I'm trying to move this discussion, since I hijacked shareinc's thread before. Please post your thoughts/comments.
Original post:
The problem isn't that there are hundreds of buyers and yours are priced too high -- it's that we need to get more traffic on the site. I can assure you that I spend a lot of time doing everything I can to try to get the site 'out there', but we honestly just your help doing it.
There are about 125 artists currently selling work on the site (and about 7,000 more who aren't but could perhaps help out). If each of you did one thing, pulled one string, or just made some effort to get more traffic on the site, that would be a serious boost in customers. Ask yourself if there is anything you can do to help promote the site. What favor can you cash in? Who do you know? Where can you get us linked? Can you get someone to write an article about the site? Or feature us in any other medium? Help us help you. I know that sounds really lame, but there's only so much we can do. That said, the site is still very young, and I still have the highest hopes and expectations for it.
I am 100% open for any suggestions, and I'm 200% open for any actions you take on your own. Anyone have any thoughts?
I'm trying to move this discussion, since I hijacked shareinc's thread before. Please post your thoughts/comments.
Original post:
The problem isn't that there are hundreds of buyers and yours are priced too high -- it's that we need to get more traffic on the site. I can assure you that I spend a lot of time doing everything I can to try to get the site 'out there', but we honestly just your help doing it.
There are about 125 artists currently selling work on the site (and about 7,000 more who aren't but could perhaps help out). If each of you did one thing, pulled one string, or just made some effort to get more traffic on the site, that would be a serious boost in customers. Ask yourself if there is anything you can do to help promote the site. What favor can you cash in? Who do you know? Where can you get us linked? Can you get someone to write an article about the site? Or feature us in any other medium? Help us help you. I know that sounds really lame, but there's only so much we can do. That said, the site is still very young, and I still have the highest hopes and expectations for it.
I am 100% open for any suggestions, and I'm 200% open for any actions you take on your own. Anyone have any thoughts?
Drew
If I had access to some good solid banner ads I'm sure many of us could get them posted a few places.
I could also use a "buy it now!" type button I could use on my website. That way if I post photos there (or in my LiveJournal or anywhere else) for sale, and someone wants a print, I could take them directly to to DPC Prints page for that photo.
I posted some links on my local ISP's photo forum. There isn't much traffic there, but I figured what the hell? A little traffic is better than no traffic, and its free.
Wednesday morning I heard a feature on a local AM radio station (okay stop laffing now) called the Wednesday website so I emailed them a recommendation for DPChallenge and of course after the description of the competiton site, I made mention of the Prints site as well.
I haven't heard anything back from the Wednesday Website thing yet, but hopefully we'll make it on there.
I'm sure there are other ISP's that have forums devoted to photography. Anyone tried emailing Kim Komando? I heard her radio show for the first time Saturday afternoon. Maybe she can get us on. If no one else wants to, I'll do it. The worst she can say is "no freebies, sorry" right? I just figger there's someone out there more articulate and persuasive than I who might be a better candidate to author such a request.
I just submitted a write up to Lockergnome, hopefully for inclusion in their Digital Media newsletter. Theses newsletters are *very* high traffic so fingers crossed.
Can't those of us who designed stickers use those too?
You may certainly do so. The only thing I can think of that wouldn't be an acceptable use of our logo would be to make money off of it.
Drew
...except by selling prints.
I've had zero time to do anything with my own websites (not that they get much traffic anyway), but I'll start trying to post some links soon.
Members of AOL and other online "communities" might be able to put a link in their profile...
This isn't so much how I can help dpcprints, but I think that if the previews of the prints were at least 640 dpi on the longest side, it sure would help. A lot of mine suffer from being resized to small by the site. It's hard to tell if it is a quality print or not.
I am not sure what Drew's plans are with being able to buy postcards of others photos. But if you did start to sell them I would buy lots. Exspecially around Mother's Day and other holidays. You could put dpc logo on the back of the postcards or even on the front. I think that is a great way of advertising.
What do you think.
I would really like to buy others members photos on postcards. I am not one to hang alot of pictures on my wall. Please, think about the postcards!!!!
Sonja, I totally agree with you. I do hang photos on my walls, but since I got into photography, they tend to be my own :-P
I would also love to buy a set of postcards with photos from other photographers on this site. Adding the DPC logo on them is a great idea, too. :)
Originally posted by Sonifo:
I am not sure what Drew's plans are with being able to buy postcards of others photos. But if you did start to sell them I would buy lots. Exspecially around Mother's Day and other holidays. You could put dpc logo on the back of the postcards or even on the front. I think that is a great way of advertising.
What do you think.
I would really like to buy others members photos on postcards. I am not one to hang alot of pictures on my wall. Please, think about the postcards!!!!
As you know this morning I sent out links to both DPChallenge and DPCPrints in my newsletter this morning, I heard back from an overwelming number, more than the 20 I said I would hear back from even said I expected some would pass the links on to more friends.
Well, I just finished reading an email from one of my subscribers who has her own newsletter with over 600 people on her list, and she is passing the links on through her newsletter also. Just proves if you share it with friend those who are impressed will pass it along to others.
I also like the idea of being able to get postcards of other's photos.
Also "what am I doing?" I made up some small posters with the DPChallenge and DPCPrints info on them, a little description of what you can find here and there, and added some tear off tabs with the web addresses on them. Our supermarkets have areas to post free ads and posters, so I put a few up there. Sounds stupid, I know, but like someone said "anything is better than nothing".
I also write "for a good time goto www.dpchallenge.com on all the stalls in the women's restrooms. lol J/K, but it IS an idea.
This isn't so much how I can help dpcprints, but I think that if the previews of the prints were at least 640 dpi on the longest side, it sure would help. A lot of mine suffer from being resized to small by the site. It's hard to tell if it is a quality print or not.
There is a flip side to this. Make the preview too large, and people will just print it on their own.
This isn't so much how I can help dpcprints, but I think that if the previews of the prints were at least 640 dpi on the longest side, it sure would help. A lot of mine suffer from being resized to small by the site. It's hard to tell if it is a quality print or not.
There is a flip side to this. Make the preview too large, and people will just print it on their own.
-Terry
I think 640 would work. Most of our print previews are probably that already when we upload, as that is what we are use to in the challenge.
I also like the idea of being able to get postcards of other's photos.
I also write "for a good time goto www.dpchallenge.com on all the stalls in the women's restrooms. lol J/K, but it IS an idea.
No sillier than the guy who printed advertising on those little plastic screens in urinals...I see lots of stickers for radio stations and bands in stalls and on walls, although I'm SURE Drew had something else in mind entirely...
You can buy someone's 4x6 print and glue it to some card stock right now, but it seems impractical unless people substantially lower their prices for small prints. I don't think I'd pay over a dollar for a postcard, which is likely to get mangled in the mail anyway. I'd rather just send someone a print in an envelope with a note.
Maybe someone can do some comparison shopping at other gallery sites and get a range of what people are charging for various sizes. I think with the ubiquitous ability to make photos, there may not be as large a market for medium-priced art as we think; people may want either super-cheap or very expensive "collectible" art these days.
