Self Promotion - Web 2.0 and Social Linking for Photographers

So you’ve created a photoblog, or a gallery of your photos - and now it’s time to start getting the word out. There are a lot of folks that think making money as a photographer can’t possibly involve Web 2.0 strategies and social networking, but that’s taking a very limited view of self promoting your work.

Just like many of us made a massive switch in thinking to embrace digital photography instead of traditional film - it’s time to think about the “traditional” methods of self promotion and decide if there are other, new ways to approach selling our work and promoting ourselves. I’m not saying that stock photography, self promotional pieces, and good old fashioned marketing aren’t the answer - they are definitely part of the picture. But we are smack in the middle of the Web 2.0 revolution - and if getting exposure for our work is a top priority, then we really need to learn what social networking is all about.

I’ve spent the last 4 years attempting to understand the “rules” on the internet and how to promote myself - not just my individual photos but I also wanted to promote this blog and the information and resources it contains. I’m listed with some micro stock sites, and I’ve definitely made sales. But I’ve also wasted a ton of money (let’s just say almost 5 figures) buying various eBooks and courses that honestly were complete junk.

I’ve waited a couple months before writing this post, because I wanted to make sure that I could point to something that works! I’ve been burned so many times by various internet marketing “gurus”, that I absolutely vowed to not talk about any systems that I personally didn’t have success with. But now that I’ve found a honest way to learn about Social Network and have personally applied this successfully to my photography promotion - it’s time to share.

So what’s the secret? - Real, Honest Strategies and Hard Work!

I hate to break it to you, but there truly is no such thing as the magic key to traffic, money and riches. I used to believe that, and wasted tons of money trying to find it. Eventually, I came to my senses and stopped searching. As fate would have it - that’s exactly when I stumbled upon Social Power Linking - Web 2.0 Marketing And Strategies.

So what is Social Power Linking, and why am I recommending it? First and foremost, because this is a system that is not a bunch of hype. It’s real information, no spammy internet marketing techniques. It requires hard work from you, but hey - we’re photographers and we’re used to hard work. You may not have heard of Jack Humphrey, who runs the Friday Traffic Report - but you really should get to know him. He’s the real thing folks - not another “get rich quick marketer”, and he shares a ton of information to help you promote yourself. This information WILL work, whether you are trying to get more traffic to your photo gallery, have a blog you want more visitors to see - or simply want to build up your Social Network.

So how did I find this information? The first piece of the puzzle was when I found The Authority Black Book. This is a free resource, and if you want to understand the whole Web 2.0 and Social Linking craze download and read this eBook. The information is incredible, and yet - for me it didn’t really explain just how to do everything. I saw the potential, and I was ready for more - so I took the plunge and joined Social Power Linking.

I’m not going to give you a Sales Pitch here, because I’m a photographer not an internet marketer. But I do realize that to be successful in promoting and selling my work, I have to learn some things about marketing. I chose to embrace Web 2.0 strategies and if this is the path you want to follow, then the Social Power Linking may just be your answer to.

In April 2008, I joined Social Power Linking. I started by reading everything provided - and folks, it’s a ton of information! I still am reading, and re-reading information because there is just so much content to absorb. And Jack continues to release information, sets up web seminars, releases videos, etc.

But I think what was most impressive to me is the community. I’ve been interacting with fellow members for two months now, and these people are friendly, genuine and helpful. They’ve given me ideas that I would have never thought of - and are incredibly supportive. I’ve belonged to other communities that wouldn’t give me, a newbie, the time of day. With my friends in Social Power Linking, I have a support community to help me with my promotional goals.

What Success Have I Really Had? Well, I haven’t been doing this long - only 2 months. But I started by applying the concepts to this website. I launched Shutterbug Source in May 2008, and I had a total of 48 unique visitors that month, with 126 visits - although most of those were me working on the site. I immediately started trying to apply what I was learning in Social Power Linking.

In June I had 3872 unique visitors and 6011 total visitors. For July, I’m at 3848 unique visitors and 5845 total visits as of today. I don’t know about you, but to me - that’s pretty darn incredible for a new site. For those of you that are obsessed with Google Page Rank, my home page is a 2 (in less than 3 months) and certain posts are ranked 3 or above. And my visitors are coming from all over the globe, which I think is pretty fantastic. I’m meeting new photographers and expanding my network, which is pretty much a necessity for self promoting your photos. Here’s a snapshot from my website stats in case you really need to see the graph:

So that’s it - I’m not going to push and try to “pitch” you. Frankly, there are enough people on the internet trying to sell you information, you don’t need me joining in. I just wanted to pass along something that has worked, and continues to work, for me. I will be continuing to market and promote both this site and my photos with traditional and Web 2.0 strategies. I’ve seen the proof in my own endeavors, and while it is incredibly hard work - the efforts are paying off for me.

If you want to know more, I encourage you to check out these resources. There is a lot of junk floating around the internet, so beware! But I can, and do, recommend Jack Humphrey’s material as genuine, honest and effective. So here’s the links again for you:

Authority Black Book - download for free and check it out for yourself

Social Power Linking - Web 2.0 Marketing And Strategies

Friday Traffic Report - Jack’s website for blog marketing strategies

Good Luck on your journey -
and keep promoting your photography!
Barbara

Barbara House is an avid photography hobbyist and the face behind Shutterbug Source Photography Tips. After falling in love with photography in 2001, she has become dedicated to providing resources to other photography enthusiasts through this weblog - as well as pursuing her own photography career and becoming active in the photography community internationally.