Ideas for selling your photos online

[ANDubin]

I currently have a SmugMug website that has been online set up for about 2 years now. I'm getting over 10,000 views a month. I want to it set up now to start selling my photos. There is a current menu tab for my stock photos which is currently not populated. I am planning to set up these galleries to sell my photos; Animals, Birds, Butterflies, Creative, Other Critters, Flowers, Scenic, Travel. I have have the below questions, I would like people to provide me their feedback on.

1. What size photos should I offer? I was thinking about only offering 4x5, 8x10, and 16x20, since they have the same aspect ratio, and I only having to post one size photo.

2.What types of paper should I offer? Should I consider offering canvas prints?

3. How I should I go about setting up prices for my photos?

4. What marketing approaches should I take when trying to sell my photos? I'm currently on FaceBook, Twitter, Google + and send out Emails when I post new photos on my SmugMug website to my friends and family.

5. What type of sales expectations should have once I have photos set up for sales. I have read many different blogs, tips, etc on the web, and it doesn't seem like people are making a lot money doing this.

6. I have one last question. Is it worth while putting all this effort in selling your photos only online without doing anything else like doing Art Shows, getting your photos hanging in art galleries, various stores, etc.?

My website address is http://www.dubinphotography.net. I want to thank you in advance for inputs you provide me. Arnold

 

[jwbryson1]

Need to fix your URL.

 

[Big Mike]

and it doesn't seem like people are making a lot money doing this.

Bingo.

The thing is that most people are content to look at photos on the web. So why buy a print when they can just come to your site/Smugmug and see it whenever they want?
If you want to sell an actual physical product (prints etc.) then you should probably market to actual physical people, not 'internet' people.

 

[KmH]

I currently have a SmugMug website that has been online set up for about 2 years now. I'm getting over 10,000 views a month. I want to it set up now to start selling my photos. There is a current menu tab for my stock photos which is currently not populated. I am planning to set up these galleries to sell my photos; Animals, Birds, Butterflies, Creative, Other Critters, Flowers, Scenic, Travel. I have have the below questions, I would like people to provide me their feedback on.

1. What size photos should I offer? I was thinking about only offering 4x5, 8x10, and 16x20, since they have the same aspect ratio, and I only having to post one size photo.
2.What types of paper should I offer? Should I consider offering canvas prints?
3. How I should I go about setting up prices for my photos?
4. What marketing approaches should I take when trying to sell my photos? I'm currently on FaceBook, Twitter, Google + and send out Emails when I post new photos on my SmugMug website to my friends and family.
5. What type of sales expectations should have once I have photos set up for sales. I have read many different blogs, tips, etc on the web, and it doesn't seem like people are making a lot money doing this.
6. I have one last question. Is it worth while putting all this effort in selling your photos only online without doing anything else like doing Art Shows, getting your photos hanging in art galleries, various stores, etc.?.....

Let me help you out here. Looks like the carriage return function on your keyboard is AFU, and that your space bar only works intermittantly.

You only get 1 chance to make a first impression.

What is your site bounce rate? How many of those 10,000 hits are unique visitors? How many of those 10,000 monthly hits copy your photos to their hard drives without your permission?

Selling photos is about business/marketing/salesmanship, and entire books have been written about how to go about it. Here is a good one:
Marketing Fine Art Photography

 

[ANDubin]

It's fix. Arnold

 

[ANDubin]

Keith, My bounce rate is 89% which I know is high for the past 30 days. The % new visitors is 99% out of 4121 visitors. Thanks for the book on Marketing Fine Art Photography. Also thanks for redoing my inputs to this thread so it easier to read. It work on another website with no problems. Arnold

 

[ANDubin]

Big Mike, I probably have to agree with you on selling to physical people, but I don't want to spend my time doing that or my money doing it either. Thanks for your input, Arnold