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It doesn’t take a genius to realize that competition is tough out there, even more so today, with the economic downturn. Marketers, and in our case, Internet marketers, must search for unexplored territory, a marketing potential which is yet untapped, or hasn’t been fully exploited yet. Flickr offers this tremendous potential for marketing and a unique possibility to showcase your company and products. |
Flickr is a social networking site that was launched 5 years ago as a way to enable users to exchange photos and images. As of November 2008, it reportedly hosts 3 billion photos. It is now one of the most popular social media sites. To fully exploit its marketing capabilities, here are some tips that will point you in the right direction.
1. Choose the Right Screen Name
The screen name you choose for your account will become your URL on Flickr, so you should use a competitive keyword. It will most likely get you more traffic than your company’s name.
2. Splurge on a Pro Account
You can get a free account and upload up to 200 images. However, if you wish to use Flickr for marketing purposes, then you must look professional. A pro account will only cost you 25 bucks a year, and it’ll definitely be worth it. The “Pro” badge next to your name will grant you greater authority and the respect of the community.
3. Properly Name and Tag Your Images
It’s very tedious and dull, but if you don’t tag your images, there’s no point in having a Flickr account for marketing purposes. As users search for images, say on Google, or any other search engine, they have better chances of coming across your images if they are properly tagged. The use of good keywords for the titles, tags, and descriptions is absolutely essential. Also, in the descriptions you can include URLs and direct users to your company website, or any other external resource. Here lies the main marketing power of Flickr, and the reason why if used properly, it could greatly enhance your profits.
4. Participate in Groups
There are lots of companies that already are on Flickr, maybe even some in your own industry. By joining groups and participating actively, you network and create valuable business ties, which will come in handy when you want to exchange links, collaborate on projects, and do business in general. Remember, keeping yourself isolated will not help your business grow. Companies need these connections to thrive.
5. Allow and Promote Reuse
A great deal of bloggers and websites are using images taken from Flickr. They should request your permission to use them, and as soon as you grant them permission, you should be given proper credit, hopefully with a link in return for your willingness to share.
6. Take Advantage of Stats
You may request for stats to be activated for your account. This should take 24 hours. Once you have access to your stats you’ll be able to see metrics on the overall views of your photos, but more importantly on referrals. These allow you to see who is sending traffic to your photo collections.
Flickr, combined with other Internet marketing tactics, is a fantastic tool to promote your business online.