Here are some of our photo booth success stories from the month of September!
Another month has gone by and we couldn’t be happier with all of the progress that we have been seeing with all of the PBI Family members. As you know, our exclusive Facebook community has been popping from all of the activity that you guys have been up to. We would like to highlight some of our favorite stories and photo booth success we noticed this month!
Our Top Contributor This Month in the Facebook Group
Congrats To Zoraida C Alvarez For The Top #PBIfamily Contributor Of The Month Of September. Who Will Win This Month?
Zoraida is new to the PBI Family but she is doing well already with her business, Pics and Tales Photo Booth. She is continuously gracing us with great news about her business inspiring new and old members alike. We are happy to see her utilizing the group for help in her own business, and giving help to others. We are happy to have you in our family, and wish you even more success with your photo booth business!
Oh Snap, All Snap is Here! Congrats Guys on Your New Branding.
First Gigs with their New PBI Photo Booth Equipment
Thanks for sharing your first gigs guys! We know that the first few gigs are a really exciting milestone. It proves to us that this concept can really work. Keep working hard and you can grow your business to be as big as you want.
Kristel and Michael Rogers had a great first gig this September. Congrats guys!
Tharaneka Sparrow was also kind enough to share their first event with us as well! We look forward to seeing the rest of your success to come!
Winner of Our Media Kit Prize Raffle!
EddyGee won our Media Kit Prize from our raffle. Enjoy!
Make sure you sign up for all of our contests so you can be our next winner. Find out about them in our Secret PBI Family Photo Booth Success Facebook Group!
September Big Wins
#PBIFAMILY
We like to acknowledge people when we see them making strides or having particularly big wins. This month have have two.
First we saw Alejandra Charles head out for a 3 event night. He was running 2 weddings and 1 quinceñera. That truck looks packed.
The other good thing we saw was that Brian Burns did $6100 worth of business.
We wish you all even greater success this month as you keep developing and growing your businesses!
Advertising
How To Start a Photo Booth BusinessOnce you have acquired your booth it is time to get some events booked. I highly recommend you build a website that clients can go to directly and view your company and what your service offers. It is also beneficial to create the easiest way possible for a client to submit their bookings. You could use a lead generating system that will link to your website. Most people will be looking online, so make sure that your presence is everywhere.
Online Presence
Networking/SEO
Networking online is a great way to get your business name circulating. Referrals can play a huge part in your clientele basis, as well. You would also want to actively engage in Search Engine Optimization to help your site better rank in the search engines.
Google Adwords Paid Advertising
Set up a pay per click campaign to show up for keywords in Google.
Groupon
Run deals and promotions to get more bookings.
Business Cards
Hand out your business card to EVERYONE, see if you can’t leave them at a store or venue or give them to your friends and family to hand out.
A Guide to Success: Photo Booth Start-Up
A series on Starting a Photo Booth Business
Supplies & Extra Expenses
How To Start a Photo Booth BusinessSupplies
Printer Paper & Ink approx. $250
If you plan on having a printer you will need ink and paper for it, these are also called “media kits”. Typically a roll of ink and paper gives you 700 prints which last around four or five events- depending on how many pictures you print. We recommend always keeping two extra rolls of each, just in case. You can never be too safe.
Props approx. $200
This depends on the event as they are optional, but we always use them. Funny props are the best probs- we find mustaches and signs are the biggest hits. Photo Booth International carries a large variety of props that we are continuously expanding.
EXTRA EXPENSES
Gas
This is dependant on how far away your event is. The costs can really add up and take away some of your profit so we suggest charging a “fuel surcharge” depending on the distance in miles. This will also depend on what vehicle you use and the gas milage that it has.
Scrapbook approx. $20
A scrapbook is a good upsell. Many clients love to have a physical memoranda of their event and this is the perfect way to present it to them. You can order them in bulk to get them cheaper at some place.
Hot Spot approx. $30/mo.
Social Media uploading is also a great upsell, most photo booth softwares come with this capability so this upsell is 100% profit. However, some venues or events won’t have wifi to connect to in order for you to be able to upload. We have found that enough clients want the social capability that they are willing to pay up to $75 for the use of the hot spot. It pays for itself, generally speaking.
A Guide to Success: Photo Booth Start-Up
A series on Starting a Photo Booth Business
Photo Booth Equipment & Accessories
How To Start a Photo Booth BusinessPhoto Booth (SHELL ONLY) approx. $2000
The exterior design of the booth is a very important factor that you must decide on. There are a number of designs ranging from large, eye catching, head turning booths to small, easy set-up, easy transportable booths. Photo Booth International offers a wide variety of booths to fit everyone’s needs.
When deciding what shell to choose here are some things to keep in mind,
Keep in mind the type of audience you want to appeal to. Remember, it is not about what YOU want, but what your CLIENTS will want.
Camera/AC Adapter approx. $250-$575
Depending on which camera you are wanting is really where the price value lands. There are two options here. You can get a USB Web Camera which will run you around $100, in this case you won’t need an adapter because it is a simple plug-in-play. Web Cameras are a great substitute for a DSLR if you are looking to save the extra money. DSLR cameras provide better quality to create professional photos, but with the right webcam the average person won’t tell the difference. Canon Rebel T5 is a great DSLR camera to incorporate into your booth. It is a professional grade camera at an affordable price. With the DSLR it is best to also purchase an AC Adapter, this allows you to directly plug your camera up to a power source so that your don’t have to run the risk of the camera’s batteries dying on you.
Micro Desktop Computer approx. $400
The photo booth doesn’t require a lot of memory or processes, a basic desktop computer will suffice. You will want a ‘Micro’ so that it fits in the booth with ease and extra space. You also can do well with a laptop, a PC or Mac will be fine. The computer only needs to be able to store the photos and photo booth software. When choosing a computer keep in mind that it would have to be on and running for hours at a time so you want to be sure that it won’t overheat too easy. You will also want to make sure that it has enough USB ports to plug in your keyboard, touchscreen, camera, and printer. You can also get a USB Hub if you need more ports. Also, If you are planning on using any social media feature you need to be sure that the computer you choose has wifi capabilities.
Touch Screen Monitor approx. $300
The touch screen is mounted directly onto the booth and provide ease of access and a sleek look. When choosing your touch screen remember what size you want and be sure to use a dependable brand such as Viewsonic.
Printer approx. $1000
When choosing a printer for your booth make sure that you are using a high quality printer such as the DNP RX-1 HS. You want to make sure that your prints are coming out just as clear as they seem on the screen. You also want to make sure that your clients are not waiting two minutes for each print, and that your printer is capable of cutting strips.
Software approx. $200
There are plenty of software applications out there for a photo booth. Some of our favorite include SparkBooth, Social Booth, and DarkRoom Booth. Each software has different capabilities and customization options so be sure to check out what your software includes to insure that you are getting the best fit software for your clients and photo booth.
A Guide to Success: Photo Booth Start-Up
A series on Starting a Photo Booth Business