What Percentage Of Your Front Page Has Sold?

Thomas,

Your profile opens to galleries. How are the two London images doing?

Dave

Is this a critique thread at all for people's landing pages? I would find that interest. But it is slightly divorced from sales.


http://www.davidbridburg.com

Dave

Dave it does open to galleries, but for the sake of discussion I am talking about if you click and sort by images instead of galleries just so we are talking across all the galleries.

The 2 London images are 2 that haven't sold yet, like I said out of my normal market.

Oh and yes feel free, critique across, discuss, whatever. Its a free internet.

ZERO - since you asked.

You can't pick the winners, IMO.

The hardest thing in the world is picking one or two images to enter into a show (assuming you have a lot of good work to choose from). Poll 20 people and they will all have a different option of what is your best.

The powers that be picked one of my images for the homepage but it wouldn't have been my choice for what has the best potential for selling.

But the beauty of the Internet is long tail marketing. Costs nothing to add a multitude of choices. A wide net brings in more fish.

I arrange my top image more to show what I consider my best. Not necessarily what sells.

Plus I don't think many people plod through our work image by image. Things come up on a search engine one at a time.

i didn't go that far out, i can see images that sold in the past, though they aren't recent. but i can't organize it like that. and the buyer can put it in any order they want.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

To answer your question - much lower percentage. I have plenty of stuff that has never sold (yet!). A few that have sold multiple times and I am always pleasantly surprised when a image sells for the first time.

I don't know what you mean by "I upload fewer images I take than other photographers". How do you know how active others are? I shoot for a variety of markets - if they meet my criteria they go up. I've sold images intended for commercial food photography usage, I've sold some intended for the book cover market and I've sold some specifically intended for fine art.

By not posting potential sellable images you are just limiting the number of potential sales you will make. You are artificially shrinking your own market. Its a store not a portfolio.

One image of Lawrence Kansas is like walking down the bread aisle and seeing only one loaf of bread for sale

Another way of looking at it. I have 377 images in my sold gallery. 900+ something sales over the years. So if you do the math each image has only found a buyer a couple of times. If I had half the number of images, in theory I'd have half the number of sales.

If I was showing in a gallery where I had limited wall space, I'd be selective and try to narrow it down to what I thought were the winners. But this is the Internet, its a numbers game.

I haven't sold anything on my first page, but most of the images on my first page are less than a week old. I usually add a handful of images per day and I rarely ever reorder the images view so it's almost always the newest images at the top.

I like these exercises:

60% of the images on my front page have sold through FAA. I change it up a few times a year, I keep it as a mix of my best sellers and my newest work, with a few older images in there too.

I organized my first page, now page number four as I saw fit, but now I just let them fall in chronological order. A stream of progressive workings.

The gallery page offers buyers the chance to choose the series or the topic.

Dave

I guess I didn't realize that people left their image page in chronological order. I organize mine, because if they click the "Images" tab, I want them to see my best most sold work first. I need to go do some work in the galleries to do the same thing and organize them as well. My goal is for people to see my images, follow to my portfolio, and stay there.

Edward, to answer a few of your questions specifically....mostly when I say I post a lower percentage of my work than others its just from experience and practice, I am sure there are individuals more picky than I about what I sell, but by and large that isn't the case. I sell approximately 5-10% of what I shoot and produce. For someone who shoots daily, I don't have a whole ton of images up. I could easily have 1000's of images for sale, but mostly, I don't really feel that would increase sales over time compared to what I am doing.

The general wisdom on the site is create a bunch, put it all up because you never know what sells. I get this, and I think it is a sound strategy, but I also think that over time mathematically it will make it harder for someone to continue to increase sales. The "pile" of images is only getting deeper as time goes on, and even if I produce at a high rate, slowly, and surely, I the likelihood of my new images being seen and sold multiple times becomes less, and less, and less. My efforts are to have a high bar for quality, and continue to create images that will sell multiple times so that there is less chance involved. I want to have large presence at the top of the searches in my target categories and keywords. I believe 1 image that has sold 20 times is way more valuable long term than 20 images that have sold once. It allows my sales to be very linear over time while slowly adding images.

You made this comment, "By not posting potential sellable images you are just limiting the number of potential sales you will make. You are artificially shrinking your own market. Its a store not a portfolio." I see your point, I really do, but at some point there is a point of diminishing returns. My images are my brand. If you have a portfolio of 3000+ images, you are relying entirely on search instead of branding to really bring you sales IMO. And, in general, if you are in a store, online or otherwise, and you have to look through hundreds of things to find something that strikes you, you very way well leave before you decide to purchase something. I get it though, large numbers works, but I con't compete with guys like JC, he can shoot more than I can. I can't compete with the large galleries that have multiple artists they are representing and a huge back catalog. I can, however, compete viciously for the top search spots with certain keywords. I can hammer and sell the same images through my own efforts and move them up the ladder where they will stay.

This is why I am starting the conversation though, I like to talk about the strategies people employ, what works, what doesn't etc. I've already found out that some people don't even organize their image listing to put their best on top, and to me that is a huge missed opportunity. If they click on that button, don't you want them to see the best and fall in love with you as an artist?

"One image of Lawrence Kansas is like walking down the bread aisle and seeing only one loaf of bread for sale." Does it matter if you love that bread?

You mean like you've been wandering the earth looking for that exact image and then lo and behold it appears before you like a vision from above?

Photographers have a tough time creating a style that stands out. If you are an artist, yeah, maybe people fall in love with your distinct, unique style. Photographers -- not so much. Especially landscape photographers. Its the image they want, not the photographer.

If they want a shot of Lawrence Kansas, they want to see some choices. Either you provide the choices or your competition will.

Why even have a gallery with one or two images? At least have a page of images per gallery.

" If you have a portfolio of 3000+ images, you are relying entirely on search instead of branding to really bring you sales IMO"

Not really. Rely on both. The large numbers of images bring in traffic. And I brand via my own web site, books, exhibits, blog, licensing etc. Everything points to edwardfielding.com and then the orders are fulfilled by FAA/Pixels.

If anything the strategy you've outlined seems to be aimed at reaching the top of the FAA search for your specific images.

You can see the result of more images in the numbers:

Your numbers:

MEMBER SINCE:August 30th, 2011
FOLLOWERS:541
VIEWS:326,669

Mine:
MEMBER SINCE:June 10th, 2011
FOLLOWERS:557
VIEWS:709,783


I think the idea of getting a few images to break through to the top is a good one, I just don't see why it requires holding back any other good images you have sitting on your hard drive.

I still wish FAA would make it possible to set a default position where new images would show up so anything on my front page I usually just the most recent upload otherwise I'd have to redo the order after every new batch of uploads . If I was actively running advertising I'd pick a smaller selection of images to sell and organize them better, have nested galleries so someone could browse by location, subject, industry, recreational activity, season, etc. Whenever the sales threads pop up on here, nobody has any idea how they are selling (other than I have a blog, I use Pinterest, I post all over Facebook, etc), how people find them and its not uncommon for people to say they've been doing the same marketing and promotion (which may be a TON or nothing) and sales have gone way up or fallen off a cliff. Are they selling via search, via their promotional efforts, via search as a result of past promotional efforts or a combination of both? It's all one big black box.

Since I know absolutely nothing about what leads to visits or sales, except for the rare chance that someone emails me before or after they buy something, I just play the numbers game because I suspect that search is the number one way that people find and buy images that are not their own creations on the site. Probably next year when I'm not living out of a car it will be time to go into sales mode and actually figure out a way to know what is happening, connect the dots and come up with a sales process.

My front page is chronological, too, for the most part. I figure if someone is looking for something in particular, that's what the galleries are for. I actually have two very specific galleries ... "recent sales" and "personal favorites" < ~ and that one has a disclaimer that I mix it up frequently, and I do.

PLUS ... sorry ... I am usually most in love with my most recent stuff ... so ... there ya go. Logic AND emotion.

To answer your question, then, my front page, the image / chronological bit, hasn't sold. As has been pointed out many times before, as a rule our images tend to need to percolate for several months before they get snapped up. Not all the time, but usually.

Your work is just AMAZING Tom!!!!! WOW!

Right now my front page of of image has mainly vern new uploads which have not sold. I do try to re arrange and keep at least half a dozen or so best sellers on the first page. I re arrange mine fairly frequently, the order of images as well as the order of galleries. I have absolutely no idea if it helps sales at all.......

I mean if we are talking numbers, you have like 20 times the number of images as I do, and twice as many views. Ultimately, to me, views are meaningless. Its all about the dollars and cents in my bank account. Don't get me wrong, if I had 3000 shots I thought were my best, I would have them up.....but I truly believe that by only showing my best in the end, I sell more because it allows me to concentrate my efforts on marketing shots that have a high conversion rate.

And I understand your thinking too, do both. Upload everything, and still concentrate getting your best shots high in the searches. Sounds great, but I only have so much time. It takes a ton of time to edit upload and keyword 1000 shots, at least in my own workflow.

I really admire your portfolio though, its full of really good work.

Also Diana, thanks for the compliments.

hi Tom and Edward,

The discussion between you two gives new bees like me tons of insight. On one hand, I could be like Tom slowly adding up 1 piece of quality photograph at a time. On the other hand, I can provide lots of different kind of products like Edward. The statistic on the number of views and followers are amazing on both. However, at the end, it's ultimately how much works involved and how much sales generated. I know that it's confidential but I'm (and probably many more people) dying to know information like the gross sale per year from these two types of artists like Edward and Tom so I will know which way that I should go.

Thanks for educated me.

Vu

Vu

I won't share specific numbers, but FAA has taken care of my mortgage and car payment more months than not for the past 12 months. Its been 5 years of work to get to this point though. That is for a family of 5 so not exactly cheap, but we don't live extravagantly either.

I think the most important thing in this selling art game though is you express your talent, make a plan, and work hard at it. Learn what works for you, and what doesn't, and adjust accordingly. No two artists are alike, and there is no step by step guide to making it. Gotta figure it out for yourself.

That is part of the reason why I like to have discussions. Even though I disagree with Edward, having the conversation always makes me think about how to improve my own practices, and it doesn't diminish the fact that I respect his work greatly.

Thomas and I started shooting the way we do about the same time under the tutelage of the same master. Our work obviously differs as we both developed our own styles.

On selling philosophies we chose different paths. I do the massive amount of images route and he does the only wow level work route. We are probably pretty close on the amount of revenue generated and THAT is what the end game goal is. I can tell you right now, Thomas's route works well for him. Want to see someone that sells a LOT of images on here that has a similar philosophy? Take a look at Dave Allen. He had way fewer than 100 not that long ago and sells circles around me. Thomas's choice in how he gets sales isn't wrong, it's just different than mine.

Anyway, back to the question at hand. 6. Six images on my front page have sold. When I am not in an upload frenzy I like to keep a good sampling of my best work on that page. I almost always have a good sampling on my first six. On that page, and usually in that six I keep a fairly broad cross section of what I do. I have a couple black and whites along with something from various markets I am and trying to build. Now, not all my top sellers get moved to the front page or my six. My Philly and Boston shots are markets I cannot expand upon and have very specific markets. They sell well in those markets and are easily found when looking in those markets. Same thing with my Marine Corps image. Now, I said six, there is about to be 7 because my seagull needs to be there. Here is why. The seagull appeals to multiple markets and is not tied to a specific market like the Boston or Philly images are. That can be easily found if looking for a beach scene in Wrightsville Beach BUT it would appeal as a generic beach scene as well.

The goal with those images is two fold by the way. The first is to WOW the visitor that might look there. The second thing is to potentially sell them an image they didn't even know they were looking for, or at the very least let them know I don't JUST sell beaches, or airplanes or Alabama scenes, etc etc.

If I understand, Tom says my site would stay whatever way I sorted it last? I know if I leave it on images I cam force shuffle them but I thought the sort function is unique to me . Each person can shuffle and it's unique to them.
With just over 1000 images I leave mine in galleries.
I did have a woman leave a comment to tell me she just finished all 977 images and she loved them all...
977 images? In one sitting? Hell, even I don't love my work that much! :-)

When you go to your "Images" page, you can hover over the thumbnail of one of your images and there is a little edit button in the upper right. Click that and you can change the position, which moves the order of your images around. You can also do this within galleries.

None of the images on my front page have sold. I've been able to use a computer here at the hospital to upload some older images and haven't gone back to "fix" the font page. When I do, I'll put a mix of best sellers and favorites there for folks who land there.

I leave mine in chronological order. The idea being that galleries provide an alternative for finding images by subject, plus I just don't have the patience to rearrange them so often. I upload constantly, so I like the idea that people can see whatever my latest is on my images page.

The other thing I've realized is that if I stress too much about marketing strategies, it takes the fun out of it for me. So, I've decided I'm content with selling the amount I sell without getting all serious about it and that works for me. :-) I'd rather be out shooting than arranging my page.

I load the images for a week or so, then I toss them to the page I like .. I tend keeping a good ones or the bestsellers about 50% of the front page; and, I introduce my new pieces (in series, at least 3-4 next to each other) between the bestsellers.
My art is diverse (from extreme abstract to hyper realism, from nudes to baby room decor). So, I more rely on my Galleries page for the buyer to find the needed subject (Landscape, Floral, Bicycles, Sea Shells, Baby Room, Decor, etc).

Cheers!
Irina
http://www.artirina.com/

I could swear I posted this earlier but I'm having trouble getting my comments to show up today.

First, Thomas, your image page is a huge WOW!!

I rotate new images into my first six every 2-3 weeks. I have been doing this ever since Sean made the change that has our first six under every image. I always pay attention to orientation and color in my choices, I pick a mix of relatively new uploads and older images, and I always pick images that I really like personally. I also pay a little attention to season (based on US seasons). When I upload, the first thing I do is move the image back to after the images that have already had their time at the beginning.

Tom, THANKS for your generosity replying. Those info means a lot to me. Thanks again.
Mr. Findley, THANKS for further clarifying. I've checked out Dave Allen and OMG, there are few photographers that are able to "see" and editing at such level.

Warm regards,

Vu

Nice images; shame I had to click back from the Galleries page for them though!

I like moving my images around to keep things looking fresh.

Michel
✈ http://pics.travelnotes.org/.