Groups And Images - Does It Really Matter?

Groups - no, unless you are featured on the home page or are in image pages 5 or less. JMO, but I doubt busy buyers click thru 50 pages of images.

Thats what I was thinking. Thank you

Don't forget search engines...how Google considers groups on FAA, Pixel, etc.
as they say where I come from "many things make the broth" :)

Like Dan said, featured images get a boost in rankings. If you look at any popular, busy group, the discussions show at least 3 times the views from replies. So someone is looking and I don't think it is all members.

Q - Groups and Images - Does It Really Matter?

That depends on the Member and the Group.


Groups are great for socializing and for growing your sales.

Socializing – A member can join groups to socialize with other like-minded members – for instance photography only groups or landscape artists, etc. Some of those groups have lively discussion forums as another means to socialize.


Growing Sales – Most groups feature works that meet or exceed the rules and requirements of the group – that can assist you with the internal search engine. Plus, some group administrators post featured works on social media and that can assist with Google and other search engines.

Many groups run contests for members only and it is well known that contests do lead to sales for the participants – and not only for the winners of such contests.


My suggestion on joining groups is to do a little research.

Is the group right for you? For instance, if it is a landscape group and you have very few landscapes and do not plan on doing many more maybe that group is not for you.


Is the group active? For instance, open the Members Tab, how many members does the group have and check the date recent members have joined.
Open the Images Tab, what is the date on the most recent accepted images?

If contests are important to you – open the Contest Tab, how many contests did this group host and how often do they host contests?

The Activity Tab will give you a clear picture of just how active the group is.

And of course, check the Discussions Tab if you are interested is socializing.


Note: If your research leads you to believe the group has not been active for about 5 months you should report that group using the link below.

https://fineartamerica.com/groups/site-managers-help-group-for-groups-contests-blogs-etc.html?showmessage=true&messageid=8726017


Note # 2 – Always give new groups the benefit of the doubt – You could very well be one of the newest members of the best group ever hosted by FAA / Pixels.


My opinion – Joining groups can lead to socializing and sales – Do not join groups and you will never know.

Not really. But... You never know. Contests work better. But only contests with a specific theme and ones that don't have you put 10 images because that's to many. Anything going to a group has to be approved. Many mods get the group thinking it will be fun, something to rule, but like raising a piglet, a baby duck, or a chick, its a pain and they grow up, go out of control and then are often eaten.. And you can't do that with a group. So they leave it.

You are much better off advertising off site. I add to groups because again, you never know. You do get more comments sometimes or likes, some of which may help a bit.


----Mike Savad

Hi Jaroslaw. My two cents...for what it's worth ~ it's good to have your work featured in groups. As far as sales, if the administrator and group members are motivated and actively bringing buyers to the group, as well as sharing the group link on their SM platforms, then sales will follow. Members also promote one another via likes, favs, comments, tweets, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., so groups can be very helpful.

As an administrator, I share both, features & our group link, on SM weekly. I also post homepage features several times daily, and give featured images at least 3 days, sometimes longer, to be seen & appreciated. It also helps to be in the 'Highly Active' top featured group rankings onsite. Visibility is key.

I can't imagine shoppers scrolling thru pages & pages of 'Images', so getting featured, and for more than one day, is best for exposure.

Contests are another way to get your work seen & sold. I've hosted nearly 3,000 since joining...and also routinely promote the winners on SM.

If my group 'A Woman's Touch' was not women-only, I'd ask you to join.

Best,
Brooks

I think the real way that it can matter is if you use your features or contest wins for a reason to share your work in your own marketing. For instance I sometimes post my featured images or contest wins mentioning that this image was featured by such and such group on FAA. or this image won first place in such and such contest on FineArtAmerica.

This can be a way to motivate you to share your work more and who knows what strangers to this site will think when they see it. Maybe it will impress them enough to visit your site and see more of your work?

Adding: I always link back to my own premium site and not to the group, because I tend to doubt how many visitors actually visit the groups and there is not any outside competition on my own website.

I enjoy entering contests here. It's a great way to get your work seen.

Hi... Groups and contests matter... Yes

Several reasons really, the main being sales come from contests, many times proven fact, so get your images on those.

Only use images that fit the contests however, I've personally seen artists blacklisted by buyers because they consider them image spammers! Truth!

Groups are awesome. We have some amazing group Administrators who start discussions, etc, and it fosters camaraderie. Being featured, which here is meant to be a special privilege, helps raise you in the internal search.

All in all, all the social interactions here can help and used properly can lift you higher in the buyers eyes. Playing them, (image or tag spamming), which unfortunately some do, doesn't.

____________

Abbie Shores
Manager FAA/ Pixels

"I doubt if potential buyers visit groups to find the right image."

me too.

Well you never know where a buyer is going to come from, artists do buy others and they may know someone who would love your work also. Its hard to sell a secret so I figure the more visibility the better. Contests have been helping me hone my skills in so far as working to a brief I don't always have something ready done so will do something specific for a contest. I have 0 contacts for my art so nothing to lose here lol.

I have sold original artwork in the past all total strangers who just found me somehow out of a whole heap of others.