Facebook and Photography

bbg404

bbg404

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Name
Ben
Edit My Images
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So I'm trying to "Get Out There" and get my photography page Liked and Shared as much as possible yet I share it and lots of people like the status and pictures I share but not the page!

Now it maybe they don't like my work or there just a bit "thick" and don't actually understand they have to go on the page and click "Like"

Has anyone else experienced this?
 
Perhaps they just like the individual posts, and don't bother take the time to look at the whole page?
 
Yeah maybe but I would love to increase my like a lot more than they are now so more people see my work!

I just can't get my head round it if I like someone's work then I would automatically like the page I if see more work more often
 
Recent FB changes have made it more difficult to build up a following and as you've found it is difficult now to get people to visit the page rather than just the photo. It's a case of sticking at it, posting decent photos and hopefully building up a reputation. Have a look at joining some of the Fb "Groups" ... this ones a good landscape group.. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1500228726862465/
 
So if they don't like your page they're thick?

LOL
 
bbg404 said:
Yeah maybe but I would love to increase my like a lot more than they are now so more people see my work!

I just can't get my head round it if I like someone's work then I would automatically like the page I if see more work more often
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It may be that a lot of people 'like' a shot because someone they know has shared it - it takes little effort to click 'like' on a shared photo, it takes more effort (and time) to follow the photo back to the page, look through other images on the page, and decide to 'like' the whole page.
 
bbg404 said:
So I'm trying to "Get Out There" and get my photography page Liked and Shared as much as possible yet I share it and lots of people like the status and pictures I share but not the page!

Now it maybe they don't like my work or there just a bit "thick" and don't actually understand they have to go on the page and click "Like"

Has anyone else experienced this?
Click to expand...

Anyone else seeing a certain irony there? o_O
 
Getting completely random people to like your page is always going to be hard. As photographers we like to think we are the most important people in the world. Everyone loves a good photography but honestly, how many people actually use the services of an actual photographer on a regular basis. Random people just don't feel the need to follow photographers on Facebook. Even if your work is absolutely stunning (I haven't seen it so I don't know) they may only click like on 1 photo and not give the rest of your page a second thought.

I have about 850 likers of my page but I bet at least 700 of them don't really care what I post at all and if they ever were in the position to need a photographer I'm unlikely to be their first thought. That doesn't make them thick, it's just the way Facebook is.
 
bbg404 said:
Ok I take back the "thick" comment never mind ill just have to keep up the fight
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To be truly helpful:

Why do you want the 'Likes'

Genuine question, most people steam straight past it.
 
And this gets you more work how?

Doesn't make people thick just because they don't "like" you if i wasn't so "thick" I might post a link to your comment on facebook
 
bbg404 said:
And like I posted before I took the thick comment back! My bad!

Well surely the more people to see your work the more chance of selling things
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If i wanted to purchase a Photograph, Facebook would be the laaaaaaaaaaaaast place i would look but that may be due to my age :)

You do realise that taking the "Thick" comment back just aint gonna work, especially with this lot :banghead: It's out there now for all to see :runaway:
 
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Wow, what a lovely attitude. Just what I'd want from a photographer I was following on facebook.

Maybe people only like one of your images, doesn't make them thick if they don't want to like your page...
 
bbg404 said:
.. maybe they don't like my work
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That's a possibility. Another one is that they just can't be arsed. There's nowt you can do about either unless you suddenly acquire the power of a tyrannical dictator. Relax. Let it go.
 
bbg404 said:
...Well surely the more people to see your work the more chance of selling things
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You'd think?

Unfortunately for all of us, marketing isn't that simple.

Same question from a slightly different perspective (see if I can make you think):

Who is your target customer?
NikonKev said:
If i wanted to purchase a Photograph, Facebook would be the laaaaaaaaaaaaast place i would look but that may be due to my age :)
...
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If it's Kev, you've already lost him.
If it's not Kev, who is it?

It sounds obvious, but you don't open a shop then decide where to put it. You decide who your target customer is then open a shop where they're hanging out.

You can't market by just hoping that your potential customers might have mates that are mates of yours, it takes a bit more effort than that.

Without even splitting it to demographics, what % of 'people' buy landscape photos? Maybe 2%, and they'll maybe buy 2 or 3 in a lifetime, and they don't just buy random ones, they buy scenes that are significant to them.

So if I was selling landscapes of the Lake District, I'd want an outlet in the lakes where people on holiday might be looking for a souvenir of their holidays. The chances of one of your Facebook 'likes' actually wanting to buy a picture? Small, tiny, non-existent? Unless you count your mum or your mates who want to 'do you a favour'
 
In my opinion the reason people strive to amass Page Likes is that it's more or less a given that someone looking for a photographer via Facebook will be dazzled by the number of 'likes' he or she has, assume they are ace and choose them over the competition. Not always, but often.

This is confirmed by a number of 'yutes' I interact with on occasion.

Like it or not that is the mentality of your average Facebook user and isn't likely to change any time soon. So if likes bump you up the perceived social standing on Facebook and that therefor brings home the bacon then it is what it is. Might as well roll with it.
 
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danny_bhoy said:
In my opinion the reason people strive to amass Page Likes is that it's more or less a given that someone looking for a photographer via Facebook will be dazzled by the number of 'likes' he or she has, assume they are ace and choose them over the competition. Not always, but often.

This is confirmed by a number of 'yutes' I interact with on occasion.

Like it or not that is the mentality of your average Facebook user and isn't likely to change any time soon. So if likes bump you up the perceived social standing on Facebook and that therefor brings home the bacon then it is what it is. Might as well roll with it.
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But, he's not a social photographer and landscapes are rarely commissioned.

Although fortunately for the OP, youth don't buy landscape photos, and the youth abandoned Facebook when their Grandma opened an account (Grandma does buy nice pictures).
 
Phil V said:
But, he's not a social photographer...
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Ah I must have glossed over that part in my haste to get to the inevitable flaming :)

My point about number of likes equating to a higher perceived status in the world of Facebook still stands....even if it won't actually shift many landscape pictures.
 
Facebook is a bit hard to get many followers on. If you want more random people to follow your work I would defently recomend flickr. Read some more about marketing and im sure you'll get a decent amount of followers. And remember to post in as many groups as possible. I useally post in 20 different groups and on top of that I share it on reddit, thumblr, pintrest and facebook
 
Phil V said:
You'd think?

Unfortunately for all of us, marketing isn't that simple.

Same question from a slightly different perspective (see if I can make you think):

Who is your target customer?

If it's Kev, you've already lost him.
If it's not Kev, who is it?

It sounds obvious, but you don't open a shop then decide where to put it. You decide who your target customer is then open a shop where they're hanging out.

You can't market by just hoping that your potential customers might have mates that are mates of yours, it takes a bit more effort than that.

Without even splitting it to demographics, what % of 'people' buy landscape photos? Maybe 2%, and they'll maybe buy 2 or 3 in a lifetime, and they don't just buy random ones, they buy scenes that are significant to them.

So if I was selling landscapes of the Lake District, I'd want an outlet in the lakes where people on holiday might be looking for a souvenir of their holidays. The chances of one of your Facebook 'likes' actually wanting to buy a picture? Small, tiny, non-existent? Unless you count your mum or your mates who want to 'do you a favour'
Click to expand...

But you could find a Facebook 'Lake District' group and share a photo or two there to lure people to your page...
 
Llamaman said:
But you could find a Facebook 'Lake District' group and share a photo or two there to lure people to your page...
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Of course you could, but that's not the OP's question, I'm trying to make him consider a marketing strategy beyond 'I need more likes'. Because 'more likes' isn't an end in itself.
However it appears now the OP has been told where he's going wrong he has no interest in maintaining the conversation.
 
I agree with the assertion that a photographer can have a superficially enhanced reputation from having a large number of Likes. It's called the Veblen Effect. Likes can be (*and are*) bought for precisely this reason. As Phil says, though, as a way of marketing it only works if it finds your customers. It's worth bearing in mind that FB has started throttling back the organic reach of posts for business pages, limiting growth, so that businesses wishing to reach their 4bn or so users should do so using paid advertising, which is fair enough. They're a business after all. So the golden days of FB for commercial exposure are coming to an end. Good SEO will grow a web site search index over time but the best prospects for good short-term growth are by being very active on Twitter, finding and communicating with like-minded folk and posting good content, not just images.
 
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To be fair to the op he's getting quite a bit if stick for his 'thick' comment. If you actually read it he doesn't say if they don't like my photos then they're thick but rather they're too thick to understand they have to click the like button. A small point i know and whilst calling your potential customers thick is never a wise business move the latter is a little less pretentious.
 
I think the OP comment was wrong no matter what context it was used in. Especially as it may well be that people don't want to click his like button. For lots of reasons.
 
bbg404 said:
Thanks for the replies maybe I didn't word it right .... I just assume people like my work and when I share the page they like the fact I've shared it but don't then like the page
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Never assume anything in life.
 
bbg404 said:
So more people see my work when I post it so the more people that like my page will see my posts and if they like those posts more of there friends will see it
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Please share might be an addition if you feel it is worthy
 
Most Group Administrators on Facebook don't allow commercial links - I certainly don't allow them!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/561222590593478/

If you want to try to earn money from your photography and include facebook as just one of many marketing efforts, then create a Business Page on Facebook but you will also need to link it with your own dedicated website where commissions and sales can be handled.

All Facebook's 'Likes' do is encourage you in your work and healthily massage your ego and self-confidence. Facebook is whatever you want to make it and there is far too much ignorant prejudice about it along with over generalised misconceptions. I am an OAP and not a hyperactively social teenager - However, I don't mind growing old, just as long as I don't have to grow up!
 
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Phil V said:
You can't market by just hoping that your potential customers might have mates that are mates of yours, it takes a bit more effort than that.

Without even splitting it to demographics, what % of 'people' buy landscape photos? Maybe 2%, and they'll maybe buy 2 or 3 in a lifetime, and they don't just buy random ones, they buy scenes that are significant to them.

So if I was selling landscapes of the Lake District, I'd want an outlet in the lakes where people on holiday might be looking for a souvenir of their holidays. The chances of one of your Facebook 'likes' actually wanting to buy a picture? Small, tiny, non-existent? Unless you count your mum or your mates who want to 'do you a favour'
Click to expand...

Great advice from Phil.. by far the best thing I've done is get out and about, talk to people who own outlets and fortunately get my work into some of them. 85% of my sales come from "real world" places.. my website comes 2nd on the list and then social media 3rd.

That's not to say FB hasn't been useful in reaching a wider audience, I'm sure it has but as Phil says there's a very, very small number of people who "like" my FB page or images actually buy them. FB groups are good for networking but are mainly frequented by other people just like you wanting an outlet for their images so they're highly unlikely to buy anything from anyone else.

The easiest things to do are rarely the most productive.. as with FB

Simon
 
I don't think likes are that important. At least that's what I keep telling myself ;)

It's more important that those who are your target audience are able to find you when necessary.

IMO the only people who will buy landscapes though facebook are Friends and family, and they'll want a special deal at that!

Keep posting amazing images and you're page will grow in popularity.
 
I closed mine down.

As if the image compression wasn't bad enough (it would ruin a lot of photos), the pay to reach thing is appalling.

Didn't have many likes, only around 70 or so. But with the new reach system, each photo was only being seen by about 15 people unless I paid. I can live with terrible image quality so real life friends who don't bother with Twitter/Flickr can see the images, but not when it's actively hiding them from the few people that bothered to show an interest.

I just linked my Flickr to my personal Facebook instead, so everytime I upload it posts a thumbnail preview (abysmally cropped and horrific quality) that links directly to the Flickr page.
 
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