Instagram for part of marketing ?

[jtk]

Are you using Instagram ? How ?

Seems like combining Instagram with infrequent blogging might work well with it (vs static webpage).

 

[Peter Schrager]

You just found out. !! Secrets out now!!
Instagram is fun and fluid and we're all there

 

[faberryman]

You just found out. !! Secrets out now!! Instagram is fun and fluid and we're all there

To what end?

 

[winger]

I'm on Instagram. I see lots of film images, images I'd never make, ones that I wish I had, etc.. I get a certain amount of inspiration from shots I see there, too. I share some of mine knowing that at least a few people will see them that way rather than leaving them all in a box somewhere. I scan darkroom prints to share as well as phone shots and dSLR shots.

It is a way to get at least some more views of your website if you have your site in your profile. I can't really say if it leads to more sales, though any would be more in my case. My website also currently sucks because I haven't put the time in to really make it how I want it. The average person is more likely to see a shot on Instagram or Facebook than they are to find someone's website, though. For the most part, a person/potential customer would have to be looking for you in particular or a shot that only you could have taken in order to find your website. If you post an occasional shot on Insta and hashtag it well, more people are likely to see it than will search independently for your website.

 

[jtk]

I'll never create another website.. various blog formats could better serve my particular purposes, and Instagram (done properly) would draw appropriate people to that blog (that's how I learned of Instagram's potential).

Limited exploration of Instagram has reinforced my distaste for Facebook (restroom grafitti) has increased and proved that (for me) energy put into websites is a waste (I'm into persona contact)...


...blogs can serve serve better than websites because they can be targeted/controlled (somehow) narrowly or broadly (like Instagram).

But I don't yet adequately understand the model. I stumbled across some Instagram posts that drew me to the blogs (and reviews of) for two photographers who use similar unique photo techniques...which I'm struggling to explore. I'm certain that those photographers (one of them Japanese) sell their work (both commercial illustration and artworks) through referral, some of which was triggered by Instagram.

Anybody got a good instructive link to use of Instagram ?

 

[jim10219]

The question is what are you trying to do? Instagram, and really all social media, is kind of it's own world. You can be Instafamous (famous on Instagram) and not really have anything come of that in the real world other than some opportunities for product endorsements.

In my experience, likes almost never turn into sales. The people who like things aren't interested in buying stuff. They're generally just hopping from one trend to another and never really focusing on any one thing. The medium fuels short attention spans, after all. I tried the Instagram/Facebook/Twitter trio back when I was painting. I found it a total waste of time. Some galleries (usually just the small ones who rarely made any sales anyway) looked at that stuff as important, but for me, it never translated into a sale and it occupied far too much of my time and energy.

Another thing that's weird is that the things that people like most on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter, etc., aren't the things that people like the most in the real world. For example, a well conceived and executed photo of something that maybe wins some awards in competitions will gather far fewer positive responses on social media than a photo of some train tracks with a low camera perspective and some light leakage. Some people may even be willing to pay you money for a print of the first photograph, but no one will pay for a print of the second photo. Yet the second photo will see much more engagement. It's weird.

It is, however, a good resource for inspiration. And you can post stuff and get some feedback, which will mostly not be worth reading, but occasionally something worthwhile will pop up that you hadn't thought of.

 

[trendland]

Are you using Instagram ? How ?

Seems like combining Instagram with infrequent blogging might work well with it (vs static webpage).

jtk - it is just a guess of Trendland! So let me state (it is a serious statement - no irony)
I feel if you have the need of Instagram, facebook a.s.o you have a problem!
Seriously!
If you have not the need to be accessible via smartphone you have done everything fine!
If you have NOT THE NEED OF A HOMEPAGE - to present your shots for example :
You are the best!

But of course one may feel fine with instagram and facebook and Homepage a.s.o.!
But if you have the need of (to come in job, to come to jobs, to come to clients)
You have a problem then - belive me!

with regards

 

[Peter Schrager]

I'm not remembering offhand who it is but a quite famous photographer has NO website just uses instagram. created a huge following
more people go to instagram than your website
like I said before it's fluid and fun too....
I use it for my Herbal Drinks I sell where I do a mix of propaganda and photography too.
It's always fun though...hashtags are the key...
I'm using lots of one's I made up
Wildeflowers_health if you care to see it

 

[jtk]

The question is what are you trying to do? Instagram, and really all social media, is kind of it's own world. You can be Instafamous (famous on Instagram) and not really have anything come of that in the real world other than some opportunities for product endorsements.

In my experience, likes almost never turn into sales. The people who like things aren't interested in buying stuff. They're generally just hopping from one trend to another and never really focusing on any one thing. The medium fuels short attention spans, after all. I tried the Instagram/Facebook/Twitter trio back when I was painting. I found it a total waste of time. Some galleries (usually just the small ones who rarely made any sales anyway) looked at that stuff as important, but for me, it never translated into a sale and it occupied far too much of my time and energy.

Another thing that's weird is that the things that people like most on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter, etc., aren't the things that people like the most in the real world. For example, a well conceived and executed photo of something that maybe wins some awards in competitions will gather far fewer positive responses on social media than a photo of some train tracks with a low camera perspective and some light leakage. Some people may even be willing to pay you money for a print of the first photograph, but no one will pay for a print of the second photo. Yet the second photo will see much more engagement. It's weird.

It is, however, a good resource for inspiration. And you can post stuff and get some feedback, which will mostly not be worth reading, but occasionally something worthwhile will pop up that you hadn't thought of.

I dont think "likes" are relevant to the way professional photographers use Instagram...which seem unlike the social media you've mentioned...for some it seems more like somewhat targeted (but metastatic ) advertising.

 

[jtk]

I'm not remembering offhand who it is but a quite famous photographer has NO website just uses instagram. created a huge following
more people go to instagram than your website
like I said before it's fluid and fun too....
I use it for my Herbal Drinks I sell where I do a mix of propaganda and photography too.
It's always fun though...hashtags are the key...
I'm using lots of one's I made up
Wildeflowers_health if you care to see it

Thanks...I'll look

 

[jtk]

jtk - it is just a guess of Trendland! So let me state (it is a serious statement - no irony)
I feel if you have the need of Instagram, facebook a.s.o you have a problem!
Seriously!
If you have not the need to be accessible via smartphone you have done everything fine!
If you have NOT THE NEED OF A HOMEPAGE - to present your shots for example :
You are the best!

But of course one may feel fine with instagram and facebook and Homepage a.s.o.!
But if you have the need of (to come in job, to come to jobs, to come to clients)
You have a problem then - belive me!
with regards

I don't understand your sentences..however I'll just mention that the best way to get assignments involves walking in doors unannounced.

 

[trendland]

[QUOTE="jtk, post: 2171149, member: 22875 walking in doors unannounced.[/QUOTE]
We should shout it out more loud jtk - for the generation intership!

with regards

 

[Nodda Duma]

I’ve found that the quality of my Instagram feed is significantly higher than any other social media platform. Lots of good photos esp from the “next gen” of photographers that didn’t grow up in an analog world but have taken up shooting film

 

[jim10219]

I dont think "likes" are relevant to the way professional photographers use Instagram...which seem unlike the social media you've mentioned...for some it seems more like somewhat targeted (but metastatic ) advertising.

I don't think "likes" are either. What I'm saying is that it seems like it would be a good way for a targeted and cheap advertising campaign. And for many products it is. But photography isn't one of them.

Social media is good for targeting young people to advertise to. Older people are (statistically speaking) set in their ways. They're not logging onto social media to look for new products, services, or whatever. They're mainly on there looking for affirmation in their own beliefs. That's why marketers work so hard to target the 18-35 group. Their minds are still impressionable by advertising. A 60 year old man who's always used Gillette razors isn't going to switch to another razor company unless he's forced to. It's just the way humans are. And young people, that 18-35 demographic, don't usually have the money to spend on art. And if they do, they generally aren't looking to do that through social media. They'll want to do that at something like an art festival. These younger generations are more interested in experiences than things, and if they purchase art, it's more likely because of the experience of meeting the artist. The art tells their own personal story. Older generations, the ones more likely to buy art, aren't going to buy it online. They don't trust the internet when it comes to things like that. If they're going to plop down money for art, they want to credentials they can trust. In other words, they want to buy it from an established gallery.

So social media is great for promoting things that young people are into. You can promote makeup, beer, fashion, music, places to travel to, and even film itself. Because film is an experience. But a photo you took is your experience, not theirs. And they're generally not interested in that.

Besides, Instagram is dying. Facebook is dead. These things have short lifespans. About the time their parents become aware of it, the kids move on. The only people left on Facebook are parents and grandparents trying to keep in touch with distance relatives they no longer see. Whatsap is the one everyone is into now. It has over 1 billion active users a month. Compare that to Instagram which is only at 400 million and declining.

 

[jtk]

The question is what are you trying to do? Instagram, and really all social media, is kind of it's own world. You can be Instafamous (famous on Instagram) and not really have anything come of that in the real world other than some opportunities for product endorsements.

In my experience, likes almost never turn into sales. The people who like things aren't interested in buying stuff. They're generally just hopping from one trend to another and never really focusing on any one thing. The medium fuels short attention spans, after all. I tried the Instagram/Facebook/Twitter trio back when I was painting. I found it a total waste of time. Some galleries (usually just the small ones who rarely made any sales anyway) looked at that stuff as important, but for me, it never translated into a sale and it occupied far too much of my time and energy.

Another thing that's weird is that the things that people like most on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter, etc., aren't the things that people like the most in the real world. For example, a well conceived and executed photo of something that maybe wins some awards in competitions will gather far fewer positive responses on social media than a photo of some train tracks with a low camera perspective and some light leakage. Some people may even be willing to pay you money for a print of the first photograph, but no one will pay for a print of the second photo. Yet the second photo will see much more engagement. It's weird.

It is, however, a good resource for inspiration. And you can post stuff and get some feedback, which will mostly not be worth reading, but occasionally something worthwhile will pop up that you hadn't thought of.

Great observations !