Direct Microstock Marketing
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This shot displays the use of wood and a bent towards architectural content. if you have a strong centralized subject matter that really sings to your ability to take images and render them online usably, why not market directly to potential clients? Leverage sales value from the bundle of work you have uploaded. Get valuable feedback from the client community.
After you have compiled a certain savvy getting your photos online, you are waiting for customers. Costs continue according to your marketing plan. But there is no reason to be passive. Actively marketing your microstock images can build a lucrative network of contacts. And getting private clients makes target photography twice as lucrative.
But many beginning photographers wonder how to find clients for your microstock images using direct marketing. The key is to find where in the development cycle the potential new owner of your images is. Then identify ways to contact them.
Direct marketing should be done by the best salesman you ahve for your product. You! This can be done by finding current publications, photo editors, emailing submissions directors or emdia managers, or simply emailing them your link and one or two specifric photos they might look at.
Finding niche buyers for microstock images is a gerat way to build commission work and new relationships professionally. These contacts can very well become job references in the future.
A website or gallery link to promote is considered professional online marketing. Many Website communities allow picture gallery links or photography freelancers a way to join the discussion and leave their “Business card”. The Microstock site gives both parties a way to vend images.
This is easier than it sounds. They are likely busy people, who never get around to shopping for images due to time constraints. As a microstock freelance photographer, you can shrink that cycle and develop a client roster for future work.
Let’s asuume you have presently a phot gallery of saleable images at Kodak, Shutterfly, Bigstockphot, or another microstock portal.
This post has 2 comments
March 28th, 2009
Hi there,
You make a great point here about direct marketing. I’ve really been enjoying your blog lately. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and the cogent, articulate posts.
Sincerely,
Rahul
May 5th, 2009
Thanks for your kind words.