When I started out in the photo biz in 1979 as editor of Studio Photography, the buzz phrase for photographers was, "Publish or Perish." If a photographer did not get his or her name out there, they had a good chance of disappearing from the photo scene. I saw that happen more than a few times.

Today, the same philosophy holds true. A photographer must get his or her name out there or run the risk of falling by the wayside. I see that happening more and more . . . and more.

The photographers who are hurting - or not growing - have one thing in common: they have not embraced social media, using free tools like Google+ (the best social media tool), facebook and twitter to gain a following.

So my friends, you need to "Socialize or Succumb."

I'm doing a live webinar (a narrated Keynote show) on Social Media Marketing for Photographers on April 10th at 5 PM Eastern time. Cost for the one-hour webinar is $29.95. The download after the event is also $29.95. Durning the webinar, I will discuss the social media tools and techniques I use. I'll also give some business advice.

This webinar is designed for those just getting started in social media. Shoot me an email to get on the info list. Space is limited.

Until the webinar (and after the event), set aside some time each day to socialize your photography. The more you put in, the more you'll get out.

Sure, you can spend a lot of time with social media, but... never mistake motion for action.

Explore the light,
Rick

The times they are a changin' – Bob Dylan, 1964

Yes, the times are changin'. Social media marketing is “where it’s at” if you want to grow your business. Here are my top 10 tips to help you along the way.

1 Take the Time to Tweet – Spend an hour a day on twitter.com – your small investment in time will result in a wider audience for you and your services and your products.

2 Be a Good Blogger – Don’t blog about you and your coffee or dog. Blog about stuff that will help people – or that, at least, will be of interest to most folks. (See Jim Harmer's comment below. He says the same thing this way: Content is King.)

3 Get Face-time on Facebook/Have Fun on Flicker – Use Facebook and Flicker to show off your work – for free! Expand your audience – again, for free.

4 Have Fun on Forums – Participate in forums that can help others in your field and that can help you get your message across.

5 Be on Bit.ly – A must. Use this site to track the number of hits on a link. Cool!

6 You Do It On YouTube – Post videos that relate to your business. Keep them fun, entertaining and informative. And short.

7 Invest in Being Interactive – Do all of the above as often as practical to maintain your visibility.

8 You Snooze You Lose – Don’t do all of the above as often as possible, and you’ll lose out on an increased audience – and maybe even lose part of your existing audience.

9 Keep Up with Technology – Stuff like twitter and bit.ly are relatively new. Keep up with technology so you can keep up with your competition.

10 Know Your Audience – As with all marketing efforts, it’s important to know your audience. Don’t waste your time, or anyone’s time, on relatively useless information.

Hey, leave a comment about your involvement is social media marketing - even if you are just getting your feet wet. I'd love to hear what you are doin' - in these changin' times.