While not everyone agrees, I think Twitter (and other social media
sites) is a valuable business tool. I think Twitter is especially
valuable for photographers. So here are just a few ways photographers
can use Twitter to advance their photo business:

a. Use Twitter to replace e-mail. Think about it. If you run a Twitter
client in the background like I do (Tweetie) then you’re in effect,
always available via Twitter. If someone who follows you wants to send
you a message they can do it at least as quickly (if not quicker) than
they can via e-mail. Another value-add – it’s a persistent link. This
is more valuable for a number of reasons including SEO.

Recently, I released my new Master Gallery Print “Three Moose.” The
first person to buy it sent me a Tweet expressing interest, rather
than an e-mail. I responded via Twitter and eventually we did move the
conversation to e-mail. But the fact that it started on Twitter was
not lost on me. None other than well-known computer columnist John C.
Dvorak was just talking about Twitter as a tool to replace e-mail. He
may be onto something.

b. Use Twitter to replace RSS. No offense to Dave Winer, but RSS isn’t
the most efficient of Internet break-throughs. While I have (and will
continue to have) RSS feeds on my blogs and podcasts, I have noticed a
significant change in the number of people relying on the RSS feed to
notify them of new Photofocus.com posts compared with the number of
people who typically ask me to just let them know what I am doing via
Twitter.

When we post something new to the RSS feed, and to Twitter at the same
time, depending on the time of day and day of the week, we can see
that the Twitter audience is hitting the site harder than the RSS
audience. It’s something to take note of if you use blogs or podcasts
to promote or market your photography.

c. Showing the work is the most basic marketing activity a
photographer can do. And while Twitter is still not the most
photo-friendly place, you can use it to link directly to photos. Some
photographers are building nice, organic followings by simply linking
to a photo every day. Twitter marketing doesn’t have to be fancy, just
effective.

d. Contests/giveaways are effective when done well. This is an area
that I know something about :) I believe I’ve probably given away more
stuff on Twitter than almost anyone else. And yes, I get followers
because of that. (By the way if you’re new to the whole Twitter thing
followers = audience.) But I don’t believe I KEEP followers because of
that. I KEEP them by sharing real, free, valuable information like
photography tips, news about new gear or firmware updates, contests or
shows and free tutorials, podcasts, blog posts, etc.

I try to keep my ratio of contest/purely promotional stuff to between
eight and 10 to one. On weekends when it’s slower on Twitter I’ve
learned that too many posts will be interpreted as noise so my ratio
is more like 12 to one on weekends.

e. Twitter is mobile. A large number of Twitter users experience
Twitter on their cell phones. This means you don’t have to wait for
people to be tied down to their computers to communicate with them.
Sending, receiving and reading Tweets is easy on a smart phone. That
additional lifeline in the communication chain can mean the difference
between making a photo sale and not.

These are just a few ideas. I don’t believe anyone is a true “social
media” expert. And while I am being paid to consult with some large
firms on how to use Twitter, I always make sure to preface any such
engagement with the disclaimer that I, like everyone else on Twitter,
am still learning. It’s a fast-paced, fast-moving environment. What
worked a year ago on Twitter might not work now. What works now might
not work a year in the future. But as with all marketing, doing
SOMETHING right now is better than doing nothing. This is a chance to
establish a real “tribe” as Seth Godin would say. You don’t need to
get an Oprah-sized following on Twitter to be effective.

Scott Bourne

Interested in more thoughts on Twitter from Scott?  Catch Part Deux tomorrow and then join us at Skip’s Summer School.  Scott will be sharing the stage with me on Sunday night, August 16 and talking about Twitter and Social Media in far more depth!