Blog on Photoblogs

In my opinion a photoblog is probably one of the hardest types of sites to monetize on the entire Internet. Why do I think that? It’s quite simple really, I would wager that the majority of visitors to your photoblog are other photographers just like yourself. And most likely they are more interested in seeing what you’re doing and how you’re doing it, rather than purchasing any of your work. That’s not to say that other photographers will never buy any of your work, but they are a much harder sell than a motivated customer. Another thing that makes monetizing a photo blog difficult is the fact that everyone now has a relatively capable DSLR, which has resulted in the explosion in the number of photo blogs that are available on the Internet. That means that your visitors have a lot of choices out there so your photography (and blog) had better be top-notch, otherwise the visitors that you do get are going to shift their eyes elsewhere very quickly.So now that I have completely discouraged you let’s talk about some strategies you can try on your own blog. These aren’t in any particular order, so don’t think that you need to work from top to bottom.

Think about multiple income streams
The term “multiple income streams” is used quite a lot in other businesses, and it means that you’re earning income from multiple sources. So basically, don’t think that you’re going to be able to create a blog, and presto-magico: customers are going to start to come out of the woodwork and buy up your photography. If it was that easy, more photographers would be much better off than they really are. So don’t forget about more old-school methods of promoting your work, get your work up in some local coffee shops or other businesses, donate some of your work to silent auctions, etc. Just make sure that whatever non-Internet based marketing you do, that it directs those customers back to your blog.

Create an online portfolio
Create a separate section on your blog for your best work, and when I say “best work” I really mean your best work. Be ruthless, just like you’d be if you were building a conventional portfolio. Make the images in your portfolio section larger than the work that shows on your regular blog, and make sure that there’s no text whatsoever, people that are taking the time to look at your portfolio want to see your work, not read about your latest techniques.

Post regularly
Don’t just post an image once a month, post as often as you can, but again make sure that it’s good stuff. Think of your blog as the Internet equivalent of the more conventional promo card. You have to make sure that your potential customers don’t forget about you - what’s the easiest way to do this? Stay in their minds by posting regularly. Make sure that your blog has an RSS feed, this is a great way for your fans to see your latest work quickly.

NOTE: Be careful, the Internet is a powerful tool, but not the only tool.  You’re still going to need to use traditional marketing tools as well

Collect email address (but keep them private!)
Try to get your regular visitors to register on your site, this way you can use some push marketing as well, and send them informative targeted email once a month, or quarter. Don’t SPAM!

Use Flickr
On some photography forums Flickr is frowned upon as a place where second-class, non-professional photographers post their work. If you don’t already have a Flickr account get one, and have a look at the work that’s up there, some of it’s great, some of it not so much. Here’s what I suggest you do: first do some research and find those Flickr groups which relate to your body of work and are popular, then start publishing your work to those Flickr groups and make sure you mention your blog and provide a URL in the description of each image - you’ll end up getting lots of traffic to your blog. You may even consider making some of your work available for others to use via the Creative Commons license. This will also give you some exposure.

Here’s what I suggest you try,
1. Use Flickr in order to get your work in front of a lot of eyes,
2. Choose higher quality images that follow your niche (i.e. portraiture, fashion, etc.) for your blog,
3. Create a portfolio section (maybe using SimpleViewer?) which follows your speciality.

Specialize, Specialize, Specialize
Decide on what type of photography that you want to work on, and specialize in it. The days of being a “jack of all trades” are long gone. A blog that’s made up of all types of work just looks like a collection of snaps - (I am guilty of doing this). Come up with a vision and a style all your own, and make sure that your work speaks to those two things and keep the blog on that thread.

Self-Publish a book
Don’t you just love the Internet? It has managed to level the playing field to such an extent that even the smallest of players can now do things like publishing their own coffee table books. Sam Javanrouh of DDOI fame has done this numerous times and has sold out each time! What a great way to publicize your work. Check out Blurb and see if it’s something that interests you. Just be sure that you have enough traffic on your blog to support a book!

Create a limited supply
Sell multiple sizes of your work, but limit the number of prints that are available in the larger formats, say 20×30, etc. Maybe even have a sliding scale for the pricing of your limited edition prints so their prices increase as the number of prints sold increases.

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