PhotoShelter Joins Google+

When Google+ hit the scene this year and we saw PhotoShelter photographers create substantial G+ communities, we couldn’t wait to join the conver...

When Google+ hit the scene this year and we saw PhotoShelter photographers create substantial G+ communities, we couldn’t wait to join the conversation. So when Google announced in early November they were launching Google+ company pages, we jumped right on board.

Today we present our brand spanking new Google+ page to help you stay connected with what we’re up to. We’ll be sharing PhotoShelter news, how-to videos, posting photos from PhotoShelter photographers, and a whole lot more.

Join PhotoShelter on Google+

Photographers Tell Us Why G+ Works For Them
While putting together our own page, we reached out to some successful PhotoShelter G+ users to learn their secrets for making the system work for them. Here’s what they had to say:

Switzerland-based nature and landscape photographer Johan Peijnenburg has 18,352 followers on Google+. He also started the PhotoShelter User Group (#PhotoShelterUG).

On his G+ workflow, Johan says:

“I try to post 2 or 3 times a week, usually at the end of my morning in Europe to catch as many followers as possible. The number of likes and comments has a great influence on how often a post pops up at the top of the G+ Stream. To make a post more interesting, I usually try to combine an image with something like an anecdote, an interesting quote, info on how an image was created or simply a request for input. There has to be something interesting to get people to come back.”

Fine art photographer Matt Suess who we recently profiled in our guide to Selling Fine Art Photography, has 14,108 followers on G+. But as he will tell you, it’s not a numbers game – especially in the beginning:

“If you’re just starting out on G+ (and even if you have been on it for a while) you shouldn’t be be too concerned with your follower count. If you engage your audience with meaningful content people will find you on G+ and your follower count will increase. But it really isn’t about the numbers – it’s about the interaction.”

Matt also has a strategy when it comes to what he posts:

“The vast majority of my posts are about my photography and other tech/photo related news and other tidbits I feel my followers may have an interest in. Approximately 10% of my posts are marketing related such as announcing photo workshops I teach and art festivals I am exhibiting my work at.”

Landscape, travel and conservation photographer Shane Srogi has 12,989 followers on Google+ and uses the platform to host a daily blog called “The Photographer’s Daily Topic” which receives about 3,000 reads a day. Every day, he’ll pose a photo-related question to his community asking their opinions on things like watermarking images, slideshows, or when they realized their passion for photography. Shane will often get 10+ responses.

But when Shane shares a topic, he’s very conscious of when he posts and the words he uses:

“It’s important to remember that Google+ is an international social network. I have time zones set up on my iPhone and post accordingly because I regularly talk with people from Europe, Asia and Australia. And sometimes getting responses back depends on the way you ask a question. The only daily topic that fell flat for me was on the topic of “branding.” I decided to reword the question and instead asked “How do you set your website apart? which got a lot more responses.”

Shane adds: