Archbould Photography Facebook Page
Recently I have noticed a new wave of small and large businesses getting Facebook pages. For many reasons I have resisted Facebook and so did my photography colleague Cathie Archbould . . . until now. So, I asked Cathie a few questions about finally joining one of the most popular social networking sites, and here is the interview.
Marlene: Hi Cathie. Thanks for chatting with me today. I’m sure my students and other emerging photographers would love to hear some of your marketing ideas, especially as they relate to social networking, and Facebook in particular. I noticed that you have recently joined the ranks of Facebook with your Archbould Photography page. I know you waited a long time to do this. What made it the right time for you?
Cathie: I researched it pretty carefully and then looked at what photographers and what type of photographers were using it to promote their businesses. Although not new, Facebook has been around since 2004, I feel it is at least in the newer style of advertising and yet one more way to get the word out about myself and make my business stand out compared to others. I see it as just another advertising venue and it only costs the time of setting it up and keeping it up to date.
Marlene: What do you think are the main benefits for your photography business being on Facebook?
Cathie: I think the main benefit is letting people/clients/friends know on a more regular basis where my assignments are taking me, showing the variety of work I do and how busy I am. So having another venue where I can show my work to more people, and that is done easily on Facebook as well as my blog. I have actually found uploading and writing a brief description of my images is easier to fit in to my schedule than changing my blog entries.
Marlene: I suppose Facebook is also more fun to use because it’s interactive so you can read comments from your fans too. Are there any drawbacks, besides the obvious time drain on your already busy schedule?
Cathie: Currently that is the only drawback I’m finding.
Marlene: Other than Facebook, what other social networking and marketing tools or methods do you use to promote your business? Are there any tried and true things that work for you?
Cathie: I try to do as much as I can using things like: Linked In, embedded galleries from my Photoshelter archive, my photo blog, commenting on other blogs, radio interviews, mail-outs, email blasts about new work. I’m running a few newspaper ads this spring as well, and direct emails to regular clients. This year I also had a calendar designed and printed locally as a free handout to clients this was very well received and will stick around for 12 months.
Marlene: I know that you did the photos for a soon-to-be-published cookbook called the Boreal Gourmet. Tell me the story of how it continues to spread through Facebook.
Cathie: I have a cabin in a very small northern BC town and my closest neighbor is a fan of my Facebook page and a very accomplished and well-connected painter internationally. He commented on the food photography I put up on Facebook. A friend of his in Chicago then looked at my work and did the same, followed by another in Atlanta, Georgia. They are now pre-ordering the cookbook! This from one comment from one person looking at my Archbould Photography page. I think this is the beauty of Facebook, as we all believe business comes from relationships, and you don’t know who your next client is going to be.
Marlene: That’s quite an amazing story, and it happened very soon after you started on Facebook! Hopefully this spins off to more work for you as well as the author, and I’m sure the publisher is pretty happy about it too. Will you be selling the book on your blog?
Cathie: I am going to look into that for sure. As it happens, I am finishing up the photos for another client’s book which I’ll be posting soon and we’ll see if that goes viral too.
Marlene: Well keep me posted on that! I’m sure you have attracted the attention of other book publishers and editors now too. So Cathie, do you have any final comments?
Cathie: You can shoot all the great images you want but unless people are seeing them and your name is getting out, they are not helping build your business, they are only paying the immediate bills. My goal is to keep current with advertising options including social media, and continue to build a bigger and better business. Since I live in a small region in northern Canada, Facebook allows me to do this much easier than a lot of the traditional self-promotion options.
