Illusions About Buying A Photo Booth

September 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

If you’re considering buying a photo booth, know that you are not buying a “business”. You are however buying a piece of equipment that will allow you to create your own business. When you truly buy a business you are buying, not only the equipment, but the customers, branding and all the work that the previous owner put into that business. There should be records, email lists, contact information and more.

Illusion #1

The illusion some people have is that when they buy the photo booth that they are immediately “in business”. This is true in a sense. You can buy your booth, take it home and immediately book a gig. No one is stopping you but there is a bit more to running a successful business than booking a few gigs and most booths do not come with a customer base included.

Typically, when buying a photo booth you are only buying the equipment. It will be up to you to register your business with the state, usually about $150.00, as an LLC or S-CORP. The main difference between these two is mainly taxes and how the filing is handled. Those that want less paperwork usually go for an LLC and those that want a better tax shelter go for the S-CORP.

Tips for Websites

The next step is a company logo, business cards and a website. Your website is a very important part of your business and the second illusion many people hold is that websites are like cars, you just choose what you want and it runs. The truth is that websites are more like children. You are always looking after them. They need a lot of attention and guidance and there is no “one way” to make them perfect. They are constantly growing and changing, forcing you to keep learning and challenging what you know.

Websites are also multi-faceted. They are meant for interaction and data collection. If you are not collecting information with your website you are missing the boat. Websites are not meant to be advertisements. They are there to engage and encourage potential customers to take action.
When a potential customer comes to your site you want to capture their information, either by getting them to call you, write you or fill out a form. There are many ways to do this including: newsletter subscriptions, free reports, quizzes, e-books and discount mailing lists. Always think about the action you want your potential customer to take and make it easy for them to do it.

Lead Generation

Since you will likely have zero to only a few customers at first you must begin building your email lists from the beginning by using a service like Aweber. Contact management is crucial to the life of your business. Sign up for Meetups and Meetup.com and engage people in your community. Word of mouth works wonders but there is nothing like networking to bring in a constant flow of new potential business. 

Learn about Facebook advertising and how it works. Did you know you can do research about your niche market by starting the submission process for placing a Facebook ad? If you don’t understand demographics learn. It is easy to get started with a few quick Youtube tutorials to get your feet wet in the world of marketing.

Make no mistake, a photo booth business is like most other businesses at its core and if you want to be successful you likely have a lot of learning to do along the way. That being said, the photo booth business is one of the most fun and entertaining businesses for small business owners to get into. People really do flock to the booths and you will pick up clients fast if you maintain a professional attitude and a healthy interest for the business. AAAphotobooth has years of experience and top quality booths. When you decide you are ready to buy a photo booth they are one of the best companies to get you started. Above all have fun and follow your dreams, wherever they may lead you.

Filed Under: How to, marketing your booth, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , , ,

The Best Time for Buying a Photo Booth

September 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

If you are considering purchasing a photo booth the fall season is arguably the best time to buy. The reason for this is that the wedding season (spring/summer) is over and manufacturers begin giving their best sales and discounts during the slower fall and winter months.

This time is when manufacturers have the most time for you and can give you the most attention. They are also likely doing their best research for the next season and have started adding new updates and conversions to their products which is a good thing for you.

The other reason fall and winter are the best seasons to buy your booth is that there is less competition for market share during the slower months and it may yield better opportunities while the more seasoned professionals take a break from the hectic summer. Clients are likely to be less rushed and demanding as well providing you the perfect opportunity to make a great first impression.

Most of the events will be indoors as well and that’s a good thing for most photo booth owners who’s booths are meant to used indoors. If you begin now, you will have 6 months to build your brand, make preparations, research next year’s trends and be polished by the next time wedding season hits.
Fall/winter is also a great time to attend trade shows and start sifting through online publications in your search for ideas and strategic partners. Check out the event planning industry and catering industries blogs and publications to get an idea of where your potential clients will be hanging out. It is now that next year’s brides begin to plan their weddings and start scrapbooking ideas for the big day.

Now is a great time to look for your props as well, an integral part of any photo booth business. Props are half the fun and a killer prop collection will keep people talking for years to come. Get ideas now for creative marketing. Decide whether you want to invest time creating a Pinterst or Instagram account. Will you use Facebook or Twitter as your primary social media platform? With so much to consider and learn, now is the time to invest in yourself and build your business the right way for the coming year.

 

 

Filed Under: marketing your booth, Tips & Tricks

Don’t Stuff Your Keywords – How to Get Good SEO for a Photo Booth Rental Website

August 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

If you do one favor for your website this year, don’t keyword stuff your site. Confusing Google bots by stuffing every keyword you’re are targeting into every page makes for poor ranking as well. Imagine inviting an event planer to your house to help you plan a small reception of guests next week. The planner arrives at your house expecting the unusual layout and prepared to see what they have to work with to accommodate your guests.

 

But in your excitement to impress your friends, you decide to do something unusual by putting a toilet in every room, as well as a bed, dresser, oven and refrigerator. Now the even planner shows p at your door and wants to look around. She might walk in and look confused for a minute before she began her survey. “Where is the bathroom?” you hear her ask. “Well there is one in EVERY ROOM!” you exclaim excitedly. “You can do anything you want in any room you choose. Isn’t that GREAT?” You wring your hands excitedly for her reaction and watch as she uncomfortably makes her way around each room. Her bewildered face eventually betrays the truth. You have gone too far and made a general mess of your house.

 

The truth is that in your excitement to be everything for everyone you have missed the importance of having separate rooms.  People like to eat in kitchens or dining rooms, wash up in bathrooms and sleep in bedrooms.  There is a comfort to knowing what to expect and the functionality of a house works very well that way. Websites are no different and when your friendly Google bot (event planner) comes over for a visit you want her to be able to quickly and efficiently determine what each of your rooms is for and where to direct your guests (traffic).

 

Homepages are for helping your potential clients find their way around.  It should have good pictures and a few links to places you think your customers would want to go. The text on your homepage should be as general as possible so people can quickly determine whether they want to stay or go.

 

Your about page is for just that, telling about the history or story of your business. Listing the services you provide is fine but choose to promote the core values, attitudes and beliefs of the company rather than keywords specific to your products or services.

 

Your sales or product pages is where you can place information and keywords specific to what you do or sell and if you have many products, choose different keywords for each page.  Make the pages unique and you will have a 100% better change of ranking on a search engine than you will muddying the water with every possible scenario, product and piece of information about what you offer to your clients.

Filed Under: How to, Tips & Tricks Tagged With:

How to Use Meetup to Increase Your Photo Booth Rental Sales

August 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Find conferences near you easy

Meetup.com is a great place to find local events that are being held by your community for free!  Finding conferences and get togethers comprised of your target market or potential referral partners really is as easy as the click of a button. First let’s get you to www.meetup.com.

One you ‘re at Meetup you have a few options.  You can search your entire city with or without a keyword. Both methods of searching have their advantages. If you search by location alone you will get every Meetup within 25 miles of that city but you also get to filter the results by “most active”.

The most active filter will tell you, in order,  what the best Meetups are without much effort. When you see one that is comprised of some or all or your target, BINGO. If you see nothing that excites you try the keyword search or another city.

To try the keyword search enter a keyword like “event planning” and then enter your city and state below before searching.  You will not be able to filter by “most active” anymore but you will have fewer results to choose from so it matters less.

Tips and Tricks

There is a trick to the keyword searches as well. On Meetup, each keyword variation matters. In other words, typing the words “event planning” will not pull up any conferences or get-togethers that have been tagged or described with slightly different keywords. So “event planning” will not pull up the same search results as “event planner” or “event planners”.

After you have identified your potential Meetups go ahead and see when the next Meetup is and what the rules are to join or attend. To prepare for the event do a little research so that you bring either something useful, new or funny to the group. There is usually a theme to the get together posted on the Meetup page so it shouldn’t be that difficult.

Make sure to bring pictures of your booth in action and plenty of business cards.  Another idea is to ask the event host if you can set up your aaaphotobooth at the event for free to showcase yourself. It never hurts to ask and, though it’s a bit more work, it’s well worth it when you are in front of such valuable referral partners or your target market.

Filed Under: How to, marketing your booth, Tips & Tricks

How to Change The Name or User of Your WordPress Blog Articles

August 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As a photo booth rental business you likely understand how important blogs are to your site. Not only do they give your customers a chance to get to know more about you and your company but blogs are great for organically building your SEO. You may have noticed however that the posts appear with the author name as “admin” or the username of the person creating the posts for you.

Changing the name is easy but it depends on how you are posting. The author name can be anything you would like. It can be your first and last name or the name of your business. The best name to use will depend on your branding and marketing plan. For this example, let’s assume you want to display the author name as your company. You will now need to login to your WordPress site by finding the login page which will be www.your_site_here/wp-admin. Once you see the login screen, login and continue below.

The easiest way to change the name is to identify the user the blogs have been posted under. For blogs that display the name “admin” as the author you will need to edit your admin user account. To do this simply look on the left hand menu of your WordPress site. You will see a link called users. Click “users” and “all users”, if necessary, to bring up a list of all the users on your site. Now find the user named Admin and find the place that says “edit”.

Once you are in the edit screen you will see an option to add first name and last name. Delete any words in these two fields and type your company name in the “first name” field. Now below the name fields you will see a dropdown selection box titled “nicknames”. Click the arrow and you will see the new name of your company that you typed in the “First Name” field. Select your business name and save your changes.

Any posts that were posted to your blog as admin will now appear as your company name. If you still see blogs with different author names you need to identify which user they are posted under and follow the steps above for that user.

Filed Under: How to, Tips & Tricks

10 Things to Consider When Renting a Photo Booth for Your Wedding

August 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

1.How quickly will you get your prints? Antique booths are pretty and nostalgic but can take up to 3 minutes to get your prints. A modern booth can print in under 15 seconds and that makes everyone happier.

2. Pricing – For wedding rentals, usually 4 – 5 hours, expect to pay between $2,600.00 to $3,500.00 for unlimited photo action, a great booth and great attendant. It’s not recommended that you pay less because fuzzy photos or red eye will tarnish the memory forever and there is no money back that will remedy that lost opportunity.

3. How many copies of the photo strip can you make? – Say there are 10 people in the booth. Can the booth print out a copy for each person so they can all take home the memory? Does it cost extra to do that or is it included in your rental agreement?

4. Booking – Just like anything else, photo booths book well in advance come wedding season.  Make sure to think ahead and call a few booth rental places to check their booking policy.  Find out how far in advance you need to book and if they require a down payment to reserve their services.

5. Can you access the photos after the event? If you are with a good company they will upload your memories to their website and make a private link for you to download and print the photos after the event is over.

6. Time allotment for booth rental – Most weddings run 4 -5 hours but what if your event goes a bit longer? Will there be extra charges? Know in advance what the policy is for extended rentals.

7. Samples – make sure you see recent samples of the photo strips that the booth you are renting prints out. The photos should be hard to smudge and difficult to tear. Quality is important for your event so take the time to preview what you are purchasing.

8. Personalization – Does the photo booth company offer personalization on the photos? Many couples would love to have their name printed on the bottom or back of the photo. Does your rental company offer personalization and if so, how much extra is it?

9. Props – Props are an essential tradition of the photo booth experience. Ask to take a look at their props or ask to see a picture.  Props should range from over-sized hats to funny moustaches on sticks, sunglasses and more!

10. How many people does the booth hold? – Not all booths are created equal so make sure that our booth fits at least 8 to 10 people like the AAAphotobooth. Booths that seat couples are cute but you won’t be able to get all the bridesmaids in one shot or the bride, groom and parents.

 

Have fun picking out our booth and make sure you feel good about the booth and attendant you choose. It may also be worthwhile to see what the policy is if they cancel on YOU. What would you do? Would they send out a backup company? If so then who? Your wedding is too important to leave things to chance so use this guide to help you make the perfect selection.

Filed Under: How to, Tips & Tricks

Prop Shop like A Pro

June 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Prop-A-Lot

To prop or not to prop, that is the question. There are risks when you invest in props. Sometimes people get a little carried away after consuming too many adult beverages and bye-bye props. Sometimes the children get a hold of them and the only chance for your prop’s survival is to be made out of stainless steel and bolted to the floor! Regardless of the risks involved, the solution is simple: offer props because they make customers happy.

Cost

Props come in all shapes, sizes and prices. You will find the average prices between $2 and $5 per piece. It’s recommended to find as many props as you can that cost $1 or less. Do not forget to include shipping costs to your prop package prices when applicable if ordering online. Also remember to add 20% for your time and effort. 

Decide whether or not you want to get crazy with all these props. You can quickly find yourself spending several hundred dollars building up a large inventory. You can try to build up your supply slowly over time, with each event. Also see how the different props stand up to different types of revelers’ use.

You can try charging a flat fee for the use of the props which can cover the cleaning costs and earn you a small commission. You may also want to try charging a flat fee for a prop theme kit package that guests can keep. Whichever way you decide, remember to have fun with it and communicate that fun to your customers. 

Many Props

Building a large and diverse inventory of props is the not the easiest step in your business. Start with the classics like over-sized mustachios, lighted glasses, and big hair rock-n-roll wigs! Then move on to oversize cowboy hats, pirate hats, sombreros, top hats, and Uncle Sam hats. Don’t forget the inflatable air guitars, tommy-guns, and police batons. Every prop should be over the top, outrageous and fun. And remember to build your inventory of accessories for specific events!

Online Prop Shops

There are many sites out there offering affordable products. Some of our favorites are:

 Each company offers a great variety of props in dozens of different categories. These sites are easy to navigate and offer convenient as well as affordable shipping rates. However, never underestimate the ability to find great pieces at toy stores or even a random yard sale!

Filed Under: How to, Tips & Tricks, vendors Tagged With: , , ,

5 Creative Key-Phrases For Your Photo Booth Rental Business And How To Market Them

June 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Our 5 picks for niche keywords are:

• Best wedding photographers – 12,100 local monthly searches
• Wedding photography prices 12,100 local monthly searches
• Cheap Wedding Rentals – 1600 local monthly searches
• Bat Mitzvah Photos – 1,300 local monthly searches
• Quinceanera Rentals – 480 local monthly searches

Keyword “Best Wedding Photographers”

For “best wedding photographers” this key-phrase is great for a couple of reasons. 12,000 monthly searches is nothing to sneeze at and secondly, people would not normally think of a photo booth instead of a wedding photographer, so you will have less article content in direct competition with yours. Your article will pose the argument of why a photo booth can sometimes make a superior wedding photographer or at least be a wonderful addition.

You are reaching across niches with this technique and offering a fresh perspective on the subject which will make it more likely to be shared on social networks and picked up by article directories which send more traffic your way.

Keyword “Wedding photography prices”

“Wedding Photography prices” is a bit similar but not as much of a stretch. This is still a good key-phrase because you are again introducing your photo booth as a photographer replacement option and can write about how your prices compare with photographers and the benefits of a booth over a photographer. The novelty of the idea is sure to get a few people on the phone with you quickly.

Keyword “Cheap Wedding Rentals”

Normally going after a keyword that includes “cheap” would be inadvisable for a higher priced industry but because we are talking weddings, which are by their nature more expensive, “cheap” is a relative term. There are only 1,600 local monthly searches so it’s a bit of a shot in the dark but the word rentals gives the clue that they are looking to purchase and have some ambiguity about what might be an inexpensive rental for a wedding they haven’t thought of yet.

Keyword “Bat Mitzvah Photos”

1,300 local searches is light but not if you grab the majority of the interest and rank high in the results. This is a pretty niche subject on its own and it’s doubtful that many organic articles have been written for it. A quick search on Google reveals the top results being photographer websites so you are in the right place. Try an article using the keyword “best”, “how to” or “top 5 ways” when thinking of the title and then watch your Google analytics to see how well the articles is doing.

Keyword “Quinceanera Rentals”

Most would not bother targeting something with under 500 local monthly searches but for small businesses that understand this market it can drive some traffic fairly quickly. If you don’t know what Quinceanera means than it is likely you are not Latin. The other word for this is Sweet 16 and celebrates a girl becoming a woman in many Latin traditions.

It is celebrated much in the way a wedding is and is just as elaborate. If you are unaware of this market but find you have a large Hispanic or Latin community nearby, this may be a great new client to market to.

Filed Under: How to, marketing your booth, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , , , ,

Facebook, Photo Booths and Proms

May 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

SOCIAL MEDIA FOR SOCIAL EVENTS

Facebook is a great way to both promote an event and share with friends after an event is over. By choosing to use a photo booth at a school prom, students can help collect memories for a lifetime and then upload pictures, and video clips (from video capable booths like ours) to Facebook to share with their friends and family.

This makes the event more interesting and tons of fun. Everyone attending the prom will have an opportunity to sit in the photo booth and get their photos for free. This is especially good at proms where students are often strapped for cash.

Even better for the students, they can capture serious moments with thier best friends or act silly and pose in groups. Masquerade props would be a great idea to use in a prom setting.

FUN CHOICES

Imagine all the fun and excitement you could generate by having a time capsule at the prom. By having a photo booth at the prom you’re getting precious memories on a film strip. If students run through the booth twice they can keep their favorite strip to take home and place one in a time capsule!

You can also use all the pictures from the night to help fill the class yearbooks with interesting and entertaining pictures. Just imagine all the endless possibilities these strips would make in a yearbook “remember when?”

CONNECTING WITH DECISION MAKERS

Just like any form of government the student council and class president will make all the important decisions (with the schools approval). The first thing students need to do is run the idea by the student council and explain the facts. Help the parents understand the process and create instructional literature they can give to students to help get you hired for their prom. If you help them understand the benefit of having a booth and how to go about getting it approved, why would they not hire you?

The reason to go for prom instead of a school dance is that they normally have a larger budget and more importance is spent on entertainment. A prom will be much more likely to have the budget to afford a photo booth rental than a school dance.

USE FACEBOOK TO SPREAD THE WORD

So how do you use a Facebook ad to promote this idea? Consider placing a regional ad in Facebook that targets female, teens 16 – 18 for your given area. It’s easy to see how many audience members your ad will reach and from there you can determine if it is worth it for you to run the ad.

Next, hire a graphic designer to make a cute ad (spend no more than $50 on this) and give your ad a test run!

 

TALK TO YOUR PEERS

You can also mention your idea for props or get ideas from other students. Props could be made in art class for the event to make it even more special.

Just imagine how cool it would be to have something so fun and exciting at the prom! All the ridiculous moments caught on film strips to cherish forever.

There will be a line of people waiting for their turn and quite possibly the highlight of the evening. Facebook will help spread the word about the photo booth being at the prom.

 

OUR EXPERIENCE FITS YOUR BUSINESS

AAAPhotoBooth.com is glad to assist you with tips, tricks and ideas. Help make proms special by using these tips to get hired in prom season and above all, remember to have fun!

 

 

 

Filed Under: marketing your booth, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , , ,

Learn How To Increase Your Photo Booth Business By Attracting Bar Mitzvah Clients

May 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

UNDERSTANDING THE TRADITION

The Jewish community celebrates what is known as the Bar Mitzvah. In Hebrew “Bar” means boy and “Mitzvah” means commandment. This rite-of-passage into adulthood traces back thousands of years.

This new phase in life begins at age 13 for boys and 12 for girls. This milestone signifies adulthood and bestows all the rights and responsibilities expected by tradition. This custom is based upon sacred religious beliefs and the age selected for both sexes signifies the typical age that puberty begins.

Until children reach their Bar Mitzvah age, their parents are held responsible for their actions. Once the child goes through their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, the parent is no longer held responsible for the child. This rite is important because the Jewish community requires strict adherence to all traditions and religious beliefs for adults.

UNDERSTANDING THE CELEBRATION

This enormously important event is celebrated with a feast and gifts. It includes all family members, friends and the entire community! In addition to the celebration, the boy or girl is required to make a speech and read from the Torah.

The boy or girl helps lead the event and has their Rabbi close by for support. The Rabbi honors the new adult with a certificate for this coming of age. According to scared belief, adults that strictly follow tradition will be rewarded for their efforts in the next life.

The Jewish people believe the average life span is 70 years. When a person reaches 83 they are considered to have fulfilled their adult responsibilities and obligations. They are then allowed to turn back the clock to the tender age of 13.

WINNING NEW CLIENTS

How do you win clients in the Jewish community for your photo booth business? Understand their traditions and values.

If you are not plugged-in to this you are losing out on the Bar Mitzvah market. These events often surpass the most lavish weddings!

Remember, theirs is a sacred tradition. Give them a way to capture their memories for a lifetime of remembrances with your photo booth. By offering a truly special experience, you will gain lifelong customers… and friends!

AAA Photo booth is here to help you understand all the possibilities of how to generate an income with one of our photo booth packages. The rest is up to you.

Filed Under: marketing your booth, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , ,
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