CSIT155_S18:MaximC

As a photographer and videographer, I use various sites to showcase my work. In my previous posts, I mentioned my use of Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I use them each different; for example I use LinkedIn to find local job opportunities for major businesses. Aside from these standard social media sites, I use Unsplash and Vimeo. Unsplash is a high quality photo sharing website that is copyright free. It is the perfect place for a photographer to to share and gain a following since people go to this site to find and use high quality photos. If someone decides to use my photo and credit me then that would promote my page. Furthermore, if they really like my work then they will follow me themselves. On the other hand, Vimeo is a video sharing platform. It is very similar to instagram, but instead of focusing on photos, it places emphasis on videos. Again, this is another branch that I use to lead back to my main website.

After reading the lecture, I would say that due to the nature of my business only LinkedIn and maybe Yelp would serve me best. LinkedIn is a good way for my business to show my resume and find businesses that are hiring videographers, photographers and graphic designers. Yelp would be a good place to find local businesses that I can reach out to, however since I don’t necessarily have a business office I wouldn’t have a page for my own businesses. Since I do freelance work, I work online and drive to the job location rather than having people come to me. Thus, Google maps wouldn’t be much help for my particular business. The other social media options are nice, but I want to focus on just a few first before I start overloading myself with a multitude of platforms to update.

These are the blogs I commented on: Alexa Kent (FREAKS!), Sujatha Nanduri (Aha-Tea), and Michele Wojcik (LinkUp Social Media Consulting)

For my business, I would use a newsletter to build a relationship with my audience while at the same time I would use it to promote my digital media services. I would advertise my packages and showcase my work so that in case they need a photographer or videographer then they will think of my business. At the same time I don’t want to strictly send emails that advertise my business otherwise they might be disregarded. Therefore, before I send any promotional emails I would try and build a relationship with my followers by sending value to them. This might be in the form of personal training videos, my personal story, or anything else that will humanize my business and at the same time provide value. Once I have established a relationship then I will provide the option to buy my packages. I would try and send an email at least once a week, but similarly to my other platforms I will adjust to my audience’s needs. I am currently subscribed to some mailing lists that send inspirational...

For my social media I plan on sticking to the digital media category. I will post my own photography and videography while also sharing other photographers work who inspire me. In doing so I can build a portfolio for anyone who visits my page. This way I can build a community of digital artist. Furthermore, I plan to start reaching out to small local businesses who might be looking for a photographer or videographer and direct them to my page as a reference. I commented on the posts made by these Facebook pages:  Couple On a Budget ,  Lemar Lincoln ,  Mill Works

By adding human interest to your blog posts it adds a layer of humanity and personality. While the market might be saturated with other who are doing the same thing as you, no one else has the same personality as you so it can be a factor that helps distinguish your brand from others. By appealing to people’s emotions and being likeable, it is more likely that they will find your personal experiences relatable thus greatly increasing the chances of them sharing your post with their friends. From there you might go viral or gain some new followers. If it is your personal brand then I would say to add a personal touch as much as possible because the business is centered around you and your audience should like the company for your personality. However, if it is a more professional company that you are working for then you need to abide by their standards unless told otherwise. There should always be a layer of professionalism, but when given the opportunity a touch of personality can go ...

For my twitter account, I started by following the photographers that I was following on my Facebook page so that I could see how they translate the posts to twitter. After I followed two of my favorite photographers I started to search for photo sharing blogs that I can connect with. I searched for “photo sharing” pages first, but it didn’t show the pages that I was looking for. Then I searched “photo blogs” and I found some pages that showcase other photographer's work to their following. Afterwards, I created two lists: one for the photographers that inspire me and one for twitter accounts that I will connect with to share my photos. I created these lists so that I can keep track of who I am following and so that my followers can see who inspires my work. By creating these lists I can stay organized and easily access the accounts that I want to find. For my content I think that the best time to post my content is either in the afternoon or at night because that is when t...