I was recently advised to follow the proverbial yellow brick road and actively post on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook oh my.

using Instagram more as a sales site, rather than say eBay or even Etsy, both driving direct sales as well as more traffic to my website eliminates the associated fees from eBay or Etsy, and or even gallery fee’s which is often %40 – %50 of the asking price. sadly this then causes the seller to increase their prices. it’s actually very simple math.

For example, this photo, that I took using film, I developed the film, then printed in my darkroom using high-quality fiber based silver gelatin paper, which I then mounted and matted and framed.   for the final image, I’m likely underselling myself, asking only $500.00 for.

however remember this, if I sell the final product in a gallery, I have to mark it up based upon their percentage that they charge, sadly this same basic math applies to sites like eBay.

 

This print looks very different in person, I use a combo of effects from the paper, developer, toner and yes even the glass from the frame to give the print depth and feeling. it is not a digital photo.

however as part of that suggestion and a question about where to purchase my reproduction frames I’ve created an Etsy store as well as an eBay store.

They are as follows:

Etsy
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BBHPhoto

eBay
https://www.ebay.com/sh/ovw

As to social media, part of the reason I’m writing this blog posting, is the share some info about the main social media sites everyone seems to love and know about. but let us not forget that blogging is also considered social media. And as much as I would prefer to be locked quality away in my darkroom or off in a secluded field taking a photograph, as an artist I have to boast about and show of my work. Creating a strange mix, allowing not just the small handful people who are fortunate to see or own some of my work, but also the contemporary digital natives and immigrants, who prefer socializing through their tablets and phones, rather than in person. The funny thing, we talk about how many digital natives will be sitting, at a restaurant looking at their phones. most engineers and artist tend to be introverts, thinking and working on their own projects, even in physically social settings. the main difference is that using a phone is just more obvious, than thinking or scratching ideas on napkins, and worse yet, those endless post on social media are much more open than say me working in my darkroom.

As to calling me a digital native or immigrant, I don’t really fit either of those. in that in many respects helped create the tools for social media while pioneering on the internet.

Back to using social media, remember the end-user, is the product of social media, that product, those people are also the audience to ads that are customized to the user’s preferences by click-bate and cookies. So, as a small business or artist or for that matter anyone trying to sell anything, how do you get the largest audience without paying for ads. The same way you do with direct marketing, such as Amway, you invite your friends, you tell them about how great your product is, and why they should buy from you verse a local store. Only now, it has to be done within the same playing field, using the current social media. rather than telling you neighbors and co-workers. when using social media as such you are now changing, becoming a producer rather than a blind consumer. the next part why someone should buy from you, that’s easy as an artist your art is unique. it’s not something that can be found in a store.

some of this, I already knew, but as I said before I would rather be working on my own projects rather than selling it, unfortunately, I can not afford a marketing manager, project manager or any of the other managers needed to allow me to simply work on my art, and have people simply hand me money, I do however feel lucky to have help from Sharon, and suggestions as well as offers to help promote my work from Charlie, of the Charlie B Gallery

so please check out Battle Born Historical Photography on the following social media sites:

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/bbhistoricphoto/

Twitter
https://twitter.com/BBHistoricPhoto

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BattleBornHistoricalPhotography

Google+

Tumblr
https://bbhphoto.tumblr.com/