Author Topic: Good $ per download tip (Read 12332 times)

markjay · « **on:** April 21, 2009, 13:19 »

My name is markjay and I'm new to your forum but have been involved in photography for many years. This is a great place and, I'm happy to have found another place to call home :-)

To help other photographers
To help other photographers who like myself, are looking for ways to get a better return per download on your stock images, I have a tip for you........

I have been a member of a website that allows you to sell your digital stock photos on business card templates and get between 5.00 and 25.00 PER use of your photo on a business card template. The cool thing is, the customer does not even GET the file.. they only get to use your photo as a background for a business card print order and the file itself is no larger than 1125 x 675. You can also just use a small portion of one of your photos to put on the business card and it can be just as effective. Remember, all you are doing is creating a background for the template (you can get the blank template from the site.

Basically, you just add your photo to a business card template and upload it as is to the site, where you simply add a text layout of your choosing just to show clients what the card looks like with text on it.

I've been a member for a while now and it's a great place to be with an active artist community as well.

BTW: I do not work for this site, I'm just a photographer like you are, looking to stretch my download revenue.

CORRECTED LINK
Here's a link to get more information:
http://www.printbusinesscards.com/Community.php?do=JoiningArtistsCommunity [nofollow]

Have a great day today and I wish you all great success!!

Markjay

Clivia · « **Reply #1 on:** April 21, 2009, 13:39 »

Thanks Markjay. We already know about this site, a lot of us a members there. See here: http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/sold-one-business-card-again!-d/

stockastic · « **Reply #2 on:** April 21, 2009, 13:48 »

Well it's news to me. Sounds interesting.

epantha · « **Reply #3 on:** April 21, 2009, 13:52 »

I've had two $5.00 sales in 4 months with about 30 templates uploaded. Would probably get more sales if I had about 100 templates but only add them when I feel like it. I guess I'm not very enthusiastic about it

markjay · « **Reply #4 on:** April 21, 2009, 13:53 »

That's great that a lot of you are members there but, that I'm sure there are a lot of you who are not members also.....

It's still good for those interested to go to the information link I posted and inquire or look around and see how things work.

And quite a few things have changed on the site since that post you listed was started

For examples there now THOUSANDS of templates needed for categories that have been newly created and, there are ways photographers can use their printbusinesscards.com profile to promote themselves.

And you may also want to inquire about this:
http://ecdstore-360photostock.easycarddesigner.com/ [nofollow]

which is your OWN webpage / business card template page where you get $$ for not only YOUR templates being used, but on ANY templates ordered!!

One thing those who are intrigued by this idea should know:
I am a photographer first and a graphic artist second. In fact when I started doing this I had never done any graphic art work and it inspired me to learn graphic design enough to now create VERY effective business cards... without even using my photos in some of them!

So while I appreciate your informing me some of you are members, you can see there's still valuable information to be had be others.

Have a great day today Clivia !
Markjay

markjay · « **Reply #5 on:** April 21, 2009, 14:01 »

TO Epantha:

I can tell you from my OWN experience.........
that I started with only about 50 templates created. As soon as I started to "get it" and understood and learn which templates were most in demand and, my sales started to build VERY consistently.

Don't stop now! You've started to build a template portfolio.......
do what I did: I just committed myself to making 5 or so a day and slowly built up my gallery. The more templates I made, the easier it became and the more FUN it is to do. And I will tell you, it is fun!

So get your creative juices flowing, Epantha!

Here's what makes this site so awesome..........
the "landing pages' they create are eaten up and loved by Google big time!
Just an example: do a google search for painter business cards.....
you'll see printbusinesscards.com on the first page at the TOP of the page!
They are VERY Google friendly and in fact this is how most of the templates are probably found by the clients. Others may scout the site for additional designs.

Have a great day today!
Markjay

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #6 on:** April 21, 2009, 14:18 »

You're quite ... enthusiatic... I think I've seen you post enthusiastically on digital grin as well.

gbcimages · « **Reply #7 on:** April 21, 2009, 14:25 »

that link doesn't work for me

ichiro17 · « **Reply #8 on:** April 21, 2009, 14:36 »

I don't like when people post 'enthusiastically' with referral in mind. I believe that goes against some written or unwritten code or some standard that this group used to be based on

RacePhoto · « **Reply #9 on:** April 21, 2009, 14:51 »

Quote from: gbcimages on April 21, 2009, 14:25

that link doesn't work for me

Have to take the joke away, he fixed it.

Here's the Mark Javier, planet buzzcom, free yellow pages, now turned business card link on Fastcompany. Might as well add to the cause.

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/mark-javer/marketing-your-company-internet/planetbuzzcom-makes-history

Have fun.

markjay · « **Reply #10 on:** April 21, 2009, 15:47 »

Sorry about that.... I corrected the link in the original post.

And I'm amused that someone can make something negative of a positive and yes, enthusiastic post. Why was it enthusiastic? Because my own experience on the site as a photographer and artist has been a positive experience for me.

And my ONLY motivation for this post.......
is to help other photographers like myself to make some extra money for themselves and yes, increase their per download $$ and help the clients visiting the site find more templates that suite their needs.... which is good for everyone!

here's the information link once more so you don't have to seek out the original post:
http://www.printbusinesscards.com/Community.php?do=JoiningArtistsCommunity [nofollow]

Sorry if you see my positive experience / enthusiasm as something I should be hiding or not expressing.

I wish you all great success!
Markjay

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #11 on:** April 21, 2009, 15:52 »

So, you're so enthusiastic about a site which you have no interest in, aside from your own uploads, that you actively seek out forums to discuss it in. They should be happy to have a user like you. Good luck with your work there!

Dreamframer · « **Reply #12 on:** April 21, 2009, 15:54 »

I have 4 sold there in about 2 months. My port contains less than 40 cards

epantha · « **Reply #13 on:** April 21, 2009, 15:55 »

I'm pretty sure I remember that when you send the email to Tim to join he will ask you some questions and one of them is who referred you.

markjay · « **Reply #14 on:** April 21, 2009, 15:59 »

Of course they ask how you found out about their site......
the same way I ask clients how they found my site when they've visited and contacted me regarding something. Any smart business person is going to ask how you found out about their business..... that's just good business sense.

Markjay

I'm pretty sure I remember that when you send the email to Tim to join he will ask you some questions and one of them is who referred you.

keithkh · « **Reply #15 on:** April 22, 2009, 12:03 »

My name is Keith Harris from PrintBusinessCards.com. I would like to come to Marks defence, Mark has been a great contributor and I personally asked him to help improve our membership, he does not work for us. We have a huge opportunity for both us and the artists but need thousands of templates in categories with zero templates in order to fulfill our goals. We just released 375 websites portals for example to Postal Annex, go to any Postal Annex website, click on web to print, then business cards, this is our community of card designs and your invited to participate. We recently sent this news letter to our entire artist community. Mark is just helping as we asked:

April 7, 2009

Hello Everyone,

Last week we sent an email to you explaining our desire to do a big summer push for new templates and to attract new artists. Here’s why this is so important: many of you have told us that you are very happy with the income you are generating from the Print Business Cards website (PBC). How would you like to multiply that by a hundred or even a thousand websites in the next year? The parent company of PBC, Color Card Administrator (CCA), has been developing software that will allow other companies, large and small, to sell business cards with your images on them. You may read more about this program at ECDSignUp.com. You will be paid the same rates ($5 per card sale, $20 per art file sale) no matter what site sells your image.
The only way for this to be as successful as possible with this new release is if we move way beyond our current 17,000 templates to 100,000 templates or more. Currently, we have hundreds of business categories with zero templates. So, please look at the areas we have zero templates and add some. In addition, please post the opportunity for new artists to join our site everywhere you can in forums and tell all your colleagues about it. This is a huge opportunity, but in order for it to grow exponentially, we need to expand our artist community in a big way. So, let’s build this thing and continue to watch everyone’s sales increase!
Please remember the images that sell the most and that are most desired are images that have been Photoshopped or illustrated—not necessarily just uploaded photos with white space. This is another incredible example of a template that sells consistently every month:

Here is the first list of categories that desperately needs templates. You may always view the entire list by logging in on PrintBusinessCards.com and going here. There over 1000 more categories that will be added by the end of summer. We are currently ramping up production of 100 new categories per week. We are excited about the growth potential for our entire Featured Artist Community. We look forward to seeing lots of new templates and new artists!
Acupuncture   Marine Services
Ob/Gyn   Blinds
Plastic Surgery   Outbuildings
Photojournalism   Banquet Hall
Winter Sports   Cigar
Swords   Demolition
HVAC   Embroidery
Audiologist   Silk Screening
Tupperware   Occupational Therapist
Archery   Home Theater
Tennis   Disaster Cleanup
Utilities   Trophy
Appliances   Social Worker
Court Reporter   Mechanical Engineer
Lifeguard   Allergist
Logging   Darts
Machinist   Fire Extinguisher
Mining   Virtual Assistant
Speech Therapy   Golden Retriever
Surveyor   Labrador Retriever
Upholstery   Structural Engineer
Videographer   Handicap Equipment
Bowling   Dachshunds
Xray   US Border Patrol
Animal Shelter   Archaeologist
Addiction Recovery   Bank Teller
Auction   Satellite TV
Adoption Agency   Broadcast Engineer
Advertising   Sound Technician
Aviation Maintenance   Camera Operator
Flight Instruction   Commodity Broker
Cabinetry   Chauffeur
Bus Company   Weight Loss
Home Inspection   Physical Therapist
Billiards   Farrier
Bankruptcy   Automotive Engineer
Glass Blower   Estate Planning
Gymnastics   Aeronautical Engineer
Car Wash   Valet Parking
Funeral Services   Avionics Technician
Comic Books   Concierge
Cheerleading   City Planner
Coin Dealers   Fire Alarm and Sprinkler System
Copiers   CNC Operator
Consignment Stores   CNC Programmer
Wrecking and Salvage   Climatologist
Quick Lube and Oil Change   Composer
Emissions/Smog Testing   Insurance Claims Adjuster
Dating Service   Auto Detailing
Repo Company   Art Restoration Services

ichiro17 · « **Reply #16 on:** April 22, 2009, 12:06 »

Wow, that routine is getting old. VERY OLD.

I don't know why sites think by having someone post saying this site is great, then having the owner or a representative come to their defense is a good strategy. I'm not going to go to the site because of these poor tactics, because I'm sick of it.

lisafx · « **Reply #17 on:** April 22, 2009, 12:11 »

Correct me if I am wrong, but this is the site that requires the artists to design the business card templates?

I would be happy to submit if I had any interest in designing business card templates, but since my main interest is in photography I don't see that this site offers me anything.

Am I wrong? Can we just upload the images and let the customers use them to design the cards?

Months ago when I wrote you (twice), Tim, to find out the details I never received a response.

Having people post about how great the site is seems pointless if there is no follow up to legitimate inquiries.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #18 on:** April 22, 2009, 12:14 »

I'm not sure sending out the membership to spread the word in this way is really a sensible idea. If you want to grow your membership, you should buy an ad in the sidebar advertising it.

TimMc · « **Reply #19 on:** April 22, 2009, 12:48 »

Hello Folks,

It's been awhile since I have posted on Microstockgroup.com (http://www.microstockgroup.com/new-sites-general/print-business-cards-turning-out-to-be-a-good-earner/25/).

Again, as I said in that previous forum thread, I don't want to cause a stir here. The original thread that was initiated by litifeta was not requested by us...he did that completely of his own volition and we were extremely appreciative of it. Due to that posting, we had many high quality, very professional people join our artist community and it was a great boost to us. So, for those of you who joined our site due to that thread, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Yes, we did ask Mark to post here and perhaps we shouldn't have since there seems to be some issues developing here. If we have offended you, I sincerely apologize. We aren't in the business of carpet bombing sites looking for artists. We suggested that he post here because the caliber of artists that joined our site from the first thread was fantastic. We appreciate enthusiastic artists like Mark, who truly is excited about his own success on our site, sees the opportunity and growth potential of what we offer and wishes to share the details. So, I'm not here to "defend" him (Ichiro).

LisaFX...I always reply to inquiries. However, if I missed yours, I apologize. I purchased a new laptop in January and during the migration to it, I lost everyone of my archived emails (it was not a fun experience). So, I do not have an email from you that I can refer to. If you would like to still receive the information...please feel free to email me, [email protected].

sjlocke...I'll look into posting an ad. Ads never work for me personally. I'm much more open to personal referrals. But, I'll look into it.

Thank you.

Tim

lisafx · « **Reply #20 on:** April 22, 2009, 12:53 »

Quote from: TimMc on April 22, 2009, 12:48

LisaFX...I always reply to inquiries. However, if I missed yours, I apologize. I purchased a new laptop in January and during the migration to it, I lost everyone of my archived emails (it was not a fun experience). So, I do not have an email from you that I can refer to. If you would like to still receive the information...please feel free to email me, [email protected].

I understand how that can happen. Still no response to my question posted above though. Feel free to sitemail me, but I think others reading this might want to know the answer too.

Here's the same question I keep asking, again:

Quote from: lisafx on April 22, 2009, 12:11

Correct me if I am wrong, but this is the site that requires the artists to design the business card templates?

(snip)
Am I wrong? Can we just upload the images and let the customers use them to design the cards?

Microbius · « **Reply #21 on:** April 22, 2009, 13:06 »

I uploaded 80+ templates a few months ago, only had three sales so definately has NOT paid me back for time spent designing/ uploading. I'll post again if it picks up.

epantha · « **Reply #22 on:** April 22, 2009, 13:19 »

You upload the photo (with bleed built in) as a CMYK tif. Once it is uploaded you can choose a type template that will show how the text will look on on top of the photo background but I believe the customer can customize the type as well.

TimMc · « **Reply #23 on:** April 22, 2009, 13:28 »

LisaFX and Microbius...I sent site mail to both of you. Please let me know if you received it. I hope I did it right.

Clivia · « **Reply #24 on:** April 22, 2009, 13:53 »

I have an account with Printbusinesscards in my real name of Norma Cornes. I get a good payout every month, thanks to the fact that a lot of customers also buy the full size image. Designing the cards is fun. They are so small that they seem like toys after manipulating full size photos.
Tim is usually very responsive to questions, and very helpful when you have problems. I like the site.
The only criticism is that the front page looks really home-made,not really professional! For a site full of designers, its not the best on earth.

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Author Topic: Good $ per download tip (Read 12332 times)

markjay

Clivia

stockastic

epantha

markjay

markjay

Sean Locke Photography

gbcimages

ichiro17

RacePhoto

markjay

Sean Locke Photography

Dreamframer

epantha

markjay

keithkh

ichiro17

lisafx

Sean Locke Photography

TimMc

lisafx

Microbius

epantha

TimMc

Clivia

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