Are you ready to strike out on your own? Ready to make your first photo sale through an independent web store you run yourself, rather than settling for a fraction of your earnings through a microstock site? Launching your own business can be easier, less expensive and more lucrative than you ever imagined. All you need is the right tools for the job, and a basic understanding of how those tools work. Before you invest a small fortune into things you might not actually need, take some time to explore all your photo sale and marketing options. For the vast majority of photographers and other digital merchants, the necessary startup fund is surprisingly low.

What Do I Need to Make a Photo Sale?
Whether you’re focusing on your first photo sale or your fiftieth, there are a few things which you simply must be able to either access or offer your customers. These include practical things, like safe payment processing through names you clients trust, like Google Wallet and PayPal. Others, you may not expect; like instant download delivery and access to efficient and effective marketing systems.

Working with a dedicated eCommerce platform like PayLoadz.com streamlines all of your most vital needs in one low-cost service. You can further slash your startup investment requirement by skipping the very expensive and complex professionally-built website. Because your eCommerce service provider takes care of file hosting, content delivery automation and marketplace listings, you can use a free blog site, an inexpensive template site you build yourself, or a social media network to get started.

Marketing: The Key to Generating Your First Photo Sale

You can’t sell a product to people who aren’t aware of your brand. Online digital sales puts a global audience at your disposal, but you must be able to reach them. Your own organic reach will be relatively small, so it’s important to branch out as quickly as possible. Some merchants choose to invest in prepaid marketing, like banner ads or paid social media posts, but the results are never guaranteed. Gambling with your marketing budget can be risky, so it’s almost always better to go with proven systems when you’re new to the game.

High-end eCommerce platforms include affiliate network programs which connect you with marketing professionals around the world. They promote your products to their followers, and in return, collect a small portion of the proceeds from only the sales they generate. You pay for marketing only when it works, and you get exposure for each and every photo sale item in your store.

Get started today, and make your dreams of becoming a successful professional photographer come true.