Starting a photo booth business is becoming increasingly popular, as it delivers high profits with little outgoing costs. The demand for photobooths is on the rise, therefore the need for suppliers has also increased. Read the below steps, summarised from our more in-depth Ultimate Guide To Starting a Photo Booth Business in 2023, to find out how to start a photo booth business today.
Those who have started their photo booth company couldn’t be any happier. Read some of our testimonials if you want to find out how starting a photo booth business could change your life.
At Photobooths we help you every step of the way, when you purchase your Photobooth or Magic Mirror we give you access to the Business portal with videos on Facebook Advertising and Instagram
This will help you Hire Your Photo booth out when you need to.
Register for our Business Portal to get helped documents, videos and exclusive offers that you won’t want to miss.
Step 1: Do your research
• How many photo booth operators are there in your area?
• What photo booths do other operators have and what features can they offer?
• How do others price their photo booth rental packages?
• Where do they advertise their photo booth business?
Step 2: Think about what you want to do
• What areas would you cover with your photo booth?
• Do you have suitable transport?
• Do you have the time (evenings and weekends) spare?
• How much would you need to charge for your photo booth to become profitable?
• How many bookings would you need to take to earn the desired income?
Step 3: Decide a company name
• Think of a catchy name that describes you and your business
(eg. Don’t call yourself Mad Hatters Photo Booths if you are a quiet individual)
• Try to include “photo booth” into your name (it will help your website rank in Google later on) eg. Super Photobooths or Snappit Photobooths
• Check domain availability before deciding a name – make sure no one else has your name before you continue
• Get it whilst you can – By your domain name as soon as you can, this will prevent anyone else getting it before you!
Step 4: Shop Around – Choose a photo booth to suit you
DON’T be duped by software, after doing thousands of events we learnt people just want fun and photos, jazzy software slows people down in the booth and is never used
• Key Software
• Green Screen
• Facial Overlays
• Email and Text
• The Rest is bells and whistles that you don’t need
If in doubt ask the biggest hire company in the UK www.pictureblast.co.uk ask for Paul they operate 15 of our mirrors
Pick a photo booth that fits you and your lifestyle. Make sure it is affordable, suitable, usable, and transportable to fit your requirements.
• Look around the market – shop around, it’s best to visit show rooms to get a feel for what the photos booths do
• Make sure the photo booth is easy to use, request to see the software in action showing how to complete common errands (eg. Changing a background)
• Consider support – how easy is it to get assistance when required?
• Ask about warrantees, do you have any guarantees against the equipment?
• Pick a photo booth that will provide you with the right features for you to charge your customers for. (eg. People will pay more for Karaoke)
• If you don’t have the full funds, ask about finance options
Step 5: Think Skins!
Think very carefully about what skins (wrap) to have on your photo booth. If you are going to be versatile in the events you cover, it’s best to get some versatile skins such as a plain set or general pattern. You can always buy more later.
Ie. Don’t buy the Christmas Skins and use them all year round!
Also consider putting a logo on your skins so that people know who you are when you are at events.
Step 6: Prep before launch!
• Create a logo
• Set up your website – make it SEO friendly
• Create social media accounts using your company name and complete all information where possible
• Create business cards
• Create flyers
• Create promotional offers
Step 7: Pick up your booth
• On the day of collection, make sure you bring someone with you if you are considering allowing someone else to attend with the photo booth
• Ask as many questions as you can whilst you are there – save calling up later!
Step 8: Buy some extras
• Buy some props (try your local pound store or discount shops)
• Purchase guest books (try stationery shops such as WH Smiths or home improvement stores such as The Range)
• Consider some aesthetic extras to improve the appearance of your booth; red carpet entrance, sanctions, bunting, balloons are common items
Step 9: Launch your company
• Contact local venues and ask to be put on a suppliers list
• Contact wedding dressers, event planners to help build your presence
• Put your details in local directories (online and offline)
• Put flyers in local shops (with permission)
Step 10: Trial Run
• Do an event for free to trial the photo booth, make sure you are comfortable with the running of the booth
• Take business cards with you, someone may be interested in booking at a later date
Step 11: Switch on your advertising and start business!
• We recommend using Google Adwords (but only following best practises) this is paid sponsored ads that will appear at the top of google searches for your chosen search terms. Not only will this quickly generate traffic to your website, but it will also help improve your overall ranking on google (SERP)
• Facebook advertising is a great tool to target a certain demographic. Target by location, marital status, and even interests.
We hope the 11 steps have given you a clear guide on how to start a photo booth business. If you are interested in learning more about starting a photo booth business, see our more in-depth step by step guide on how to start your photobooth business.
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Born in Malta in January 1989, Maurizio has always dreamt of doing something impossible in his life. That’s exactly what he has done a few years ago when he decided to leave everything and moved to the West Midlands. His Passion was also another reason why he has chosen the West Midlands – West Bromwich Albion. Worked in different industries, like tourism, advertising, construction and entertainment, finance was always something that he wanted to do. Asking who Maurizio is to his friends, you would have one simple answer, – Joker, A Caring Person and a Plane Spotter.
Been in or around engineering/manufacturing my entire life, grandparents who let you build cars with them have their uses!!
After spending 4 years in Leicester studying physics where my final dissertation project was heavily programming based I was keen to begin a career in software development. Working on Photobooths seemed like a fun and interesting place to start.
From College went into the family run business – Advertising Agency. Eventually took over the reins of the company and moved it into a more technical direction. After retirements changed the dynamic of the company we changed direction to a Direct Mailing Company specialising in digital and mailing’s for Electricity companies (MEB, British Gas, nPower). After a profitable run I felt a change was needed and so started a Programming and Consultancy Business. This eventually led me to the world of PhotoBooths and beyond.