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Graduation Success: Candid Color Photography's Triumph at an Oklahoma Advancement Ceremony

Graduation Success: Candid Color Photography's Triumph at an Oklahoma Advancement Ceremony
Candid Color Photography (CCP) in Oklahoma City recently orchestrated a resounding success at a local medical school's advancement ceremony.

With only 100 graduates attending the ceremony, CCP generated an impressive average revenue of roughly $49 per person in just 31 days. This achievement underscores the potential of graduation photography when executed well!

While $49 per graduate is incredible, aiming for $20 per graduate is a more consistent target to aim for and achieve for both high school and college graduations. This benchmark is attainable with proper execution, although many events (such as CCP's) can surpass this figure!

Candid Color Photography has been a longtime user of NowCandid & GradPics Now, and is able to get the most out of the program thanks to their experience with the platform! But even in the beginning, they were able to see immediate improvements when switching to NowCandid for their graduations. In 2022, CCP transitioned 82 graduation ceremonies to the GradPics Now program, resulting in a significant 22% increase in sales per person on average, compared to their previous year's sales per person at those same ceremonies.

This switch not only boosted their sales, but it also led to an ~8% discount in their previous production & software costs. NowCandid's Workflows also saved them countless hours in post-event labor compared to their previous workflows.

While there are many factors that can impact your sales averages, here are some of the most important ones CCP keeps in mind at every graduation ceremony they photograph.

Key Strategies for Graduation Photography Success

Quality of Images:

Ensure each photo is properly lit and tightly cropped to create sellable images that appeal to your buyers.

Efficient Data Collection:

Utilizing Selfie Check-In with high participation rates ensures efficient data collection and marketing opportunities. Positioning staff with QR codes at strategic points, like check-in or holding areas, can streamline the process and enhance participant engagement.

Selfie Check-In in combination with using our Capture & Upload app will also allow you to sell to parents and graduates during the ceremony! In our experience and research, speed is one of the most underrated factors in increasing your sales.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, using Selfie Check-In facilitates the next item in our list in a huge way.

Volume of Images:

Using Selfie Check-In frees you from the shackles of sequencing, alignment, and keeping things in order. With it, you can be free to photograph graduates in any order, and add as many extra shots of your subjects as you can.

Beyond standard portraits and handshake moments, with Selfie Check-In enables capturing dynamic processional shots, candid buddy images before the ceremony, and family celebrations post-event.  Employing multiple photographers can facilitate comprehensive coverage.

These extra photos can significantly increase sales volume, as more photos translate to more sales opportunities. In addition to more sales opportunities, it also creates bigger personalized galleries to be marketed to your subjects! Bigger personalized galleries means bigger orders from your buyers.

Preparation is Key:

Having all necessary materials ready, such as your Event's Selfie Check-In QR code, charged batteries and backup equipment, and a clear plan for photo stations, handshake photo timings, and post-ceremony family shots, is essential. Coordination with educational institutions for logistical and promotional support can also yield better outcomes.

Graduation Success Stories from CCP

CCP’s methodical approach has been mirrored in the experiences of individuals like Jason J., Eric M., and Bruce H., whose stories of successful graduation photography projects highlight the effectiveness of these strategies.

Read more about their graduation success stories:

     -     Jason J. - Using Face Matching to its Fullest

     -     Eric M. - School’s Out, Earnings In: A Teacher's GradPics Now Success

     -     Bruce H. - How Bruce H. Used GradPics Now to Increase Sales

By adopting CCP’s proven methods, photographers can transform any graduation event into an even more lucrative opportunity.

Related articles

How Bruce H. Used GradPics Now to Increase Sales
Success Stories
April 21, 2022

How Bruce H. Used GradPics Now to Increase Sales

3
 minutes read
Bruce Heflin utilized Now Candid’s Grad Pics Now, with Selfie Check-In at a recent graduation, so far racking up roughly $2600 in total sales in less than two weeks.

Heflin had covered this Nursing College’s graduation in previous years, generating roughly $200 in sales each year. The sales had been so dismal the administrator would provide gas money to keep Bruce coming back. This year was a different story, Heflin has managed to increase his sales by roughly 1200% with the help of Grad Pics Now’s Selfie Check-In Workflow & automated marketing campaigns.

Here's How He Did It:

1. Used Selfie Check-In to collect correct & current contact data

2. Sent automated marketing messages during the event

3. Bruce had about $200 in sales by the time he reached home an hour or so after the event (he didn't have to go back to the office!)

4. He used a mix of GPN Price Levels 1 & 3

5. He had a total profit margin of roughly 75% across the College’s ceremonies after accounting for the 85% margin for digital downloads.

6. We’re excited to see people discovering the effectiveness of Now Candid’s systems in action when executed properly with quality photography!

We recently caught up with Bruce to get a better idea of how he started incorporating Now Candid's tools into his existing photography business. Watch the video below to hear from Bruce.

Drive Sales Using Party Pics Now
Success Stories
April 18, 2022

Drive Sales Using Party Pics Now

2
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“We had a very successful Father/Daughter dance. The assistant principal was shocked at how organized and fast the pictures were this year. She also said that she didn't think dads would buy photos online. I told her that with my system, they will (this was our first year covering this event). Last year, dads had to pay with a paper order form, and many of them left the dance without taking photos because the line was so long. This year, we used Now Candid’s Party Pics Now, with Tap-A-Face. And when dads entered a phone number, we asked them to put mom's cell phone number in.” - Eric Miller

(screenshot of the event report taken before $2,100 was reached)
  • In one week, this event has done over $2,100 in sales and has ~$13.65 in sales per father’s face tapped.
  • Father/Daughter pairs were shot with a sparkling golden backdrop for most photos.
  • Price Level 11 (the most expensive PPN price level) was used for this event. Accounting for the 85% margin digital downloads and Price Level 11's 80% margin on physical products: Miller’s total profit margin was 82% of all sales and shipping.
  • No additional fees, charges, or unexpected costs makes for easy and instant accounting, and funds were deposited to his account within the week

Overall, this event was a homerun for MillerFoto and a great example of how effective Now Candid’s systems can be when you shoot quality photography and book quality events.

Thanks for sharing, Eric!

NowCandid's Microsoft App: Out Now!
Feature Updates
March 9, 2022

NowCandid's Microsoft App: Out Now!

3
 minutes read

New features you'll find in the app:

  • Supports several new Nikon and Canon models that the previous NOW Candid app did not
  • Customizable App Passcode - ensures you are uploading directly to events in your account & is protected from other user's image uploads
  • New modern design for ease of use
  • More event information now available right from the tablet when logged in
  • Choose between dark or light mode (dark mode looks pretty slick! Try it out!)
  • Added button in settings that instantly pulls up the image hot folder
  • Easier installation and less issues with Window Defender
  • Smarter log out protocols (warnings if all images have not been uploaded)
  • "Upload from SD card" to manually add all images from an SD card to an event.
  • Useful if a camera was not connected to a tablet when images were shot, this provides another way to manually upload
  • OR if you had a second photographer on site without a tablet, they could upload their images through a tablet/laptop before leaving the event

How to uninstall the previous version of the app:

If you have previous versions of the Party Pics® Now app or Now Candid app installed on your device, you will want to uninstall them. Make sure all data and images from any previous events have been transferred prior to uninstalling.

1. Navigate to "Add or remove programs"

2. Search for NowCandid to uninstall

    a. This can be done for "Party Pics Now" or SNAP as well

How to install the new version of the NowCandid app:

You can install the new app by going directly to the Microsoft App Store using this direct link: www.microsoft.com/store/apps. Alternatively,  you can find a link to the store on NowCandid.com/download (must be logged into account to access this page).

How to find your App Passcode to log in on the new tablet:

1. Log in to your account on NowCandid.com

2. Click on App Settings

3. Find or change your App Passcode

Let’s get in touch

If you’re a photographer looking to add NowCandid services to your wheelhouse – set up a call by clicking the button below.

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