A friend with a small business had offered a "deal" on the LivingSocial website, www.LivingSocial.com. I was intrigued when she said the results were great, but also concerned about rumors I'd heard of some businesses being overwhelmed with too much business! That could definitely be a problem when you're a one woman show. The danger is not being able to please clients and doing more damage to the business than good. But since I'm a risk taker, I decided to look into the process. 
LivingSocial is like Groupons - which I've not tried as a merchant. I talked to the representative who explained the price point had to truly be a "deal." The price would be based on a discount from what I would normally charge. (That was checked out by LivingSocial from the prices on my website). In comparing to other photographers in the Puyallup-Tacoma area, I decided my deal would be a family or high school senior shoot for $49. It was to be a location photo shoot and a DVD with print rights granted for up to 20 images. The actual value with digital downloads purchased from my website is $175. Because my studio is in my home and not in a commercial building, I was also restricted from advertising studio sessions in my home. 
Additional downsides for me included a 50% commission of the $49 going to LivingSocial. And to make it worth while for LivingSocial, I had to offer 200 deals! She reassured me that 20% of clients forget they've purchased a voucher and will never redeem it. 
On the other hand, the upside was the promise of new clientele for return photo shoots. So being the risk taker that I am, I decided to go for it. It cost me nothing up front and regardless of whether the client redeemed their voucher or not, I would be paid half the proceeds from however many deals were sold. (I'm waiting for the check which is supposed to be here within 15 days after the close of the deal).The deal ran from March 1st to March 7th and I sold a total of 24 photo sessions. (Must say I was relieved - that's a manageable number). Although I expected the phone to start ringing right away, I was surprised that only six have booked so far. I hope they're not all waiting until Christmas! Of those who called, I did offer my studio and photogenic front yard as an alternative to a location. So far all but one decided to use the studio. I think it may have something to do with our lovely weather. :-)
The photos you see here are from the LivingSocial photo sessions shot so far. It's been a great experience with these folks and from the feedback I'm getting, I'll be taking more photos, including newborns, in the near future. 
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