Social Media Photography Survey Results 2009

Social Media Photography Survey 2009 A Survey to Understand How & Why Photographers Use Social Media 1

About the Survey General Info Number of Participants: 548 Duration: Sept 23, 2009 to Oct 19, 2009 Promoted using: Twitter, Facebook, blog posts and links from industry association websites Who’s Behind It? This survey was run independently with no sponsorship. Jim Goldstein - Organizer & Survey Analysis (http://www.jmg-galleries.com) Taylor Davidson - Survey Analysis (http://www.taylordavidson.com) Sign Up for future updates on web marketing programs http://www.jmg-galleries.com/blog/newsletter-sign-up/ 2

Length of Twitter Use How Long Have You Used Twitter? 61% for LESS than 1 year 16% for MORE than 1 year 24% do not have a Twitter account All 548 respondents. 3

“I joined Twitter because …” General curiosity 45% A friend urged me to 11% Saw it mentioned on a forum or a blog 10% Media hype 9% All 548 respondents; remaining 35% submitted wide range of other reasons. 4

Would People Recommend Twitter to Their Friends? 78% would or already have recommended Twitter to their friends 22% would not % of people that have a Twitter account. 5

Why Are People Using Twitter? What is your motivation for Twitter & other Social Media participation? Focusing on the top three responses, Community 70% 12% 18% 16% 24% Business Fun 58% 4% 10% 50% 6% % of all responses. Respondents selected multiple responses. 6 10% did not select any of the above.

Quality Relationships, Not Quantity. How many contacts on Twitter have you made, that you would not have made otherwise, that have the ability to help further your photographic endeavors? Less than 5 new contacts: 46% 5 to 24 new contacts: 38% More than 25 new contacts: 16% % of people that have a Twitter account. 7

Ease of Access to People & Opportunities What types of contacts have you made? Other Photographers 84% Friends 54% Writers 20% Editors 18% Creative Directors 16% Photo Buyers 16% Workshop Attendees 8% %s of respondents that have a Twitter account. 8 Respondents were allowed to select multiple responses, %s will not add up to 100.

Business Value What value have you received by taking part on Twitter & other Social Media sites? Info / Knowledge Sharing 78% Socializing 64% Establish New Business Contacts 43% Developing Trust / Authority Status 32% Developing New Clients 27% %s of respondents that have a Twitter account. 9 Respondents were allowed to select multiple responses, %s will not add up to 100.

It’s Not About the Money (But the Potential Exists) How much money have you made from direct sales or leads through social media in 2009? Over $5,000 10% $1,000 to $5,000 17% Under $1,000 26% Nada 48% But the potential exists… 5 reported over $50k 9 reported $25K to $50K Overall income from photography: 41% under $5,000; 23% from $5,000 to $25,000; 14% from $25,000 to $50,000; 23% over $50,000. 10 Similar results from direct sales or leads through social media in 2008 and 2009.

Survey Participants Professional Level How would you classify your involvement in photography? Professional 42% Semi-Professional 31% Amateur/Hobbyist 27% Professional > 75% of income from photography; Semi-Professional 5 to 75%; Amateur / Hobbyist less than 5%. 11

It’s Important to Participate in Multiple Places Which of the following Social Media sites are you actively participating in? Facebook 83% Twitter 69% Our own blogs / websites 62% Flickr 57% LinkedIn 57% Other people’s blogs 41% Photography Forums 30% MySpace, Ning, Friendfeed, others all < 12% Respondents were allowed to select multiple responses, %s will not add up to 100. 12

Sites with Greatest Perceived Value Personal web sites and blogs are perceived to create the most business value 4.2 2.0 Question: Based on your experience rank the following sites in terms of business value / revenue generation: [rank 1 to 5]. Number reported is weighted average of responses. 13

Where Are People Making Money From? Can you tie past revenue opportunities to any of the following sites? Focusing on top 4 sources Personal website and blogging 43% Facebook 28% Flickr 22% Twitter 15% Respondents were allowed to select multiple responses, %s will not add up to 100. 14 35% reported making no money from any social media sites.

Thoughts & Analysis: Social Media “Where’s the Beef”? This survey originated due to several contacts asking is social media participation worth the time and where is the money to be made? Return on Investment (ROI) v. Return on Engagement (ROE) Social media offers value not just in traditional revenue, but in brand & reputation management. What is the valuation of “word of mouth marketing” (i.e. referrals) and the savings or extension that can provide to your limited marketing budget? Product v. People Marketing is about people not product. While marketers have always talked a good game about this, it is now a reality. A reality driven by your audience who share control of your brand through self-publishing on social media web sites. 15

Thoughts & Analysis: Perceived Business Value One of the more telling components of this survey has been the nearly parallel alignment of perceived business value and sites creating revenue opportunities. While “photo hosting services” did not appear in the results of the “Where are people making money from” slide, it is likely these sites are seen as components of web sites or entire web sites unto themselves thanks to improved integration features. 16

Thoughts & Analysis: Sites Creating Revenue Opportunities Personal Web Sites & Blogs • The “Bomb Shelter”… the majority of these sites are safe and immune from the collapse of 3rd party services. • Personal web sites act as modern day business cards • Photographers have 100% control of these sites with no to minimal dependence on software release cycles • Modular applications are available to fit personal needs in particular with blogs Photo Hosting Services (Photoshelter, SmugMug, Flickr, etc.) • Provide a path/mechanism to achieve revenue opportunity • Turn Key solutions • Services that have established trust & awareness online Facebook • Ability to mingle with in a huge audience: ~350 million users eclipse even the most popular photography business web sites • Is a gated community where existing networks can interact and new referrals can be made • Trusted networks speed the spread of news & content to like minded individuals Twitter • Ease of accessibility with no middlemen between you and people you want to interact with • Developing communication standard (an alternate to email, phone and postal mail) • Twitter is a large pool of real-time data with a developing application layer enabling people to make sense of user interest & behavior 17

Take the Next Step Sign Up Get email updates & news on future web marketing / business development programs: http://www.jmg-galleries.com/blog/newsletter-sign-up/ Follow Us on Twitter Jim Goldstein (@jimgoldstein) Taylor Davidson (@tdavidson) 18

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Social Media Photography Survey Results 2009

by jimgoldstein on Dec 15, 2009

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Social Media Photography Survey Results 2009 — Presentation Transcript