How To Market Your Six

hmm off to change my 6

Really what does it matter? As soon as you put 6 up you have already destroyed the order of the images which for me is by subject. I would never want to use a good selling image for this. This is a dead end idea that places your viewer in your portfolio with no where to go but back and out. This is an almost useless feature that pales compared to what I am used to. He almost got it right when it was showing images from the same gallery, which it did for a week or so and I got much more engagement, Sorry this thread is pointless. I am not going to try to make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

Honestly, given your aviation background I thought this thread was going to be about how to market your ass off.

Great suggestion about moving around images to get eyes on your best sellers. I'd not paid enough attn to the 6 to realize that it's positions 0-5 on the all images page.

I disagree Bradford. This works better and all I have to do is move the new image to #7 on my page as soon as uploaded. I tend to keep my best (imo) work at the top anyway for the slideshow and shop pages, so now I will just double check the best of the best (Imo) are in the top 6

Of course it matters. Thanks for the reminder JC. Good marketing uses every tool at your disposal.

Better than what Abbie? How does putting 6 images unrelated to the image they are looking at help me? Maybe you have never been on a site that has image links related to what you are looking at. This doesn't work and can never work.

Yes, there is that definition. Check six and all.

I think there is still a lot of value in that six. I really do.

One can try and take advantage of it, or not.

I already do this with my six, but if I upload a lot at the same time, I may forget to reorder the six for a day or two. I do think it matters to have your best as the first six, but I don't lose sleep when I go back and realize my first six have been my last uploads for a few days or a week.

@JC thanks for the good recommendation - I'll give it a shot.

Dave Gordon
http://dgportfolio.net

Also shows up on my website, so its important that I have what I want to show on top - www.edwardfielding.com

Putting my best sellers together makes no sense at all to me. I want my best sellers to be ordered next to other works the person might be interested in. So if they came in looking at one of my flying peregrine falcon images I would want them to see more peregrine falcon images next and before. Not a picture from New Orleans and an oil tanker or oil rig. I keep my images in order. I don't leave them in order of upload. That's maybe fine for some but my images are ordered by subject. Isn't that basic to selling? For me it is.

Move new uploads to 7? What kind of order is that? I think some are under the delusion that chronological is a good order or that just because we have galleries that people will magically find them just because we made it the default profile view. That's not how it works in reality. I put a lot of thought into how I market and making that dovetail with how the images are ordered. I move my uploads to where they belong. Next to similar ones. Sorry to hijack the thread. Have fun.

If it doesn't work for you then don't do anything. It is just wasted space.

While things, everything, could always be improved I am a big believer in working with what I have. This is what I have available so I will optimize it to my advantage.

and if you're really smart, you'll be aware of your first 16 up in your portfolio and use the faa widget that links those images back to the place that sells them!!

I think it's a great idea, and glad to hear it.
Not that it has to be best sellers, I think I will order mine to show an over view of my images.
Thanks J.C.

FWIW I use images that show the range of my work but I consider these sacrificed images. I would never want my best sellers to be in the six. I don't mind new uploads staying for a bit before they get moved to their real home.

JC,

In the last few days, I uploaded about 60+ images, how would I use this? I can see if you hardly ever upload images, you might be able to manage this,but this doesn't seem to work for me or others that upload a lot of images!

By the way, I'm at 3006 right now!

Rich

Easier than you would think Rich.

Find the six you want, reposition them numbers 0 through 5.

You can move any image in your portfolio to any position.

Thanks JC! :-)

Now if they would only add new images to the end rather than the beginning.

food for thought there...

As I pretty much don't sell anything, I have no "best sellers" to place there, so I was using those six slots to show samplings from my different galleries, but probably need to do a re-check of those images as I've uploaded a couple new ones recently. I like the concept and glad it has been provided. No one says you have to utilize it, and can just let the images fill the spaces as uploaded.

As JC has done, some time ago I selected 6 images which I considered showed a selection of my subjects and looked OK together. I didn't worry about if they were sold or had lots of comments. When uploading a new image, I either keep it in the top 6 or make it no. 7 (position-6) (as Abbie also mentioned) so that if a visitor clicks Images the new image is near the top. They can click Galleries to see the images collected under a particular subject.

For a second there I thought JC had misspelled sex. But still an interesting thread though :)

I'm with Bradford that a more intuitive image display would be better. If someone is looking at one of my Buddha images then it makes more sense to show my other Buddhas rather then the first six in line. Not sure how technically feasible this would be though and something is indeed better than nothing.

I'm also with Bradford on this, although, because of the way the site is set up, I have my best sellers at the front so that they show in the 'six' and the widget on my own website. I also realise that this could be detrimental in that they have been moved away from similar images.

Like Bradford, I also rearrange my images so that they are not in upload order. I've got them alphabetically ordered, and because my titles are the actual subject of the image (mostly) it works in a simialr way as Bradford's ordering. The 'next' and 'previous' links usually lead to a similar image/subject.

It would be very useful to have more control on the 'six' and widget samples.

Like JC said though, its going to get more intuitive.

However, in the meantime.....tweaking your top 6 to be some of your better selling work seems like a prudent move.

Hat tip JC.

Somewhat OT -- What's with the bad vibes in the forum these days?

In my first five minutes reading, one person is told they're "over-thinking" things . . . just because they're apparently thinking a LOT.

Next, one member points out, in an apparently aggravated tone, that a thread is "pointless" -- even though many members might find the thread useful and/or interesting.

Whew . . . I'm giving myself a break by running for the hills for a few days! Virtual hugs, all; I need to meditate!

Great point JC! Thanks for sharing your insight, I'm off to re-arrange my 6.

Thanks JC, I'm new here and still learning.... Have just put 6 different styles if work as my first 6. Lets see if this helps t sell something.

What I like to see that I can take any image and attach 6 images which compliment the large images viewed. Now we would have something resembling a mini portfolio. It does not really matter which six you choose they bound to clash with too many images in a given collection.

I agree with JC we have to work with what we have. I'm disappointed that Shaun hasn't had time to alter this, especially at the peak selling time when I have been doing extra marketing. I have very different galleries so it would be nice to have images form the same gallery rotating, not just the same static six (Ideally I'd like to choose which 6). I have cars and flowers etc but there is no way a person looking for a car image is going to click on a flower so I've had to decide to go with my top selling category which is cars which looks a bit weird when someone is looking at a flower image to see a whole selection of cars!

That is good to know, I will keep that in mind for sure. Even though I have not sold anything on FAA, I have sold many images over the years and its a rule of thumb when showing a group of images to keep the group consistent, meaning don't put two portraits up with two skylines, an HDR image, and a painting. its a proven fact that peoples brains get confused and will move on no matter how good the work is your showing.

What Iris said is what I have on another site. Now that's marketing!

Kevin. Exactly!

I think it would be fantastic if we could have 'THE' six images pulled from the same galley in which the image being viewed comes from.

The conundrum is that if you choose best sellers then you are are moving them away from the similars. I often sell 3 to 10 similars. Why would i want to mess that up???????

But if you show 6 that are not so good then you are showing a mini portfolio of what is not your best. Why would I do that?????

And if you just pick one subject and have them all first it might work out bad if the image the viewer cam in on is unrelated. Why would I want to show my oil rig images to a person looking for beach images??????
There is no positive outcome.
I ordered my first 6 as soon as Sean stopped linking in images from the galleries. I did that right away and never sold any of those images. This is a lose-lose situation.

Am I being so negative pointing out the downside of this? I market all my images not just my first 6.

I have mixed feelings on this one. The only way I would see any value to the 6 is if we could fix the images and they would stay that way until we changed them. As it is right not, if you have the time to mess with changing the order every time you make a few uploads that's fine. There are people that have strong feelings about the 6 so that would make JC's approach a great idea for them.

Others, like myself, are not going to take the time to mess with it. I personally wish it was not there. It is just another one of those horns and whistles that I really don't need and there is no way of knowing if it is really working the way it is supposed to work.

I look at things in a very pragmatic way. What would make me more money? Using limited time and resources to screw around rearranging the order of the 6 or placing a few Twitter of sharing a few FB posts.

The other things I look at is if FAA is as limited on tech people and programmers as they say they are, do I want to see them messing around with something like the 6 or messing around get us new products to sell and integrated into the program.

I am also of the school that says do not give the buy a way to get off your page other then through the buy button.

I don't like the idea that a person is browsing and see an image that they may like and they click on it. Now they get a larger version of an image they obviously have some interest in with the choices and one click away from the buy page. But they also get 6 more images that give them the chance to say, hey, that's cool, I think I will take a look at that! And one click and the are gone from the image page they had some interest in.

The only change I would really like is the option to turn it off.

It comes down to looking professional. Having random images below the featured image looks and is unprofessional. It need to be corrected. I do not like the "It is what it is" or "do the best with the tools you got" mentality. We are here to make money just the same as FAA is. We look professional FAA looks professional.

I just went to a gallery of one of the posters in this thread.

He has great work and a pic of a Harley motorcycle. In the six below the Harley, the first three images are fruits and vegetables.

Now, I know a lot of Harley riders and I got to tell you the guys I know are not buying no vegetable prints! lol

Again, not really a thread on what would work better but rather working with what you have and optimizing the tool you do have available. Sean is aware of the suggestions and may implement them at some point. But that is when and this is now. IF I had my own collection. IF only my images where at the top of every search….. IF only I had a Canon 6D paired with a Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM….. I could sell so much more. The reality for me is I have none of the above right now so I could think and dream of the “if onlys” or I can work with what I have.

There is a saying in the military that came about during Iraqi Freedom. Embrace the Suck. It sounds like a negative cliché but in reality it is a positive outlook on the situation at hand. A civilian equivalent would be the cliché “It is what it is.” As a civilian when it is what it is you can choose to work with it or walk away from the situation. If you are a Marine on patrol in “Marine Land,” AKA Anbar Province you don’t have the choice of walking away. Things might be better if the President did this. Things might be better if you had this or that tool/weapon at your disposal. Perhaps life would be easier if only……. Insert what you wish. A Marine patrolling in Anbar Province had better learn to use the tools and weapons at his disposal. He had better learn to deal with the political climate dictated inside the Beltway. If he doesn’t he will perish. All the wishing for something that is not available will not help. Complaining about the way things are will not keep him alive; learning to work with what he has will.

OK, we are not Marines in combat with people trying to kill us. This is not life and death. There are lessons to be learned from those Marines though. Business is a brutal business. It is competitive and if you depend on the money you make as an artist it can be as critical for you to adapt and succeed as it is for that Marine in combat. Hey, things aren’t exactly like you like them? Bummer. You can either throw your hands up, give up and wait for a more favorable climate for your personal business plan or you can embrace the suck as you see it and adapt your business tactics to work with what you have available to you.

Frankly, I don’t think the six images as they are now suck in anyway whatsoever. It is a good thing and a heck of a lot more than I had a year ago. I will use them to my advantage. If you choose to throw your hands in the air and say it is of no use to you then it is what it is, isn’t it.

Thanks Jc, appreciate the insight and I've changed the six to better represent what people will find in my galleries. However, I'll agree with Rich because I don't upload 35 images a day, more like one or two a week, that it may not work for everyone. I'll also agree with Steven, there should be an option to pick what order new uploads are shown, either at the beginning or end of your image list. On the other hand, it's really easy to change image positions.

Great analogy, JC !

Overall it comes down to this: As previously suggested in other threads by a couple of people posting in this thread, if you get the opportunity go start your own site and you can dictate every little nuance about it. Until that happens "Embrace the suck", and live with the tools we have available.

Hi JC, I have had mixed opinions about this feature and randomly change the order. Obviously the first six should be of your best work. At first I liked the idea that they were the first six from the gallery of the viewed image but now I am not so sure. It seems a good idea to try to cover your range of work and perhaps include something of a seasonal nature....winter fall whatever. Since the work in the galleries is not changed by the order of the first six...I now think I like this method best....kind of shows who you are as an artist.

Yeah maybe the option to turn the feature off for those that don't like it. But I don't think sales will be lost because of it. As far as I know to buy art is not something we do on a whim and unless a potential customer loves a piece, for whatever reason, IMO they will not buy....and if they do love it they will not be distracted.

I kind of like it. I just got through recently moving my favorites and the ones with the most views to the front two pages in image view. Between those, I can decide how I shuffle so that a variety shows in those thumbnails. In any case, I've landed on images by other people and I, myself have several times, clicked on one of the others shown below the main image I'm viewing, so I figure if I'm driven to look at one of those thumbnails, so would a buyer. I may shuffle them around from time to time.....in any case, I like that feature.

We often get locked into a line of thought and don’t look at other possible avenues that are available.

Perhaps related images would work better but chew on this for a minute or two. If someone were looking for a Coast Guard image and they clicked on mine and they saw more Coast Guard images they might be excited and look at all of them. If they were decorating a Coast Guard station then they might buy all of them. Perhaps….. That said, I do sell to a specific buyer that does exactly that every few months. I often sell multiple Coast Guard images to the same buyer in a single purchase. This buyer has already found my USCG images and knows they like my Coast Guard shots. It is not hard at all for them to find more of them from me if that is what they are looking for. For that matter, they have already seen at least one of my USCG images so they know what I do with them.

Conversely, perhaps Jane Q is shopping for a Coast Guard image for her uncle John Q. She intends to buy one and only one as a Christmas gift. In that scenario the six USCG images shown below the one she opened are competing amongst themselves for the same single purchase. Of course there are still the other artist’s USCG images that came up that are also competing for that single purchase. For that matter, the six CG images now under the one she opened showed in the search she did in the first place so I am exposing Jane to things she would have seen anyway. In that scenario it seems like six related images might well be a waste of exposure.

Now, perhaps Jane also needed a gift for her lesser known aunt, Jen Q but hadn’t got to that search yet. Jen loves the beach. Jane was about to run a generic search for “beach” and would have thousands of images to choose from. As well as my beach images sell not a one would show up in high in a generic search for beach. But now Jane has in fact seen that I also do a pretty decent job with beach photos and I might just make a sale there.

Maybe that Harley rider is looking for only Harleys but then maybe, just maybe he needs a gift that would be great for his mother in law’s kitchen and that vegetable shot would work perfectly……

You do have a point JC, so now I'm thinking maybe I should not have all cars as my first six........ decisions, decisions!

As I stated previously, I try to keep images from my different galleries, which I don't have that many to begin with, in those six spaces, rotating them occasionally.

Only read the OP but have to say this also plays in if you submit your work in Groups. When buyers click on your thumbnails in the groups the six works like a 'group' within the group. So keep this in mind too. In fact you could put less work in each group and leverage your six, as I am doing.

JC Findley......

"Abilene Theory"

"Embrace the Suck"

....what is next! :)

Grumpy Cats - We get it. You don't like it.

Reality - its here. Use it.

Frank by groups do you mean galleries? Keep your galleries small and it will show 6 images reflecting the one featured?

I think the real answer here, and it really has nothing to do with "the six" is to allow a person to pin certain images at the top, and have them stay there, and have any new images show up and the end of this group. Yah I know its getting into the suggestion box, but I perfectly understand why those who are frequent uploaders would just get annoyed and move on. If I had a preference, the 6 images shown below the image people are looking at, would be those most related to the subject matter the buyer indicated.

Thanks, JC. Good points.

I probably shouldn't post because I'm feeling a bit frustrated right now, but I would really rather be out making images than rearranging my work to show possibly unrelated images. Or spending my time putting state abbreviations back as keywords after they were stripped with no warning. It's starting to take a lot of time to "work around" the "features" on this site.

I'd much prefer to turn it off as it's just more clutter distracting from the image. If someone walks in your store and starts trying on a jacket, you don't rush over and hand him 3 pairs of pants and some socks. What I'd really like to have below my image is the Description.

Description below the image would be awesome. People often ask me about an image and I tell them the information is in the description. Nine times out of ten, their response is "what description?"

Again, not a suggestion thread.....

While I may have went in to buy a jacket, having other close in the store window might get me thinking about another purchase. You don't run over and hand them socks but you darn sure do have manikins around the store showing they sell more than just jackets.

"...it's just more clutter distracting from the image...."


Jim, I look at if differently, sort of like a display window for a store. It would look rather barren for a store to have only one item sitting in the display window. As a consumer, I like to see a variety of the items that a business carries. Just my personal input. :)

Edit: Looks like JC posted while I was typing, but we're thinking along the same lines. :)

[deleted]

@Floyd:
"I just went to a gallery of one of the posters in this thread.
He has great work and a pic of a Harley motorcycle. In the six below the Harley, the first three images are fruits and vegetables.
Now, I know a lot of Harley riders and I got to tell you the guys I know are not buying no vegetable prints! lol"

Haha! Good example! It would be better if my other two Harley images could be in that 'six', which is what Bradford is saying. Have to say though, the fruits and veges outsell the Harleys by a big margin - but maybe not to Harley guys :-)

Thanks for the suggestion, off to change my 6, hope it works! :-)

Thank you JC Findley for this awesome information. This was information I needed. I struggled with what I would show on the first page, and it looked like many folks first 6 are the latest works of art they just added. So that's what I did. Well, I am now going to change that based on the info you just provided. Thank you for taking the time to share this very important information.

-- Emmy M. Vickers

Good reminder. I'm always changing my front page to hold my best pieces and what I want people to see first. I also try to keep the last page interesting too as I know some people go directly to the back page sometimes. =)

Since we are able to adjust the placement of images on our front page...I can't see why we can't determine those 6 images.

I always felt that it was necessary to introduce myself in images before getting into selling... It seems to be a friendlier way to start my site.




By the way, This is why , I'm imposed in the current FAA Home Page, where the first thing a visitor see is START SHOPPING.

Perhaps it is coincidence but I have now sold #6 of 6 twice since I changed the order. It hadn't sold in over a year before that.....