How did you hear about thumbtack?
A: It was like any afternoon, I was going from one website to another and looking for ways to market our business. Some how I stumbled across Thumbtack and got 12 free credits. I wasn’t even sure what these credits were for or what this company was but I set up a profile with about 10 photos to display and then it has questions so I answered those, hooked up our email and phone number to get text when a job comes in.
How does thumbtack.com work?
A: Thumbtack does the marketing for you. For example, if someone in your area goes to Google and types in photographers in… Google comes up with photographers but Thumbtack shows at the top saying get instant quotes from local photographers. Once that person selects what type of photography they want Thumbtack sends you an email to view. It tells you what type of photography they are looking for, it also tells you the price range they have in mind. You only quote on the jobs you want to bid on. You are bidding against other photographers, that is why your profile and quotes really have to stand out.
How much do you invest into thumbtack?
A: You only have to invest what you want. It starts at 12 credits for $24.99 and up to 60 credits for $84.99. In 2015 we invested roughly $350 on 240 credits. The bigger the job the more credits it takes to quote your prices.
What have you learned works best by using thumbtack?
A: Not to quote on every job. For us we are primarily family and children photographers. We also photograph seniors and couples but we don’t shoot weddings, we have that option turned off so we don’t receive emails for those. Also when we send an email each one is personalized to their session with wants and needs, plus we attach a price list and invite them to check out our Thumbtack profile and also our link to our website.
Share your success stories using thumbtack.com….
A: So far we have yet to have a disappointing session, one of our favorites was a local family of 13 people. It was so much fun to work with a big family and watch the joking and laughing between members. This one was great because after we shot the more formal portrait style they jumped into white tee shirts and they had a chalk paint war. Working with this client was fantastic, we quickly became friends and worked together to come up with the perfect package for her needs including 16×20 canvases for each of her children. This customer will be a returning client as well as her children.
Any other tips/info about thumbtack.com that you think photographers would need to know.
A: Make sure you have a fantastic profile. Answer all the questions, sell yourself and your business. Remember you’re not going to book every job, some people will open the email and maybe check your profile or not. If you send a quote and that person never opens the email you will be refunded your credits in 3 days!
How long did it take thumbtack.com to work for your business?
A: It actually took a few month and several investments before we booked our first job, but for us we use this as a way to market outside of our town. We love little quick road trip so we bid on jobs anywhere from an 1 hour or 4 hours away, because we do this we are able to have a higher price point and only bid on jobs that will pay what we are asking. This also creates a wider base for word of mouth for us.
What’s your favorite thing about thumbtack.com?
A: They do the work for us! They market for us, they pay for Google ads, they pay for t.v. commercials. They direct prospect clients to you, this works for any service industry from photography to chefts, wedding coordinators, videography, contractors and the list goes on. None of these clients would have been our customers if we hadn’t marketed through Thumbtack.
We are Andrea and Sarah & together we make Connection Photography.
We are dreamers, leaving behind our jobs as local studio photographers to chase the adventures in self-employment. Connection Photography was founded in November of 2011, but we have many more years of experience in portrait photography. Connection Photography provides an extra service, when needed, different than you see from other photographers. We team shoot, one person will pose and entertain while the other captures the perfect natural smile. Both being photographers and working together so long, we complement each other’s strengths and gather inspiration from one another. We love to have fun, joke, play and explore. Our photographic style is very traditional without over posing a person. Being able to see everybody’s faces in a group photo or proper body angle to best flatter the subject is very important to us. We want you to be happy with how you look in your portraits. We treat each client like a friend, connecting, capturing more natural reactions and creating lifetime friendships.
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