MicrostockGroup
Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Stock Discussion => Topic started by: S. on February 05, 2018, 04:12
-
As I ask in the title: having a complete profile does make any difference?
A lot of websites give you a customizable profile page with header image, profile image, bio, and lots of custom fields.
Does it matter at all to have a complete profile? Or create public "collections" or other similar things?
-
Why would a buyer be remotely interested in me? Never bothered with it
-
Personally I have two complete profiles, the right and the left…
Not sure that it helps.
-
Buyers come for a photo - top priority. Buyers may like a style or series so they poke around a portfolio - second priority. Buyers want something similar or special based on what they see in a portfolio - contacting a contributor is likely third priority or lower.
Since 2002 I have indeed been contacted a couple of times that resulted in decent deals that couldn't be filled under the standard stock site licensing. So having a profile, at least real name and location, can be useful for potential buyers trying to find you, perhaps by doing a Google search. This also implies the need for some Internet web presence that is vaguely linked to your stock site's profile. The better the linkage, the better they can find you.
Note that I have also had a number of cases where buyers expect special deals at Microstock prices or for "exposure". These are a waste of time. Even just returning Email to determine if the contact is a potential serious buyer costs time. Any custom negotiations, custom work, risk of money collections, and risk of failed business transactions, can only be done at a cost much higher than Microstock prices. Fortunately I don't see many of these so it is not a lot of overhead.
So, in my estimation, it is a slightly positive decision to at least include enough profile information to help someone make a contact outside of the stock site for a custom deal.
-
I try to have a complete profile at each agency. Will it make a difference in sales? Probably not.
For some buyers it may evoke a little bit of trust, but in the end, it's your portfolio quality that really matters.
I agree with StanRohrer that some buyers may want to contact you, so it might be useful to have some contact info or personal details.