Want to sell your photography? Use coupons.

Your customers know photos can be the most meaningful gift of all. But sometimes it takes a little extra motivation for them to buy during the overwhelming holiday season. So the earlier you cut through the marketing clutter with special deals, the more you’re likely to sell to them.

The SmugMug coupon tool is here to help. Below are a few great ways to offer your customers coupons. (plus details on how to handle the Settings and Restrictions tabs while you’re at it).

Max it out.

More specifically, max out your earnings by setting a maximum number of prints or digital downloads a coupon can be applied to. This will encourage customers who may have otherwise only bought one or two items to order more or even max out the discount while they can.

Example: First 5 downloads are 50% off.

Coupon type: Percentage off.

Settings: Discount: 50%

Restrictions:
•Maximum uses: 1 — This makes the coupon good for only one user. Leaving this field blank would allow users to place multiple orders using the same coupon. You’ll need to create this coupon for every client if you limit the uses. •Maximum items: 5 — This means the five most expensive single-download items in the cart will receive the 50% discount.
•Choose products: Downloads → Personal Photo License → Single Photo Downloads (All Sizes) → ☑

The need for speed.

Use a time-restricted coupon to create urgency so customers will move quickly to buy your prints and downloads. One clever way to handle this is by creating an early-bird, time-restricted coupon sooner and a late-season time-restricted coupon later for last-minute gift buyers. Just make sure to communicate with customers often when a coupon is about to expire so they don’t miss out on the offer.

Example: Metal prints are 20% OFF this week only.

Coupon type: Percentage off.

Settings: Discount: 20%

Restrictions:
•Valid from: Current or future date.
•Valid through: 7 days of the “Valid From” date.
•Product restrictions: Metal Prints; Wall Art → Metal (All Finishes) → ☑

Buy one, get one free.

What’s better than more of what you love? For free? Buy-one-get-one-free deals basically sell themselves, but if you want to go the extra mile, consider marketing yours to your customers as a way to purchase twice the gifts for half the price. Maybe both sets of grandparents get the newest baby portrait, or two close friends get a memory from your first big road trip together.

Example: Buy one 8x10 paper print, get the second free.

[Assuming one 8x10 paper print without a coupon is $30.00. Adjust discount amount and minimum purchase based on your own prices.]

Coupon type: Amount off.

Settings: Discount: $30.

Restrictions:
•Minimum purchase: $60.
•Product restrictions: Paper Prints → Standard Sizes → 8x10 (All Finishes) → ☑
•Gotchas: Cart must contain two 8x10 prints valuing $60 before applying the coupon. All 8x10 finishes should be priced the same.

While supplies last.

Limited-quantity discounts tend to make people move fast. This approach is great for landscape photographers who want to push popular prints early in the season. Simply put a cap on the number of people who can use your discount. It’s the perfect way to kick off the holiday season, and keeps you from having to commit to a discount long-term.

Example: First 50 people get 50% off their orders.

Coupon type: Percentage off.

Settings: Discount: 50%.

Restrictions: Maximum Uses: 50.

Free and easy.

If a buy-one-get-one-free deal doesn’t work for your business, you can get a bit more income from your sales by offering a free print or download if your customer spends a minimum amount on their order. A free 8x10 or other size paper print with an order is a big win for customers, and doesn’t cost you much to fulfill.

Example: Spend $100 and get 1 FREE 11x14 paper print.

[Assuming one 11x14 paper print without a coupon is $75. Adjust your discount amount based on your own prices.]

Coupon Type: Amount off.

Settings: Discount: $75.

Restrictions:
•Minimum Purchase: $100.
•Product Restrictions: 11x14 paper prints.
•Paper Prints → Standard Sizes → 11x14 (All Finishes) → ☑

*Notes: Buyer can spend $100+ on any product(s). The11x14 paper print also has to be added to the cart for the coupon to work.

Want to learn even more about creating coupons on SmugMug? Our help pages are a great place to start. Also, find out how one of our pros uses coupons to boost sales.

Not on SmugMug yet, but ready to start using coupons now? Start your free trial and start selling.