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Author Topic: FAA - How to get noticed?  (Read 8686 times)

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« on: June 21, 2013, 05:54 »
0
I have a small set of images that I think could do really well if discovered by the right buyers in a place like Fine Art America.

Excitedly, I opened an account and put in all the work to get my page up and running -  finally I had it all sorted and I reckon my page looked pretty good.

The images are basically a set of arty slightly abstract creations deriving from flowers and plants .... so I put them under the Floral category.

I then left the site for a few days (3 days I think) - then went back to the site (didn't login) and started searching through Floral/Recent Uploads, click, click, click, click ..... I don't know how many pages I went through, at least 15,  until I finally gave up, still not having found my work. So much new uploads in just a few days!!!

The only way I can actually find my work was to look up under my name.

Now the images have been up for a few weeks and they have only had one view (I think that was probably me).

So this seems completely useless - me thinks.

I left all the keywording very generic because the images just look good for what they are - for me it's not about which particular plant they are etc, so I didn't say 'rose' 'tulip' etc.

Anything I can do to get my work found and seen?

Thanks


ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2013, 05:59 »
0
If you can see from the pic that it's a rose, tulip, whatever, why not keyword it as such? I can't see that it would do any harm. However, if it's so abstract that only an expert could tell, maybe leave the species out.

They have a 'sponsorship' scheme whereby "If you click on that link, you'll see instructions explaining how you can sponsor the page and ensure that your images appear in the third row.   It's very simple.   Just post a link to the artwork page somewhere on the internet... tell us where you posted it... and presto - you've sponsored the page!"
However, bear in mind that (from what other people have said) although your pic appears in the third row whenever you check, logged in, of couse, when anyone else is logged in your pic randomly rotates with all the other 'sponsored' images in the third row.

Otherwise, don't ask me. I haven't managed to take the artier pics I'd intended to and I don't do wll there. However, I'm learning just how many different bots there are out there!

« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2013, 06:17 »
+2
I don't use facbook and twitter much but that's a good way to get views. Unfortunately, my masterpieces have 1,200 views and zero purchases, a complete waste of time so far.

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2013, 06:24 »
0
I don't use facbook and twitter much but that's a good way to get views. Unfortunately, my masterpieces have 1,200 views and zero purchases, a complete waste of time so far.
I guess it depends how many Fb/twitter friends/fans/followers you have. I doubt if my nine Fb friends, all of whom I know in real life and would hope I'd give them a print for cost price which they'd get framed themselves for a fraction of the FAA price would do me much good. I don't know how the Twitter pervs would react, but I suspect they wouldn't buy either.

But if you have lots of potential buyers in your Fb/twitter circle, why not?

« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2013, 06:37 »
+1

I've done nothing but normal keywording.  Nothing else.  I have had four sales, all last month.  Two for a whopping microstock cut rate of $2 and two for $200.

Ron

« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2013, 06:39 »
0
I have 2-3 sales per month for between 150-300 dollar total per month. I just process and keyword them the same as I do for stock images.

Every time I upload an image, it has 20 views immediately, probably bots, but I do not ever have no views on an image.

« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2013, 08:40 »
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Somehow I managed to have 'not safe' filter on most of my images - not sure how that happened - probably didn't help much.

I guess with only nine images in my little set - I'm probably expecting too much anyway.

Ron - impressive sales figures - any particular style/type of work most popular?


ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2013, 08:45 »
0
I have 2-3 sales per month for between 150-300 dollar total per month. I just process and keyword them the same as I do for stock images.

Every time I upload an image, it has 20 views immediately, probably bots, but I do not ever have no views on an image.

Most of my images have no views, and I only have four with more than 20, one of which I mentioned on here re the watermark so it got a lot of views at the time. One at least of the others has over 20 views from the same bot.

« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2013, 09:28 »
0
So far I've had about 900 views on roughly 150 photos, no sales.   Unless you have unique subjects -  or get a lot of views, votes and comments - your search ranking will be so low that you have no chance.  To some extent you can boost your ranking by participating in the groups and contests.  But the consensus seems to be that unless you have your own marketing channels, FAA is a waste of time.


Ron

« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2013, 11:16 »
0
@ SLP London, landscapes and skylines and some of my face images. Yesterday I sold this one for 131 dollar, which was my first different image then what I normally sell http://fineartamerica.com/featured/dead-mans-hand-a-gun-and-a-shot-of-whiskey-semmick-photo.html

@ Sue, I have 25,000 views on 400+ images, submitted over the course of a year and 20 sales.

« Reply #10 on: June 21, 2013, 11:51 »
0
Some of the long-timers on FAA say that as time goes by, your search placement gradually improves and that after a year you might start seeing sales.   That could be just superstition, who knows.  But I am seeing more views as time goes by, and I think I have some salable stuff,  so, maybe, at some point lightning strikes.   

« Reply #11 on: June 21, 2013, 12:15 »
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Most of my images have no views, and I only have four with more than 20, one of which I mentioned on here re the watermark so it got a lot of views at the time. One at least of the others has over 20 views from the same bot.

same here, so far only managed 2 sales so FAA is looking like a waste of time but will see the following months, I understand they aren't looking for the typical stock picture but I believe I have submitted some interesting work, like I have said I will give it more time before judging it further

« Reply #12 on: June 21, 2013, 12:59 »
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i get many views if i share them to social sites. But the few i sold were from FAA only. (i asked the customers personally by mail. And they told they searched and found image in FAA) I have now stopped promoting my images in social sites.

Ron

« Reply #13 on: June 21, 2013, 13:17 »
0
.


« Reply #14 on: June 21, 2013, 13:29 »
0
IMHO so-called social networking, in hopes of selling photos, is a colossal WOT (Waste Of Time).    I think most photographers agree;  a few seem to turn it into something, but at a huge cost in time.
 


« Reply #15 on: June 21, 2013, 14:16 »
0
guys, what do you expect from these POD sites ? none of them is investing in marketing and bringing in buyers, they expect YOU to bring in friends and link your images on FB.

that's exactly why anyone can join and there's no QC or edited collections.

it's just like Flickr but with the option to sell prints and merchandising, no more no less.

Ron

« Reply #16 on: June 21, 2013, 14:22 »
+1
Non of my friends has never and will never buy an image from me. I am not spamming my friends with links from FAA. Except for the occasional bragging rights

« Reply #17 on: June 21, 2013, 14:49 »
+1
guys, what do you expect from these POD sites ? none of them is investing in marketing and bringing in buyers, they expect YOU to bring in friends and link your images on FB.

that's exactly why anyone can join and there's no QC or edited collections.

it's just like Flickr but with the option to sell prints and merchandising, no more no less.

I think that's mostly, but not entirely, true.  FAA does have keyword search, does attract buyers, and some contributors claim they're making sales based just on that, without any outside marketing at all.  My expectations were, and are, pretty low.

I'd say the big problem with FAA is that it looks dated, is clunky and inflexible, and is getting no investment or development.  They have a 'suggestion list' as long as your arm, containing many obvious and sensible things, and absolutely none of them ever happen.    FAA is rapidly falling behind and it's only a matter of time before new photo sharing and gallery sites make it obsolete.   

It's owned by one guy who's already made a lot of money from it.  I hope he sells, to someone who wants to invest in a massive update, and leverage the existing customer base and the value of the name.
« Last Edit: June 21, 2013, 15:03 by stockastic »

Ron

« Reply #18 on: June 21, 2013, 15:23 »
0
I agree, Sean is laughing all the way to the bank, thats for sure.

« Reply #19 on: June 22, 2013, 01:00 »
-1
I think that's mostly, but not entirely, true.  FAA does have keyword search, does attract buyers, and some contributors claim they're making sales based just on that, without any outside marketing at all.  My expectations were, and are, pretty low.

I'd say the big problem with FAA is that it looks dated, is clunky and inflexible, and is getting no investment or development.  They have a 'suggestion list' as long as your arm, containing many obvious and sensible things, and absolutely none of them ever happen.    FAA is rapidly falling behind and it's only a matter of time before new photo sharing and gallery sites make it obsolete.   

It's owned by one guy who's already made a lot of money from it.  I hope he sells, to someone who wants to invest in a massive update, and leverage the existing customer base and the value of the name.

yes it's a one-guy operation, he coded the whole CMS from scratch using several scripts lifted around and kept together with duct tape, he's a good guy technically speaking but he can't be expected to fix the whole cr-ap alone.

i mean at the time i left FAA there wasnt even a way to automate the import of keywords in the EXIF, now it's working it seems but so many issues were plagueing the site, it just wasn't designed to handle such a huge database.

besides, it was never meant for fine-art photos but for paintings, then later they changed idea and accepted photos just to be shocked at the number of images coming in from stockers.

all i can say these guys are lucky to be still be in business.
if no serious competitors popped up is probably it's a small market niche which is a pain in the as-s to be successfully monetized and i'm not surprised if we talk about paintings and prints, they've never been easy to sell and never will.

« Reply #20 on: June 22, 2013, 01:19 »
+2
I think that's mostly, but not entirely, true.  FAA does have keyword search, does attract buyers, and some contributors claim they're making sales based just on that, without any outside marketing at all.  My expectations were, and are, pretty low.

I'd say the big problem with FAA is that it looks dated, is clunky and inflexible, and is getting no investment or development.  They have a 'suggestion list' as long as your arm, containing many obvious and sensible things, and absolutely none of them ever happen.    FAA is rapidly falling behind and it's only a matter of time before new photo sharing and gallery sites make it obsolete.   

It's owned by one guy who's already made a lot of money from it.  I hope he sells, to someone who wants to invest in a massive update, and leverage the existing customer base and the value of the name.

yes it's a one-guy operation, he coded the whole CMS from scratch using several scripts lifted around and kept together with duct tape, he's a good guy technically speaking but he can't be expected to fix the whole cr-ap alone.

i mean at the time i left FAA there wasnt even a way to automate the import of keywords in the EXIF, now it's working it seems but so many issues were plagueing the site, it just wasn't designed to handle such a huge database.

besides, it was never meant for fine-art photos but for paintings, then later they changed idea and accepted photos just to be shocked at the number of images coming in from stockers.

all i can say these guys are lucky to be still be in business.
if no serious competitors popped up is probably it's a small market niche which is a pain in the as-s to be successfully monetized and i'm not surprised if we talk about paintings and prints, they've never been easy to sell and never will.

you really don't know what you are talking about, they are the number 1 doing what they do, beside the painters /artists there many microstock people doing very well there (take a look at the newest sold some top contributors included and they aren't promoting anything), just because you/myself don't have much return doesn't mean they are lucky to be in business, they reached their place due to their work and they deserve some credit, you can say they don't promote/listen much which is true but the real stuff is that they do have buyers

« Reply #21 on: June 22, 2013, 10:05 »
0
FAA is one technical guy and a couple of support people.  The site does a lot of things right, and is basically solid and reliable.   It's had a great run.  But it's frozen in time. 

At some point one or more of the big photo sharing players will decide they can add keyword search, POD, and start selling 'art' just like FAA.   They'll have the resources to offer photographers slick, clean-looking and extensively customizable presentations.  Maybe they could even beat FAA's shipping costs, which are a big barrier to buyers.   Imagine if Amazon did this, with their developer resources and huge economies of scale.

 When that happens, FAA will fade away faster than Herman Cain.

« Last Edit: June 22, 2013, 10:11 by stockastic »

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #22 on: June 22, 2013, 13:11 »
0
Coincidentally, I've just had an email from FAA called "Secrets of the Print-On-Demand Industry", but the page it links to isn't there. Does anyone know the working link?

« Reply #23 on: June 22, 2013, 13:27 »
0
Funny.  I didn't even get that email.  Must be really 'secret'.

« Reply #24 on: June 22, 2013, 13:38 »
0
Coincidentally, I've just had an email from FAA called "Secrets of the Print-On-Demand Industry", but the page it links to isn't there. Does anyone know the working link?

that was the email (back in January) that I heard "again" of FAA, I was there for 1 year but with only 25 pictures and zero sales, then I decided to open a topic here, I believe it is the following link:

https://www.facebook.com/fineartamerica/app_183192038389060


 

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