Photoshelter social-media-for-photographers-i

Introduction & Using This 2-Part Handbook
4 Using This Handbook
5
6 Social Media: A Piece of The Marketing Pie
7 5 Ways Social Media Can Help Your
Photography Business
8 Setting Goals & Tracking Your Progress
9 Advice From Seasoned Photographers
Facebook
12 Facebook
13 Facebook Facts
14 Growing Your Photography Business: Why You
Need A Facebook Page
15 3 Ways to Optimize Your Facebook Page
16 4 Ways to Improve User Engagement Through
Your Facebook Page
17 Facebook Features To Know About in 2012
TABLEof CONTENTS
© 2012 PhotoShelter, Inc
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, without
the prior written consent of PhotoShelter, Inc.The logos of the companies described are the trademarks of their respective owners. No endorsement is implied.
PhotoShelter, Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation
warranties of fitness for a particular purpose.The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation.
Part 1
21 Other Facebook Extras to Help You Grow
23 Facebook, Bing.com, and Your SEO
24 Facebook Tips That Direct From Photographers
27 Measuring Your Results with Facebook Insights
28 How PhotoShelter Can Help
Google+
30 Google+
31
36 8 Tips From Johan Peijnenburg to Optimize
Your Google+ Page
37 Using a Google+ Company Page
39 The Best Google+ Tips From PhotoShelter
Photographers
Check out Part 2 in your inbox for tips on LinkedIn & Twitter

PHOTOSHELTER | THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S SOCIAL MEDIA HANDBOOK PART I: WINTER 2012
4
Introduction
Introduction & Using This 2-Part Handbook
In 2010, we wrote the Social Media Guide for Photographers and urged you to
get on board with social media to help grow your photography business. Two years
later, we know we don’t need to convince you to take advantage of social media plat-
forms to help advance your business and build your brand, but it’s no secret that the
platforms themselves are constantly changing, and at times it can be hard to keep
up.The Photographer’’s Social Media Handbook - split into twp parts - is here to
coach you on the social media best practices of today to help enhance your market-
ing efforts and get you noticed by potential clients.
Using This Handbook:
We cover four major pillars of social media today:
Part I
1. Facebook
2. Google+
Part II
3. LinkedIn
4. Twitter
5. Other Social Media Platforms That Matter
This 2-part handbook addresses key tactics and strategies to help you, the photog-
rapher, optimize each platform and grow your business. You don’t need to tackle
the next pages one by one, but instead think critically about where you need help.
Are you confused by all the changes of Facebook and how they can benefit you? In
the dark about what exactly is Google+ and how creating circles can expand your
network? Feel free to focus on the sections that address your specific needs.
In each section we’ll cover the following territory:
1. How you can optimize and integrate the platform in your daily workflow.
2. What new features have popped up over the past two years, and how you can
benefit from them.
3. Key content-posting strategies.
4. How to track and measure your progress and gauge success.
You’ll also find interviews with a diverse range of successful photographers who have
mastered the art of Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ and have grown an
enormous following.They’ll provide you with tangible tips from firsthand experience
on what works and what doesn’t.
You’ll find that regardless of what social media platform they’ve mastered, they all
offer one overriding piece of advice: Social media success comes with time, energy,
strategy, and planning and there must be a method to the madness. Blindly posting
and interacting with potential customers will get you nowhere. You first need to ask
yourself: What do I want to accomplish and can this platform help me get there?
This guide will help you tackle that too.
We also invite you to continue the discussion via PhotoShelter’s monthly free
webinars, the PhotoShelter Blog, and of course, via twitter @photohelter, Facebook,
Google+, or LinkedIn. We also note throughout the handbook where PhotoShelter’s
tools can be helpful to enhancing how you participate in social media.
Using This Handbook

5
Introduction
Definitions
We can get so wrapped up using social media in our daily lives that it’s worth taking a step back to look at the
intended purpose of each platform. Here are some definitions direct from the sources themselves:
Facebook:
“Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share
and make the world more open and connected.”
Twitter:
(as it relates to businesses):
“Twitter connects businesses to customers in real-time.
Businesses use Twitter to quickly share information with
people interested in their products and services, gather
real-time market intelligence and feedback, and build
relationships with customers, partners and influential
people.”
LinkedIn:
“LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network
with over 120 million members and growing rapidly.
LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and
helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities
with a broader network of professionals.”
Google+:
“Google+ makes connecting on the web more like con-
necting in the real world. Share your thoughts, links
and photos with the right circles. Use easy, spontaneous
video chat to strike up conversations with as many as
nine people at once.”

6
Introduction
Social Media: A Piece of the
Marketing Pie
We’re not going to sugar coat this. Social media is not a silver bullet that will im-
prove your business overnight. It is, however, a very important piece of your market-
ing strategy that can help build brand awareness and connect you with potential
customers. And we know quantitatively from Google Analytics that social media
sites drive a significant amount of referral traffic to photographer websites. Let’s
take a look at how social media falls into play within the bigger picture:
There are really two primary types of marketing – outbound and inbound. Out-
bound marketing tactics are the interruptive, traditional efforts that involve pushing
promotional content to your prospects – like email and promo card campaigns, cold
calls for portfolio visits, trade shows, paid advertising (magazines, billboards, etc.)
and more. Inbound marketing tactics are exactly the opposite – they help you “get
found” along the prospect’s path exactly while they’re searching for whatever you
may provide. And inbound marketing strategies are opt-in - the visitor has sought
you out by friending you, following you, or searching for you.
Social media, search engines, and blogs are
inbound tactics.
With inbound tactics, the end consumer has already eliminated some of the clut-
ter that inundates people today. Because you’re relevant to their needs in some way,
they’re more likely to react favorably to your messages. So, inbound tactics are all
about laying the groundwork that will make it easier for such people to find you.
You want to increase your “surface area” by creating as many possible, relevant, and
value-added ways for these people to connect with you. As with search engine
optimization (SEO), social media marketing involves optimizing your social media
presence to best attract high quality inbound traffic.
There is no perfect recipe for successfully mixing inbound and outbound tactics – it
will vary based on your budget, your audience behavior, and return on investment
(the results you see proportional to the time or money you put in). Mind you, just
because you’re not paying a cash fee (in most cases) to participate in social media
doesn’t mean it’s free.The very real cost of social media participation is your time.
Investing time in social media means you’re not investing it in other productive
activities.That’s why you need to make sure you’re getting the most return on that
investment – just like an email campaign or promo mailer that cost several hundred
dollars to run. It is up to you to measure the results you’re seeing and determine the
right mix of marketing tactics.

7
Introduction
5 Ways Social Media Can Help Your
Photography Business
1. Brand Building
Sharing relevant content via social media (content that truly engages people) can
help you become well-known within your specialty or enable you to establish cred-
ibility on a specific topic related to your photography.This can provide an essential
foundation for photographers aiming to generate interest and awareness of their work.
2. Managing Relationships
Many of your current clients, partners, and colleagues are already engaging in social
media, which is why you want to be where the conversation is occurring and provide
multiple “touch points” – convenient ways to interact with you on their terms. Social
networks like Twitter can be helpful for client support, as connecting online may
provide opportunities for you to become aware of and help solve the challenges your
clients are communicating via social media. More broadly, social media can provide
an ideal channel for updating clients on recent shoots and creative projects, sharing
details of achievements and successes, or driving more personal connections in your
professional relationships by taking an interest in others’ updates.
3. Direct Sales Generation
While directly offering products and services for sale seems like the most logical use
of social media, this is a tactic that must be handled with, well…tact. Social media is
intended to be a two way dialogue,and regularly screaming “Hire me! Buy my photos!”
will turn people off fast.However,there is also a recognition and acceptance that social
media is for both business and personal uses, so some level of promotion is accept-
able.If you first build trust and credibility by participating and listening,adding value,
stimulating conversation,and genuinely helping others,those people will appreciate some
self-promotion too – especially if they have an affinity for the brand you’ve created.The
common rule of thumb? It is acceptable for 10% of your messages to be self-promo-
tion.That’s 1 out of every 10 posts.
4. SEO Rankings
Because social networks foster a culture of sharing, your followers are likely on the
lookout for relevant links to share with their own community.This social sharing
increases the likelihood that more people will see, share, and potentially link to your
compelling content. Social networks also afford a way to momentarily arrive on the
first page of search results. Because the major search engines now index tweets and
display them within the first page of search results – your tweets containing (carefully
selected) keywords can get top billing, albeit for a brief moment in time. In the past
year or so, most SEO experts agree that social media participation is of increasing
importance to your overall SEO success, meaning that search engines increasingly
account for social media influence and engagement when determining their own
rankings.
5. Inspiration & Feedback
When you start building a strong network of peers and other thought leaders, you’ll
be amazed at what you can pick up, even without asking for it. Whether you choose
to interact via Google+,Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn or a healthy mix of each,
you’ll suddenly have access to new ideas for pushing your own creativity. You’ll be
influenced by the work of others. You’ll have rich conversations about improving
technique. You can even solicit opinion and support on the full spectrum of issues
– from pricing your photography to negotiating sticky client issues to creating a rap-
port with a new model, etc. You’ll connect with your favorite established and emerg-
ing photographers across multiple social venues and pay attention to their posts to
see how they’re evolving both their businesses and techniques. If you feel comfort-
able engaging in a dialogue about these issues, share your opinion and ask for theirs.

8
Introduction
Setting Goals & Tracking Your
Progress
Before diving into social media from a business strandpoint, it’s important to give yourself a goal and a metric to help objectively assess if you performed well. Plus, you
need a benchmark – data that will give you a before/after comparison. So once you decide the important items to track (followers, likes, comments, web traffic, etc.), take a
snapshot now and then again at a pre-determined check-in date. You must give any social media effort two to three months to build before making any decisions on its suc-
cess. Ultimately, comparing the results vs. your goals and other marketing initiatives can also inform how you invest your resources going forward.
Setting up a tracking system through Google Analytics is also key to helping track the degree to which each social media platform is sending visitors to your site.This tool
provides you with real, hard data on what’s working and what’s not, to help improve your site and drive more traffic your way (and hopefully through the checkout line).To
link Google Analytics to your website, check out Google Analytics for Photographers, where we take you through this step by step.
Know Your Goal:
Utilizing an effective tracking system is key, but only if you know what you’re trying to achieve first.This is why being strategic about your social media presence (what you
post, who you target, etc) is going to help you reach your goals faster. Before putting your strategy into place though, you need to ask yourself questions like: What are you
ultimately trying to achieve?
Hypothetically, your goal could be to:
Book more assignments or commissions from existing clients
Brand yourself as the most respected wedding photographer in your region
Sell more stock photography from your archive
Kick start sales for your own line of accessories or instructional videos
Develop a following of nature enthusiasts who buy your fine art prints
Generate referral business for your portrait studio
Obtain critique or professional guidance from a wider network of your peers
Having a sense of where you want to go can help clarify the time/effort you put into
your social networking presence. In addition, it can give you a sense of the metrics
you need to reach to be successful. Do you need more than 20,000 followers, or will
500 high quality followers serve your needs? That will depend on what you want to
achieve.

9
Introduction
Advice from Seasoned Photographers:
Meet Bryan Formhals, Mike Cavaroc,Taylor
Davidson, Rosh Sillars and Lindsay Adler.These are
all seasoned photographers who have mastered the art
of social media marketing. We picked their brains and
got their best advice for helping photographers succeed
with social media.
“You’ll always be more successful if you show your pas-
sion and show your audience that you’re putting some
work into what you’re sharing. For photographers, this
sometimes means that you have to write! I know it can
be challenging, but I’ve found that photographers who
are interesting writers can be successful with social
media. Also, you don’t have to be on every platform!
Choose the few that you enjoy and commit to them.
Make an effort to write and tell your stories. I’ve found that people are really intrigued
to learn about the daily lives of photographers and what inspires them. It’s a tricky bal-
ance of course because you don’t want to come off as narcissistic so it’s always good to
stay humble and also share art, information, wisdom that inspires you.”
~Bryan Formhals, Founder & Managing Editor of LPV Magazine
“Instead of asking “What’s my Facebook strat-
egy?”,start with “What are my goals for using
social media?”If you start with your goals,and
then spend the time understanding how your
goals fit into the different social media sites and
communities,then that gives you a solid ground-
ing on how to create an overall social media
strategy that allows you to participate in each
community appropriately.The most important best practice is to listen first,
then talk.Understand how each community works and then step into the
community in a way that fits you and the community.”
~Taylor Davidson, Photographer and Venture Capitalist
“It’s best to respond promptly
whenever someone commu-
nicates with you on any of the
social media networks. This gives
the visitor a sense that they’re
communicating with a real per-
son, rather than some employee posting updates that were approved in
a board room meeting, for example. People want to know that there’s a
real human being there.”
~ Mike Cavaroc, Nature and Wildlife Photographer & PhotoShelter Consultant

10
Introduction
“It is important to understand who is your tar-
get audience. Many photographers spend too
much time connecting with other photogra-
phers. Although you will become a better pho-
tographer listening to the experts in your field,
your voice should represent your niche and be
directed toward your target market. Remember,
your voice in social media shouldn’t be all about you. It should be a mix
of helpful information, concepts, and ideas that people can use to solve
problems, improve their skills, or make them think. The most successful
social media voices are educational or entertaining.”
~Rosh Sillars, Commercial Photographer and Social Media Guru
“A person’s social media ‘voice’ should be a
combination between the needs of the audi-
ence and the personality of the individual. In
other words, figure out what is useful, engag-
ing information for your target audience and
provide them with this content.This helps
draw the relevant group of potential clients to
your work.Then, use your personality to help these potential clients con-
nect with your work and business. People need to feel they can trust and
be comfortable with the photographer they hire, and your personality in
social media can help achieve this.”
~Lindsay Adler, Fashion and Portrait Photographer

12
Facebook
Facebook
Facebook has advanced significantly over the past couple years, aiming through all its tweaks and alterations to
help enhance relationships and better connect people around the world. One of Facebook’s biggest changes over
the past few years? It’s not just for kids anymore.The platform has become a vehicle for business marketing,
allowing professionals to reach millions of potential customers, market their product, service, or cause, and
increase brand engagement on an international level. For photographers, Facebook has become one of the
biggest driving forces in day-to-day marketing.Through your own Facebook Page showcasing your photography
business, you can keep clients and potential clients updated with your work, your future projects, promotions,
and more. But the trick is learning how to keep up with Facebook’s ongoing shifts and using their tools to
benefit your business and your brand.
A key reason to participate? Your personal website is not a daily destination for your customers. You simply don’t
have enough updates and breadth of content to attract a large number of customers to your website. On the
other hand, people visit Facebook daily for a myriad of reasons. A key to online success is to participate in the
places where your clients are, and Facebook happens to be one of those places where you can nearly guarantee
daily interaction with your addressable market.

13
Facebook
Back in 2010 when we first wrote the guide on social media for photographers, we
let you know that a whopping 350 million users had joined Facebook - a number
that astounded and boggled the minds of most. But today, just two years later, Face-
book is home to over 800 millions users worldwide - both individuals and compa-
nies who represent themselves there.
Facebook Statistics Today:
The average Facebook user has 150 friends.
More than 50% of active users log on to Facebook each day.
More than 250 million photos are uploaded to Facebook each day,it’s currently
the largest repository of images on the web.
More than 75% of users are from outside the United States.
Each month, more than 500 million people use an app on Facebook or experience
Facebook on other websites.
There are more than 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups,
events and community pages).
Facebook is the 2nd most visited site in the world with regard to unique visits
(Google is #1).
For most of us, logging onto Facebook every day to check our personal News Feed
is a must - and often something we do unconsciously as part of our daily routine.
Facebook is something we check often because it’s a direct portal into the lives of
our friends, family, and business prospects. After all, it’s one of the most efficient
ways to reach your entire network.Think about it: Did you come across another
funny cat video on YouTube? Did your brother just have a baby? Did you just win
an award of celebrate an achievement? Your instinct is to turn to Facebook first
to share is because you know it’s the fastest way to reach the greatest number of
people. As a photographer, developing these instincts to share news about your work
and your business through a Facebok Page designated specifically for your business
should be a key piece of your plan to effectively market your services, build your
brand and ultimately bring in new customers.
Facebook Facts

14
Facebook
Growing Your Photography Business:
Why You Need A Facebook Page
1. Create a barrier for potential clients who believe it’s too personal to “friend” you.
2. Weaken your business brand by conflating your personal life with your professional life.
3. Limit your followers to 5,000 (the personal “friend” limit)
This is why creating a Facebook Page dedicated to your photography business is essential to
building your photography brand, marketing your work, and reaching potential customers.
With a Page, you can expand your business by providing excellent and direct customer service
to those who ask, share content about your work, and help update followers with interesting
industry news relevant to your field.
But most importantly, creating a Facebook Page for your photography business allows the op-
portunity for potential customers to find you easily and gives the distinct impression to new
visitors that you are serious about your work and ready to do business.
Today more than ever before, finding success through online marketing falls hand in hand with having an influential social media presence that represents your business. If
you choose to solely market your photography through your personal Facebook Page, you will be at a disadvantage because you will:

15
Facebook
3 Ways to Optimize Your Facebook
Page
Do This:
1. Build A Community With Your Photography Business At The Center
By creating an active community that can engage with you through your Facebook Page, you provide potential customers an accessible and user-friendly venue to
reach you and have their questions answered. Optimize your page by monitoring each message and responding when appropriate. Your responsiveness to those who
interact with your page improves the level of trust between yourself and potential clients and frankly, makes you a more credible source to those who are looking to
hire.
2. Promote Your Content...And The Content Of Others
You’ve probably heard the expression that “content is king”, and this is absolutely true. Your Facebook Page provides a platform for sharing your photography, blog
posts, videos, as well as interesting photo industry articles and photography news from your friends and colleagues.
A misconception for many businesses large and small is that your Facebook Page should be used as a marketing soap box to talk exclusively about you, you, and more
you. It’s no surprise that people don’t like that. In fact, they will “unlike” that.The goal of sharing content is to provide information that is interesting and appealing
to others. When people “like” your page, it’s a way of saying they have some interest in hearing from you and what you do. Your brand is only as strong as the interest
of your community, so your relationship with those who “like” you is something that should not be taken for granted for if you want to succeed and strengthen your
relationships.
3. Improve Your Relationships
In its very essence, Facebook is about connecting and sharing with others - whether that be professionally or personally.Through your own genuine interaction via
posts, comments, likes and shares, you have the ability to engage with current and potential customers. Facebook Insights (more on that on later) as well as your own
daily awareness lets you develop a key sense of who your most engaged listeners are and why. You can learn from Facebook Insights to understand what your follow-
ers like and don’t like and tweak your posting strategy to reflect your analysis.

16
Facebook
4 Ways to Improve User Engagement
Through Your Facebook Page
Do This:
1. Show Off Your Photos
Posting photos (and videos) is one of the most effective ways to attract
comments and likes on Facebook. Whether you are comfortable or not with
Facebook’s Terms and Conditions, there are ways to leverage your content to
engage with the community on Facebook. For instance, links to content that
exists off of Facebook are still highly engaging and presents your fans with
a thumbnail image nonetheless. Other photographers find it beneficial to
upload low resolution watermarked photos.There is no denying that photo
and video content is highly engaging on Facebook and you need to figure out
a content sharing strategy that works best for you and your goals.
2. Ask Questions, Be Provocative, and Entertain
It’s always important to remember that to be social and encourage user en-
gagement, you need to reach out and ask for opinions and feedback from your
community. As a photographer, remember that your questions do not always
have to relate to you.The photography industry today is so vibrant and there
is “news” to share everyday, pieces of which may be more relevant to your
niche. Also don’t hesitate to use your base as an opportunity to get feedback
or opinions about your business. Here’s an example an entertaining article we
posted about “Photographer Pants.” from the Express.
3. Update Your Status Often
Facebook is not like a website. People expects updates often. When a new
visitor comes to your page, and you haven’t updated your status in three days,
it reflects poorly and gives users the impression that you are unavailable.
4. Using Facebook for Giveaways & Promotions
Running a special discount, promotion, or giveaway through your Facebook
Page can be a great way to create buzz, attract eyeballs, and draw in custom-
ers.To run a promotion, Facebook has specific Promotion Guidelines which
let you know what you can and can not do. Promotions on Facebook can only
be administrated through Apps on Facebook, so it’s important to check out
these resources.

17
Facebook
Facebook Features
To Know About in 2012
In 2010, there were Facebook Fan Pages and we had the option to become fans of our favorite brands, causes,
celebrities, and more.Today, Fan Pages are a distant memory and users are invited to create and “like” Facebook
Pages.The main differences between Facebook Pages and individuals’ profiles? Facebook pages are public. Here
are a few more updated features you need to know about to build your photography business through Facebook
in 2012:
1) News Feed & Facebook Edgerank:
The News Feed can be found in the center column of your homepage with a constant updating lists of stories and interactions from the people and Pages you follow.
When you log on, the News Feed is the running real-time list of photos, videos, comments, likes, and status updates direct from your network of friends and pages. But
how does Facebook decide which content to show you in your News Feed? According to Facebook, it depends:
“The News Feed algorithm uses several factors, including: how many friends are commenting on a certain piece
of content, who posted the content, and what type of content it is (e.g. photo, video, or status update).”
In September 2011, Facebook redesigned the News Feed, and now shows you the most interesting and engaging posts from your network since you last logged on. Prior,
the News Feed was divided into two separate sections: Top News and recent News, both of which showcased updates from your friends and page likes in chronological
order.
Why Care About the New News Feed:
Facebook’s News Feed change came about because Facebook realized that people aren’t always looking for the most recent news from their network - they’re look-
ing for what’s most interesting.This means that you need to post content about your photography business that is engaging and interesting to your target audience.

18
Facebook
The more that people interact with a post of yours, the more likely it will appear higher on people’s News Feeds and get noticed by a greater pool. This increases
brand awareness, and provides the greatest opportunity to expand your reach and engage new people.
Producing engaging content (i.e. asking questions, posting photos, videos, sharing an interesting article, etc.) is crucial because after a user “likes” your page, they may rarely
visit your page again. Instead, they’ll stay up to date with you via the status updates and posts they see from you in their own Feed. Because the content that gets “picked”
for Facebook’s News Feed depends on its popularity and engagements (comments and number of likes), you need to produce content that provokes both these things from
your network.
Understanding Facebook Edgerank:
“Edgerank” is the Facebook algorithm that determines what items appear in your News Feed based on a number of factors like “Likes”, “Shares” and “Comments.” In Face-
book parlance, each “object” you share (i.e. photos, comments, links) are called an “edge,” and if the edge reaches a certain scoring threshold, it will be displayed in a user’s
News Feed.That’s why prompting people for comments - asking a questions, posing trivia questions and soliciting feedback - is proven to be one of the most effective ways
to engage people and get your content seen.
To improve your Edgerank and your chances of getting to the News Feed, research also shows that you should incorporate videos, include links, relate your posts to a cur-
rent events, and interact with those who post on your page. Your Edgerank can also sky-rocket by promoting time-sensitive promotions. Are you offering a 15% discounts
off all your prints for the next two weeks? Case studies show that reposting the same campaign image next to a different comment will engage users and improve your
chances of getting to the top of the News Feed.
Improving your Edgerank can significantly boost the number of people seeing your content. For example, in early December, we were able to quadruple our “total reach” on
the PhotoShelter Facebook page by a series of content that generated many comments and likes.

19
Facebook
2) Facebook’s Photostrip:
Facebook Pages now display a Photostrip above the wall that shows the latest
photos that particular Page has been tagged in. It’s important to know that the five
thumbnails that make up the Photostrip appear in different order as page photos are
tagged.This prevents Pages from displaying a continuous banner.
Why Care About the Photostrip:
Although the photos in your Photostrip may change as photos are loaded,
you have the ability to select which photos appear by “x-ing” out any photo
you don’t want by clicking on the “x” in the upper right hand corner of any
given image currently in place there.These photos are highly visible to any-
one who visits your page, so it’s important that you use this an opportunity
to communicate your brand and a unified design by showcasing your best
images or company logo.
3) Using “Facebook as Your Page”
One of Facebook’s newest functions that came out in 2011 was the option to “use
Facebook as your Page.”
When you select this function (found on the right sidebar of your Page’s profile),
you have the ability to comment, like, and share posts as your business. For example,
fashion and lifestyle photographer Jim Jordan has a dedicated Facebook Page for his
business called “Jim Jordan Photography.” Jim uses his page to enhance his presence
online by interacting with other businesses.
In addition, by using Facebook as your page, you can also link to other pages directly
in your posts. For example, if you’ve added Petapixel as one of your Page’s favorites
and you want to post to their latest blog, you can type “@petapixel” into your status
bar, and the option to link directly to Petapixel’s Facebook Page will appear. Why
does this help? Your post will appear on Petapixel’s page for their community to see.
It is also a nice courtesy to Petapixel as it sends new traffic their way.
Why Care About Using Facebook
As Your Page:
By using Facebook as your page, you can comment on posts and “like”
content from other pages.This lets others know you’re listening and paying
attention to more than just yourself. As a result, people and other pages will
be more likely to engage with you and even post about your work in their
own shares.This has potential to broaden your network very quickly.

20
Facebook
4) “People Talking About This”
In October 2011, a number appeared on Facebook pages below your number of
“likes” to indicate how many people were “talking” about you and track conversation
about your page. You might be in the dark as to what this number actually means, so
let’s break it down:
Some basics:
This number is pulled from a variety of interactions that can occur on Facebook
over the past seven days.
This number is refreshed daily.
The factors that contribute to the “People Talking About This” number:
Posts made to a Page’s wall
Liking, commenting on or sharing a Page post
Answering a question posted on a Page
Mentioning a Page in a post
Photo-tagging a Page
Liking a Page
Why photographers should care about “People
Talking About This”:
Generally, the larger this number, the better.The more people who are tag-
ging and talking about your business, the more you’re spreading awareness
about your brand. Consider those who contribute to this number as your
own influencers to promote you.

21
Facebook
Other Facebook Extras to HelpYou
Grow
Facebook Ads:
Facebook is free, but if you want to invest money to help grow your photography
business through the platform, Facebook Ads may be a great solution. Advertis-
ing on Facebook is a cost-effective way to promote your business and allows you
to reach more potential customers by targeting specific age, location, interests, and
more. Some quick tips to enhance the success of Facebook Ads. they must be highly
targeted, have a clear budget and goals and clear call to action. You must test mul-
tiple versions and pay close attention to analytics to ensure that the results equate to
a lower cost of acquisition (or higher ROI) for new customers than other channels.
To promote your photography business even more, check out the step by step guide
on how to create and optimize ads on Facebook.
Like-Gate:
When approaching a Facebook Page for the first time, there’s a good chance you’ve
seen a Like-Gate.Typically, like-gates can help increase the number of followers you
have by creating an incentive for users to “like” you. For example, are you offering an
exclusive discount for those who book a session with you? Use this promotion as a
teaser to encourage people to like your page and find out more.
Want to customize your own? Check out our guide on Facebook Pages for Photog-
raphers under the section “Creating a Custom App.”
Timeline:
In December 2011, Facebook launched the highly anticipated Facebook Timeline.
The Timeline revamps a user’s individual profile page, and creates a “digital scrap-
book” that highlights your top stories and posts over the years. With the Timeline,
you have 7 days to prepare your profile before having it go live, and you can feature a
cover photo of your choice. Your privacy settings will remain the same as they were
previously set and no new information will be shared once your timeline is active.
Although the Timeline will eventually be rolled out for all Facebook users, it’s not
yet an option for Facebook Pages. When it does become an option for Facebook
Pages, the benefits could be huge. First, businesses like yours will hold even more of
a “human” component. Visitors will be able to see your evolution over the past year
though popular posts and status updates.The Timeline also offers new possibili-
ties for raising awareness about your brand.The new cover photo, for example, is a
849x312 pixel image - much larger than ever before with more ability to visually
impact users. We’ll ultimately have to wait and see, but the Timeline could have
tremendous marketing potential to help spread awareness about your brand.

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Facebook
Custom Applications:
Using custom Facebook applications is another great way to encourage your network
to become acquainted with your photography business. Formerly, you had to use a
scripting language called FBML (Facebook Mark-up Language) to manage custom
tabs, but now Facebook has since migrated to an iFrame model to help you create
custom Facebook applications, which are located underneath your page’s Facebook
photo. An IFrame is essentially a webpage from somewhere else that gets embedded
into part of a Facebook page. It’s important to note that with an iFrame, the content
of your application is located in an HTML document which it not hosted on
Facebook’s servers. Hubspot has a great step-by-step guide on how to create custom
applications for your Facebook Page.
Photographers can take advantage of custom applications by providing greater
opportunities for your network to get to know your work. For example, through
your Facebook Page you can provide a landing page to coupon discounts, videos,
an inquiry form, or even a page that allows visitors to purchase your prints directly
through Facebook. LGBT familly and wedding photographer Joe Tresh, for ex-
ample, has implemented a custom application that encourages visitors to sign up for
his newsletter:
Although coding your own pages gives you the most flexibility, many photographers
lack the time or inclination to take it on as a Do-It-Yourself project. Fortunately,
there are also some third party tools that can make the job a little easier, if you’re
willing to incur some costs including North Social, ShortStack,and thruSocial.

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Facebook
Facebook, Bing.com, andYour SEO
When you search for something on Facebook, you’ll see search results from Bing.com pop up at the bottom.
This integration between Bing and Facebook has existed since 2010. But more recently in May 2011, Bing has
taken the integration one step further. Now, content popular throughout Facebook as well as something they call
“Collective IQ” will rank more prominently on their search engine. Bing announced:
“Bing is bringing the collective IQ of the Web together with the opinions of
the people you trust most, to bring the “Friend Effect” to search. You can re-
ceive personalized search results based on the opinions of your friends by sim-
ply signing into Facebook...Decisions can now be made with more than facts,
now the opinions of your trusted friends and the collective wisdom of the
Web.”
What does this mean for you?
You social “juice” will help you appear higher in searches. Sp. the more people who like and engage with your Facebook content, the more positive impact it will
have on your SEO.

24
Facebook
Facebook Tips Direct
from Photographers
We know that Facebook will not solve all your marketing woes and get
customers through your check out line by the dozens overnight. But,
setting up your Facebook Page should be an important step to building
your brand.The second step is optimizing your social media experience
and being an active contributor to conversations.This means you need to
have a strategy to engage your community. Meet two photographers with
expert tips on how to do just that.
Elizabeth Halford
Elizabeth Halford is a professional wedding and portrait photographer and blogger who writes about effective
social media marketing for photographers. She’s developed key tips on engaging your community and developing
effective strategies for great Facebook posts that will lead users to click through to your site. Elizabeth Halford
Photography, a page dedicated to her blog supporting photographers has over 9,000 Facebook likes and Gracie
May Photography, her page dedicated to her own photography business, has over 1,500 likes. Both pages are
customized with a welcome like-gate, as well as a tab that leads visitors directly to her streaming blog posts and
tweets.
We sat down and asked Elizabeth how Facebook is helping grow her business.
PhotoShelter: What’s your strategy for posting? What type of content provides you the best response from
others?
EH:I find that the biggest audience on Facebook is on Monday through Wednesday.Weekends are busy for mostpeople,
butthosefirstfewdaysdon’tinvolvemuchgoingoutintheeveningsandyoumightfindthatlotsofpeople who have the
Monday blues just sit at their computer mindlessly trolling through Facebook while hooked up to an IV dripofcoffee.
That’sagreattimeforphotographerstogetintouch.Thisisn’ttosaythatI’mnotactive other days.But whenIwanttopostareally
importantminisessionannouncementorblogpostofnewsessionimages,Itendtowait until aboutTuesday.

25
Facebook
PhotoShelter: How do you determine what your Facebook “voice” should be?
EH: I hate it when photographers refer to themselves as “we” when there is, indeed,
only one of them. I really believe that photography is an intensely personal venture
and how can you get intensely personal with people if you build a wall around your-
self and call it professionalism? If corporate, impersonal, and sterile is your brand
image, go ahead and speak with a voice larger than your own. But if you’re just YOU,
then your voice online should be YOU. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to be
posting images of your cat or sharing what you had for breakfast. But when you post
status updates or links to recent sessions, it’s simple...just. be. you.
PhotoShelter: What do you urge photographers not to do on their Facebook
Page?
EH: I don’t post too much about my personal life as if everyone was my friend. I
don’t post anything controversial and I don’t alienate any certain people or groups
by stating my opinions on anything. And the number one way to lose ‘likes’ or get
yourself hidden from feeds is to post too much. Don’t post multiple times in a day.
Make it count.
PhotoShelter: Can you recall some of your most successful or unsuccessful
posts? Why did these posts work or not work?
EH: Well, on my Facebook Page for my business, I have many thousands of sub-
scribers who regularly interact with my posts.The posts which get the most involve-
ment are those which ask a question about everyone’s opinion on a topic.This is
different than stating my own opinion.The least activity happens on links I simply
post without any significant commentary.
Kike Calvo
Kike Calvo is an award-winning photographer
and bilingual Spanish journalist, photographer, and
author. He specializes in environmental, cultural
& marine documentary, with a focus on Latin
America. His work is represented by National
Geographic Image Collection and he is also a
support artist for the United Nations Secretary
General campaign UNITE to end violence against
women in Latin America. Kike has a dedicated
Facebook Page for his photography business with
over 2,000 likes.
We asked Kike what Facebook advice he has for photographers trying to expand
their network:
PhotoShelter: What do you like about Facebook? What is your goal using it
for your business?
KC: Like everything else, Facebook is another tool within my business. In the
same way cameras help me capture the way I see the world and my website presents
potential clients to my work, Facebook allows me to build a friendly community
around my business, whether its a new exhibit I am launching in New York, or a
photography workshop I am teaching somewhere in Latin America.
PhotoShelter: What do you urge photographers to do on their Facebook
Page?
KC: Photographers need to be polite and they need to be helpful. We are living
through hard times.This job we love so much is being impacted tremendously by
globalization, accessibility, gear, and the drop in pricing. It is wonderful to fight hard
to become the top in your field, but don’t forget, we are part of a community. People
further on in their careers should look back, and lend a hand to upcoming photog-
raphers. And new generations of photographers should pay tribute to the work of
those who are ahead on the path of photography, no matter their style, techniques
or social networks skills. I strongly believe this approach can be perfectly done using
Facebook as an extension of how we live our lives and careers.

26
Facebook
PhotoShelter: Can you recall some of your most successful posts? Why did
these posts work?
KC: Successful posts depend first on the audience you build up on your social plat-
forms. People like to see the story behind the story, such as special moments within
your career. I remember when I signed on with the National Geographic Collection,
I attended the annual seminar with photographers I deeply admired: Gerd Ludwig,
David Allan Harvey, and Steve McCurry, to mention a few. As part of my visit to
National Geographic’s Washington Headquarters, I shared some memory shots on
my Facebook Page, and people really liked that approach.
I also remember a post of mine that garnered attention was one I did about a stu-
dent of mine who contacted me to document her fight against cancer.This touched
many people. Sometimes, it has been posts portraying my photography work: my
turtle egg story that won the Art Wolfe Conservation Photo Award, or my under-
water images of humpback whales in open ocean.
PhotoShelter: What advice can you give photographers on how to use Face-
book to generate business?
KC: My advice to photographers is to think about Facebook as a community
builder. Some people use it for fun, I use it for work. And in connection to this
matter, do not mix both worlds. And if you do, do it wisely. Facebook is a wonderful
marketing tool, with both advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, I believe a suc-
cessful photography business will come from a combination of a website, a blog, and
Facebook and Twitter profiles, to start. In the end, when it comes to social network-
ing and business, you need to always remember that you’re using these platforms to
market your work and sell your images.

27
Facebook
MeasuringYour Results with
Facebook Insights
You don’t have to guess if what you’re doing on Facebook is working. Facebook Insights (only available for Facebook Pages, and not personal profiles) gives you, the pho-
tographer, a clear grasp on the effectiveness of your posts and provides you with rich demographic and behavioral information about your those who “like” you. You can only
access this data if you’re an administrator for your page. Simply go to http://www.facebook.com/insights/ and select your page or click “Insights” in the tab underneath the
page’s profile picture.
With this tool, you can learn who is interacting with you and how they are doing so (i.e. wall posts, discussion comments, likes, tags of your content). You can easily monitor
like growth according to specific dates, which show you how specific efforts are helping you grow your likes. Analyzing this data will help you generate content that is most
compelling for your followers to share and engage with. Some important (and newer) metrics to pay close attention to are:
1) Demographics
By cilcking on “likes” in on your Facebook Insights dashboard, you can see a complete demographic breakdown of the countries and cities of your followers, as well as the
languages they speak and their gender. It’s important to note, however, that data of these demographics reveals numbers per interaction, not per individual user. But there’s
no question that this feature can provide you a better understanding of where in the world your followers are.This can help you target your marketing efforts to specific
regions and groups.
2) Anlaytics for Deeper Engagement
Get a clear sense of which specific platforms draw in likes. Facebook Insights now breaks down exactly where your likes are coming from, including those that come when
people like your page directly (organic likes), to those who like you on a mobile device, through a like button on a website, via a third party app, etc. So, for example, if
you’ve implemented a Facebook like button on your blog on your website, Facebook Insights now lets you know if that’s working well or not.
3) Weekly Total Reach
This metric reveals the number of users who have been exposed to the updates and comments shared by those who are talking about you. (The number of people talking
about you is the number on the “People Talking About This” feature on your Page). As opposed to tracking only the individuals you reach from your own shares, now the
Weekly Total Reach tracks those you reach by posts about you from others. Basically, you get a better sense of the degree to which multiple layers of people are exposed to
your brand through Facebook, regardless of if you make the post or not.

28
Facebook
PhotoShelter offers a host of social sharing tools that help you promote your work via multiple platforms,
including Facebook.
Take advantage of special PhotoShelter integration.PhotoShelter members can customize and use their Facebook Pages pages to display galleries and slideshows,and sell photos
to their Facebook community.Just grab HTML code from your PhotoShelter account at http://www.photoshelter.com/mem/site/custom,whichallows users to search your entire
archive of publicly available images directly from Facebook.It’s a great way to reduce the need to click to your website before seeing what images you have to offer.Post images
and links directly from PhotoShelter to Facebook. You can upload images to Facebook directly from PhotoShelter, or you may post a link on your Facebook wall that
includes a URL and thumbnail previews for the first few images in your PhotoShelter gallery.The first option is a matter of convenience – no need to upload to Pho-
toShelter and Facebook separately when sharing photos, and you can choose to send watermarked or unwatermarked files.The second option works best if you want to
drive traffic directly to your PhotoShelter site where visitors can purchase your photography. You can post images directly to Facebook Pages using these tools too.
Enable social sharing features on your website and let your website visitors post links to your work for sharing on Facebook. In the customization section of your Pho-
toShelter site, you can automatically install a “Like” Facebook widget to your PhotoShelter website.This provides simple buttons on your image galleries and single im-
ages so your website visitors can instantly share links to your images via their favorite social networks. You need to make it as easy as possible for other people to promote
your photography. So, we help out you by providing a very obvious link for people to share your work.
Embed PhotoShelter features in Facebook. PhotoShelter members can customize and use their Facebook Pages pages to display their photo galleries and slideshows,
provide image search capabilities directly from Facebook, and more. For example, to include a “Search My Website” field inside of Facebook, just grab HTML code from
your PhotoShelter account at http://www.photoshelter.com/mem/site/custom, which allows users to search your entire archive of publicly available images directly from
Facebook. It’s a great way to reduce the need to click to your website before seeing what images you have to offer.
How PhotoShelter Can Help

30
PHOTOSHELTER | THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S SOCIAL MEDIA HANDBOOK PART I: WINTER 2012 Google+
Google+
In June 2011, Google launched Google+, and already the number of users hovers around the 40 million mark. In
just a few short months, this social media platform has already joined the ranks of giants like Facebook,Twitter,
and LinkedIn. Why the name Google+? Google would like you to think of it as an extension of Google itself,
which may tip you off that your success with Google+ can directly impact your SEO. But for any photographer
who already uses Facebook,Twitter, and LinkedIn as part of their daily workflow, the question is, why join?
Google+ quickly established itself as a haven for photographers because the platform is built for photo sharing
and accommodates viewing, managing, and editing multimedia. Most similar to Facebook, Google+ users can
post and share content including links, videos, photos, and general status updates. For photographers, Google+
becomes another way to share your work and market your brand - fast. As the platform continues to grow, we
also see that your shares and +1s can directly impact your SEO ranking on Google. For the first time, Google is
finally showing signs of allowing user-generated content - not just computer algorithms - to impact where you
show up on a search.This is good news. Actually, it’s great news.

31
Your Google+ Profile: The Basics
When you first join Google+ and create your personal profile page, it will ask you to
enter important basic details including:
Your tagline (a brief description of yourself)
Your employment
Your education
Bragging rights
Places lived
Relationship status
Contact information
Search visibility
Like many social media sites, you can upload a profile photo and add links to your
photography website, blog, Facebook Page,Twitter Profile, and LinkedIn account.
Google+ lets you adjust your profile settings to allow only certain groups (circles) to
see information (i.e.: your contact information, or particular posts).
Google+ personal profiles are equipped with the following major features:
Circles
Stream
What’s Hot
Hangouts
Photos
+1 Button
Let’s break down exactly what each of these are and how they can help market your
photography brand:
Circles:
Understanding circles is essential to mastering Google+. Unlike Twitter or Face-
book, Google+ Circles give you a great deal more control over who sees your
content.
To find connections to add to your circles, Google+ allows you to search through
your Google contacts or import your address book from Yahoo!, Hotmail or your
desktop. When creating your circles, think of them as subsets of your social groups
(e.g. family, friends, coworkers, etc.). All content you post can be shared publicly
or with specific circles you indicate. Google+ makes adding and removing contacts
from your circles simple with easy drag-and-drop capabilities that let you take
people in and out as you see fit.
Why Care About Circles:
As a photographer, why should you create circles in the first place? Why
not have one circle for everyone you know? Creating subsets to distin-
guish different groups in your business and personal life allows you tailor
your messages and shares so that they’re relevant to each community. For
example, you may want to share a photo of the bouquet of flowers your
husband sent to you with your circle of friends, but share photos from your
latest photography project with your circle of potential clients. Google+
Circles allow you to pick and choose who sees what without getting down
with managing a business page and a personal page. (Although managing a
Google+ company page is an option, we’ll get to that later).

32
Part III:
Insights from
Photographers Selling Stock
Stream:
Similar to Facebook’s News Feed, Google+’s Stream is a centralized hub showcas-
ing the posts, comments, and shares from your Google+ network. But not only does
your Stream show content from those in your circles, it will also show you content
from new connections who are trying to share something with you and specifically
tag you in a post.
When you share with people either individually or through a circle, your content
will appear in their stream. If you want to find content beyond what you see if front
of you, you can also broaden your stream by utilizing the search bar at the top of the
page. Here, you can search for specific terms like “fine art photography” or “photog-
raphy business” and see who in your circles and beyond is talking about these things.
Important to note: If you label a post as “public” it can be found in a public stream
by anyone who searches for you or the content you publicly post about.
Why Care About the Google+ Stream:
Sharing your own content and commenting on others’ posts are key action
steps because it makes you visible to others when they log on. As with
Facebook, people keep tabs on your through your shares what pops up in
their News Feed.The same concept applies to the Google+ Stream. You
want to post engaging content on a regular basis so users hear your voice
and get acquainted with your brand without even trying.

33
What’s Hot:
When you log in to Google+, you’ll find a feature on the left sidebar labeled “What’s Hot.”This feature
brings up the most interesting content across all of Google+. As Twitter lets you know which topics are
trending, What’s Hot reveals what others on Google+ are talking about.
What’s Hot topics are selected by computer algorithms taking into consideration (but not limited to):
Posts that are shared as public
Total number of +1’s received
Total number of shares received
Total number of comments
Why Care About What’s Hot:
Keeping tabs on popular content on Google+ is key to providing you additional insights on the
type of shares that engage large groups. For example, at the end of 2011, we saw multiple posts
under What’s Hot of a roundup of favorite photos (i.e.Top 50 Photos from the Natural World).
Commenting on these types of posts or sharing your own personal photo-round up can be a good
way to attract comments and +1s.
Hangouts:
Hangouts is Google+’s new group chat feature - a feature which greatly distinguishes the platform from
other services. When you start or participate in a hangout by clicking “start a hangout” located on the
sidebar to the right of your stream, a message goes out to the circles you select letting them know. Not only
does the feature allow you to video chat with other Google+ users, but you also have the option to share
your screen and place calls within the US or Canada.
Why Care About Hangouts:
Today, it’s easy to lose that personal connection with clients and potential customers when almost
all correspondence is done through email. Communicating via email is not going away, but fea-
tures like Hangouts on Google+ can you let you connect with clients and colleagues face-to-face,
which helps strengthen relationships.This feature can also save you time. Scheduling a hangout
and speaking with a client for half an hour to hammer out details for an upcoming assignment can
avoid the constant back-and-forth email exchange that can often occurs over days.

34
Photos:
Google+ is well-equipped with a photo albums feature, which is powered by Picasa (a service owned by
Google). Here, you can upload photos and create albums showcasing your work. Once created, you can
share that album with your circles, individual friends, or with the public. Google+ includes an image editor
(complete with Instagram-like photo effects), privacy options, and sharing features. Albums will always
remain private until you choose to share them with others.
Within Google+, if you click on the “Photos” tab located at the top of your page, you will see recent photos
uploaded by your circles. Once you click on a photo, you can then see the comments and shares that photo
has received.
Once you click on an individual photo found in your photo tab, you will also be taken to an automated
slideshow of photos from your network. In the slideshow view, you have the option to tag yourself or a
friend in a photo, or check out specific photo details including what type of camera, exposure, and focal
length was used by the photographer.
Why Care About Photos on Google+:
Regularly sharing your photos, adding captions, and filling out photo details includin the dimen-
sions of your photo, the specific camera you used, exposure, ISO speed, and focal length, adds to
your credibility as a professional photographer. If you are frequently posting new and interesting
photos, it will be a constant reminder to your network that you are an active photographer with
current work to show.
The +1 Button:
If you’ve done any Googling lately, you may have noticed that +1 button appearing next to many blogs,
articles, and websites in your search. Simply, Google says that the +1 button is intended to “get the conver-
sation going.” By clicking +1, you let others know that you’ve given content your own stamp of approval. In
essence, Google has incorporated word-of-mouth marketing into their own search engine results.

35
Also, each time you click on +1, this link is added to running list of links on your own
Google+ profile found on your primary navigation tab. Here, you have the option to
make this list public or to hide it.
The +1 button is also something you can install in your own website or blog so people
can easily +1 your own content. Here are instructions for installing the +1 widget.
HubSpot, the leader in inbound marketing software, found a clear correlation between
the +1 button on your site and direct web traffic:
“We looked at data from HubSpot’s entire customer base
of more than 5,000 businesses. We compared referral
traffic levels from websites that have Google’s +1 button
installed and for those that don’t.The result? Websites
that use Google’s +1 button generated 3.5 times more
traffic from Google+ than websites that don’t have the
button installed.”
+1 on Google+
Just like you have the ability to +1 websites and articles you see in a Google search or
on a website, you can also do the same within Google+. Similar to Facebook’s Like, the
+1 widget appears next to each share, allowing users to endorse your post in addition to
commenting and sharing. Remember that the number of +1 your post receives greatly
impacts its visibility.

36
8Tips to OptimizeYour Google+ Page
Switzerland-based nature and landscape photographer Johan Peijnenburg has almost 24,000 followers on Google+. As an active PhotoShelter member, he also started
the Google+ PhotoShelter User Group (#PhotoShelterUG) as a hub for PhotoShelter photographers and enthusiasts to connect with each other by adding this hashtag
to their posts. Comments on Google+ that include this hashtag (a way to categorize and organize topics and conversation using the # symbol) are also found by searching
“#PhotoShelterUG” in the Google+ search bar. We caught up with Johan, who offers 8 tips on how to optimize your experience on Google+.
1.
Fill in your profile information carefully, and upload 5 scrapbook images that are representative for how you want to be seen on Google+. It’s the first thing people
will see.
2. Post regularly and with a bit of variation to keep followers entertained.
Don’t post too many times a day though, as overload can be annoying.
3. Don’t try to get away with posting links to your blog posts only.
Upload images and just include a portion of the blog post text. People don’t want to leave Google+ once they’re there, so keep in mind if you post just your blog
link, only few will follow.
4. Don’t be the silent type.
Being mysterious is cool, but talking back is even cooler. It’s called “social media” for a reason, so interact when people +1 a post or leave a comment.
5. Leave your own page to stay in touch with others.
Don’t make it one-way traffic. Engage with people on their pages, and leave +1s and comments.
6. Participate in daily themes by including theme hashtags.
For example, check out this list of Daily Photography Themes on Google+. Sharing a photo that’s relevant to a hashtag improves your chances of getting seen. You
are likely to reach more people that way.
7. Share the work of others once in a while.
Share to get shared! But make sure that your own work is the main topic.
8. Stay on topic in public.
Don’t post YouTube videos, political statements, family issues, and “bad” jokes. If you really want to do that, use a limited circle for it.

37
Using a Google+ Company Page
In early November 2011, Google+ launched company Google+ Pages. Like Face-
book Pages, the goal is to help businesses build their brand and reach more custom-
ers. Creating and then managing a Google+ Page for your photography business is
another strategy to effectively utilize Google+ as part of your marketing plan.
After you create a company page, individual Google+ users can then add your
business to their circles, share your page with their network and interact with your
page’s posts. Individuals users can also tag your business page in their own posts as
well as photos. Something quite different from Facebook: brands and business pages
can interact with customers via the Google+ Hangouts feature and engage with
prospects and customers through video conference calls. Remember, you must have
a personal Google+ profile in order to create a company page, but once your page is
created, no one will see the profile behind the account.
Keep in mind that creating a Google+ company page is best served for larger
organizations, unlike on Facebook where it is harder to separate your business and
personal interaction without having a separate Page. If you’re a single photographer
operating your own business, your personal profile can serve your business needs.
Through your personal page, if you diligently split your business and personal con-
tacts into distinct circles, you can tailor your messaging, reach different groups for
different reasons - all while using the same profile to do it.
Photographer Johan Peijnenburg puts it best: “The nice thing about Google+ is that
you can easily have a split personality within one profile. I am focused on sharing
alpine nature and landscape photography in public and can share whatever I fancy
in private. I do carefully check which circles I am including when posting though.
The availability of circles also made me decide not to create a separate page for my
own NiO Photography on Google+. Having a page for myself and also my business
doesn’t add value and only confuses people. And in the end I would probably end up
posting the same content twice.”
Things to keep in mind if you decide to create a Google+ Company Page:
Google+ provides no option to create a vanity URL
Customers can’t post on your wall (although they can link to you)
Google+ does not allow promotions or contests through the platform itself, although you can link to promotions from your own website or blog
The default privacy setting for elements on your business page is public.
Pages can’t +1 other pages, and they also can’t +1 content on the web.
Pages can’t add people to Circles until the page is added first or mentioned by the individual.

38
Google+ Direct Connect:
If you represent a larger-scale photography company and do decide to create a Google+ Company Page, the primary benefits of this lies in the growing evolution of Direct
Connect.
Here’s how it works: Google now allows you to connect directly with a company’s Google+ company page by typing the “+” symbol and the name of the business you’re
searching for into Google’s search bar. For example, if you go to Google and type in “+McDonald’s” it will lead you directly to McDonald’s Google+ page. Once users land
on this page, a special notification will pop up asking visitors to include the page in their circles.
Today, Direct Connect is available to only a select few pages including YouTube,Toyota, and Google, but here are a few tips on making your page eligible for Direct Con-
nect. As Google expands this option (and hopefully one day rolls out for all company pages), this will become a convenient way for anyone - not just Google+ users - to
find you and get acquainted with your business and social shares right away.
Google+: The Fine Print
Google+ has taken off for photographers because of its easy photo-sharing capabilities. While this creates a great network to share your work, photo-sharing on Google+
has raised some eyebrows about copyright issues. In Google’s official Terms of Service, it states:
“You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post
or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you
give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to re-
produce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any
Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.”
We’re not lawyers, but what this indicates is that although you maintain copyright of any content you submit on Google+, Google can still license and use your photo any
way they choose. In the case that this happens, you’ll be loosing out on a potential money-making deal. It’s understandable that this could make any business-focused
photographer very nervous. Social media platforms are powerful tools to help market and build your brand, but reading the fine print is also part of being a good business
person - and this case is no different.

39
The Best Google+Tips from
PhotoShelter Photographers
Fine art photographer Matt Suess has almost 17,000 followers on Google+ and uses
public profile page (not a Google+ Company Page) to reach his network. We asked
him what advice he can offer to help photographers reach that level of success on
Google+.
PhotoShelter: What did you do to grow a following so quickly?
MS: A lot of us early adopters received huge influxes of followers when Google+
first allowed one to share their Circles with others. However the best way to grow
your audience is to post meaningful content and interact with your followers and
with those you follow.
If you are just starting out on Google+ (and even if you have been on it for a while)
you should not be too concerned with your follower count. If you engage your audi-
ence with meaningful content, people will find you on Google+ and your follower
count will increase. But it really isn’t about the numbers - it’s about the interaction.
Also be sure to fill out your profile so that people can read about who you are. In-
complete or blank About pages on your profile can prevent you from getting many
followers. Who wants to follow someone they don’t know anything about?
PhotoShelter: What do you urge photographers not to do on Google+?
MS: Do not have empty photo galleries. Do not ignore comments asking legiti-
mate questions. Do not forget to comment and +1 other people’s posts. Do not fail
to understand the benefit of interaction. Google+ is all about sharing, discussion,
and community. Do not post 100 photos a day. Don’t be one-dimensional. Don’t
spam, use foul language, enable discussions to turn into fights, and all the normal
Internet common courtesy things.

40
PhotoShelter: How did you determine what your Google+ voice should be?
MS: The best bit of advice I can give is to just be yourself. When I post, pretty
much everything is public and open for everyone to see (unless I have specific info
for specific people I can post to select circles). My “voice” is really just who I am and
what I like. I post photo related material and other tidbits that I think people fol-
lowing me would enjoy. So my voice really is just who I am as an individual and as a
photographer.
PhotoShelter: Do you have a Google+ posting strategy? What type of content
provides you the best response from others?
MS: I try to do the majority of my posts in the morning and afternoons because I
am in Arizona and am anywhere from 2 to 3 hours behind EST depending on the
time of year. As for content, the vast majority of my posts are about my photography
and other tech/photo related news as well as other tidbits I feel my followers may
have an interest in. Approximately 10% of my posts are marketing related such as
announcing photo workshops I teach and art festivals I am exhibiting my work at.
PhotoShelter: Have you seen your SEO improve since you’ve started using
Google+?
MS: I have seen quite a bit of traffic driven to my main website and photo work-
shop website from those who have seen my posts on G+. In addition I have a Word-
press plugin that pulls select content I post on Google+ to my wordpress blog.This
has helped keep my website fresh with content and has helped improve traffic to my
site from keyword searches.

41
Google+Tips From Shane Srogi
Landscape, travel and conservation photographer Shane Srogi has almost 20,000 followers on Google+. He uses the platform to host a daily conversation called “The
Photographer’s Daily Topic” which receives about 3,000 reads a day. Every day, he’ll pose a photo-related question to his community asking their opinions on things from
watermarking images to slideshows, to when they realized their passion for photography. Shane will often get 10+ responses.
Shane is regularly introduced to photographers on Google+ and calls the platform “the best photo community on the Internet.”We asked him to share his tips on what he’s
doing right to attract attention:
PhotoShelter: What do you like about Google+?
SS: Google+ offers photographers a way to share big beautiful images and to have conversations without having character limits. Hangouts with extras allows 10 people to
video conference and share images in real time. And now with pages there will be some interesting new ways to use Google+. For instance I’ve created a page called Photo
Ten, featuring top 10 images of the day. Of course, the key ingredient is an active and engaged photo community, something that has flourished on Google +.
PhotoShelter: How do you determine what your Google+ voice should be?
SS: Time and again I get the question from emerging photographers, should I shoot like this person? I say follow your gut, be yourself. That is what makes you, unique.
I applied that same principle to Google+. I had nibbled around the edges of other social media so I knew what worked for me. For me, I like to post real time, via my
iPhone while scouting for locations for example. This way I can tell the story between landscape shots; this is where some of the most compelling stuff lives.
PhotoShelter: Do you have a Google+ posting strategy? What type of content gets you the best response?

42
SS: Posts on Google+ have about a 4 to 5 hour life span, then interactivity drops off
significantly. It’s also important to remember that Google+ is an international social
network. I have time zones set up on my iPhone and post accordingly. I regularly
talk with people from Europe, Asia and Australia. In terms of what content to
post, I feel like questions can work well - or not work at all. It depends on the way
you ask it. A question that fell flat for me once was on the topic of “branding.” I
reworded it and then instead asked, “how do you set your website apart?” which got
a lot of responses. People love to see pictures but don’t over do it, one a day is good.
And change them up.Think “the language of opposites.”
PhotoShelter: Have you seen your SEO improve since you’ve started using it?
SS: I absolutely have seen improved SEO - my site traffic is up and images have
shot up in ranking (with 3000+ views in a day G+ helps). It’s important to title your
images well. I include my site in my caption and my contact info in my meta data,
so visitors who engage with a particular image have a way to continue to visit my
website or otherwise find me online to possibly work together in the future.
PhotoShelter: What do you urge photographers not to do on Google+?
SS: Don’t get frustrated. Start building your circles, share some pictures, and jump
into a hangout. You’ll soon find yourself among some really great photographers.
When you do, don’t make the conversations about you; it’s about the people you are
interacting with. As Justin Seeley, social media guru says, “Give credit where credit
is due.” Google+ is a great place to share ideas; it only takes second to tag people in
your posts. Don’t neglect that. Lastly don’t forget to thank people.

43
How Google+ Can Benefit Your SEO
The beauty in a social media platform powered by Google is that this social media platform is directly tied to results on the search engine site itself. Google’s +1 button is
now set to directly affect the search rankings you see. By tracking +1s, Google is now taking these personal recommendations from users and integrating them in a way that
will generate search results based less on mathematics and more on what you actually like and what your friends recommend. Google+ now influences Google search results
with more user-generated information to understand certain trends and what people are interested in. Google+’s impact on SEO ranking is a trend we’re closely watching.
Measuring Your Success on Google+
In addition to using Google Analytics to track your website traffic coming from Google+, you can also measure the success of your Google+ performance by tracking your
Klout score. Klout provides social media analytics to help you understand your level of social media influence online. As of late November 2011, Klout added Google+ as a
contributing factor to your overall influence, joining sites like Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn, and Foursquare and Blogger.
Your Klout score measures your influence based on your ability to drive action and create content that engages with others. Your Klout score draws data from social network
participation including Google+ to measure:
How many people you influence
How much you influence them
The influence of your network
Active Google+ users can now use Klout to monitor their own score and progress to make an impact online.
How PhotoShelter Can Help
Post image links and blog links from PhotoShelter to Google+, or manually upload images directly to Google+’s photo editor. By providing a link on Google+ to your work
on your PhotoShelter site, followers in your Google+ circles will be more inclined to visit your site and stay updated with what you’re doing. Constantly leading people to
your site through your social networks like Google+ helps you stay on the radar of potential clients.
As of January, 2012, you now have the option to enable a Google+ social sharing widget directly on your PhotoShelter site.When visitors come to your site and view your
galleries, they can share and +1 specific photos and links directly to their own Google+ networks. PhotoShelter makes it as easy as possible for others to share and promote
your photography.
Check out Part II for tips on LinkedIn and Twitter...it’s already in your inbox!

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