in previous columns, I've discussed the importance of getting reviews, especially on platforms like Google and Facebook. So what's the best way to do it? How do you ask for a review without sounding desperate? Why are reviews important? Reviews on both Google and Facebook are important because they help build your reputation. Whether it be a simple star rating or an in-depth recommendation from a client, having these is important as you continue to build your business. Whether it's the case or not, having no reviews might show that you're … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Asking for a review
Photography Marketing: Know your platform
As photographers, we spend a lot of time sharing our images and trying to market ourselves on social media. It's no secret that we spend about 20% of our time actually photographing, while the other 80% is spent on our business. In order to be effective on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, however, you have to know the platform. And you have to know your audience for those platforms. Facebook When Facebook was initially launched in February 2004, its audience was clear. It catered specifically to college students. But two years … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Know your platform
Using video for your photography business
Editor’s Note: We welcome Scott Wyden Kivowitz to the Photofocus team. Scott is a father and photographer whose dedication to teaching photographers comes through in a straightforward and no fluff style. Scott is also the Chief Community Officer at Imagely, the WordPress Photography People. As photographers, we think photography is the only thing we should be showing on our websites. The mobile age is here and has been for a while. But it’s only still getting started as new apps and services are coming out every day for both iOS and Android. … [Read more...] about Using video for your photography business
Photography Marketing: How to completely ruin your Facebook marketing
As business owners, it's important that we're active on social media. It gets our name out there and lets prospective clients more easily find us. But there are a few guidelines that every business should follow — especially when it comes to photographers and videographers and their business presence on the world's largest social network. Post political opinions Before the 2016 election, one of my local pizza joints posted heavily on its Facebook page about how it was "all for" a certain political candidate. The business trashed the opposing … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: How to completely ruin your Facebook marketing
Quick Tip: Use a Facebook Page NOT your personal profile
Best-selling author Armando J. Pérez-Carreño suggests using a Facebook Page, not your personal profile. He says this is perhaps the biggest mistake he sees with small business owners and their Facebook marketing. When you use your personal profile, you lose a lot of the cool features a Business Page gives you and you drastically limit your potential reach. Facebook can decide to close your account citing a breach of terms. Want to learn more? Check out this article, "5 Things Every Photographer Should Know About Facebook" … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Use a Facebook Page NOT your personal profile
Heartening statistics about photography use
I found this infographic heartening because I'm always hearing about the devaluation of photography. But, according to this, it sounds like photos and images are still the most important tool for reaching people with lasting impact. Think about that next time you trip the shutter. The infographic is provided by MDG Advertising. … [Read more...] about Heartening statistics about photography use
Photography Marketing: Respond, respond, respond
Last week, I photographed a two-day conference for the State Bar of Michigan. It was filled with education seminars, an awards banquet, networking events and more. But what stood out to me was the opening keynote. Here's the thing. When it comes to communication and responding to inquiries, many of the same rules for attorneys also apply to photographers. Responding is the most important thing you can do All times of the day, it's important to be able to respond to inquiries. These days, potential clients contact you not only by phone and … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Respond, respond, respond
Quick Tip: Participate or join a Facebook group to get out of a creative slump
If you find yourself in a creative slump, participate or join a new Facebook group. Look for images that inspire you and chat with the person who created it. This will help you get motivated to try new ideas and get back to being creative. Want to learn more? Download and listen to this podcast: “The InFocus Interview Show with Andrew Kavanagh | Photofocus Podcast June 27, 2018” … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Participate or join a Facebook group to get out of a creative slump
I like you; I just don’t ‘Like’ your page
A Facebook business page seems like business 101 for a photographer these days. You start making pictures for people, then immediately start a business page and load it with pictures and promotions. But there's one thing you must do in order for your page to be successful. Invite friends to Like 'Like' has become such a funny word in the era of Facebook. But you need people to like your business page so that they can see your promotions and know that you're the ideal photographer for their family or business. And just like everything in the … [Read more...] about I like you; I just don’t ‘Like’ your page
Photography Marketing: Facebook drops Lightroom share; a look at other options
You might not have noticed it, but when you went to set up a Facebook account to share to in Lightroom Classic or CC recently, you were greeted with the following message: "Facebook is Discontinuing Sharing from Desktop Applications: Starting on August 1st, 2018 Facebook will no longer allow applications like Lightroom Classic to post photos on your timeline. You can continue to use this feature until then, but after that date it will not be possible to share photos directly to Facebook from Lightroom Classic." So, what's this mean? Well, if … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Facebook drops Lightroom share; a look at other options
Hiring a professional photographer: Is it really worth your money?
Nowadays, anyone can take pictures anywhere, anytime. Everybody has a cell phone in their pocket and/or a camera in their bag. It's available, it's convenient and it's cheap. As a business owner or an event organizer, why bother spending big bucks on a professional photographer for something anyone could do? Well, let's talk about it for a minute. A lot of people think they can do the same work because they own a camera. They think it's an easy job, or they've done some photography and they feel qualified enough or they simply aren't aware … [Read more...] about Hiring a professional photographer: Is it really worth your money?
The InFocus Interview Show with Andrew Kavanagh | Photofocus Podcast June 27, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/the-infocus-interview-show-with-andrew-kavanagh-photofocus-podcast-july-27-2018/s-sXS0S In this episode: Photoshop tutor and retoucher Andrew Kavanagh talks about the benefits of joining a Facebook group. Andrew runs one of the most successful Facebook Groups “Photoshop and photography” with over 300K members. Topics: What motivated Andrew to create the group How members learn from top professionals A resource to ask questions and share ideas. Use of Facebook’s new Units section If you … [Read more...] about The InFocus Interview Show with Andrew Kavanagh | Photofocus Podcast June 27, 2018
Photography Marketing: Preparing for Facebook’s New News Feed Algorithm
Last week, Facebook announced plans to change its News Feed algorithm. As with any change that Facebook makes, this was met with some backlash from its users — even before it's been initiated. Usually, I'm one to wait things out, but with Facebook promising to make personal content more important than brand content, this will undoubtedly have a negative effect on brands across the platform. So, as photographers, how do we keep our Facebook pages relevant to this change? First, the Facts The news came from Mark Zuckerberg himself, writing … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Preparing for Facebook’s New News Feed Algorithm
Photography Marketing: Responding to Negativity on Social Media
This past summer, I had a first-time experience in dealing with negativity on social media. I had contacted someone via email that had used my photograph without asking, in an article that was bashing the client for whom I made the photograph. After reaching out to the infringer, I was attacked on Facebook for photographing for my client. The negativity piled up on that post by a few of his friends, so eventually, I addressed it. What came next was unexpected. It actually ended up benefiting me rather than the person who attacked … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Responding to Negativity on Social Media
Photography Marketing: Be Everywhere — But Only Where it Counts
With the marketing and social marketplace changing on what seems like a daily basis, it's easy to get overwhelmed and think you have to be active on every platform imaginable. It's great to have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, Flickr, Instagram, 500px, LinkedIn, MySpace (wait, MySpace?!?)... You get the idea. There are a ton of networks out there that can help achieve your marketing goals. But you should only be active on those networks that positively impact you and your business. A Case Study: Google Plus Back in … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Be Everywhere — But Only Where it Counts
Photography Marketing: Upload Pixel-Perfect Images on Social Media
Let's face it — as photographers, we have to spend a ton of time on social media sharing our images. But depending on the platform, it's not as easy as just clicking the "Upload" button. Different social networks recommend different image sizes, in order to make your photos look as best as possible. While every social network compresses uploaded images somewhat, the amount your image is effected is often based on the size you upload at, as well as some additional factors, like compression and converting to different color … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Upload Pixel-Perfect Images on Social Media
Sunday Comics: Selfie Edits
This Sunday Comic is brought to us by the Shoppe Satire … [Read more...] about Sunday Comics: Selfie Edits
Photography Marketing: Rethinking Your Facebook Strategy
Over the years, Facebook has changed the way its business pages work, especially in terms of engagement with your audience. Over the past few months, I've noticed my photography business page has suffered and is no longer getting the attention that it once had. Engagement is the name of the game here. And there's a few tricks in order to help boost your numbers on the world's most popular social network. Post Regularly It's important that you put something on your Facebook page on a regular basis. This can be daily, twice a day, a few … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Rethinking Your Facebook Strategy
How to up your social media engagement
After the first couple times, I was asked about how I have such good engagement on social media, I disregarded the questions because I didn’t feel like my social media following was that big of a deal. Many other’s have much more followers and engagement, or so I thought. When one of my friends who runs several Instagram accounts with thousands of followers asked me how my engagement was so high, I literally looked at her confused. I admired her following. Then when my followers started asking me advice on what I do, I actually ignored their … [Read more...] about How to up your social media engagement
Make Facebook Display Your Photos in the Highest Quality!
If you've uploaded to Facebook, you may have noticed that Facebook does something funky with the pictures that you post. With 350+ million pictures being uploaded every day, it is no surprise that Facebook wants to save on bandwidth and costs. The Problem. Photographers know that the images uploaded to Facebook tend to look like junk, especially after they've gone through hours of editing (or have spent money for someone to retouch their images). Even clients get a little crazy when the images they upload-- those wonderful family pictures … [Read more...] about Make Facebook Display Your Photos in the Highest Quality!
IFTTT for Photographers – Part 3: Managing Your Social Media
Are you new to IFTTT? Then check out this article For my two photography businesses, I have about 9 billion different social media services, profiles, portfolio sites, and websites. Well, maybe 9 billion is a slight exaggeration. But, just keeping up with your online presence can turn into a full-time job. I would rather be spending time with my family and going out to take a photo or two, than basking in the glow of my computer screen. Whether you are new to IFTTT.com (IF This, Then That), or have been using it for a while, these applets … [Read more...] about IFTTT for Photographers – Part 3: Managing Your Social Media
5 Things Every Photographer Should Know About Facebook
Contributing article by Armando J. Pérez-Carreño In today's crowded online world, a good social presence can make or break you. Here are five tips every photographer should consider to run an effective Facebook campaign. So, you decided to become a photographer right? That's great! What's your focus (pun intended)? But really, the very first thing you have to do is find a niche or target market to focus your efforts on. 1. Own your niche You can't imagine the number of entrepreneurs that come to me and say their service "is for … [Read more...] about 5 Things Every Photographer Should Know About Facebook
Take Control of Facebook’s Timeline
Fellow Photocus author Rod Harlan suggested to “Mention Others To Get More Traffic” on social media in an article he wrote. That’s great advice. By simply tagging people in a photo or mentioning them in your Facebook post, you open the door for others to see what you wrote. But what if you’re the one being tagged by a friend and they post an extreme point of view different from your own? Your friends may think you posted it on your timeline and think you have the same views. Here’s how to fix this potential problem and take control of … [Read more...] about Take Control of Facebook’s Timeline
Immersive Panoramas right in your Facebook Newsfeed!
Facebook has strongly embraced virtual reality in recent times and has made another move to advance the immersive visual content. By integrating interactive 360º images to the already supported 360º video, they are encouraging people to create and share such images. What kind of 'interactivity' am I writing about here? Please click here to see an image where you can drag your mouse (computer) or move your mobile device to see in any direction: For most people using Facebook, it’s an opportunity to view or experience locations in a … [Read more...] about Immersive Panoramas right in your Facebook Newsfeed!
How To Optimize Your Facebook News Feed
Facebook, despite all its ups and downs, has become a part of our lives. It's become a source of education, advertising, entertainment, and social/family connection! So with that in mind, I thought it'd be great to share with you a way to help make your Facebook experience a little more manageable! The problem i'm sure we've all encountered, is the sheer volume of spammy, offensive, and incredibly bad fake-fact content posts that plague our news feed. That along with with the pay-to-see business model that Facebook uses to make actual … [Read more...] about How To Optimize Your Facebook News Feed
Facebook’s Privacy Terms for 2015
Editor's Notes: This is a followup article on the new changes that are pending to Facebook that affect photographers (). At Photofocus, we do not offer legal advice and suggest that you consult with professional groups like ASMP or discuss with your own lawyer. Social media terms of service are a huge discussion for media creators. Recently, Facebook updated their terms effective January 1, 2015 which bring more transparency to how they're collecting and using information. The newly-introduced explains: What others see about you How others … [Read more...] about Facebook’s Privacy Terms for 2015
What You’re Giving Up When You Post to Facebook
Some of you aren't regular listeners to our podcast. The changes to Facebook have many concerned, so we excerpted this interview so you can listen to these important opinions. Is the problem real? Yep... even the f If you post photos to Facebook, be sure to listen. Photographers are giving up even more rights by posting to the social network. We went straight to the top to get a leading legal expert. Terry Hart, the Director of Legal Policy for the Copyright Alliance breaks through the hype and rumors and walks us through the real … [Read more...] about What You’re Giving Up When You Post to Facebook
Photographers Tamara Lackey & Joel Grimes plus Facebook’s New Policy — Photofocus Podcast 9/15/13
Here is the new podcast feed: feed://feeds.feedburner.com/photofocuspodcast Get the show here or get it on iTunes This week's show is a triple scoop of goodness. We've got three interviews to satisfy your creative, technical, and business needs. Join hosts Rich Harrington and Melissa Niu for interviews with important thought leaders. First up, Rich talks with Tamara Lackey who is a professional photographer, speaker, and author. She focusses on lifestyle photography, from childrens portraits to celebrity portraits. Tamaras work has been … [Read more...] about Photographers Tamara Lackey & Joel Grimes plus Facebook’s New Policy — Photofocus Podcast 9/15/13
Facebook Changes Terms of Service — Photographers Be Wary!
Editor's Note: Be sure to see our update on changes to Facebook terms of service for 2015 I am a member of ASMP (the American Society of Media Photographers). They recently sent a useful update about a change to Facebook's Terms of Service. The use of social media is always a balance between effective promotion and sacrificing your rights as an image maker. ASMP advises strongly evaluating the new changes: The new Facebook Terms of Use have been modified to allow the company to sell virtually anything that is uploaded to the service, … [Read more...] about Facebook Changes Terms of Service — Photographers Be Wary!
