What has social media done for you?

[jowensphoto]

I have spent nearly two wonderful years without Facebook. I removed my account because my family is nucking futs. Lol

A good friend and fellow photographer is trying to convince me to get back on, in order to market myself.

Online Social media is so, so huge these days! It's the preferred mode of communication by many, the best form of word of mouth.

So, what has FB done for you in terms of marketing? What percentage of your client work is a direct result of social media?

 

[cgipson1]

Bugs all of over the world have "liked" my photos of their cousins and other family... and have scheduled many shoots with me! Not very lucrative.. but hey! lol!

 

[MK3Brent]

Yup. Post one photo and tag them, then all their friends view and comment. Then everyone of their friends wants some.

 

[Derrel]

I've managed to get a few paying shoots out of it, without even trying. Plus it's a great time-waster; one of the BEST time-wasters ever invented! It's a good way to communicate with friends and family as well. Even those nucking futty ones...

 

[sm4him]

Facebook has helped me to eradicate all of the extra time from my life, as well as much of the time that wasn't really "extra" in the first place. It has helped me focus less on housework and more on how many "likes" my curent clever post has.

Seriously--not that the above wasn't absolutely 100% accurate--I am an amateur hack and so marketing isn't something I've even bothered with. I don't have a photography FB page, per se--just my personal account with a lot of photos I upload for friends and family to see. That said, I have sold several prints because someone saw them on my FB page--including at least one that was to someone I didn't know. I've also had two different people contact me and ask if I have a portfolio; one is the director of a fairly large department at the HGTV division of Scripps, who wants to send my name and portfolio link to the art directors she works with, so who knows?

But yeah, mostly it's a huge black hole of time-wasting absurdity...and I can't quit spending time on it. Kinda like Angry Birds.

 

[tirediron]

Precious little. Probably because that's the amount of effort I put into it...

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

I wish FaceBook kept track of like's.

 

[IByte]

I have to admit, I found a lot of military buddies on Facebook. Good for some, not for all but you can't underestimate how much they changed the world.

 

[12sndsgood]

Well I can't say I have booked anything from facebok yet, but only being open for a few months, most of my paid work has been from people I know. But What i'm using facebook for is another place to show off my photos and get people to know I exist. For instance the photos I posted of Kendra, when I posted up the coming soon pre-photo in 24 hours it had been seen by over 500 people, had 70+ likes and about 20 comments and it gained me about 5 fans to my site. I have had a few people message me about prices in such, though I think i was to expensive for them. it at least generated the conversation. I just use it as a way to become known. Thats why most of my stuff on facebook I watermark, Not for theft, but in hopes of just more people seeing my name and learning who I am.

 

[JAC526]

Absolutely nothing.

 

[tbc]

I love FB. I did wedding mostly, Facebook let me post some preview and tag the bride and groom so everybody who care about these pictures can see it and so far brides and grooms very appreciate the preview. Also, a place to promote your website if you have one.

 

[mommyof4qteez]

It's free advertisement...I get the majority of my clients scheduling sessions through my fb page...

 

[janineh]

You post pics, ppl tag themselves, friends love it - they book you too.

Get a lot of work through fb.

 

[orljustin]

I learned how to play "Words with Friends".

 

[rexbobcat]

It depends on your social circle sometimes I think. I'll post a photo and 10 of my college friends will like it and ask me to take photos of them

And I'm just like w/e you guys can't afford it. And I'm right. They can't. Social media at least in my area is a "something for nothing" sort of thing.

"why do I need to buy photos when I can save them off of FB"

I only post them to FB after I I've given whoever the photos.