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Going Pro: Marketing

If you have decided on a career as a freelance photographer your vocation will be marketing and your avocation, or sideline, will be photography. The marketing aspect of a photography business involves identifying potential customers, creating customer interest in the services you offer and building strong customer relationships. It is not unusual for self-employed photographers to spend 80% of their time in the marketing and administrative aspects of their business and 20% actually producing pictures.

Trends in Newspaper Circulation and Advertising

According to the World Association of Newspapers and Newspaper Publisher (WAN-IFRA) global paid-for daily newspaper circulation fell 0.8% in 2009 from a year earlier, to 517 million copies sold. Circulation in Europe is down 5.6% and 4.6% in North America. Circulation in Asia was up 1% with India and China seeing good growth. Advertising revenuewas down 25% in North America, 13.7% in Western Europe, 18.7% in Central and Eastern Europe.

Of Doom and Gloom: Accepting Averages

Phrases like “it’s not all doom and gloom” pop up often, but those who offer such encouraging analysis are typically in the top tier of the profession. While their experience is certainly real and laudable if not amazing, is it representative enough to be touted as a roadmap to a successful career? Common sense, economics, mathematics and every available source of statistical information says no.

How To Succeed As A Stock Photographer In The Future

Recently on LindedIn Jacintha van Beveren observed that “The old photography business model is gone,” and asked if the road to survival and future success is through “creativity and flexibility or stubborn protection?” In my opinion neither “more creativity nor stubborn protection” will work. Read this story to gain some insights as to why the old ideas no longer work and what might work in the future.

Alert: Carefully Consider Requests To Extend Textbook Print Runs

Photographers should be alert to any requests from textbook publishers for a new license to extend the print run on books already published. In many cases they may be entitled to high retroactive usage fees for copies already printed and distributed as well as a fee for the new books the publisher intends to publish.

Pros Stop Shooting: Point/Counterpoint

When I published “Top Pros Stop Shooting” in my other newsletter Selling-Stock received an unusual number of comments from industry leaders. Most of those who commented had some disagreement with the positions I took in the article. Since PhotoLicensingOptions readers will have missed seeing these comments, I have printed them here along with an editorial response.

Size Of Stock Photo Market In 2010

In the fall of 2009, I estimated the size of the worldwide market for still images and illustrations at about $1.45 billion. In the last 12 months sales overall have probably remained about the same with a few companies seeing sales growth, mostly from taking market share from those that have gone out of business. However, there have been some important changes in how those sales are divided among various marketing groups. I estimate that due to price increases gross revenue generated by iStockphoto in 2010 will be between $250 and $300 million.

10 Ways Artists Can Develop Their Brand

Today, a lot of businesses get marketing and branding mixed up. They are confused as to what the differences are, what they both mean or they try promoting their business with one and without the other. Simply put, marketing is how you reach your target market with advertising, promotions and public relations. Marketing is showing the world with what you do. Branding is who you are or what the world thinks you are. Every time a prospect or a potential customer makes contact with you in person, print, virally or by other means, they are formulating an opinion of you as a brand.

Going Pro: Selling Fine Art

Fine art photographs are an expression of the artist’s creative vision, perceptions and emotions more than a realistic rendering of a subject. Peers may admire such work and judges may occasionally award a dollar prize, but in most cases such images are not deemed to have commercial value. Actually profiting from the creative effort is rare for most photographers who produce such images. They produce them because they feel compelled to do so, not for the money. However, John Math is proving that it is possible to profit from selling fine art images if you take a business approach and develop a marketing strategy.

Microstock Money Shots

If you have decided you want to enter the microstock world you can’t get better advice than that given by Ellen Boughn in her new book Microstock Money Shots. She doesn’t promise that it’s easy, or that you’ll get rich quick, but if you follow her advice it will save you a lot of the frustration that comes from learning the hard way by trial and error.

Going Pro: The Freelance Challenge

On Linkedin’s Photography Industry Professionals discussion group, Brooke Fagel recently asked: “What’s it like to be a freelance photographer?” These select responses provide a comprehensive picture of what a photographer faces.

Pixmac Expands Across Atlantic

Two-year-old Pixmac is banking on its “rapid checkout and download” without the necessity for customers to engage in a complex registration process to help the company expand its customer base in North America.

Top Pros Have Stopped Shooting

Many rights-managed and traditional royalty free production companies are having trouble finding photographers willing to shoot for them. Many of the photographers who were RM and traditional RF stars five to ten years ago have given up shooting stock, or at the very least dramatically cut the number of images they produce annually and the amount they are willing to spend on models and production costs.

10 Quick Rules for Artists Using Social Media

There is a reason why it is called “social” media and there are rules that you should follow when it comes to employing “social media” to market and brand yourself and your art. Every day I see small businesses that are ruining their brand by abusing social media. Artists are no different, as they are a “small business” too! Here are some quick rules of social media that you should follow.

Number One Reason Why Artists Do Not Get Accepted Into Art Exhibitions

With more and more art galleries and art organizations using the internet and email as a way to receive and administer their art show entries, an artist needs to follow the rules more closely than ever. I see at least 30% of the artists every month who ignore the rules and prospectus requirements for a particular art competition. The artists will send in their entries in the wrong manner, incompletely or in the wrong form. Failure to follow the rules of an art call is the number one reason why artists fail to get into their share of art exhibitions and art shows.