A first-hand perspective
Meet Martin, our resident university expert here at Libris by PhotoShelter.
Not only is he a big college football fan, but he also knows the opportunities and challenges facing university photo departments from first-hand experience.
Martin works remotely in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but on his recent trip to New York, we managed to convince him to step onto the other side of the camera to tell us about his background with visual asset management and photo stores.
Martin knows better than anyone how visual asset management can fuel a photo store, and help a university photo department boost its budget. Before he joined the Libris team to help us create and share a product that would be a fit for universities, he ran one of the most successful online photo stores we’ve ever seen here at PhotoShelter.
Let’s dive in to Martin’s perspective on the value of asset management for universities, and the potential for generating revenue with photo stores.
Why VAM and photo stores go hand in hand
The first step to setting up a photo store is to have a visual asset management system. VAM systems allow university teams to work together, to store, organize and share their visual assets, and to get ready for sales.
Martin always says that visual asset management and photo stores go hand in hand. Getting organized makes it possible to sell your imagery, and selling your imagery can fund your organization.
As Martin learned when he ran his own photo store, your image sales have the potential to pay back the cost of visual asset management and more.
Plus, now you can brand your Libris portal with your school’s logo and colors to make your photo store consistent with the rest of your online presence. Check out Purdue’s branded portal in our cover photo for this post, and watch our new video to learn more.
How to get the most return on investment for your images
Every university is capturing its events and producing imagery that will resonate with fans. Whether your school has a championship-winning football team, a popular music festival or a heartfelt graduation, you have the opportunity to leverage those events for photo sales.
If you can capture the excitement of an event with a great photo, you have a customer base of everyone who was in attendance and beyond. In the next clip, Martin shares his tips for creating a special edition print your fans will love.
Check out our case study on the University of Tennessee’s Vol Photo Store. So far, the Vol Photo Store‘s most popular image has been a special edition photo celebrating the tradition of “running through the T.”
But what about NCAA regulations?
At this point, you might be scratching your head and asking how photo stores fit in with NCAA rules. As Martin explains in detail in his webinar, How to Generate Revenue With Your University Photo Store, universities are allowed to sell photos as long as they follow specific rules.
Even schools that are wary of selling player imagery still have the opportunity to leverage their photo libraries for sales by selling event-based imagery.
Event-based imagery is not only a way to appease any compliance concerns, but it’s also a draw for everyone with a connection to your university’s special event.
A special edition image is a meaningful keepsake that will delight your fans, brighten “fan caves,” and promote your brand.
Why setting up a photo store is easier than you think…
Setting up your photo store with Libris is easy, and a little bit of work to get started will pay dividends in the end. You can prepare your photo store before an event – or before the season even starts – and simply flip the switch when you’re ready to sell.
An important point to remember is a photo store helps you generate revenue from work you’re already doing, without adding more work to your plate.
The Takeaway
A photo store can be a big win for your university. Not only can it offset the cost of visual asset management, but it also has the potential to promote your brand and delight your fanbase.
Watch these videos in our YouTube playlist.
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