Grandparently Grandparents and Grandchildren 
My kids complain that I am a hard person to shop for. Either I already have what I want or I feel like I have too much stuff already. Recently I stumbled onto a great gift idea for me! Now all I need to do is let my kids know about it before Christmas.
I love seeing new pictures of my grandkids. Sometimes they come by text, or snapchat or email. It is great to see them growing and experiencing life. One problem, I cannot frame those photos or stick them to the fridge without jumping through a couple of extra steps. It is even more of a challenge when my grandchild’s parent shows them to me on their phone. I don’t get to keep the phone. There is an awesome image I want to keep, then poof! it’s gone. What ever happened to good old prints?
Digital photography has been a boon, but it leaves me with empty spots on my shelves and fridge where I would rather see photos of those I love. That’s where NanaGram comes in. Every month you receive 4×6 prints of your kids and grandkids. Not just from one set of grandkids, it can be a mix of all of them.
There are 3 easy steps. Well, four if you are the Grandparent looking for pictures.
- Drop hints, subtle or not, that you want to get photos this year; real photos, printed and ready to hang. Then tell your kids about Nanagram.
- Make sure they sign up (and pay for the service). When they do, they will get a unique NanaGram number and email.
- From then on they can send photos to the website anytime, using text or email, and select which ones to send to you each month.
- The good part! Every month you get a set of 4×6 prints delivered to you. The number of pictures 10-50 per month depends on the package selected,
The whole family can participate! Captions can be added to photos and they can be cropped before being selected. It is even possible arrange it so that the “other” grandparents get the same package each month, preserving family harmony. Learn how it all works at NanaGram.co [NOTE it’s .co not .com]
If you are a grandparent who wants to make 100% sure you get photos, you can underwrite your own account with a NanaGram giftcard. One of your grandkids can use the gift card to set up the account and invite all of the other grandkids to join in.
I spoke Alex, the Chief Oldest Grandson over at NanaGram to get the scoop on where the idea came from and how it was going for NanaGram. He shared the story of two brothers; himself and his brother Andy. It is safe to say that Alex has a competitive streak. Preparing for his Grandpa Cook’s 94th birthday, he was determined to have the best gift ever. It would earn him the appreciation of Grandpa Cook and the jealous respect of his siblings. His grandpa loved lobster rolls, so Alex’s big birthday gift for grandpa was a box with two live lobsters. The moment came, the box was opened and Grandpa Cook loved them. A win! Then his brother introduced a prototype for an digital to photo printing program for the family, called InstaGrandpa. Woosh! there went the attention.
The brothers collaborated to develop the idea beyond the initial prototype. Alex took the lead on the project and under the new name, NanaGram, the prototype became a usable product for everyone. Initially subscriber growth was organic with friends telling other friends. A surge of subscriptions came following a posting on reddit, and growth has continued from there. Satisfaction is very high with nearly 90% customer retention.
Alex comments, that one of the great joys for him in this business is hearing how much the simple act of sharing printed photos, brings families together. During our interview he commented that this work has made more of a difference in the lives of other people, than everything he has done before in his life, combined. When you read the comments of customers and NanaGramers on their website you can see why he feels that way.
No need to struggle to find something for a difficult to shop for Grandparent. NanaGram is the perfect gift.
