How to Use Flickr to Promote a Photography Business
Flickr is a great place to network with professional and amateur photographers, for gaining insight on altering photographs through specialized software programs, and for gaining leads. There is, however, one caveat: Flickr does not allow the promotion of services or the selling of your photographs. This is important to remember when uploading your photographs, writing photo descriptions, and networking within the community. That being said, there are a few things you can do to promote your photography business through Flickr without getting banned.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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Select a good screen name. Your screen name appears every time someone browses through another member’s contacts, when browsing groups, and when viewing your images so it should remind people what you do for a living. A good screen name would be the name of your company or your website address. But if you find that a bit too forward, go for your first and last name. You can also choose a screen name that’s a knockoff of your company name and something you plan to incorporate as your online identity. It’s important to avoid anything that would result in negative feedback.
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Create a Flickr web address. Long web addresses make it difficult for visitors to pass along to their friends and/or colleagues. By choosing to create a web address, you can use the same name as your screen name, which continues to help brand your company.
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Choose a buddy icon. Your buddy icon will be seen every time someone does a search on flickr for members they want to connect with, when viewing your profile page, and when viewing your photographs. Your buddy icon should be a representation of your company, or you, the photographer, so use your company logo or a headshot. Avoid using photos you’ve taken of people, places, or things. And especially avoid using your child’s artwork.
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Write a good profile. Think of your profile as a five-second elevator speech. Tailor your profile page to attract your target audience. If you shoot infants and toddlers only, you’ll want to emphasize this in your profile page. If you shoot for corporate catalogs, you’ll want to give them a reason to visit your main website to learn more about your services. The idea is to provide a friendly synopsis of your company—not hype—that makes people want to check out your main website. Make sure you include your company name and web address as well as a link to your company’s blog on your profile page.
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Share your photos wisely. The photos you place on your Flickr should represent the type of work you provide for your clients. Never include quick snapshots of family members or photos that have yet to be edited—save those for a private, non-public account. Always include images that match the theme of your business. If you only photograph couples, then your images should be of couples. If you only photograph animals, then your images should be of animals. If you want to break into corporate event photography, showcase an event you photographed.
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Include search-friendly text. Flickr allows you to describe your photo in great detail. Use this to promote your knowledge as a photographer. What were the challenges in taking this particular photo? How did you achieve a certain affect? What type of lighting did you use? How did you get that animal to do that? It doesn’t have to be a how-to article, but just a general idea in an everyday conversational tone. The idea is to let potential clients know that you know your business and that you aren’t just an amateur photographer who got lucky after taking 100 failed shots.
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Fill out the tags. Tags help search engines and people within the Flickr community find your photos. Include your company name, city and state you are located in, your screen name (if different than company name), and key identifiers of the photo itself, like location, name, and description.
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Promote your Flickr account. Place a link on your blog or website telling clients where more of your work can be found. Emphasize that the photos on your Flickr account are not the same photos found on your blog or website. You may also want to mention that you’ll be including free tips on how certain shots were obtained for the budding photographers.
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Join Flickr groups. Whether you plan to lurk or become an active member of a group, joining Flickr groups allows you the opportunity to grow your business. Joining like-minded businesses in groups geared toward the types of photos you shoot can offer valuable networking opportunities. Opportunities that can help you lower your production costs, find better shipping materials, improve your overall skills, and increase business. There are other groups you can join, too. Groups that can help you network with potential clients or increase your skills in photo altering software programs.
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Tips & Warnings
Use the same buddy icon on every site you subscribe to: micro-blogs, forums, blogs, chat rooms, etc.
Include a copyright notice on every photograph to prevent cyber thieves.
Do not use photographer12345 as your screen name as it does not make you stand out.
Do not hesitate to block someone you feel uncomfortable linking to your site.
