More consumers are renting photo booths for their events than ever before. At the same time, there are a lot of new photo booth businesses entering the market and competing for clients.
How can you stand out in the competitive photo booth industry and build a profitable and sustainable business?
Here are six ways to win the long-game without compromising on price.
1. Focus on service
Did you know that responding to a new lead within an hour can increase your conversions by 700%? However, most companies don’t respond that quickly. Getting back to leads quickly is one of the simplest, most effective ways to show potential clients that you provide the best service.
Plus, clients who care about great service are willing to pay more for a photo booth rental. These types of customers are looking for a person they can trust and the peace of mind to know that everything will go well.
Having great, friendly, reliable, and responsive staff can make your photo booth stand out from the pack and more likely to close deals.
2. Request reviews
Already provide the best service in town? Perfect, the next step is to capture the value of happy customers by requesting reviews.
It can be as simple as sending an email or a text message with a link after the booking is over.
Startups like Reviews.io make the review process easy and provide widgets you can embed in your website. You can also ask customers to review you directly on Google or an industry-specific website that brings you the most leads, like The Knot or Wedding Wire.
Five star reviews become powerful social proof for website visitors and potential clients, making your a clear choice to reach out to.
3. Price above the rest
Now that you have the best service and reviews to show it, you don’t need to get caught up in the photo booth industry’s “race to the bottom” with pricing.
If you work hard to be the best, you can charge like you are the best. It’s normal to have a little anxiety about higher pricing, but the fact is that most clients (at least the clients you want) are not overanalyzing your photo booths to try to figure out how much they cost you to run and if your price is fair.
They’re reading signals and making an intuitive decision about whether you’re a great company that they want to have at their event.
Raising your price can mean you don’t need to book as many events and you’ll have more profit leftover to reinvest in your photo booth business or take home at the end of the day.
4. Elevate your brand
The problem with the word “photo booth” is that many people still picture the old-fashioned, boxy booths found in malls and arcades. Modern photo booths are often sleek, sophisticated and high-tech.
You can be more than a photo booth business to your clients. You can be a great, lovable, local brand.
To break stereotypes, try using more modern terminology. Here are a few of the descriptions we’re starting to see become more common:
- Selfie station
- Selfie pod
- GIF booth
Are you targeting your service toward businesses? Consider branding yourself as a “photo experience agency” instead.
5. Sponsor local events
Sponsoring events can be an amazing source of new leads or a complete waste of time. To get the formula right, here are some DOs and DON’Ts:
DO negotiate and make sure the sponsorship package is at least equal in value to your rental list price
DO make sure that your branding and website link is on the online gallery with every photo with a call-to-action
DO use lead capture tools and send a follow-up email to everyone who participated
DON’T get suckered into doing a lot of work for free
DON’T agree to be a sponsor without asking for a sponsorship package
For even more tips on how to successfully sponsor events, read our article on
These tips will increase the odds that you’ll have a strong return on investment from your sponsorship. After all, every event is an opportunity for your next customer to see how great your services are!
For more tips, read our whole article on how to successfully sponsor local events.
6. Capture compelling photos
10 years ago, the main takeaway from a photo booth was a small photo strip that you could put on your fridge or desk. Modern photo booths are more about capturing a great photo that can be instantly shared with friends, family or social media.
So how do you make sure guests capture great photos? Creative props and a beautiful background are a good place to start. But most importantly, any photographer will tell you that the number one key to a great photo is lighting. Choosing the right camera for your photo booth can make a big difference, too.
Make sure your photo booth takes great photos and your clients will love you for it!