Top 5 Social Media Sites To Promote Your Photography: by Mike Barbre

Are you a young photographer trying to promote your name? Or perhaps you are a veteran professional looking to expand your marketing base. Either way there are several social media sites that can be used to promote your photography

Facebook
Facebook is more than a site for you to connect with long-lost friends. It is also a powerful marketing tool. Set up a page specifically to promote your photos, not your personal profile page. People can become a ‘Fan’ of your page by ‘Liking’ it and can interact with you through the Wall feature. Whenever you post a comment or new photos anyone who is a fan will see these updates.

Post your photos individually and on thematic albums. Always be consistent in updating your page but don’t overload it on a daily basis, you want to keep your fans interested and surprised. Ask them for feedback to increase the interaction between you, your photos and your ‘Fans’.

Twitter
Twitter is a social networking site that allows users to post 140 character updates, called tweets. With a Twitter profile you choose which user tweets to follow. You can tell people about new projects, upcoming exhibitions or simply share a photography tip of the day, making you an online expert source.

You can add your photos to Twitter through its companion site, TwitPic. As the URLs of TwitPic are short they are readily usable on Twitter. Recently there have been discussions on the Terms of Use of TwitPic who may be able to sell your pictures to a third-party without any credit to you, so make sure you read the Terms and Conditions carefully before sharing your images.

Flickr
Flickr was developed in 2004 as an online way to share photos. It is used by many amateur and professional photographers to showcase their work. Keep a professional image and make sure that your username and profile reflects you and your work. For a small fee you can upgrade to a Pro account which gives you additional features compared to the standard free account.

Add descriptions to your images as well as tags; be active in the Flickr community by commenting on your peers’ work and joining relevant groups. If you love photography you will meet many people with the same passion on Flickr.

The Creative Commons licensing options of Flickr are way for you to share your work and still get credit. If anyone finds your photos and uses it they must attribute it to you. There are several options so read the Conditions first so you know what others can do with your work.

StumbleUpon
The social book-marking site StumbleUpon is a way for you to share sites that you like (and dislike). You can give the Thumbs Up to sites where your images appear as well as articles, posts or images of work that you admirer. Other people can see who Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down pages, and this gives you the possibility to watch peers as well as follow others’ interests.

PictureSocial
PictureSocial is a relatively new social media site and is THE online network for photographers. This is where you can interact with people with the same interest and passion as yourself. You can share tips or learn from the experience of others. Create your profile, display your work with unlimited free storage, and receive constructive criticism from your peers.

By becoming involved in social media it will expand your potential customer base and showcase your talents to the online world. It takes time to create and maintain your profiles but it will be worth the effort that you put into it to promote your photography.

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Mike Barbre is a social media professional and technology enthusiast.

Company: Intermedia
Phone: 206-719-3339
Website: http://intermedia.net
Twitter: @mikebarbre

© 2011 Mike Barbre

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