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Start Your Photobook Marketing Project with $75 from Blurb

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Recently, I wrote about how I used Blurb and Booksmart software to create a photobook of the pictures from our ColorMetrix Color Conversations Live ’11 event. As you can see from the picture with this post I have received the book and it’s sparked an idea for a photobook marketing campaign.

Why you want to continue reading this post

At the end of this post I’ll explain the simple contest that could score your $75 to jump start your photobook marketing campaign! The rules and entry are quite simple and you can skip ahead if you must. I’d suggest taking a few minutes to review my idea as it could spark a more creative entry with a better chance of winning.

Photobook Marketing Is About The Story

The tendency with photobooks is to forget that they tell a story. This feeling hit me particularly hard as I reviewed the Color Conversations Live ’11 book I created with Blurb. This was the second time I’d created a book with Blurb, so I believe the organization of the book was done subconsciously. First, I shared images and captions about the conference portion of the event in pretty much chronological order. My focus was the people and companies represented and what they discussed.

The second half of the book was about our evening social event. I wish we’d had more pictures from the conference but I had to work with the images I had. Adding the captions brought the pictures to life even if you didn’t get the chance to join us for the event. The cool thing was that as I reviewed the printed version of the book I found myself wanting to get started on planning the Fall event we’ve been thinking about having.

So, the plan is to make a few edits to the book with the BookSmart software provided by Blurb. Then, I’m going to get a modest quantity of the Color Conversations Live ’11 books printed. We’ll have copies of the book at trade shows and conferences so people can get a feel for the event. We’ve posted all the pictures in the book on our Facebook page but that’s just not the same as flipping through a book with images and captions on each and every page.

Copies of the revised book will be shared with the event sponsors as well. The key is to keep the energy of the day the event occurred alive and fresh in all the attendees minds. Also, a photo book in a market where most of our customers are printers just can’t be a bad thing.

How To Enter To Win $75 from Blurb To Start Your Photobook Marketing Plan

Okay, I promised this would be simple. Leave a comment on this post about the Blurb book you would make. What story would you tell? What would you marketing purpose be. You don’t have to go crazy with you answer but know that I’ll be looking for creativity in the answered. At 5pm CST on Friday June 17 I’ll close the contest and announce a winner. Couldn’t be much simpler right?

For now you can get started on your Blurb book (affiliate link), because you won’t need to coupon code until it’s time to order. It’s completely free to signup for Blurb and give the BookSmart software a try. You only pay when and if you decided to have a book printed.

Comments

  2. We’ve used book publishing like this to market our photography in the past… It was probably 5 or 6 years ago, but it’s a nice way to show off your work. đŸ™‚

  3. I LOVE Blurb books and have always wanted to make one. I have been thinking about doing a portfolio of photographs and observations – about family, dogs, sunrises, people, business, life. I don’t particularly need to market myself at the moment – the joy would just be in the making of it – but you never know when you’re going to need to market yourself. And I’ve been thinking about approaching magazines about getting some of my stuff published, so maybe this could help. I could also see applications for the agency, Jigsaw. We do a bi-monthly photo contest on our blog, and it would be awesome to publish a Blurb book of all the winning shots at the end of each year and give it to our clients and prospects. 

    • Sue,

      Your Jigsaw idea would be so cool. These idea are all so good I’m probably going to end up throwing the names in a hat and just picking one đŸ™‚

    • Sue (and all) – I love all these ideas so much I couldn’t pick. So, I asked Twitter for a random number between 1 and 5. The first response was 12, so I asked again and got 3. Counting the submissions from the top (or bottom for that matter) arrives at your comment. So, you are the winner! I will be emailing Blurb with your email address and they will then email you the coupon code. Congratulations!

  4. I would tell the story of our summer vacation to CT and Maine in a few weeks. It would include a photo series on the 4th of July parade in Essex, CT. The other option would be to chronicle the two conference’s that I attend each year, The Gravure Publishing Council and The Gravure Association of America Premedia Conference. I would document the speakers and the topics they covered and provide a photojournalist perspective to the events.

  5. James- As I am soon reentering the work force, I might use photos such as those of 3 children, all going in separate directions (for cheer, violin, tennis, baseball, football, etc), to express my ability to multitask & effectively manage time. Or, I could use photos from my home & garden to represent organization, planning, managing “P&Ls”.. You get my drift!..