Social Media Marketing for Photographers // Photography + Community

If you’re new here, you can keep up with my latest photography information at Picture Pundit – subscribe to my newsletter for a FREE Report: A Guide to Twitter for Photographers.

When someone needs to hire a photographer, how do they find one? Regardless of whether it’s for a wedding, corporate material, senior pictures, sporting event, or editorial need, they probably follow this path:

1. A photographer they have previously hired.
2. A referral from a trusted source.
3. Someone they personally know who is a photographer.
4. Someone they don’t know personally, but is known as being proficient as a photographer.
5. A cold call based on the photography results of a search (search engine, etc).
6. A cold call to a random search result.

Five years ago, your position on that list was dictated by your past clientele and your physical activities – what events and groups you’d travel to, and where you’d devote dedicated time to build your network a few people at a time.

Fast-forward to our current environment. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook can help you end up in the number two spot on that list. A few days ago at Beer and Blog, I had a conversation with a real estate professional, talking with her about using Twitter to build relationships. By following local folks on Twitter, learning a bit about them (and sharing a bit about yourself), you’ll develop some personal connections. If you’re also sharing some of your photography experiences, those people will get to know you as someone that produces great pictures.

This is the value in the casual conversations on Twitter and Facebook. While sharing about your family, your hobbies, or your feelings won’t directly sell any photography services, you’ll be laying the foundation to build relationships. When your contacts start thinking about photography, instead of picking a name based on a Google search, they’ll come to you. When others mention needing a photographer, your contacts will refer those people to you.

And then, after you’ve won the business due to the social media referral, you’ll end up at the top spot on that list. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Photo by Horia Varlan, used under Creative Commons licensing

These other posts might be of interest to you:

1. Build Relationships Before the Sale
2. How Much Time Should a Photographer Spend on Social Media?
3. Social Media Tips Roundup for Photographers

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Twitter

Flickr isn’t the only service which makes it easy to share photos from your galleries via Twitter. I use SmugMug for my fine art print sales as well as client proofing. I’ve started to put a few other photos there as well, and they make it very simple for a photographer to share via Twitter, Facebook, and some other social media tools.

From a photo on SmugMug, click on the Share button and choose Be Social. From there, choose the Twitter tab (or whichever service you want to use) and go through the authentication process. Enter the message to accompany your tweet, and you’re set! The UI even includes a character count so you’ll know if you’re within the 140 character limit. SmugMug will tweet a link to your photo (with a shortened URL).

I’m a big fan of the professional galleries on SmugMug and it’s great that they have professional-level social media features as well (including some, like Facebook integration, that are missing from Flickr).

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In the last couple of weeks there have been some great developments for photographers looking at interesting things to read. First, The Linked Photographers’ Guide to Online Marketing and Social Media was released. I’m currently reading through my copy and will post a full review once I get through the book. It’s all about marketing using blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, and the other topics that we often talk about here on Social Photo Talk, so I bet that I’ll have plenty to say.

I also am reviewing a copy of iPad: The Missing Manual, due to be released on June 1st. The iPad has quickly become an important tool for the modern photographer. I’m a fan of the “Missing Manual” series and I’ll be sure to post a review once I wrap up reading it. So far it’s really good, providing a thorough look at the iPad. Stay tuned for more information.

On top of those, HDR guru Trey Ratcliff (aka Stuck in Customs) just released an eBook on digital photography workflow. As someone who has mastered a workflow to produce a large quantity of high-quality (and well-processed) images, I look forward to reading all about his process. There are two versions of the eBook, a standard edition and a bonus version for just a few dollars more that includes additional material and some information specific to HDR. I’ve just ordered my copy and can’t wait to dive in.

Whew! That’s a lot of reading to do. I’ll be sure to share reviews when I get through, but I wanted to make you aware that if you’re looking to learn and want to read, there are some great options right now!

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If you’re new here, you can keep up with my latest photography information at Picture Pundit – subscribe to my newsletter for a FREE Report: A Guide to Twitter for Photographers.

Social Photo Talk now has a Facebook page. Hit that link and you can become a fan which will provide our updates in that forum, as well as the occasional links and other resources that will be shared.

In the next few days, we’ll be adding a Facebook widget to the sidebar here on the Social Photo Talk website which should provide a bit of publicity for our fans.

Contest for Facebook fans: Next Monday (October 12), I’ll be randomly selecting a fan of the Social Photo Talk Facebook page to win three free months of Flickr Pro! Any fan is eligible to win; if you already have a Flickr Pro account it will be extended by three months.

Photo by Gauldo, used under Creative Commons licensing

These other posts might be of interest to you:

1. Social Photo Podcast #23: Facebook, Better Blogging, iPhone Marketing App, Lightroom 3 Publishing
2. Facebook Contests and Promotions: Read the Restrictive Rules
3. Social Media Time Management: Splitting Time Between Twitter, Facebook, and Blogging

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Subscribe via iTunes: – this link will launch iTunes for easy subscription

Here we go with Episode 23 of the Social Photo Podcast. Hosts Aaron Hockley and Lyza Danger Gardner talk about better blogging, Facebook, a Social Media iPhone App, Lightroom 3, and more. This episode is about sixteen minutes long.

Links to Things We Mention

• Photo Blog Boost – Better Blogging for Photographers
• Reaction to Facebook Privacy Changes
• Diaspora – an open source social network platform that some hope might replace Facebook. I make comparisons with Identica.
• Rick Sammon’s Social Media Marketing for Photographers iPhone app review
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Beta 2

Distribution and Feed

We’re now on iTunes – if you use iTunes, you can subscribe using this link: Subscribe on iTunes

You can also find the podcast as an attachment to the main Social Photo Talk RSS Feed. You should see a player at the bottom of this post if you want to listen directly, or you can grab the Episode 23 mp3 file directly.

Feedback

We’d love to have your feedback – technical, content, or otherwise. Leave a comment here or send mail to [email protected] – thanks!

Photo by Robert Scoble, used under Creative Commons licensing

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social media marketing

If you’re new here, you can keep up with my latest photography information at Picture Pundit – subscribe to my newsletter for a FREE Report: A Guide to Twitter for Photographers.

Subscribe via iTunes: – this link will launch iTunes for easy subscription

Episode 20 of the Social Photo Podcast has been released. Host Aaron Hockley looks at Twitter statistics, Twitter’s future, finding your audience, and more. This episode is about ten minutes long.

Links to Things We Mention

• SLL Productions – podcast/broadcast support including voiceovers, music, and consulting
• Twitter Statistics
• Promoted Tweets
• The Guardian Eyewitness – explanatory video – iTunes Download

Distribution and Feed

We’re now on iTunes – if you use iTunes, you can subscribe using this link: Subscribe on iTunes

You can also find the podcast as an attachment to the main Social Photo Talk RSS Feed. You should see a player at the bottom of this post if you want to listen directly, or you can grab the Episode 20 mp3 file directly.

Feedback

We’d love to have your feedback – technical, content, or otherwise. Leave a comment here or send mail to [email protected] – thanks!

Podcast: Play in new window
| Download

These other posts might be of interest to you:

1. Social Photo Podcast #12: How Do You Learn? Twitter Contests, Barriers to Blog Comments
2. Social Photo Podcast #1: Twitter Lists, Flickr+Getty, Twitter Revolution
3. Social Photo Podcast #3: @dailyshoot Update, Flickr to Twitter, and Short Flickr URLs

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Today we feature a guest post. Sahdev Thakur has over 10 years of experience in technology and outsourcing businesses. His love for photos has inspired him develop innovate business model for photos using social media. He is currently CEO and Founder of PixWand a Delaware Company.

As a photographer, 15 years back, when the Internet sun was just rising, if someone were to ask you to start your own website, your first question would have been, “What’s a website?” The second, “Why would I ever need one?” Do you find yourself asking similar questions today when you see the rise and rise of social media… first MySpace, then Orkut, now LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook… who knows what’s next? Stressful, isn’t it?

Whether you are a fan of online social networks or not, you cannot deny the simple fact that they are enormously popular, for a few simple reasons: they make it easier for people to connect with old friends, make new friends from corners of the world, which one couldn’t possibly imagine in the good old days, and share information, ideas, jokes, photographs, videos… whatever suits one’s fancy. Whether you and I like it or not, social networking is changing the way we connect, communicate, share, develop relationships and thus, the way we conduct business as well.

Consider these simple facts about social media:

• Facebook has 400 million active users, including 225 million who joined in just the last one year.
• Twitter has 75 million users with an annual growth rate of 1,105%.
• Linkedin has 60 million members and has added 5 million users in less then 2 months between Dec 2009 to Feb 2010.
• An average user spends more then 5.5 hrs per month on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, an 82% increase from last year.
• All the above numbers are changing drastically by the hour.

Now as a professional dealing with photography, consider this whopping fact: on Facebook alone more then 3 billion photographs are uploaded every month, i.e. 100 million photos a day (Source). Thanks largely to the proliferation of digital cameras (every device seems to have one these days, mobile phones, mp3 players, laptops, etc.), today almost everyone clicks photos and uploads them. Whether this qualifies for them to call themselves photographers is a different question.

What is evident however is today everyone considers himself or herself a photographer. This is a huge shift and it is accelerating at a very rapid rate.

Impact of social media on the photography industry:

With billions of photos taken every month, photography is no more considered an art. Rather, it has simply become a way to share our lives and communicate with those around us: something that conversations did in the past. And all the pervasive ways social media is touching peoples’ lives is altering consumer behavior and developing new imaging habits today. Thus, the future of photography for photographers is not what it used to be. The future is changing, and it is for you to figure out, what more you can do with photos, what unique services you can offer. Indeed, what more can you offer?

Collaboration will be the way of the future. Social media platforms facilitate connection and collaboration with individuals and groups across the world to offer innovative photographic services. An example: PhotoTownship. Shortly PhotoTownship will provide a unique opportunity for mass customization and collaboration of photo products/services online. It will allow individuals to do more with photos beyond the format of printed paper.

People are starting to see the broader possibilities of photos and various things they can do with them. There’s a whole shift of perception happening. This is just the beginning of a whole new world, and the sooner we embrace it, the better it is for the entire photographic community.

Some social media resources:

The number of photographers or small businesses using social media well is very small. Below are two great resources to get you started with social media and also help you explore further

• PhotoFizz.info: Content is king. So, a good way to get started in social networking is to start by sharing good content.
• PhotoShelter’s report on Social Media for Photographers: A free guide on how to grow your photo business with social media

Luckily the monetary investment in social media is hardly anything, and allows even the smallest company or individual to play on a level playing field with those bigger than they are. Take advantage of this opportunity by getting in early, to grow into a leader in the social media space.

If you still doubt the power of social media, view Social Media Revolution on YouTube. It presents the kind of statistics that shows the extent to which social media is conquering culture and businesses across the world. It is bound to get you excited about the changes around, and the possibilities it opens up.

Photo by dariuszman86, used under Creative Commons licensing

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Twitter,
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Happy Monday! I’m not sure how things are going for you but I’ve been really busy lately with a variety of photo gigs. I have a bunch of random social media tips and tricks laying around here gathering dust, so I figured I’d put together a list post and share.

• Don’t get folks into a Twitter->Facebook->Website loop. We talk about blogging, and using Facebook to promote that blog, and also sometimes tweeting links to your work. Make sure that you aren’t tweeting a link to Facebook which then forces someone to click through to another site to read an article or look at your photos. If you’re sharing a link, that link should go directly to the source material.
• Check out your Facebook Page insights. If you’re the administrator of a page, on the left side under the page’s photo you’ll find the insights section, where you can click through to get some information on who is a fan of your page and what they’re doing.
• Realize that folks don’t monitor Twitter constantly. It’s a good idea to post a link a couple times at different hours of the day. Make sure that you don’t post too often or folks might think you’re being a bit spammy.
• Network online with vendors related to your area of photography. If you shoot weddings, make sure you’re keeping up with local florists. If you do a lot of music photography, it doesn’t hurt to stay tuned in (pun intended) with what local production companies are doing.
• Better yet, once you’ve established relationships with those vendors, partner up for some online cross-promotion. You can talk about how great they are to do business with, show some photos of their products or services, and potentially send some business in their direction. You could offer them some of your photos (ideally showcasing their wares) for use on their blog or online materials. It’s a win-win.
• If you’re active on Twitter, you’ve probably got a lot of other photographers (pro and/or hobbyist) in your area that are following you. Host a tweetup/photowalk! Most photographers would enjoy the networking and photo opportunities of getting together for a couple hours and wandering around taking pictures.
• I’ll wrap up this list with a reminder that social media isn’t a “get rich quick” system: if you’re doing it right, you’ll build up followers and trust over a period of months and years. You’re developing relationships that will (hopefully) lead to increased business and a higher profile for yourself and your business.

What other ideas are on your mind this morning? Have a social media tip to share? I’d love to have you leave a comment and share your knowledge.

Photo by tombothetominator, used under Creative Commons licensing

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Let’s talk about social media time management. This is part one of a two-part series (Part two will be next week) talking about how to best use your time for social media marketing. Think about your…

• Blog
• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Flickr
• Forums

Each of the tools listed above (plus others) can potentially bring you new business or keep you in contact with your existing clients and colleagues. Fortunately, we have 74 hours per day so it’s not a problem to devote quite a bit of time to each of these ventures.

What? You don’t have 74 hours per day? I guess I don’t either, which means we need to make some choices about where to focus. How do you decide where to allocate your time? There’s not a single right answer, but consider the following factors:

Audience (Clients vs. Colleagues): Are you trying to reach new clients? Or do you want to keep up with others in the industry? Photography forums are a lot of fun but they probably won’t lead directly to new clients. Depending on your blog, it could go either way. The same goes for Twitter, depending on how you network. Facebook is generally going to reach your existing contacts. Flickr will reach photographers, but not the general public.

Audience, Part II (Clientele): Does your clientele organically gather on a particular website or service? If you’re shooting senior portraits… you NEED to be on Facebook. The same applies for weddings. If you’re aiming to produce annual report photos for large companies… Facebook might not be the best place to focus.

Permanence: Are you wanting to create content that will be around for a while, picked up by search engines, and lead to longer-term traffic growth? Your blog and Facebook page will give you the opportunity to create more permanent work, while Twitter posts and many forum discussions are more transient. Publishing work to Flickr, SmugMug, Photoshelter, or other portfolio sites is generally a good way to have your images gather some traffic long-term.

Time “Chunks”: Twitter (and Facebook or LinkedIn status updates) allows one to post and interact in short time bursts. In just a couple minutes one can post an update or respond to others. A well-crafted blog post will require more time. Even if you write it in a few sittings, you’ll generally want a dedicated block of time to pull it all together. Where you participate might be dictated by the amount of time you have before interruptions.

Without knowing everything about your business, your goals, and your clients, it’s hard to give you a magic formula of what is the best mix for your online ventures. The factors above should provide some guidance.

Tell me about your split… where do you focus your time?

Photo by nDevilTV, used under Creative Commons licensing

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If you’re new here, you can keep up with my latest photography information at Picture Pundit – subscribe to my newsletter for a FREE Report: A Guide to Twitter for Photographers.

Are you thinking about how hot political issues might be costing you business due to your social media personas? Here are a few of my thoughts and warnings:

Do you mix these topics into the streams that your clients see? Why or why not?

These other posts might be of interest to you:

1. Social Photo Podcast #21: Google’s Photo Business, Social Media Lost and Found, Outsourcing Your Blogging
2. Starting an Email Newsletter as a Photographer
3. Retrospective on my 2009 in Social Media

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