NEW Level Two section on CandidNet offers samples and
more!
We have created a NEW section, available today, designated
to Level Two on CandidNet. You can access samples and
more via the L2 link on the CandidNet homepage. Here
is what you will find in the new L2 section.
Digital files available
We have set-up 2 sample pages for digital L2 images.
One is grouped by Level Two design name. The other
is grouped by sport or activity. All of the sample
images are model-released and available for CCS customers
to use. Simply find the image you need and right-click
to copy & paste to your computer. The size of
these digital files would be good for online samples,
your website, email or maybe even a small brochure.
If you need larger digital files, they will be available
for download in our sample ordering section.
Sample ordering
In the new L2 section on CandidNet you will find a
link to order print L2 samples online.
These Level Two samples are currently grouped by sport
or activity. The name of each L2 design can be seen
as the “frame” name. These images are available
for ordering in 8x10 and 16x20 sizes with several mounting
options. All samples will be printed on Metallic paper.
These samples are also available as a high res image
download. We are working to post sample images for
orders grouped by L2 design name and in other sizes.
Sample HTML
The best way to sell L2 products is to show samples.
We have provided html links to sample images for
a large array of L2 designs and sports/activities.
The html can be pasted in the product description
space in QP2. To learn more about this process you
can see the article “how to display sample
images in retail packages in QP2” document
on CandidNet. This article is found under Software
Training>QP2>Sample Products. CORE users can
use the file upload feature in CORE to display samples
on their retail site.
Level 2 Logos, Description and General Information
CCS is providing our official Level Two logos for your
use. Please help us by using the official L2 stencil
font, square L2 design or L2 wing design on your
materials when possible. The homepage of our Level
Two site also contains a description of L2 products
and other general L2 information that should be helpful!
Please contact CCS if we can provide any help in offering
or marketing Level Two products!
Take
Advantage of E-mail Marketing at Your Next Event
by Jessica
Irvin
In this digital age, e-mail is the easiest way to
communicate, and it is important that you utilize this
inexpensive tool to market your events. By collecting
e-mail addresses at the shoot and using the addresses
to broadcast your services to your customers, you can
generate sales months after the event is over. E-mail
marketing is a great way to reach out to the individual
that was shot, as well as, their family members. Collect
2 to 6 e-mail addresses per individual, so that the
parents, grandparents, and friends are able to view
proofs and place orders.
There are a variety of different ways you can collect
e-mail addresses depending on the event that is being
shot. In all scenarios, it is important to use boxes
for each letter and include at least 25 boxes for the
length of the address. CCS can provide you with several
resources to help you collect e-mail addresses including:
Graduation Reader Cards, Perforated Cards for Parties,
Pay First Envelopes for Prom and Sports and a Sports
Speculation Form. Some other ways you can collect e-mail
addresses are using a sign-up sheet, or placing a table
topper at a wedding or party with instructions to add
their e-mail addresses.
Whichever
way you collect e-mail addresses, it is important that
you take advantage of this valuable marketing tool.
Using the “Set It & Forget It” e-mail
campaign in CORE and QuicPost you will be able to broadcast
e-mails to your customers featuring products, specials,
and services. This feature will be available within
the next few weeks.
Once the e-mail campaign feature is available you can
contact tech support at (800)750-0494 option 2 for
assistance setting it up.
Now the question is how often do you send an e-mail
to your customers? The following time line is a guide
to help you create a campaign and advertise to all
of your customers. This timeline will work for any
market.
Day 1 – First Contact, “Your Proofs are
Ready to View!”
Day 5 – Reminder to View Proofs.
Day 12 – Order Deadline is Approaching.
Day 20 – Deadline has Been Extended.
Day 30 – Advertise your other services (Portraits,
Events, Groups, Sports)
Day 60 – New Products are Now Available!
7 Days Before Thanksgiving – Advertise Gift Ideas
and Holiday Cards.
Day 350 – Anniversary of Event & Last Chance
to Order.
All Events are now extended for one year free of charge.
This extension gives you a full year to market to all
of your customers. Customer Development can provide
you with forms and templates for you to use collecting
e-mail addresses at your event. If you have any questions
on how you should collect e-mail addresses at any upcoming
events please call Customer Development and we will
help you with all of your marketing questions.
After my last few newsletter articles about Facebook,
I have had an overwhelming response to how Facebook
has helped many of you communicate with your customers.
Party Time Photos in Lubbock, Texas and Joe Photo
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa have both had tremendous success
communicating with their “friends” on Facebook.
Bruce Smith and Mike Gordon have found that Facebook
is a huge asset to their business. They are using it
to communicate with Greeks, to seek out events, and
are even using the event application to show all the
Texas Tech students what Greek events they have booked
during the coming weekend. Between the two of them,
they have over 2,000 “friends” on Facebook.
Most of these “friends” are Greek students
that they keep in contact with on a regular basis.
Recently, Party Time Photos ran a special sale and
promoted it through Qems and Facebook. They followed
up on the results and found that even though they sent
over 6000 message from QEMS, most students read the
Facebook notification. They say that Qems is still
a great way to communicate with the parents of the
students but Facebook is the way with the Texas Tech
Greeks.
Ed Kempf with Joe Photo has also found Facebook to
bring back the constant communication with the Greeks
he has been trying to create for the past several years.
During the film days, Joe Photo stopped by the houses
on a weekly basis bringing proof sheets and picking
them up. During these frequent visits, he would hear
about all the upcoming events and created a bond between
his company and the organizations. The digital world
has helped out businesses, but has also hurt the constant
communication with the college students. Ed says that
Facebook is bringing him back to the “weekly
visit” relationship and has helped him book more
events. Not only is Facebook helpful in communicating
with the Greek community but key to keeping in touch
with Joe Photo’s contacts in the corporate world.
Ed has found that many of his corporate contacts are
fresh out of college and are still very active users
of the social networking site, Facebook. These contacts
recognize him as their Greek photographer from college
and instantly think of Joe Photo for their next corporate
event.
These success stories are two more reasons why you
and your business should be on Facebook!
Reducing
the possibility of blurred images by Darwin
Drake
When hand-holding a camera, shaking during exposure
is the most common cause of blurred pictures. By using
a normal lens, with reasonable care, camera shake can
be avoided at a speed as slow as 1/60th of a second.
To avoid the possibility of camera shake at slower
speeds, a tripod or other stabilizing support should
be used to hold the camera steady.
The recommended shutter speed for sunny-day
photography is 1/250th of a second with most events.
This is a relatively fast shutter speed, which virtually
eliminates the possibility that a hand held camera
will move during exposure and cause a blurred picture.
The image of a moving object
moves across the sensor while the shutter remains open.
Thus a moving object will produce a blurred image if
the shutter remains open too long. The recommended
shutter speed of 1/250th of a second also helps to
stop the blurring of most objects.
To photograph rapidly moving objects, such as those
found at sporting events or races, a faster shutter
speed such as 1/500th or even 1/1000th will be needed
to “freeze” or stop action going by you.
Here is some information on our unique Level Two products
that you may find useful as you face a busy sports
season.
File Sizes & Custom Art Time
All Level 2 products are created by a CCS artist cutting
the subject out of an original image and placing
them on an L2 background. To have the best possible
result, your original image should be shot full frame.
This allows the artist the most resolution to work
with. Original images should also be at least 500K
(or larger if the subject does not fill the frame).
All L2 product prices include custom art time to cut
out the subject and create the finished L2 product.
Please keep in mind that L2 products are custom made
pieces of artwork. There is some level of artistic
interpretation in every image. To make the most of
your custom art time charge, consider offering another
product, like a Kling On, that could take advantage
of the artwork that has already been done.
Set Up and Metallic Paper
When offering Level 2 products you must select Pearlized
Portrait finish (Metallic paper) in the “effects” column
online. All L2 products are produced on Metallic
paper to ensure that we are providing the ultimate
sports product. The metallic paper also helps bring
out the detail in the unique L2 graphics.
Remember…
Most Level 2 designs are not intended to be sport or
activity-specific. So, when deciding on a Level 2
background design, look beyond the sample. For example:
CCS may have a soccer image in a “Chrome” design
sample, but that design could be used for football,
dance, hockey, etc. See the L2 Limelight samples
below. Also note that the background color is matched
to the uniform/clothing of the subject.
Need a custom product? Maybe you would like to offer
a custom print for a graduation you are photographing?
Well, if you know how to use PhotoShop, you can now
create the artwork for your custom products. Candid
Color has product templates available on CandidNet at http://candidnet.candid.com
To create these products, download the template from
CandidNet. Create your artwork, flatten the image,
save as a jpeg, and FTP the image to the order number
you are using. When you set up your packages, select
the modifier for custom background artwork, and assign
the image to that package.
When creating a background, you can use an image that
you shoot or use a site where you can purchase stock
images. Istockphoto.com and Photos.com are
a couple of options. Prices for purchasing stock images
vary based on image size, from $1.00 to $25.00 on average.
If you need to look for fonts, FontFactory.com
is a popular site, with prices ranging from $25.00
to $50.00.
The following custom styles are available:
Vert. & Horiz. Holiday cards can be custom in
all markets (13167)
Grad Market –
Custom
Grad 8x10 titled, vertical and horizontal
Custom
Grad 8x10 no title, vertical and horizontal
Quicpic Market –
5x7
CoBrand Prints, vertical and horizontal
8x10
CoBrand Prints, vertical and horizontal
Sports Market –
*Memory Mates available as custom in CORE. All others
available in QP2.
Appreciation
Prints, vertical and horizontal (13138)
Calendars
8x10, vertical and horizontal (13295)
Key
Chains, vertical and horizontal (13932)
Luggage
Tags, vertical and horizontal (13933)
Magazine
Covers, vertical and horizontal (13140)
Magnets,
vertical and horizontal (13286)
Trader
Cards, sets of 8 or 12 (13122 & 13123)
10x13
Memory Mate, vertical and horizontal (13573)
10x14
Memory Mate, vertical and horizontal (13271)
8x10
Memory Mate (logo & no logo) (13270)
Co- brand 5x7 & 8x10 also available
Lab Service Times for the week of 3/30/2008 -
4/5/2008
by Bo Lewis
Problems
with, or suggestions about The Developments Newsletter? Email us
to see if we can help.
