Ways to Use Video in Photography Galleries

mpress your clients and answer their questions before they even have them by integrating video in your client galleries! With CloudSpot, you can add a video at the top of each gallery you send. This is the perfect place to go above and beyond when it comes to serving your clients. 

Hoping to wow them with a slideshow of their images? Incorporate a slideshow built with SmartSlides to open their gallery! Maybe you are hoping to increase your profit from print sales? Serve your clients with a helpful video detailing how to use their print store and which products may serve them best. 

If you are hoping to utilize video in your client galleries but weren’t sure where to begin, we hope that today’s blog post will be illuminating. Let’s start with some of the basics. 

How to Add Video to Your Galleries

CloudSpot galleries integrate video links from SmartSlides, Animoto, Vimeo, YouTube, Google Drive, and DropBox. When added, galleries display one video link in the first spot of a client gallery. Videos will be added to a gallery through the Advanced Settings tab in Gallery Settings. Simply paste your video link into the appropriate Embedded Media field and press save. 

Gallery Video Inspiration

Hoping to integrate video into your online gallery experience but not sure where to start? These are some of the top ways CloudSpot gallery users have incorporated video in their online galleries.

Gallery Functionality and Walk Through

Create a video to thank your clients for investing in your business, welcome them to their gallery, and to share instructions on how to access their gallery. Be sure to include how to download images, instructions for creating favorites lists, downloading Mobile Apps, and how to order prints online. Once you have created the video, simply upload it to Vimeo or YouTube to add to your gallery. Chip Dizard, CloudSpot Ambassador, uses Gallery Presets in order to quickly add his walkthrough video to any gallery.

Slideshows

Impress your clients with custom slideshows built-in SmartSlides to welcome them to their online gallery. 

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Navigating Print Shop

Ready to see your print sales skyrocket?! Add a video to the beginning of your gallery detailing the products you offer and your ordering process. Include a special note of gratitude for your clients and maybe a bonus discount code for them to use within your print store! Navigating CloudSpot’s online storefront is easy without instructions, but adding this as a video within your client galleries will show clients just how easy it is to order prints and will put purchasing from you in the front of their minds.

Proofing Process

If you use CloudSpot to have clients proof and select their final images, consider including a video detailing the process at the start of their proofing gallery. Walk clients through the experience and include answers to any commonly asked questions. This small way of going above and beyond for your clients will leave them feeling taken care of… and will ultimately lead to fewer back-and-forth emails as all of your clients will understand what to expect. 

Album Process

Similarly, if you offer albums or album design services to your clients, it may be helpful to include a video detailing your album process and the next steps your clients will take. Include a welcome and thank you message along with a detailed overview of the process. It may also help to include answers to FAQs and a quick preview of a sample album. 

Wedding Video

Do you include video in your packages or as an option for clients to purchase? If so, this is the perfect place to incorporate a link for the client to view their video and images in one place. Clients will be SO impressed by their ability to view all of their deliverables under one link. While CloudSpot does not currently support the ability to directly upload videos to our platform, when uploaded to a source such as Dropbox or Google Drive, clients will be able to open and save the original file on Google Drive and Dropbox through CloudSpot. 

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Video Best Practices 

The sky is the limit when it comes to using video in your online galleries. Get creative and have fun with this feature! If you are looking to maximize your video’s impact, we recommend following these best practices!  

Use an Eye-catching Cover-Photo

You’ll want your video to stand out in your online gallery! Your clients will be excited to scroll through their gallery and may bypass an instructional video if you are using a cover photo that will blend into the rest of the gallery. We recommend designing a cover photo for your galleries that match your branding and encourage clients to click through to watch the video. 

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Utilize Unlisted Video Settings

If you are hoping to incorporate a video from Youtube or Vimeo but do not want these videos to distract from your current video feeds, consider uploading and utilizing unlisted video options. This will ensure that your video will be viewable to anyone with the link, while at the same time, remaining private from your video feeds and search engines. 

Integrate Your Branding

Your galleries are an extension of your photography business brand— that’s why CloudSpot galleries can incorporate your branding! Every item in your online galleries must speak to the brand you have worked hard to create. When creating videos, ensure that your branding is incorporated in your video. Each element including cover photo, filming style, and words used should cohesively mirror your brand. 

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Ready to get started with CloudSpot? Click here to get started for FREE! 

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