So what are you doing?

[ianbutty]

A few people asked for this sub forum to be created. So folks, how are you doing your self marketing then? Tell us what you do and lets get this subforum going!

[ilanphoto]

I have a site on Photographers direct
The simple truth is Absolutely Nothing
I paid for an ad in February 2009 in the PD newsletter no surge of hits to my site
sold one direct license through my site in February - that was my first and so far only direct sale there
Following a lot of SEO information and SEO tools released by PS this month I still have a lot of work
As of May, a colleague will be collaborating with me to promote the site hopefully this will have a positive benefit
So any suggestions, resources or ideas you have will be of great benefit

Ilan

[Inchiquin]

I started building my Web site in 1997 with a view to self-marketing.

I'm still building it...

Alan

[ilanphoto]

Sorry for brain failure my site is on PhotoShelter not PD

Ilan

I have a site on Photographers direct
The simple truth is Absolutely Nothing
I paid for an ad in February 2009 in the PD newsletter no surge of hits to my site
sold one direct license through my site in February - that was my first and so far only direct sale there
Following a lot of SEO information and SEO tools released by PS this month I still have a lot of work
As of May, a colleague will be collaborating with me to promote the site hopefully this will have a positive benefit
So any suggestions, resources or ideas you have will be of great benefit

Ilan

[geoffpix]

I've been looking to do this but my understanding is that say PhotoShelter doesn't yet have it's SEO in place. It seems to be the most useful stock website but without good google indexing it means a lot more work for casual client visits.

I do wonder how much good SEO counts as compared to what I would see as traditional methods of direct email targeting.

My first venture might be an 'out of the box' clickpic(?) website just to get a handle on this. Am I the only pro stock shooter without a website?

.....looking to a brave new world...yikes.

[Inchiquin]

I'm still mulling over the idea mooted recently on the Alamy forum for a photographers' collective with individual sites but a common search engine. I've probably got the skills to do it but I would need convincing that it's worth my time and effort.

Alan

[geoffpix]

I'm still mulling over the idea mooted recently on the Alamy forum for a photographers' collective with individual sites but a common search engine. I've probably got the skills to do it but I would need convincing that it's worth my time and effort.

Alan

Similar to a Virtual Agency on PhotoShelter?

[Inchiquin]

I'm still mulling over the idea mooted recently on the Alamy forum for a photographers' collective with individual sites but a common search engine. I've probably got the skills to do it but I would need convincing that it's worth my time and effort.

Similar to a Virtual Agency on PhotoShelter?

Possibly, but I'm not really familiar with PhotoShelter.

What I liked about the idea that was being discussed was that it would be under the control of a small, well-focused group of people who could guide the direction and possibly approve the image selection, while benefiting from greater marketing muscle.

In other words, why should any picture buyer bother coming to my site if there are only 5000 pics to search? But with 100000, they just might be persuaded, especially if the participants can supply mostly complementary rather than competing images, of a uniformly high standard.

Alan

[Bill Kuta]

I built a website for my photos a couple of years ago. I kept it simple and fast, intended only for professional photo buyers with little time to waste--no fancy transitions or musical intros, no print sales. It presents some categories of photos, and points viewers to lightboxes on Alamy (and did point to Photoshelter Collection until its demise). My website does no direct fulfillment.

The self-marketing part is that occasionally I send emails to selected photo editors etc, linking to my website. The main purpose is to get their eyes not just on Alamy, but specifically on my photos on Alamy or wherever. It's hard to pin down the results without more specific buyer info from Alamy, but I am convinced that my sales have gone up after each of my email campaigns. I do know, in one instance where I have identified one of my Alamy buyers, that the buyer was one of my email recipients.

I am not convinced of the value of SEO for this. Images that I had on Myloupe and Acclaim always googled very well, but I did not have any sales from those sites. I don't think that photo buyers do much googling for images, though I occasionally hear of it. I doubt they would google for most photographers' names.

(Hmm...this reminds me that I'm overdue for one of my email campaigns.)

Bill Kuta

[Blackcat]

I've had my own site running for a number of years - http://www.jwoodhouse.com/ Same as Bill I think simple and fast is best, I have searchable categories but also a search field. I do find most customers go into the site direct to an image anyway, never through the front page - good SEO does help!
I don't send customers off to Alamy. I also don't currently provide immediate download, but am thinking of this (not sure if its worth it yet).

It does bring in valued custom, but I only ever see it as a small part of my photo income. Some of the companies I have sold to through the site - http://www.jwoodhouse.com/bio.htm. I also had some good contacts this way for commissioned work, for example I did a job for a games company last year which was an excellent commission and a few years ago did a job for Paramount film company. Both were direct approaches to me through the site.

What works for me is good Google placing and I have done no other self marketing - but do feel I should. I would have to disagree with Bill that photo buyers don't go googling for images, they do and I have had sales this way. Where this does seem to work well is with smaller companies producing corporate brochures, but I've also had contacts with book publishers this way, ie Oxford Uni Press and some travel guide companies. I certainly agree with Bill that buyers won't be googling for a photographers name, you need good seo on relevant terms. This is one thing I put a lot of effort into trying to achieve and it seems to work - eg on a search of 'back tor derbyshire', I am first on first page or 'tabby cat sleeping' 4th on first page.

What I am having trouble with at the moment is print sales. I have had many print sales through the site but last year moved from the UK to Germany. Since sending out some orders from Germany to the UK I decided I didn't want to handle print sales myself this way (German postal system problems and high cost). I set up an account with Red Bubble on someones recommendation, but I am really not happy with them. For starters, no print only service, which is what I always sold more of. So, I'm looking for another way of supplying prints - any ideas?

I very much like the idea of a photographers collective for the same reasons as Inchiquin.