Author Topic: Swoozo (Read 30810 times)

swoozo · « **on:** April 18, 2018, 07:09 »

Hello dear friends of the Stock Photography,

I would like to introduce you to our website... https://www.swoozo.com
Through our website you can sell licenses for photos, vectors, videos and sounds.
We are still a very small agency based in Berlin / Germany.
We try to perform internationally. At the moment, sellers from over 20 countries are active on our website.
If you have any questions, please contact us.
We will reply as soon as possible.

Best regards,
Rayk

UKstock · « **Reply #1 on:** April 18, 2018, 08:23 »

From a contributor point of view pricing is important and I think we need to set a decent minimum

swoozo · « **Reply #2 on:** April 18, 2018, 08:33 »

Hello UKstock,

why do you find our pricing terrible?
Sellers can decide for themselves how high the selling prices are.

Best regards,
Rayk

Desintegrator · « **Reply #3 on:** April 18, 2018, 11:59 »

Quote from: swoozo on April 18, 2018, 08:33

Hello UKstock,

why do you find our pricing terrible?
Sellers can decide for themselves how high the selling prices are.

Best regards,
Rayk

For videos there should be a minum price around $35-40...

JerryL5 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 18, 2018, 12:09 »

Your search box should clear when we type in new terms.

swoozo · « **Reply #5 on:** April 18, 2018, 12:20 »

Hello Desintegrator,

sellers can set a basic price (for the smallest video size) of 12 to 100 Credits (approximately 15 to 125 Dollar).
The larger video sizes are automatically calculated.

Best regards,
Rayk

swoozo · « **Reply #6 on:** April 18, 2018, 12:22 »

Hello JerryL5,

we did that on purpose.
Many buyers want to expand or refine their search.

Best regards,
Rayk

steheap · « **Reply #7 on:** April 18, 2018, 13:12 »

You are certainly getting off lightly with the questions! A couple from me.

You mention how many sellers you have - how many buyers and approximately how many images do they license in a month? As you know, a stock agency is easy to build technically (I have one of my own) but getting buyers is extremely difficult (I sell perhaps one image a month on my personal agency...)

Then, how would a contributor submit say 10,000 images. Anything other than "automatically via FTP" is not a good answer. If we have to visit the site in any way to prepare or submit images into the database it would be a non-starter.

Steve

Noedelhap · « **Reply #8 on:** April 18, 2018, 13:37 »

Got your email so I checked your site.

I was wondering how many visitors do you have monthly and when did you start the agency?

Chichikov · « **Reply #9 on:** April 18, 2018, 14:20 »

Are you a german agency?
I have always got a lot of problem with german agencies…

Josephine · « **Reply #10 on:** April 18, 2018, 14:36 »

it´s dangerous to come here with a half-assed concept, because members will grind you.

...and you will not get a second chance...

get your homework done first.

Microstockphoto · « **Reply #11 on:** April 18, 2018, 14:44 »

what is your business plan; how will you get buyers to change their behavior and buy from you? what is your marketing budget and how are you planning on marketing your business? what is your growth expectation for the next 3 years? what is your USP?

Microstockphoto · « **Reply #12 on:** April 18, 2018, 14:47 »

just checked the website

185K image online, other agencies have millions. when i search for business meeting there are 0 files.

how is this ever going to attract buyers?

swoozo · « **Reply #13 on:** April 18, 2018, 16:54 »

Hello steheap,

I found it hard to create the website. Everything was programmed by myself.
Sales were better in 2016 than they are today.
Most buyers come from Google Images.
In 2016, the URL structure of the website was changed. As google likes it

After Google re-indexed the first URLs (mid-2017), sales are rising again.
At the moment, sales are in the three-digit range.
Portfolios with more than 1000 files and stored IPTC data, we can offer an automatic acquisition in our system.
You save a lot of time and work. The upload takes place via FTP.

Best regards,
Rayk

swoozo · « **Reply #14 on:** April 18, 2018, 16:59 »

Hello Noedelhap,

The agency has been online since the end of 2013.
The website has between 4,000 and 8,000 visitors per month.
Upward trend...

Best regards,
Rayk

swoozo · « **Reply #15 on:** April 18, 2018, 17:04 »

Hello Chichikov,

yes, Swoozo is a German agency (Berlin based).
What problems do you have with the "Germans"?
We have no problems with foreign sellers.

Best regards,
Rayk

swoozo · « **Reply #16 on:** April 18, 2018, 17:17 »

Hello Josephine,

I just wanted to react to an old topic.
In addition, I can handle criticism well.
Is not the first forum where I introduce Swoozo.
The website has become better and better through criticism...

Best regards,
Rayk

steheap · « **Reply #17 on:** April 18, 2018, 19:12 »

Quote

At the moment, sales are in the three-digit range.

I'm trying hard to be enthusiastic about this. But lets just say that your total revenue for the month is $720 (high in the 3 digit range), then the payment to contributors would be $360. With 183K images online, that represents $0.002 (ie 0.2c) per online image per month of payments to the contributor. So my 10,000 images would earn $20? I guess that could be better than Canstock, but it is hardly an enticement to spend much effort on the project.

Steve

Microstockphoto · « **Reply #18 on:** April 19, 2018, 02:12 »

Quote

At the moment, sales are in the three-digit range.

thats all we need to know

swoozo · « **Reply #19 on:** April 19, 2018, 03:38 »

Hello steheap,

it's a little bit more

... The website is already financed by itself.
It was very hard to get there.
There are really few sales. But it gets better and better.
We depend on sellers who still want to support small agencies.
Imagine a world where big websites exist without competition.
For large portfolios we take over the work for them. This will save you a lot of time.
But there must be IPTC keywords and IPTC titles.

Best regards,
Rayk

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #20 on:** April 19, 2018, 03:51 »

Quote from: swoozo on April 19, 2018, 03:38

Hello steheap,

it's a little bit more ... The website is already financed by itself.
It was very hard to get there.
There are really few sales. But it gets better and better.
We depend on sellers who still want to support small agencies.
Imagine a world where big websites exist without competition.
For large portfolios we take over the work for them. This will save you a lot of time.
But there must be IPTC keywords and IPTC titles.

Best regards,
Rayk

Hi Rayk!

I like small sites, because you never know what they will become in the future, and you can have direct discussions with the owners.

But I strongly believe that the website design needs to be completely redone. If you can't make a modern, 2018 style website yourself, you need to hire someone to do it.

I know it's a lot of hard work, but right now it looks like a site from the late 1990's. Very few serious contributors and buyers would take that seriously.

I don't believe you need to have a huge library in the millions to be successful, but your website needs to look and feel top notch. It needs to feel modern and professional. Still using tables in 2018? That instantly dates the site back 10-20 years I'm afraid, and is just one example.

I wish you the best of luck, but the web design needs to be completely remodeled before anything can seriously take off. It just needs to look good.

swoozo · « **Reply #21 on:** April 19, 2018, 04:45 »

Hello increasingdifficulty,

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on April 19, 2018, 03:51

Still using tables in 2018?

I do not understand the question.
Do you mean the mobile use of the website?
We're thinking about a new version of Swoozo.
Maybe also based on Blockchain Technology.
But at the moment it's just an idea ...
In any case, we are constantly developing the website!

Best regards,
Raykl

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #22 on:** April 19, 2018, 05:52 »

Quote from: swoozo on April 19, 2018, 04:45

Hello increasingdifficulty,

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on April 19, 2018, 03:51
Still using tables in 2018?

I do not understand the question.
Do you mean the mobile use of the website?
We're thinking about a new version of Swoozo.
Maybe also based on Blockchain Technology.
But at the moment it's just an idea ...
In any case, we are constantly developing the website!

Best regards,
Raykl

I meant like on this page for example (the price information):

https://www.swoozo.com/en/selling/prices/

I really mean it when I say that you need to look at the web design first and foremost, before doing anything else. I would say that it needs to be completely changed. Right now it doesn't look like a site made in the last 10-20 years. I think this is where your focus should be first and foremost.

Most buyers are designers themselves, and the look and design of a site is extremely important, especially if your target audience is designers.

It doesn't have to be complicated design. Just clean and modern. And don't even think about blockchain before the design is spot on.

---

This is clean, modern design:

https://stock.adobe.com

Not complicated at all, very simple, but it looks like it was designed by a designer, and it looks modern.

steheap · « **Reply #23 on:** April 19, 2018, 08:42 »

Quote

Not complicated at all, very simple, but it looks like it was designed by a designer, and it looks modern

Maybe my own site in the footer looks modern as well - of course it doesn't sell very much, unfortunately!! OK, correct that, it sells virtually nothing!

Steve

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #24 on:** April 19, 2018, 08:45 »

Quote from: steheap on April 19, 2018, 08:42

Quote
Not complicated at all, very simple, but it looks like it was designed by a designer, and it looks modern

Maybe my own site in the footer looks modern as well - of course it doesn't sell very much, unfortunately!! OK, correct that, it sells virtually nothing!

Steve

You mean this one? https://www.backyardstockphotos.com

Yeah, it looks good! Nice, clean, modern, simple.

steheap · « **Reply #25 on:** April 19, 2018, 09:22 »

Quote

You mean this one? https://www.backyardstockphotos.com

Yeah, it looks good! Nice, clean, modern, simple.

Now all the readers of this forum will be able to go there and source their stock photo needs! My publicity job is done!

Oh wait, the readers of this forum are contributors

Noedelhap · « **Reply #26 on:** April 19, 2018, 09:32 »

I do agree with most people here that the website looks very dated. It should feel modern and visually appealing, and this simply doesn't.

Also, equally important: the Swoozo name and logo need updating. Have a professional logo designer design a unique identity for your agency. The Sherlock Holmes silhouette looks like a free clipart icon and the swoozo font is very boring and ugly.

Also make sure all English translations are 100% correct. One small translation error could put off a potential customer.

swoozo · « **Reply #27 on:** April 19, 2018, 11:44 »

Hello to all,

thank you for the many comments.
It's good to hear honest opinions.
In the end it will improve Swoozo!!!
.... and many thanks to those who have registred up to support me.

Best regards,
Rayk

Desintegrator · « **Reply #28 on:** April 19, 2018, 12:32 »

Looks like there is no way to bulk submit images, you have to click through every upload, even selecting categories.
So it's a big NO to upload here.
I even wonder how those 180.000 images got up there with this condition.
The only way I would give this site a try would if i could submit hundreds of images with 3-4 mouseclicks maximum
Selecting categories and 6-7 clicks for every single file.. no way

swoozo · « **Reply #29 on:** April 19, 2018, 13:03 »

Hello Desintegrator,

for large portfolios we offer to do the work for you.
Then they are at zero clicks...

Best regards,
Rayk

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #30 on:** April 19, 2018, 15:09 »

Quote from: JerryL5 on April 18, 2018, 12:09

Your search box should clear when we type in new terms.

Yes. By the way, we're all new and I see that there's a cookie that remembers last search, but also a button to clear search. That's useful.

And although Sue pointed this out, it's still wrong, search should say separated by commas not "Terms separate by comma..." or possibly Separate Search Terms with commas...

Chichikov · « **Reply #31 on:** April 20, 2018, 08:43 »

Quote from: swoozo on April 18, 2018, 17:04

Hello Chichikov,

yes, Swoozo is a German agency (Berlin based).
What problems do you have with the "Germans"?
We have no problems with foreign sellers.

Best regards,
Rayk

Never said that I have any problem with Germans…

swoozo · « **Reply #32 on:** April 20, 2018, 09:23 »

Hello Chichikov,

Quote from: Chichikov on April 18, 2018, 14:20

Are you a german agency?
I have always got a lot of problem with german agencies…

I meant... what problems with german agencies

Best regards,
Rayk

Chichikov · « **Reply #33 on:** April 20, 2018, 10:01 »

Quote from: swoozo on April 20, 2018, 09:23

Hello Chichikov,

Quote from: Chichikov on April 18, 2018, 14:20
Are you a german agency?
I have always got a lot of problem with german agencies…

I meant... what problems with german agencies

Best regards,
Rayk

The three I worked with (so 100% of the ones I worked with) were unfriendly, unfair and rude…
And with this the sales were almost inexistant…

Pauws99 · « **Reply #34 on:** April 21, 2018, 04:13 »

Quote from: steheap on April 19, 2018, 08:42

Quote
Not complicated at all, very simple, but it looks like it was designed by a designer, and it looks modern

Maybe my own site in the footer looks modern as well - of course it doesn't sell very much, unfortunately!! OK, correct that, it sells virtually nothing!

Steve

Yes it looks good....but you probably don't need telling marketing of sites is so important. I think many contributors underestimate that...there's a reason why sites offering a very high percentage payout struggle ;-).

steheap · « **Reply #35 on:** April 21, 2018, 09:13 »

Quote

Yes it looks good....but you probably don't need telling marketing of sites is so important. I think many contributors underestimate that...there's a reason why sites offering a very high percentage payout struggle ;-).

I agree 100%. Although certain images rank high on Google images, the conversion rate to sales is negligible. The trouble is, I've never found any way to actually promote the site to the potential buying audience that makes any difference. Unless you have a real niche, then self hosted stock sites have been a complete waste of time and money for me.

This month has been great though - someone bought a small image for 99c.... That is almost the BME!

Steve

namussi · « **Reply #36 on:** April 22, 2018, 04:37 »

Quote from: swoozo on April 19, 2018, 04:45

We're thinking about a new version of Swoozo.
Maybe also based on Blockchain Technology.
But at the moment it's just an idea ...
In any case, we are constantly developing the website!

Best regards,
Raykl

Think first about the customer. What is the benefit to the customer of blockchain technology?

If you can't explain it in a sentence without jargon, then don't bother with blockchain.

Get the design of the main website right before you do anything else.

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Author Topic: Swoozo (Read 30810 times)

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