Flash websites are dead. Static websites are dead. Facebook has changed everything.

When the Internet became popular, photographers began putting up static websites that would show examples of their work, and tell about their business. Flash made it easier to create pretty websites, but they were still a glorified yellow-page ad: who we are, where we’re located, what we do.

Google (and Bing and Yahoo) made these websites work because they provided an index to the Internet. But they only answered one question: “how can I find a photographer among a million other photographers?” A great achievement, but it still used the old yellow-pages ad metaphor.

Then Facebook came along, and it turned the idea of searching for a photographer on its head. Instead of worrying about keywords (which Google still does) Facebook asked the question a different way: “which photographers do my friends like?” It’s the difference between an ad and a word-of-mouth referral. People hate being sold, but they will trust their friends.

Which brings us to today. So how will potential clients find us in the future? Here are some likely scenarios: (more…)

Have you joined Pinterest yet? Pinterest is the fastest growing social media platform today. Why should you care?

• The amount of click-throughs from Pinterest are greater than YouTube, LinkedIn, and Google+ combined.

• The majority of Pinterest users are women ages 25-44, the target market for many kinds of professional photography.

So let’s say you’ve signed up for a Pinterest account. Here are a couple of ways you can use Pinterest to market your business.

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I’m becoming a fan of LinkedIn. Basically LinkedIn is like Facebook, but especially designed for professionals and business owners. Since you’re also a professional and a small business owner, it makes sense that you should get listed in LinkedIn too.

Getting started is easy. You go to the LinkedIn website, create a new account, and upload pertenant information like your contact information, a head shot, and your resume. Then LinkedIn reviews your information and offers to “link” you to other professionals you may already know.

Once you’re signed up, what should you do with your new account? Here are 3 ways to use it to help build your business:

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Have you joined Pinterest yet? It’s the biggest, newest social networking site on the Internet today, and it is the perfect place for professional photographers to show their best work to potential clients.

Here’s how Pinterest works: you “pin” photographs that interest you (pin+interest, get it?) to a virtual wall in your account. Other folks can “like” your photos (connects with Facebook) or can “re-pin” your photos to their walls.

What makes Pinterest so compelling for photographers is that it revolves around great photography. Every “pin” starts with a photograph, and many have less than a single sentence description. It is easy to start looking at someone else’s pins, and end up discovering a whole new style of photography you never knew existed.

The other thing that should interest photographers is the kind of folks on Pinterest: 10 million style and image-conscious women with disposable income. Even Facebook can’t put so many potential clients within your grasp for free.

Getting started with Pinterest is easy. Go to the page and request an invite. You’ll get one in a few days. Or you can ask one of your female clients for an invite. Chances are, they are already using it.

I’ve been warning you for a few months that you need to create a Google+ account for your studio.

It’s time.

“Give me a break,” I can imagine you saying. “It’s hard enough to keep up with my website and Facebook.”

You’re right, but it doesn’t matter. In the last 6 months, Google+ has added over 90 million users, so now it’s time to pay attention.

Google+ is Google’s attempt to compete with Facebook. Yes, it means you’ll have to create and monitor a new account. However, the advantage is that when someone gives you a “plus” on Google+ (just like a “like” in Facebook), Google rewards you by listing your studio higher on the front page of Google (something Facebook cannot do). That means the first studio to embrace Google+ in your area will be able to dominate Google searches for your keywords in your target market.

Need another reason? Google is starting to experiment with molding search results based on individual user’s preferences. Google+ is part of that initiative. A couple years from now, it is possible some potential clients simply won’t be able to find you online if you don’t have an active Google+ account.

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I was at a great new year’s party, and watched several of my friends take photographs with their iPhone.

But Tiffany took the idea to a whole new level. She snapped several group photographs, uploaded them to Facebook, then “tagged” every person in the photos. The next morning, we were all notified with links to view ourselves in Facebook pictures.

Since it was Sunday morning, I was lazy. Rather than post about how great the party was, I found myself sharing Tiffany’s photos with my friends and family. I’m sure many other folks did the same thing.

This same process could work at any event.

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You’ve probably seen the new changes in Facebook’s Wall feed over the last two weeks. Basically, Facebook has changed the wall so that the most recent, most clicked or most commented-on posts are on top, then the rest of the posts are underneath it.

These same changes are being seen by your customers too. After two weeks, research is coming out that shows individual post impressions are down by 25% In other words 1 out of 4 folks are reading the top posts and ignoring the lower ones.

If you want your FB posts to be seen, focus on these 3 strategies:

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If you haven’t noticed yet, next to every Google search result is a little button with a “+1″ inside.

This is a preview of a new social networking service called Google+ that started in July. It is designed to compete with the Facebook and the ”Like” button. The folks at Google don’t want to miss out on the social networking bandwagon the way Microsoft was slow to embrace the Internet and web browsers (remember when Netscape Navigator was king?).

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Would you walk up to someone at a party and say that your latest product is now available for $149.95 for a limited time only? Not only would that person walk away, but so would everyone else who overheard you.

In the same way, writing how much your product or services cost in a Facebook post isn’t a good idea. Facebook isn’t about talking at someone, it is best when it builds a conversation with others.

So instead of leading with an offer, try sharing about photography, then ask people to provide feedback and participate. This bridges the distance between you and your clients, and gets them involved with your brand. Ultimately new-found fans will promote you without being asked because they feel included. The fact that you asked and listened goes a long way.

Here are some examples of not-ok, better and best Facebook posts:

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Recently I was cc’d on an email between a client and one of his suppliers. The subject of the email was “social networking.” Here is what the email said:

As for the social networking stuff, it doesn’t work for everyone, but you have to do it anyway. An hour twice a week should be fine. Mostly I think people don’t do it because they don’t know what to do. A couple of links to articles you find online, a video from your website, new products, contests….really, anything works, just get your name in front of customers on a regular basis, and link back often to your website.

Here was my response to my client.

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