We’re all thinking about it, so we’re here to talk about it. Here are eight SmugMug tools that will improve your sales and get more cash into your pocket.

1. Pricelists.

SmugMug's pricelists give you the power to

• Manage all your pricing from one place. 
• Manage your pricing across hundreds of galleries with only a few clicks.
• Offer different pricing for different types of events (wedding, sports, family photos, etc). 
• Decide how much profit you make on each sale.

2. Proof delay.

SmugMug's proof delay gives you the power to make finishing touches before sending orders to the lab, allowing you to fix things such as customer cropping mistakes and to save on upload time.

Time-saving tip: Upload medium-resolution JPGs and, when your clients make an order, swap them with full-resolution, edited files. How? Compress your images in your favorite photo editor before you upload photos to SmugMug. They'll upload faster without affecting your customers' opportunity to buy large prints. Then use proof delay's replace function after clients place orders to swap the compressed image with the full-res file. 

This way, you only edit the images that are purchased. SmugMug’s proof delay helps SmugMug Pro Andi Grant maintain her high standards: "I love proof delay because I do very little editing to my proofing galleries—none for boudoir," she said. "So when a client orders an image, I then have the opportunity to make sure it’s perfect. I especially like to be sure their cropping is correct."

3. Color correction.

SmugMug’s lab color correction gives you the power to leave global color edits to the experts, ensuring great print products for your customers and freeing up your day. This setting is found in your pricelist manager. 

4. Image protection.

SmugMug's many image-protection features ensure your customers are buying, not “borrowing,” your photos. Here's what we recommend:

• Use watermarks: Advertise your copyright and protect against screen grabbers.
• Enable right-click protection: Foil those “save as” stealers before they start.    
• Disable originals: Prevent one-click downloads. 

5. Printmarks.

Printmarks put your signature or logo onto the products your customers buy. In the case of a fine-art photographer, a printmark is a way to sign the print the customer receives, creating more value for the customer.

For event photographers, printmarks work as advertising that allows the photographer a way to offer the product for a lower price, and encourage sales.

6. Digital downloads.

Photo and video downloads give you the power of instant gratification. SmugMug has more than 30 digital-download options you can price and sell.

Pro tip: Gallery backups are perfect for delivering files to customers that have paid for your services in advance.

7. Custom discounts.

Coupons and packages are powerful sales tools every pro should use. Who can resist the opportunity to get more for less?

• Percentage or dollar-off coupons are fantastic incentives to encourage more sales.
• Print credits are perfect when built into your session fee in return for a prepaid sale or as a gift to a special client.
• Packages allow you to set a single price for multiple print products, making it easier for clients to check out.

8. Events and favorites.

Events give your buyers the ability to gather their favorites into a single gallery for review. You can also give several clients in a single shoot their own private favorites gallery.

This feature gives your clients a sense of privacy and control, while making your life easier. Favorites also help you work together with your client to discuss their selections for delivery. 

Have a money-making feature you love to use that we didn’t cover above? We’d love to hear it!