Neil Enterprises goes green!
2 weeks ago
by allison
in Uncategorized
Neil Enterprises has been making a conscious effort to help the environment. We recycle over 100,000 pounds of paper and cardboard annually. We recently installed new plumbing that uses 43% less water than before and energy saving light fixtures that will reduce our utility bill 60%. Lastly, we have reformed our manufacturing processes and now are using 179% less supplies than in previous years.
Not only are these cost saving measures but it leads to less waste and a smaller carbon footprint. Are you doing anything to help your business go green? Got any suggestions for us to further our efforts? Let us know!
Here’s a few articles for some easy things you can do to make your business greener:
How to Make Your Business Greener (and Save Money) – By Jim Witkin
10 Easy Ways Your Business Can Go Green – By Susan Ward
Popularity: 1% [?]
Wedding Photos
2 weeks ago
by allison
in Photographers
Summer is around the corner which means the busy wedding season is about to start. Professional photographers are beginning to stock their shelves with self-stick albums and cd/dvd cases. While everyone enjoys the calm before the storm, check out these 7 Geeky Wedding Pictures via Mental Floss. And don’t forget, if you’re in a bind and run out of one of our products, Neil Enterprises can ship out items THE SAME DAY you place your order, for no extra charge!
A selection of popular Pro-Line products for wedding photographers
Popularity: 1% [?]
OH BABY! Newborn Package Add-Ons
1 month ago
by allison
in Photographers
Newborn photography is not a new concept, but there are plenty of new ways to increase your profits. Mothers and other family members are no longer looking for a handful of prints. Adding novelty items to your customers’ order is a great way to make your packages stand out among the competition. Novelty items show your beautiful photos off in a unique and creative way.
Below are just a few items that are fantastic for mother’s to show off pictures of their child and for you to potentially gain new business when every is oooing and ahhing over the photo.
Shown above:
#502 Baby Sippy Cup
#2718S Mini Snow Globe
#7633 Silver Spin Keychain
Popularity: 1% [?]
Market Research : By 2015, Custom Photo Merchandise to Generate 80% of Online Finishing: InfoTrends
1 month ago
Weymouth, MA—A recent InfoTrends report, U.S Online Photo Services Forecast: 2010-2015, highlights key market drivers in the online photo services market, projecting that by 2015 more than 80% of total net-to-mail (online) revenue will come from custom photo gifts and merchandise.
Other key points include that new product categories will emerge in the photo merchandise market to fuel growth, and printing and photo merchandise purchasing from mobile devices will provide additional opportunities for online photofinishers.
While online photofinishers have being offering basic photo products like photo cards, books and calendars, new products such as home décor (canvas wrap and fine art prints, posters, photo panels, children’s wall decorations) are now providing opportunities for online providers—because many retail outlets do not have the required equipment and operator training to create them. But whether you’re an online provider or brick-and-mortar retailer, continued product innovation is essential to fuel customers’ desires to enjoy and share their photos in different ways.
The study also considers trends in photo and memory preservation. The study states that consumers continue to rely on photo prints as a means of passing on their photos to future generations, and that print providers should leverage this. InfoTrends stresses the importance of prints or photo books as an easy way to pass photos down, adding that it’s also beneficial for those photofinishers that offer long-term storage of original images used for printing in case the originals are ever lost or damaged. “If photofinishers position themselves as a means to preserve photos that can be potentially lost, consumers who are less apt to purchase photo products will have an incentive to buy,” states the report.
Mobile applications were also considered. With today’s mobile lifestyle, most major online photo services now offer mobile applications that let users view their online photo albums, upload new photos and share them by various means. However, InfoTrends notes that many of these apps do not provide the ability to order prints or custom photo merchandise items. InfoTrends suggests adding this feature to online applications as many consumers use their mobile phone as their primary device for picture taking, storage and sharing.
InfoTrends’ U.S Online Photo Services Forecast: 2010-2015 report provides 2010 and 2011 market size estimates and projections through 2015 for the online photo services market, including active users (members who upload photos and visitors who do not) and net-to-mail photofinishing revenues (prints and custom photo merchandise). infotrends.com
Popularity: 5% [?]
Chevron, Chevron, Everywhere!
2 months ago
TREND WATCH: Is chevron the new stripes?
Chevron by far is one of the hottest prints of 2012 — at least so far, it is only March! It is everywhere. Home decor, like blankets and rugs to accessories like cell phone cases and handbags. Even on apparel like skirts and shirts! And last but not least paper products like invitations and now finally QUICKSTITCH EMBROIDERY PAPERS! Chevron picked up a lot of steam when Missoni for Target launched in September 2011. It put the once exclusive pattern in the hands of everyday shoppers. Since then generic chevron patterns are popping up everywhere.
And now Neil Enterprises has jumped on the trend.
via Design Public
via Etsy
via Atlantic-Pacific
- via Neil Enterprises
Popularity: 4% [?]
Pinterest! Should photographers use it as a business tool?
2 months ago
So the latest social media craze is the super fast growing Pinterest. What is Pinterest you ask? Well back in the old days if you found something you like in a magazine whether it was a product you wanted, a cool photo, or just something inspirational, you’d rip it out and put it on a bulletin board. Well Pinterest is the digital version of just that!
Whether or not photographers should use it as a business, sales, and marketing tool is being debated by photographers across the globe. There’s a significant amount of benefits to being on Pinterest but the downsides are quite complicated. I highly recommend you read the two articles below which explore both sides of the issue.
Hey Photographer! Pinterest is NOT for You – written by Allen Murabayahi, CEO of PhotoShelter
Pinterest for Wedding Photographers – written by Leanne Marie, a Pittsburgh based professional photographer
For photographers on Pinterest there are many risks involved but when it comes to other types of businesses it could lead to plenty of new opportunities. And if you’re looking for inspiration on how to get started on Pinterest, just check out Neil Enterprise’s page: http://pinterest.com/neilenterprises/
UPDATE: Read this recently published article on the issue! – A Lawyer Who Is Also A Photographer Just Deleted All Her Pinterest Boards Out Of Fear by Alyson Shontell
Popularity: 5% [?]
Happy 2012!
3 months ago
by allison
in Uncategorized
So I know I’ve been REALLY slacking with posts. But one of my 2012 goals is to post more! So be on the lookout for fun projects, cool new photo products, and some features from other photo blogs.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Professional Photographer’s Guide to Selling Neil Water Bottles and Photo Inserts
9 months ago
by allison
in Uncategorized
Note: This blog entry is courtesy of the H&H Color Blog, you can view the original posting by clicking here
Plan Number 1: Sell After Sports Picture Day
Use as a Commission Replacement or Fund Raiser. On picture day shoot 100% of the youth athletes. At a game or specia
l sporting event, sell the water bottle. Have custom photo inserts made up of the team and individual for each child and place in the water bottle. At the event sell the water bottle, cash and carry. At the end, the water bottles not used can be saved for another day. You’re only out the $1.77 for the insert. You can also price the insert to sell by its self. The commission or fund raiser from this plan is to tell the league or school that you only want maybe $6, $7 or $8 and the balance from the $13, $14, or $15 dollar price would be theirs. The revenues to them from this idea have great possibilities to be much more than the usual set $1 or $2 per package.
Plan Number 2: Take the Water Bottles to Your Next Sports Photo Shoot
On the H&H website click on the Neil’s link and order a supply of water bottles – available in blue, black and pink. Take the water bottles to your next little league photo shoot. The combination of the Neil’s Water Bottle and the H&H water bottle insert is on your pre-pay order form. The price you set is based on your area. The delivery of the water bottle was the number one concern, expressed by our customers. Therefore we recommended, sell the water bottle and insert at your shoot, they take the water bottle home and tell your customer the insert will be in their picture package.
Plan Number 3: Different Water Bottle Inserts for Different Seasons
The customer still has a water bottle from baseball but now they are playing football. Besides having the water bottle and the insert priced together, also sell the insert as a separate photo product. They can replace the baseball insert with the football insert, in their present water bottle and a new season begins.
To purchase the photo sport bottles click here. Also, be on the lookout for the photo tumbler with straw coming in Fall 2011!
Popularity: 16% [?]
Jerry Fine
9 months ago
It’s been about a month since the passing of Neil Enterprises founder, Jerry Fine. He will be greatly missed not only by the Neil employees but the customers as well. The immense amount of support from the photo community has been humbling. Jerry and some of his products greatly impacted the wide world of photography.
Jerry Fine, Founder of Neil Enterprises
Jerry was an outstanding businessman and set an unbelievable example for all employees. His loyalty was immeasurable. Neil Enterprises just recently had a 50th anniversary celebration. Close friends and family as well as customers and past and present employees all were able to speak with Jerry. He made it
a point to talk to everyone and had a smile on his face the entire time. Looking back all are so grateful to have shared such a significant milestone with the man who started it all. It is rare nowadays for businesses to make it past the first generation of family. However, Neil Enterprises is now in its third generation of Fine Family members. Some of his children and grandchild are employees. This is due to Jerry’s leadership and his love for not only his family, but his work as well. Jerry Fine was a great man; it is because of him Neil Enterprises has become the highly regarded company that it is today.
Popularity: 18% [?]
