As the owner of a frame shop, you know that the challenge to increasing local business is not only in producing great retail art and design ideas, but also it is reminding your customers that their best wall decor ideas might be right under their nose. Encouraging your customers to bring in their keepsakes is something that can be done year round on social media and by showing great examples on your website. During the holidays is an ideal time to increase and amplify this messaging for those who may want to share their keepsakes and memories with loved ones as a framed gift.
As digital photo restoration services have become more commonplace over the last several years, the market has been flooded and the quality varies tremendously. If your shop is able to position itself as a premier and premium provider of digital photo restoration services, your traffic and framing business will grow as well. Here are our tips on how to effectively market these services to your local customers:
- Emphasize artist-quality work – Our expert photo restorers are actually artists that are using their skill to bring old photos new life. This involves the use of a deep knowledge of image manipulation tools, but also often involves a stylus and tablet. Make this your unique selling proposition against “big box” stores.
- Emphasize care – Since we are talking about valuable photos that have already seen some stress or damage, make sure that your customers know that you would treat them as if they were your own treasures. While it is possible to digitally restore photos scanned from customer computers, the quality is going to suffer. It is preferred to have the item scanned by a high resolution scanner that may mean taking possession of the photo from the customer. Make sure the customer knows that the utmost care will be taken in every step of the process.
- Be local – Most competition for digital photo restoration is going to be from online sites. Customers can be understandably hesitant to mail in their original photos to a business that they only know as a faceless online website. Use the fact that you are a local storefront to exploit those hesitations and secure the business. Add in that you are the design expert to properly frame the item once restored and professionally printed!
- Show examples – Dramatic examples of photo restoration can be found on our site – and we believe that an image speaks a thousand words! Use these photos to show the detail added by hand and the artistry that is involved. Use these examples frequently in your social media so people who are exposed start visualizing their own projects. Have the “before and after” examples printed in high definition and in a prime spot in your storefront to remind customers of their own secret treasures on every visit.
- Ask for reviews and testimonials – According to Nielsen Research, 92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer, and 70% of people will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t even know. Post your great photo restoration reviews and testimonials along with “before and after” photos on your website and social media, but make them into stories with personal backgrounds for more impact.
- Don’t compete on price – Many customers shopping online may be led to believe that photo restoration services are interchangeable – and that is when they make their decisions on price. Positioning services on price is always a race to the bottom. While it is much more difficult, positioning based on quality results, care, and customer relationships can increase profitability. If you need to run a holiday promotion, consider an upsell package that includes printing and framing rather than coupons or discounting.
BONUS: Holiday Messaging
Please feel free to use parts or all of the messaging below on your blog or use snippets in your social media.
Digital Photo Restoration – This Holiday Season’s Most Meaningful Gift
Ready or not, fall has officially begun. Temperatures are dropping, Starbucks is serving up Pumpkin Spice Lattes by the thousands, and many people are already looking forward to the holidays – which often means the search is on to find those perfect presents for friends and family. If this sounds like you, there’s an unusual gift option you should know about: Digital photo restoration.
Chances are Grandpa Bud or Great-Aunt Sally have damaged photos piled up in boxes laying around their basement, attic, or some forgotten closet somewhere. Our professionals can help restore the images, and, in turn, preserve the valuable memories those images hold. In our experience, there is no better, more timeless, or more meaningful gift than the preservation of memories…and we think your loved ones will agree.
Most any damaged photo can be given new life with our online photo restoration service. We combine state-of-the-art technology with an artist’s touch and impeccable customer service to guarantee your satisfaction with the end result. In general, we can digitally repair nearly any type of photo damage, including:
- Tears
- Rips
- Creases
- Stains
- Discoloration
- Fading
- Water Damage
- Tape Damage
- Foxing
We also offer additional services to further enhance and protect digitally restored photos, such as:
- Photo Retouching
- Color Correction
- Photo Enhancement
- Reprints
- Digital Archiving
- Collaging
We know that finding a gift that will put a smile on someone’s face is a worthwhile yet challenging process, especially when the recipient already has everything they want/need or doesn’t value material goods. This holiday season, let us help you wow them with a more sentimental option — the gift of digital photo restoration. Not only is there nothing quite as priceless as the preservation of memories, but your gift will undoubtedly spark some great dinner table conversation and musings about events of the past…events that make up the fabric of the recipient’s life.
____________________________________________________________________________
The professionals at Gemini Builds It! have years of experience in serving independent retailers with digital photo restoration, and take pride in our commitment to preserving, protecting, and highlighting people’s most cherished memories. To view our portfolio, please click here. To speak with our digital printing and photo restoration team about your needs and/or to receive a quote, give us a call at 800-323-3575 ext 4124. You can also visit our digital photo restoration service page, custom printing service page, or website home for more information about our framing, moulding, and custom enclosure services.