Posted by Bret Edge on January 12, 2010 at 9:55 PM
I'm still working on my next social media marketing blog post but I found this today and thought I'd share it now, before I forget. This is excellent information and a really good, condensed tutorial in kicking off a social media marketing effort. Read "The 10 Stages of Social Media Integration".
Posted by Jack Brauer on January 12, 2010 at 10:45 PM
Perhaps my attention span is too short, but I couldn't make it through that one. It's all so broad and generalized.
Or maybe it's because I think all the social networking hype is a lot of hype. There's a point of diminishing returns that in my opinion happens pretty fast.
The way I see it, for an online photo business it's probably better to focus on your own website, and filling it with a solid collection of photos. Spare time could be better spent being outside taking more photos. People will return to your site if it is updated regularly with worthy content.
I guess what I don't understand, in the context of an online photography business, has to do with this statement from the article:
We usually find that the existing architecture leads people from a very vibrant and interactive experience (social networks) to a static dead end (our web sites).
But if you're talking about marketing here, isn't the whole point to drive traffic to your website, to generate sales? I think the above statement, and the entire article, is geared more towards some kind of large corporation with a mega public image, like Coca Cola or MTV or whatever - companies that depend on creating social networks (rather than their websites) to build and maintain a public image. For individual photography businesses like ours, it's almost an opposite situation - we want people to go to our sites and have the photos speak for themselves (and sell themselves). Diverting potential customers' attention to social networks seems like a detraction if anything.
Here's a real life example of my own, to explain my thinking. Since I started a blog (on a separate website than my gallery site) two years ago, my blog traffic has steadily grown and grown. But, my gallery site traffic has dropped by an almost exactly correlating rate. This could be coincidence, or caused by any number of unknown factors, but I am wondering if my regular viewers/customers are now going straight to my blog instead of my gallery site. Perhaps I should not have created my blog on a separate website. Anyhow, the same concept could apply to Facebook. If you upload your photos there, then people will be content to view them there, never seeing that there are prints for sale.
I see the value of social networking to keep people informed about your latest photographic work; however, to me (in the context of marketing) the sole usefulness is to direct people to your website as quickly as possible.
Posted by Bret Edge on January 12, 2010 at 10:59 PM
Jack:
I agree wholeheartedly that we want people to spend time on our sites enjoying our images. I also agree that we need to keep those images fresh by updating them regularly. However, I firmly believe SMM has a place in any photographer's business model. Using SMM correctly drives more traffic to your site. If you really do it right you can even drive fairly targeted traffic to your site. More eyes on your images & workshop offering is a good thing.
The article linked to in this post is pretty cookie cutter and certain aspects may not apply to every business. However, for someone new to SMM seeking a basic understanding of how it works the article lays it out pretty simply.
As nature photographers we definitely didn't get into this "business" to spend more time at our computers. We do need to get outside and make new images, enjoying the experience as that's the whole reason we do what we do. But, with a little effort and a little know-how it is possible to use SMM to your advantage.
That's my 2 cents...
Posted by Ken Wyatt on January 13, 2010 at 12:32 AM
I'm fairly new to social media marketing, but I knew I had to do something more than merely producing and maintaining a decent Web site (and thank you Jack for helping me with that!). If you were to search for "Colorado photo tours" my Web doesn't show up after 20 pages! In fact, there are several well-known Colorado photographers that are way down the list...way too far down to attract business from people searching for tours. However, if you search for "Colorado fall color tours", I'm on the first page. I need to do a lot more benchmarking to get a real feel for how well the Web site is actually pulling in traffic. Right now, it's not that great.
In my research on SMM, the big point is to help you raise awareness and search engine placement. My (only) two month old Facebook page is already starting to draw clients to my tours and gallery. According to several sources, the best way this is done is to create content that's of interest to your client base and so that you assume the role of "expert" in their eyes. This is something I'm also working on in earnest and will become a part of my business seminar. Obviously, content is not the only route to a high placement, but there are many other things required as well...but content is king. There's a lot of nature photographers with really great portfolios, but which are the ones people will buy from? Probably the ones who have content on their Webs of interest to buyers, besides great pictures.
I also have a separate blog and Jack's point that the blog may be driving buyers away from his Web site is an important point, and one I need to incorporate - Jack? Help! :-)
The little blurbs on my Facebook page always include a link back to the main Web site, which should help. I think we're all kind of exploring ways to increase business and there are a lot of published anecdotes that indicate SMM, properly implemented, works well in this age where buyers use Google to research and search for products.
Posted by Neil Corman on January 13, 2010 at 1:04 AM
Prior to dealing with SMM the question which everyone should ask is what is the objective for their efforts in their overall marketing plan being used for their business. There are many different aspects of the business which photographers in this forum cover; whether it is the training, workshops, development, books/calendars or just pretty pictures. With this in mind SMM will be different for almost everyone reading this post, since many people cover multiple areas.
If your target market would not be a photographer, then it probably doesn't make sense to market directly to us here or other photographers in general. Keeping your marketing plan in mind you need to blog/tweet/etc about what is important to your target customer. I have owned a gallery for close to a year and it is getting to the point where I can tell if the person is a potential customer or an artist just by how they look at the images (the questions are the dead give away). This is also true about what you are putting out in SMM. A post or tweet you may think would be interesting (as well as many people on here), may mean little to a prospect looking to purchase some of the products or services you offer.
SMM is also not the answer to Search Engine Optimization and how to get the keywords to your site. It is about creating content which will interest people over the long run and help building a connection. This connection could lead to a direct sale or indirect opportunities as everyone has their own network. SMM is just another tool in the plan you are using in your business, along with many other items.
Lastly, the worse thing you can do with SMM is to create it and then soon ignore it is there. Also, don't stream your feeds across platforms (twitter and facebook are a good example), treat them as separate so it shows that you are paying attention to each platform. So prior to jumping into the new world of SMM make sure you will be committed to what it entails as this is what is important in the long run while building a community around your content/tweets/post/etc.
Wow! I didn't even look at Bret's link yet, I just read the replies here and I learned a ton! Thanks guys, this is why I love this forum
Posted by Ken Wyatt on January 13, 2010 at 10:51 AM
Neil, you are so "right on"! I agree the concept of SMM by itself is not the only answer to getting hits to your site...but your SMM efforts (which includes interesting content as well as demonstrating expertise) need to funnel buyers to your site where you ultimately "make the sale". As such, your site needs to be easy to navigate for first-time visitors and it must be organized such that they can easily find (and buy) your product. It must also include a rich content of pertinent information the buyer needs to make a purchase decision. I believe that's what Jack meant by a "static dead site".
One point you brought up was to avoid cross-posting or streaming your feeds across platforms, such as between Twitter and Facebook. Would you mind adding a little more clarification in that regard? How does that hurt hits to your Web site or search engine ranking?
Posted by Neil Corman on January 13, 2010 at 11:07 AM
Ken,
I see some folks who just post on Twitter and let that go direct to Facebook. In doing so you will get the RT (Retweet) or @xyz (Tweet reply) in a Facebook status update showing that they are not catering to the needs of that community. The whole purpose of social media is to engage with the community and by letting one post do that in both platforms the expectation is that you are not answering the concerns on Facebook in this example.
Showing your work and services in both places is fine to do, but make sure you do unique posts so that people can feel that you are genuine. Perception is the issue here and not a search engine ranking. Remember SMM and SEO are different, and thus need different approaches.
Another consideration for everyone is to know the Terms of Service on every platform you are posting images and what could happen to your work.
Posted by Bret Edge on January 13, 2010 at 11:58 AM
Neil:
You hit the nail on the head - the entire point of social media is building and engaging your community in an honest, genuine way. SMM isn't for everyone. That's perfectly fine. It takes a lot of effort and initially, a lot of time to build & maintain a community.
Really good posts here, folks. Keep 'em coming!
Posted by Brian Jackson on January 13, 2010 at 12:03 PM
Here's a real life example of my own, to explain my thinking. Since I started a blog (on a separate website than my gallery site) two years ago, my blog traffic has steadily grown and grown. But, my gallery site traffic has dropped by an almost exactly correlating rate. This could be coincidence, or caused by any number of unknown factors, but I am wondering if my regular viewers/customers are now going straight to my blog instead of my gallery site. Perhaps I should not have created my blog on a separate website. Anyhow, the same concept could apply to Facebook. If you upload your photos there, then people will be content to view them there, never seeing that there are prints for sale.
That's very interesting Jack. Have you seen any other research that shows this as well? I wonder if there is a balance? If your a new, unknown photographer and want to get your name out SMM will help. But if your already a well known photographer like yourself, you actually pull customers away from your galleries and a potential sale.
Another interesting question would be, "who are those users that have moved from your galleries to your blog". I be curious if they are other photographers. Most photographers don't buy prints from other photographers. For me, sure I love looking at great photographers web galleries, but I'd rather read their blogs, trip reports to get all the good details on their techniques, locations, etc... as a learning method for myself.
Discussion
9 repliesOr maybe it's because I think all the social networking hype is a lot of hype. There's a point of diminishing returns that in my opinion happens pretty fast.
The way I see it, for an online photo business it's probably better to focus on your own website, and filling it with a solid collection of photos. Spare time could be better spent being outside taking more photos. People will return to your site if it is updated regularly with worthy content.
I guess what I don't understand, in the context of an online photography business, has to do with this statement from the article:
But if you're talking about marketing here, isn't the whole point to drive traffic to your website, to generate sales? I think the above statement, and the entire article, is geared more towards some kind of large corporation with a mega public image, like Coca Cola or MTV or whatever - companies that depend on creating social networks (rather than their websites) to build and maintain a public image. For individual photography businesses like ours, it's almost an opposite situation - we want people to go to our sites and have the photos speak for themselves (and sell themselves). Diverting potential customers' attention to social networks seems like a detraction if anything.
Here's a real life example of my own, to explain my thinking. Since I started a blog (on a separate website than my gallery site) two years ago, my blog traffic has steadily grown and grown. But, my gallery site traffic has dropped by an almost exactly correlating rate. This could be coincidence, or caused by any number of unknown factors, but I am wondering if my regular viewers/customers are now going straight to my blog instead of my gallery site. Perhaps I should not have created my blog on a separate website. Anyhow, the same concept could apply to Facebook. If you upload your photos there, then people will be content to view them there, never seeing that there are prints for sale.
I see the value of social networking to keep people informed about your latest photographic work; however, to me (in the context of marketing) the sole usefulness is to direct people to your website as quickly as possible.
I agree wholeheartedly that we want people to spend time on our sites enjoying our images. I also agree that we need to keep those images fresh by updating them regularly. However, I firmly believe SMM has a place in any photographer's business model. Using SMM correctly drives more traffic to your site. If you really do it right you can even drive fairly targeted traffic to your site. More eyes on your images & workshop offering is a good thing.
The article linked to in this post is pretty cookie cutter and certain aspects may not apply to every business. However, for someone new to SMM seeking a basic understanding of how it works the article lays it out pretty simply.
As nature photographers we definitely didn't get into this "business" to spend more time at our computers. We do need to get outside and make new images, enjoying the experience as that's the whole reason we do what we do. But, with a little effort and a little know-how it is possible to use SMM to your advantage.
That's my 2 cents...
In my research on SMM, the big point is to help you raise awareness and search engine placement. My (only) two month old Facebook page is already starting to draw clients to my tours and gallery. According to several sources, the best way this is done is to create content that's of interest to your client base and so that you assume the role of "expert" in their eyes. This is something I'm also working on in earnest and will become a part of my business seminar. Obviously, content is not the only route to a high placement, but there are many other things required as well...but content is king. There's a lot of nature photographers with really great portfolios, but which are the ones people will buy from? Probably the ones who have content on their Webs of interest to buyers, besides great pictures.
I also have a separate blog and Jack's point that the blog may be driving buyers away from his Web site is an important point, and one I need to incorporate - Jack? Help! :-)
The little blurbs on my Facebook page always include a link back to the main Web site, which should help. I think we're all kind of exploring ways to increase business and there are a lot of published anecdotes that indicate SMM, properly implemented, works well in this age where buyers use Google to research and search for products.
Those of you interested might want to pick up a copy of David Scott's "The New Rules of Marketing & PR".
I've got a bit more info on this book on my blog.
Cheers, Ken
If your target market would not be a photographer, then it probably doesn't make sense to market directly to us here or other photographers in general. Keeping your marketing plan in mind you need to blog/tweet/etc about what is important to your target customer. I have owned a gallery for close to a year and it is getting to the point where I can tell if the person is a potential customer or an artist just by how they look at the images (the questions are the dead give away). This is also true about what you are putting out in SMM. A post or tweet you may think would be interesting (as well as many people on here), may mean little to a prospect looking to purchase some of the products or services you offer.
SMM is also not the answer to Search Engine Optimization and how to get the keywords to your site. It is about creating content which will interest people over the long run and help building a connection. This connection could lead to a direct sale or indirect opportunities as everyone has their own network. SMM is just another tool in the plan you are using in your business, along with many other items.
Lastly, the worse thing you can do with SMM is to create it and then soon ignore it is there. Also, don't stream your feeds across platforms (twitter and facebook are a good example), treat them as separate so it shows that you are paying attention to each platform. So prior to jumping into the new world of SMM make sure you will be committed to what it entails as this is what is important in the long run while building a community around your content/tweets/post/etc.
One point you brought up was to avoid cross-posting or streaming your feeds across platforms, such as between Twitter and Facebook. Would you mind adding a little more clarification in that regard? How does that hurt hits to your Web site or search engine ranking?
I see some folks who just post on Twitter and let that go direct to Facebook. In doing so you will get the RT (Retweet) or @xyz (Tweet reply) in a Facebook status update showing that they are not catering to the needs of that community. The whole purpose of social media is to engage with the community and by letting one post do that in both platforms the expectation is that you are not answering the concerns on Facebook in this example.
Showing your work and services in both places is fine to do, but make sure you do unique posts so that people can feel that you are genuine. Perception is the issue here and not a search engine ranking. Remember SMM and SEO are different, and thus need different approaches.
Another consideration for everyone is to know the Terms of Service on every platform you are posting images and what could happen to your work.
You hit the nail on the head - the entire point of social media is building and engaging your community in an honest, genuine way. SMM isn't for everyone. That's perfectly fine. It takes a lot of effort and initially, a lot of time to build & maintain a community.
Really good posts here, folks. Keep 'em coming!
That's very interesting Jack. Have you seen any other research that shows this as well? I wonder if there is a balance? If your a new, unknown photographer and want to get your name out SMM will help. But if your already a well known photographer like yourself, you actually pull customers away from your galleries and a potential sale.
Another interesting question would be, "who are those users that have moved from your galleries to your blog". I be curious if they are other photographers. Most photographers don't buy prints from other photographers. For me, sure I love looking at great photographers web galleries, but I'd rather read their blogs, trip reports to get all the good details on their techniques, locations, etc... as a learning method for myself.
Thanks for sharing that info Jack.