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Client Galleries: 8 Reasons Why We Switched from Smugmug to CloudSpot + Discount Code

If you are a long time client of mine and you have had a session in the last year you will notice that your galleries look different. I hope you think that they look different for the better! I’m pretty excited about the new galleries. They are much cleaner and the focus is on the images instead of other ‘stuff’. I switched from galleries hosted by Smugmug to galleries hosted by CloudSpot.

client galleries for photographers - switch from Smugmug to CloudspotIf you are a photographer (or a curious client), and interested in knowing why I switched gallery platforms here is a little more info about why I switched. Also don’t miss my referral code for a discount at the end of the post if you too are interested in switching!

  1. They look SO good! The Smugmug galleries were branded everywhere with the Smugmug logo. It looked horrible, but I felt stuck with Smugmug since I had been using them for so long. So I just dealt with the clumsy look. But when I discovered the beautiful gallery options (yes – as in more then one choice for how your gallery looks) that CloudSpot offers I was amazed! The galleries focus on the images instead of their logo.  It is no doubt that this tool was created by photographers!
  2. It’s cost effective. Over the years I’ve looked at MANY different gallery platforms. However, I didn’t want to have to worry about file size limits or number of downloads or anything like that. CloudSpot offers an unlimited plan that lets you not worry about these things. You can upload as much as you want for one flat price.
  3. They did the heavy lifting for me. I mentioned that I’ve been using Smugmug for a long time. I’ve got close to 1000 galleries created with Smugmug. I use it as my back-up cloud storage. The idea of having to move all these galleries to another tool was completely overwhelming to me. But CloudSpot offered to do it for me – yay!! You cannot ask for better customer service then that!
  4. It’s on brand. Everything about CloudSpot is customizable. The URL to my galleries doesn’t even include CloudSpot in the URL. I’ve been able to customize my gallery to look like my website/brand so it’s a seamless experience for my clients.
  5. The tool is constantly being updated. This company does one thing and they do it well – client galleries. Their service/tool is constantly being updated with new fun and helpful options. Smugmug is an older company that just acquired Flickr. They aren’t focused on me and my lovely galleries/pictures. I don’t really know what they are focused on but in the 7+ years I’ve been hosing my galleries with them very little has changed. In the 6 months I’ve been using CloudSpot there have been a number of updates and they have all been awesome!
  6. Great customer service and community. If you have a question or a problem their customer service will get back in minutes not days. No question is too small and they are so helpful! Also, there is a Facebook community for those who use CloudSpot. This community has been great to get ideas on things I could be doing to help my business using CloudSpot.
  7. I’m a Dubsado Client and CloudSpot and Dubsado integrate. At the beginning of the year I implemented Dubsado and haven’t looked back! You can read more about that here. Dubsado announced that they were going to integrate with CloudSpot and I looked into it and I thought I would give it a try. So far I’m loving the integration and CloudSpot.
  8. It is easy to use. The interface of the software is so easy to use for both myself as the photographer and for my clients.  It really helps to make sure that photos are uploaded properly and that photos can then be downloaded properly for the client.  I love the clean look of the interface as well.  It is very clear and concise.

Overall I’m obsessed with CloudSpot. However, I should note that the one thing they don’t do is host video. I like to dabble in video and I include video services with a number of my sessions. However, CloudSpot does not allow you to upload video. So I’ve had to find another service to use to host video. This stinks and is a little clunky, but overall this one minor flaw is worth since I get all the other benefits. I will also note that CloudSpot lets you link to video in your client galleries. However you can only add one link per gallery and then the client can’t download the video from the gallery. If I was only an Indianapolis photographer and didn’t do any video CloudSpot would be perfect. But because of the video limitation it has one minor flaw.

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on CloudSpot. If you haven’t made the switch yet you should really consider it!! You can use my referral link here to get 20% off your purchase. I hope you enjoy this discount code for CloudSpot. If they are running a promotion I believe the referral link will also get you 25% off on top of the current promo they are offering.

 

Smugmug vs Cloudspot client galleries for photographers

 

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