Flickr: How To Maximize Your Exposure

by Carissa Rogers on April 6th, 2011 | 5 Comments »

Why should you use Flickr on a regular basis? Mainly, because it’s a great place to store and share photos. But, why should you use Flickr as a blogger? Because it’s a great way to drive traffic to your site and gain more exposure for your brand.

Flickr is free to set up an account, giving you 2 videos and 200 MB of photos per month and the ability to set up 3 albums (called ‘Sets’ on Flickr). However you’ll see quickly that it’s worth paying the $25/year to have access to the full features. You’ll get unlimited photo uploads and storage as well as ability to create additional ‘Sets’.

With just a few short steps, over time you will build up a strong force of data and links pointing back at your own site.

7 Ways to Maximize Your Flickr Account

Upload every image you place in your blog.
Link back to your specific blog post in the description of the photo.
USE THE TAGGING. Think of every detail about the photo. Not just the obvious. E.g. If it’s a kid—What is he/she wearing? Name the colors in the photo. Smiling? Teeth? Blue eyes? Older kid? Younger kid? You should have at least ten tags on each photo. Remember this is how people search Flickr images.
Be boring about your photo titles. Seems like you should be creative, but avoid the temptation. The titles of the images are also searchable. So if it’s a baby with a cell phone, the title should be: Baby With A Cell Phone. Write something creative in the description if you want!
Find Flickr groups to join. Search the groups tab for a group you can share your image with. If it’s a landscape photo, search for landscapes. If it’s a child, search for groups about children. Don’t forget MomItForward has a Flickr group as well! Adding images to groups extends the exposure the photo will receive. (therefore the possible exposure back to your site).
Connect your Flickr account with Twitter. The instructions to add your Twitter account to Flickr are simple. And every so often send images you particularly like to Twitter with a simple: ‘Hey my new favorite photo of my kid’.
Set up your ‘Sets’ thoughtfully. Create a set for your blogging photos. And another for family photos. Possibly one for blog conferences and another for a family vacation. You can choose which images are public and which are private.

The Question of Creative Commons

Should you or shouldn’t you? For those of us who call ourselves ‘amateur’ photographers we likely aren’t in it to sell our images or worry about copyright issues. I suggest you happily allow your images to be used by others, especially other bloggers. Label your images with Creative Commons. I realize that might seem counter to your interests.

However, when other bloggers pick up your Flickr images and place them on their own blogs they will link back to your photostream, and once again you’ll gain more exposure for your site and brand, albeit roundabout.

Think about it. We all win when there are quality images on Flickr in the Creative Commons, giving us ideas and resources to use and share. As a blogger be sure to link back to the person’s photo. Likely they will stop by and tell a few friends! Note: only use images from Flickr from the Creative Commons area, and even then asking permission via leaving a comment on the photographer’s image is considered polite. This is the quickest way to search Creative Commons: http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/by-2.0/

Flickr as a Social Media Tool

No one will argue Flickr is the best Social Media tool out there, but it’s still worth connecting with other bloggers and friends in the online sphere. Adding contacts and then leaving a few comments on other streams is helpful to their photos’ popularity, and if an image gets placed on the Flickr Explore page likely the click throughs to their blog will skyrocket (thanks to you). Also there is a ‘favorite’ feature. Use it when you really like something.

There are many other Flickr tools available. Some I like include: curating a ‘collection’, using Picnik to edit images, creating a slideshow of a group of images (and embedding it into a blog post), sending images to Facebook, and a really amazing organizer built in.

If you are already maximizing your Flickr use, I’d love to hear about it! How do you use your Flickr account? How have you used Flickr to maximize exposure?

In a former life, Carissa Rogers was a molecular biologist. In her current life, she is the chief researcher of bloggy karma, parenting dos (and some don’ts), new recipes, and for spice she pretends to be a photographer. She started blogging in February of 2008 and publishes her good & crazy thoughts on GoodNCrazy.com. Also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Check out Carissa's Indoor Portrait Lighting Tips.

Bio
Latest Posts

CarissaRogers

Bio: In a former life, Carissa Rogers was a molecular biologist. In her current life, she is the chief researcher of bloggy karma, parenting dos (and some don’ts), new recipes, and for spice she pretends to be a photographer. She started blogging in February of 2008 and publishes her good & crazy thoughts on GoodNCrazy.com. Find her on Twitter and Facebook.