Professional Photo Lab and Photo Printing Blog

Facebook has more than 500 million active users and 50% of their active users log on to Facebook in any given day. (An active user is someone who has been on the site in the past 30 days.) People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook and it is in millions of homes around the globe.

Facebook originally started their advertising program on November 6, 2006.  “For the last hundred years media has been pushed out to people, but now marketers are going to be a part of the conversation with social media.”

Some photographers are familiar with internet advertising options on Google and other platforms, Facebook ads work much the same as other PPC or Pay Per Click ads do, but there are a few significant differences. Facebook allows you to narrow your ads to be seen by more specific demographic (i.e. Age, Sex, Location and often interest).  On Facebook, targeting with keywords is optional, but highly recommended.

Facebook ads are delivered direct to your target audience right on their profile pages. Compared to Google ads, on Facebook there are fewer advertisers which means less competition for your photography business. This is also relevant because it can cost you much less per click – a better return on your investment.

Additionally, people can “Like” your advertisements, which can produce a snowball effect. If you’re seeking to drive traffic to your photography studio’s website, Facebook Fan Page, Profile Page event, group or application, Facebook Advertising may be your ideal solution. (more…)

If you’re a photographer, then Flickr should rank right up there with Facebook in your social media marketing plan. However, you need to do more than simply toss a few pieces of your work up on your Flickr account and be done with it. Instead, you gotta embrace it, baby it and treat it as part of your business… because it is!

First things first… You need to name your Flickr account with your business name, website name or your real name. Which one will depend on what you want to be identified by – what your brand is.

Keep it Real

Next, you gotta be careful of coming across too commercial. It’s against their terms of service to use Flickr as a commercial marketing tool outright. That’s ok! You can still benefit from using it. Simply use photos from your photo shoots. Your favorite shots. Put real life into them. For instance, post shots of the crew getting the set ready and include a description of why you love that photo and what was going on in the photo.

Go Pro

It’s really a no-brainer to upgrade to a pro account. It’s a lousy $25 for an entire year and gives unlimited uploads & collections. You’re also provided stats, which can be very important once you’ve got your Flickr ball rolling.

Get Active

Start joining groups, commenting on other photos and making real connections with other users (yep, there’s that word again…”real”). Get in on discussions and share your thoughts and opinions. Start adding things to your favorite lists. The more you interact, the more your name will be seen.

Think about where your potential clients may be. If you’re a wedding photographer then join some wedding groups. They don’t have to be wedding photography, either. Anything wedding-related. Do you want to focus on those “new baby” memory photos or high school senior pictures? Join groups where parents congregate. You get the idea.

Of course, once you start being active, add a Flickr button to your site, your blog, your newsletter, your email signature and your business cards. Make sure all your customers know you’re on Flickr. If you plan your time, it won’t be as time-consuming as it sounds. Simply schedule ½ an hour a few times per week to upload new photos and do some socializing and you’ll be surprised at how easy it really is.

As an author, speaker, trainer and social media and photography evangelist, her perspectives entitled “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Friends…or Enemies” appear in print in the book entitled The Relationship Age, with social media guru Mari Smith. Georgia is a frequent guest blogger for our photo lab

Jim Seers  is checking in to make sure that sports photographers are covering all of their bases for December.  Below are the things that you should be taking care of this month:

1. Finish photography of school winter sports pictures
2. Deliver winter sports pictures for schools before winter break
3. If you are providing winter sports images for yearbook be sure they have them before winter break starts 
4. Photography starts for winter sports leagues
5. Pay as many commissions as you can before January 1st 

Every day I discover new methods to make Facebook Fanpages unique and more usable! Here are a couple of simple tips for customizing your profile image and for optimizing your personal information so that it is more search engine (SEO) friendly. I have also included a quick tip that will make your shared links look neat and clean! Georgia has spent her 30 year career at the intersection of photography and digital technology. As an author, speaker, trainer and social media and photography evangelist, her perspectives entitled “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Friends…or Enemies” will appear in print in the upcoming book entitled The Relationship Age, by social media guru Mari Smith. Georgia is a frequent guest blogger for our photo lab.

Georgia McCabe has spent her 30 year career at the intersection of photography and digital technology.  As an author, speaker, trainer and social media and photography evangelist, her perspectives entitled  “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Friends…or Enemies” will appear in print in the upcoming book entitled The Relationship Age, by social media guru Mari Smith. Georgia is a frequent guest blogger for H&H and has put together this list of ideas for enhancing marketing partnerships.

While photography can be a very solo pursuit, marketing your photography business doesn’t have to be. Check out these ten tips on how to effectively market your business using community partnerships!

1. Team up with a Café

Ask a café or restaurant owner to display your prints and they’ll get free decoration while you get sales.

2. Hair Salons

Talk with local salon owners about using your pictures as decorations for the salon. Once you have an established relationship, consider seeing if they would be interested in taking before and after shots of clients to feature in the salon.

3. Children’s Locations

Identify local companies that offer kid-friendly lessons; dance studios, karate studios and horseback riding stables are great places for you to take interactive photos that can be offered to the company for placement on their marketing materials or Facebook fan pages.

4. Nursery Schools

While elementary schools may have pre-established school photographer contracts that will be difficult to infiltrate, nursery schools usually do not. Offer to take class and/or individual nursery school pictures for a nominal fee. This is a great way to build your credibility amongst the school community while getting your name out to a key demographic

5. Job Fairs

More and more people are relying on traditional job fairs to help them find work. Speak with the job fair organizers in advance and offer to take professional headshots of the attendees. Consider doing this for free as it is a great way to expand your audience while garnering plenty of attention.

6. Pet Lovers

If you like photographing cats and dogs, try teaming up with a pet store, a doggy day care or a kennel. Again, they can host or sell prints while you get to market to a targeted audience.

7. Bridal Shops

The bridal community is always in need of photographers. Team up with local bridal shops and offer to place some of your bridal pictures in the store as decoration. If you have a well developed relationship with any bridal service provider in your area, discuss the possibility of offering joint packages where bridal and engagement photos are included with another bridal service.

8. Social Clubs

Social Clubs like the Rotary are always hosting events that need mementos. Get in contact with a local social club and ask if they need a photographer. Offer to share the proceeds of the sales with the organization.

9. Join a Band

Find a local group on the up, sign an exclusive agreement and make band photos and t-shirts to sell for a royalty on their site and at their gigs.

10. Facebook Places

Just launched, Facebook Places allows users to check-in to places they visit and tag friends. Consumers can find out about deals at nearby coffee shops, restaurants and retail stores, which they can redeem by checking in via Places.  Why not consider approaching a local establishment and offer up a framed print or a discount for your services.  Just another creative marketing approach using today’s technology.

Take advantage of the available connections in your community to help successfully market your photography business!