Published courtesy of Sweta Patel – http://socialmediaeatery.com/tips-for-building-a-brand-identity-through-flickr/
Are you struggling with creating a brand identity for your small business? Flickr offers the largest image base sharing for communities and all you need to participate is high quality non-marketing images. Flickr isn’t just for online communities sharing ordinary photos; it is for high quality images to be shared and viewed.
When high-quality is mentioned, this doesn’t mean you have to reach out to a professional photographer to get photos made. In this case, high-quality means authentic and “real life”, so save the professional images for your website. The more authentic photos you have to share, the more visible your business will be to the online community.
First, get a Flickr-Pro account. Amongst other reasons, like unlimited disk space and unlimited sets and collections, it is ad-free so you will not be advertising for other companies when you post your photos. By the way, with sets and collections you can easily organize your photos for the viewer. Consequently, you can promote the URL on your Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks.
When you setup your photos be sure the thumbnails are cropped to scale. Remember cropping the thumbnail is important because the thumbnail is the inspiration for one to click the image. When you chose the thumbnail to represent your album make sure it is one that will bring the most engagement and interest to your target audience. These thumbnails will help you promote your small business, because the images will be shared with many different social networks. Also, make sure you tag your thumbnails. In addition to the URL you are given, a lot of these images will be viewed through the searches of the tags. Now your pictures are ready for sharing.
Sharing is a major benefit of Flickr, especially when you are at an event. For example, when you’re attending an event, you want to show pictures of your small business to any potential leads. Since Flickr has everything set up for you online, your prospects do not have to search for pictures on the search engines; just have your Flickr URL printed on your business card to make it easy for potential clients. Another way to share photos is to take photos at the event and add them as a set, this way people can refer to them and get the word out about your business.
To make the most out of your account, it is crucial to join and interact with Flickr groups. When you are sharing photos, chances are someone else is sharing similar photos as you are. This will give you the opportunity to share your opinion and engage with others. When you are posting in Flickr groups, you are creating a brand identity and providing value for others in the group. Once your photos are noticed, you will receive an invitation to reuse your photos. Your photos will be shared among others and your business will gain credibility from it.
How can you check how popular your photo is on the web? Flickr has a metric that you can use to check which photos are getting the most attention and which sites are driving the most views to your photos. These stats will allow you chose the social media tools that are the most influential for your business.
Use these tips wisely, and remember maintaining your Flickr account is crucial for a business to see success with their marketing campaign.
Bonus tip: It is also not a bad idea to use your Flickr photos on your blog. Have the photo within your blog linked to your Flickr set or collection as a way to introduce your other photos!
Sweta Patel blogs for Social Media Eatery (http://socialmediaeatery.com) Social Media Eatery has a combined 10 years experience in the methodologies of social media and business. Through diligent work and dedication they have helped dozens of clients achieve their business goals online.