrapping

what’s the deal?

Like everyone else in North America, Paperie is switching gears from summer to fall / winter. This means shorter days, longer shooting schedules as the holidays approach, and giveaways galore!

In a few weeks we’ll be announcing the exciting details for the second annual “best packaging contest“. Remember how much bigger / better this year’s second birthday celebration was? Well the next packaging contest will be no different! One vendor has already kicked in a $500.00 gift certificate!

What does all this mean to photography-related vendors? There’s never been a better time to advertise on Paperie! During our birthday celebration in July we logged well over 7 million unique hits and over 450,000 page views. We’ve followed that up with over 10 million unique hits from early August – mid September! Those numbers are only guaranteed to climb as the holidays and the annual packaging contest approach!

Kathy of the Boudoir Business Boutique writes:

“I just thought you’d like to know that I’ve received triple the amount of traffic from your site than any other site I’m advertising on! I’m so pleased with choosing to advertise with you!“

In addition to deep-discounts on our normal ad rates, we are also going to include each new vendor (that signs up between today and Saturday, October 15th) in a blog entry for better Google indexing through text links! So take one of our most recent advertisers, for example… This is what your entry would look like:

Paperie Boutique is proud to announce a recent addition to our vendor family / elite sponsors — CPQ Professional Imaging!

The CPQ Lab was started in 1972 with a small group of 15 employees, and since that time CPQ has grown to over 150 employees providing superb quality in a timely manner to the discriminating photographer. The current CPQ location, built in 1993, encompasses 47,000 square feet and houses a full-service lab (both optical and digital) that serves clients from all over the United States.

Users can sign up with CPQ, and receive free evaluation prints, here.

Sound good? Here’s all you need to do to sign up… Just select your ad-purchase in the pull-down menu below, send your payment via PayPal, and voilà!

Miss the sale? Go here to advertise with us!

Once payment has been made, write todd AT paperieboutique DOT com and include a copy of your receipt and attach an image for the ad-size purchased.

If you are interested in being a sponsor + advertiser, please e-mail todd AT paperieboutique DOT com for the additional discounted rate.

We look forward to having you join the family soon!

Hey, guess what? Moo.com is having a SALE this weekend!

click above image for a larger pop-up version
You can see just some of my Moo business cards, rounded business cards, folded cards, postcards, stickerbooks, round stickers, and labels by clicking on the photo above. And you can see some of my Moo minicards by clicking on this entry.

@overheardatmoo recently Tweeted: Stickers, Business Cards, MiniCards, Postcards and Greeting Cards – 25% off until Sunday (in case you didn’t hear) at http://www.moo.com.

And don’t forget Paperie offers several FREE Moo templates for download!




We also have a couple of recent contest winners to announce! First up are the two Capturing Couture camera strap winners…Connie McClain and Kim Young!

And the Fanciful Kites giveaway winner is…Michelle McDaid!

Thanks to both Capturing Couture and Fanciful Kites for the fun giveaways, congrats to our winners (watch your inboxes this weeked!), and a thank you to everyone who entered!

New contest coming up momentarily so stay tuned…
-Robyn & Todd

tag you're it: ad • advertising • business • business cards • camera • camera strap • cards • contest • DLSR • folded cards • giveaway • handmade • kite • kites • labels • materials • Moo • photographer • photography • postcards • press • prize • prop • props • rounded business cards • SLR • sponsor • stickers • supplies • winner • winners

the total package

BrandSushi is back today for another guest / vendor post and giveaway – up for grabs is a copy of their eBook “Total Package Pricing“.

How did you arrive at your current price list?

What’s your hourly rate (and how did you calculate it)?

Is your photography business turning a profit, or leading you down a path to the Poor House?

What message do you want your photography brand to convey, and what steps are you currently taking to maintain and build upon that message?

Are you 100% confident in your current pricing and package options?

If you’re having trouble answering these questions, it might be time to take a step back.

When I first started my photography business, I spent many long nights working out pricing, packages, brand and marketing strategies and budgeting for all sorts of things I hadn’t anticipated. I’m lucky enough to have a background in brand strategy, advertising and marketing, but many photographers (both new and established) don’t have that luxury, and find themselves overwhelmed with their pricing, collections, and marketing endeavors. We’re about to fix that!

Enter TOTAL PACKAGE PRICING, the pricing and collection building guide for wedding and portrait photographers who don’t want to go broke.

This three-part eBook series takes you through every facet of pricing your photography for profit, discovering — and utilizing — your CORRECT hourly rate, building a strong group of collections and packages that you’ll feel confident selling, and turning your business into a full-fledged brand. Here’s a run-down of what’s included:

BOOK 1 – Intro to Business and Brand Strategy : What’s in a brand? Learn how to position yourself and your products for top results. We’ll cover business structure (and why you can’t be everything to everybody); pricing and sales (learn not only WHAT to place in your collections for maximum profit, but HOW and WHY clients choose the way they do); perceived value and the inherent risks involved with discounting your way into the Poor House; and how to identify and utilize your brand’s “face and voice” to build a solid foundation on which to launch (or re-launch) a winning photography business and brand. Wherever possible, real-world examples are given and geared toward both Portrait and Wedding photographers, so everyone should be able to take something tangible out of the workbooks, regardless of their clientele!

BOOK 2 – Hourly Rates and Product Pricing : This volume will guide you toward the answer to that ever-elusive question: What are you worth? Learn the real way to calculate your hourly rate (I’ll give you a hint: it’s probably a LOT higher than you think it is!) and implement a price list that will set you up for success, and won’t leave you digging into your couch cushions when Tax season rolls around. You’ll also receive a set of Excel Spreadsheets that are already set up to do ALL THE HARD WORK (i.e. calculations) for you! But, if you don’t have Excel, never fear! All calculations are thoroughly explained in the workbook, and blank PDF templates are included so you can also do all the work by hand to get the same results! This workbook also comes with two sample price lists (one for wedding photography and one for portrait photography), as well as my personal product catalog and price list for comparison!

BOOK 3 – Building Profitable Collections : From deciding what to offer in your packages and collections to tallying their final prices and values, this workbook will leave you with a solid understanding of what goes into collections for maximum profit and confidence. You’ll also receive an Excel Collection Builder that calculates everything for you (as well as instructions on how to calculate everything by hand if you’d rather do it the old fashioned way!). We’ll cover scenarios for both wedding photographers (whose packages include service hours) and portrait photographers (whose collections are product-based).

And here is a basic list of the items included in this set:

(3) Excel Templates — each with multiple tabs (.xlsx format). These WILL also work in Apple’s Numbers, although some formatting might appear slightly different than in the screenshots. The Excel Templates were created in Excel 2010 and will work with recent versions of Excel on both Mac and PC. Compatibility with older versions of Excel or Numbers, or other spreadsheet programs is not verified.
(1) Instruction booklet to help you get started using the Excel Templates.
(3) PDF workbooks totaling over 50 pages of insider branding, business and pricing tips in clear, concise, and easy-to-understand terminology with real-world examples to get you thinking and keep you learning.
(1) Blank PDF line sheet with a quick pricing formula “cheat sheet” in case you’d rather do the calculations by hand.
(1) Sample Price Catalog from my own studio for reference.

Important Note: This workbook’s purpose is to give you a solid foundation and understanding of pricing and budgeting structures; it’s always a good idea to consult an accountant or tax professional to make sure you’re keeping everything in order! These workbooks do not provide financial advice — their purpose is to teach you tested pricing methods, and the psychology behind presenting those prices and packages in a way that will maximize profitability with your client sessions and orders.

And during this giveaway, all Paperie readers will receive 20% off at BrandSushi with the code PAPERIE20!

How do you win the eBook “Total Package Pricing“?

1. Tweet the following on Twitter (and tell us where you did it):
Win the “Total Package Pricing” eBook from BrandSushi.com / @brandsushi over at @paperieboutique / PaperieBoutique.com – http://is.gd/YsVq50

2. Post the following to Facebook (and tell us where you did it):
Win the “Total Package Pricing” eBook from BrandSushi.com over at PaperieBoutique.com – http://is.gd/YsVq50

3. Like brandsushi on Facebook: facebook.com/brandsushi

4. Follow @brandsushi on Twitter: twitter.com/brandsushi

Each entry requires its own separate comment. (In simple terms: If you want FOUR chances to win, you have to do all four things listed above, and then make four separate comments here telling us how you did them.)

Comment(s) must be posted here by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 12th. You can enter up to four times total. Post that you have met all four requirements in separate comments to have multiple chances to win!

You can enter / post up to four times total – one entry each for the options listed above. (PLEASE NOTE: Comments are held for moderation and may not appear immediately. Please be patient! They will show up eventually.)

You have four chances to win, but only one chance PER OPTION – please do not post the same link multiple times. Duplicate links will be removed. Each entry requires its own separate comment to have multiple chances to win!

Comments on this entry will be numbered in order of posting. The winning number will be chosen by Random.org, and the winner will be contacted within 24-72 hours of contest’s end to claim their prize.

Good luck!

Thanks to BrandSushi for another awesome giveaway!

tag you're it: advertising • brand • branding • business • catalog • collections • contest • ebook • Excel • giveaway • guest post • guide • marketing • materials • package • packages • photographer • photography • portrait • price list • pricing • prize • strategy • supplies • wedding

beginning to look a lot like…

Several businesses are offering “Christmas in July deals” this week, so we’re joining in here at Paperie Boutique, too!

Purchase any ad (excluding our fADtastic program and Blogads) between now and 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 25th, and get 10% off AND three months FREE!

Our readership has grown 30.9% since the first week of June and we’d love you to be a part of it! Just contact Todd FAST for more details.

And don’t forget that we’re currently doing a giveaway with the Photographer’s Wall Display Guide. Contest ends Friday night, so hurry up and enter to win!

tag you're it: ad • ads • advertising • affiliate • affiliates • business • display guide • gallery • marketing • merchants • photographer • photography • program • SEO • vendors • wall design gallery • wall display guide

fADtastic!

I’m excited to announce the launch of something new at Paperie Boutique just in time for summer – the fADtastic merchant ad program. Not only will you have the opportunity to advertise with Paperie Boutique starting today and running the next three months (through September 15th) for just $100.00, but you’ll also be able to increase your Google ranking / SEO by being linked on our readers’ websites in addition to being linked here! A bit about how it works…

If you’ll scroll to the bottom of the page, I have put together a demo set-up of current Paperie advertisers. New fADtastic program members will send 100×100 pixel (flat, non-rotating) images and I will create a uniform-looking square bordered ad for you just like the ones you see there. Your ad will appear at that section of the site (by the “Older Entries” and RSS links) – grouped together with the other fADtastic program member ads – for the duration of the program. There is no limit to the number of vendors who can participate. Your ad will also appear on a separate page – always linked at the top of Paperie (by both image and text) – where Paperie readers can go and get the HTML to copy, cut, and paste your ad’s HTML code so they can add it to their own blogs, websites or Facebook accounts.

In exchange for the Paperie readers adding your ad to their blogs, websites or Facebook walls for a minimum of 7-10 days, you are asked to provide a product or “prize” in return that is valued anywhere from $10 – $25. This could include a gift certificate code without a minimum purchase requirement, an action, a photo prop, a template, etc. You get the exposure to their website audiences and an SEO boost – they get to learn more about your business / service and a little freebie to reward their efforts. (Your ad will remain on Paperie Boutique from the date of purchase through September 15th. The 7-10 day time limit applies to ad display time on Paperie reader sites only. Paperie readers may only collect one prize per vendor during this promotion. Please do not register multiple times with the same vendor over the course of this promotion. Play nice!)

So if you’re a vendor and you’re saying, “Sounds great! What do I need to do?” Just three little things!

1. make your $100.00 ad payment:

2. send “Robyn at paperieboutique dot com” your 100×100 pixel flat,
   non-rotating image

3. send “Robyn at paperieboutique dot com” an e-mail address for
   site visitors to contact you after they’ve added your ad to their site
   for you to verify and then send on their prize – and list the prize
   you’ll be giving away to Paperie readers who link your ad

As always, if you have any questions just let me know! Thanks and I can’t wait to see you “get with the program” – happy summer!

UPDATE:: We have our first vendor added to the site! Please
welcome BrandSixty – copy the HTML shown below and e-mail
“create at brandsixty dot com” for your prize (5×5 gift certificate
template).

<A HREF="http://www.brandsixty.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://paperieboutique.com/fadtastic/brand_sixty.jpg" BORDER=0 width=110 height=110 ALT="brand sixty"></A>

Then view even more vendors just added at the new ad-HTML page.

tag you're it: ad • ads • advertising • affiliate • affiliates • business • exchange • marketing • merchants • photographer • photography • program • SEO • summer • vendors