Shutterstock: A Case Study Of How One Company Is Using Twitter To Grow Their Business
September 14, 2009
On my never-ending quest to find individuals and companies succeeding with Social Media I hit a goldmine. In a single word, Shutterstock. In today’s post I share how one company, in a VERY crowded space, is dominating the niche with Twitter!
Shutterstock is a microstock company, which means that photographers upload their photos to the site, which in turns sells them to graphic designers, news agencies, marketers, pretty much anyone who needs stock imagery. The photographers receive a commission every time one of their images is sold. Basically it’s crowdsourcing, as Shutterstock outsources the task of taking stock photos to the general public.
There are several of these microstock companies aside from Shutterstock; other ones include iStockphoto, Dreamstime, Fotolia, Big Stock Xchang, etc. When Twitter started blowing up, around six months ago, all these companies tried to stake a presence on this glitzy new social media platform. So far, Shutterstock appears to have been the most successful. Why?
1. Right from the start, Shutterstock identified their audience and offered them exactly what they wanted: free, useful stuff. In this case, Shutterstock’s audience was comprised mainly of graphic designers and photographers, so Shutterstock began to post free vectors and images every week on its Twitter account, as well as links to Shutterstock generated articles containing photography tips, Photoshop and Illustrator tutorials, etc.
2. Shutterstock began to actively engage people who mentioned their service in their Tweets; every week Shutterstock responded to @shutterstock comments, to either offer technical advice, voice appreciation or ameliorate concerns. Doing this, and doing this in a specific, casual tone, made Shutterstock’s followers feel like they had a direct pipeline into the company.
3. Many bloggers use Shutterstock as an image source for their blogs, so Shutterstock began to Tweet each blog post by an influential blogger that featured a Shutterstock image. Since bloggers are really the rockstars of Twitter, with a devoted readership base, this helped channel new people to Shutterstock, and also demonstrated that respectable bloggers used the service. Basically, Shutterstock used Twitter to network with popular bloggers.
4. This one’s important! Shutterstock went back through its site and embedded link buttons to Twitter and Facebook throughout all of the site’s pages. This way, whenever anyone new signed up to the site, or uploaded an image or collected a payment, their was a little button that they could click on that automatically made them a Facebook fan/Twitter follower of Shutterstock.
5. On top of all this, Shutterstock designed a simple and imaginative application for their photo submitters could called Shuttertweet. This application sends out a Tweet from a Shutterstock photographer’s Twitter account once a day announcing their sales and accepted images. Since many Shutterstock photographers are looking to promote their portfolios, this was an attractive service that many photographers signed up for. Now, with @shutterstock appearing in so many people’s news feeds, Shutterstock is channeling more interest than ever.
At this stage of the Twitter craze, the number of followers of each of the major stock image services seem to tell the tale:
Shutterstock:11,194
Istock:2,198
Getty Images: 1,218
Dreamstime:754
Fotolia: 223
Big Stock Photo: 168
stockxchng: 137
Shutterstock has created a vibrant Twitter community that continues to experience an accelerated rate of growth. The only question now is to see how this will translate for the company’s bottom line which will no doubt benefit from the added traffic, exposure, and social media success they are experiencing!
Source: http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com/2009/09/shutterstock-case-study-of-how-one.html
Free Webinar this Friday: Web application with document generation
March 23, 2009
Free Webinar this Friday: Web application with document generation
On Friday at 12 p.m. PT (3 p.m. EST), AlphaToGo’s Steve Wood is hosting a webinar to review an advanced Alpha Five Web application he currently has in the works. It’s a re-work of an application he built in Alpha Five Version 6, one of the very first Alpha Web apps in production.
This webinar is special, because Steve will also be demonstrating integration with a third party utility that takes XML output from his Alpha application, merges it with a template, and creates output in RTF, PDF, and HTML.
The third party app, StyleVision from Altova, is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) document template utility that generates “XSLT” files, which Steve uses on his server to generate the final documents from client-generated XML output.
In addition, Steve will demonstrate how to use WatchDirectory (a file watch program) on his server. WatchDirectory fires the merge process off-line, so it will happen sequentially, even if dozens of users are merging docs at the same time. This way, there’s no need for Steve to have to implement a more rigorous API process where a command-line utility is available.
To sum it up, during the webinar, Steve will show:
* Data-entry and basics of his Alpha Web application
* How to export XML from his Alpha application
* His very flexible XML output model
* How to create the document template in Altova StyleVision
* How to write the XSLT file
* What’s an XSLT, what’s an XML Schema, what’s an XML
* How to set up the server to create client documents on demand
* How to set up WatchDirectory to fire the command-line XSLT process for the merge
Being able to create complex merged documents out of Alpha could be considered the Holy Grail of application development to many developers. In fact, Steve has tried for years to create an all-Alpha solution. Now, StyleVision is a very nice companion to Alpha Five, and the process is “industry standard.”
To join the Webinar, click the Download Software button on Steve’s GoToMeeting page on Friday at 12 p.m. (3 p.m. EST). There is no advanced sign up. There’s only room for 12 visitors, so sign in early. If you can’t make the webinar, or are worried about not making the numbers cut, send me an e-mail and I’ll record the session.
Portable Fireworks 8
Fireworks 8 Portable | 35.27 MBMacromedia created Fireworks as a complete graphics applications aimed towards Web designers.It offers more advanced image control than existing packages, such as Photoshop or CorelDraw, for work that specifically relates to the Internet. Fireworks enables web designers to produce high quality images, export them in a variety of file formats while retaining
Curling in the Dragons’ Den
November 1, 2008
Dragons’ Den, the successful “Angel Investors” TV show, now in its third year on CBC in Canada (there is also a UK edition) showcases lightning-quick investment pitches made on-the-spot to a panel of major high rollers. These guys – and one gal – are looking to shell out their own shekels to fund the Next Big Thing, and they often do just that.
For example, last night’s show closed with two gals pitching a street-smart acrobatic show – a small-scale version of Cirque du Soleil – and after getting thoroughly stomped on by four of the five Dragons, the final one ponied up a quarter of a million dollars. Just like that.
Still with last night, quiet and humble Joe Dumouchelle from Windsor, Ontario (image above) also made it into the Den… but came away with nothing. The Dragons weren’t too fond of his invention: a curling rock with wheels, suitable for play on non-ice surfaces.
Joe also showed off a small mockup of a transportable wooden indoor curling sheet… which ships in two massive pieces, totalling 24 feet in length. The Dragons had a howl over that one, with designated Dragon badboy Kevin O’Leary imagining the sight of “a 24-wheeler show(ing) up at your house; ‘Honey! Your curling rink is here!’”
Sadly, the magic of TV editing did not tell us precisely what the Dragons thought of Joe’s main idea: the rocks themselves. Nor did Joe or the Dragons indicate any knowledge of existing dryland rocks – if so, we assume Joe would have been asked about owning a patent.
How about this, folks… whether or not you’ve ever seen the show, or this particular episode, how about helping out poor Joe? The show website features an Armchair Dragon Contest where the public can vote on its favourite unsuccessful “pitch” of the season. If Joe wins this week’s voting, he is in the running for an eventual $75,000 prize and you, dear reader, could receive $10,000 and a trip to Toronto – just for voting.
All you have to do is register – its free – with the CBC website, which can done through the contest page located here. You can also view a :30-second video promo for the contest, located here.
This week’s contest is open until Monday, Oct. 13 at 4:59 ET.
Good luck Joe… and to all curling voters, too!
When the dirt doesn’t stick
Labour has just lost the election. It has been been promising for a long time that they would produce evidence of dodgy dealings or behaviour of John Key – in his distant past. It was to be the only hope of winning the election. Labour Research Unit smear project manager Mike Williams, along with his research unit went on a tax-payer funded smear campaign trying to dig up the dirt against John Key.
Williams even went to Australia to see what he could find. Allegations centre around the so-called H-Fee – two payments totalling A$66.5 million ($75m) to Equiticorp funnelled via sham foreign exchange transactions in 1988. John Key was, apparently, the head of Elders Forex when massive illegal transactions were being conducted by that business group and Williams was to get a document that had Key’s signature proving that Key signed off the dodginess. He found the document, alright, and the boys at The Standard were very excited. They even got someone in the Labour Research unit to do a guest post on the blog. This morning, when I asked the manager of the research unit about the unit’s involvement with The Standard, she paused, refused to comment, did not deny the units involvement in the blog when repeatedly questioned and then slammed down the phone on me.
The final sentence in the post was:
Tomorrow: The date of the H-Fee and how the biggest white collar crime of the last century worked.
The Standard was also excited that today’s Herald was to have a damaging story.
But how the crime worked and Key’s role in it was not forthcoming. The post was pulled – here’s the cache.
It was pulled as the dirt looked like dirt but wasn’t dirt at all. How embarrassing. The document didn’t have Keys signature . Mike Williams is so disappointed that he’s not even answering his phone today. Hes too busy trying to find something for the Labour Research Unit to do. He has his tail between his legs. Its a dog of a smear. Labour campaign strategist Pete Hodgson didn’t know much about the fraud.
If the Serious Fraud Office has been willingly misled, issues of perjury arise, but I’m a veterinarian, not a lawyer.
He’s a good person to be a Labour strategist, then as Labour has gone to the dogs.
Portable Fireworks 8
October 1, 2008
Portable Fireworks 8
Fireworks 8 Portable | 35.27 MB Macromedia created Fireworks as a complete graphics applications aimed towards Web designers.It offers more advanced image control than existing packages, such as Photoshop or CorelDraw, for work that specifically relates to the Internet. Fireworks enables web designers to produce high quality images, export them in a variety of file formats while retaining
Are dogs smarter than babies?
Honestly, folks, I tried and tried to think of a way to relate this to what we do, but I couldn’t. It’s just too funny to not share though. Enjoy!
Improve Your Company With Hifocal
August 30, 2008
Improve Your Company With Hifocal
If you would like to join the free market competition and becoming the winner in this strict global market competition, you should have a great tactics and program to become a leader better than the other companies. If you do not have any idea what you should do and what you should consider regarding to face this free market competition, you only have two choices. Move backward and out from this
Portable Adobe Fireworks CS3
Adobe Fireworks CS3 Portable | 67 MB Accelerate web design and development with Adobe® Fireworks® CS3 software, the ideal tool for creating and optimizing images for the web and rapidly prototyping websites. Create and edit vector and bitmap images, and import and edit native Photoshop and Illustrator files. Optimize graphics for virtually any delivery scenario with preview, cross-platform
Portable Adobe Photoshop CS3
August 5, 2008
Portable Adobe Photoshop CS3
Adobe Photoshop CS3 Portable | 56.7 MB Adobe Photoshop CS3 Portable Edition – Only 56.7Mb. No Installation Required. You can run it from a USB drive. Create powerful images with the professional standard. The essential software for perfecting your images, Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 now offers productivity and workflow enhancements, powerful new editing tools, and breakthrough compositing
I Love Cool Gadgets
So the iPhone just came out and it got me thinking….my Motorola Kryzr ain’t looking so cool anymore. I guess I have to face the fact that I am a tech junkie. When new cool toys come out I get a serious itch to spend large amounts of money. Now if I could only play online casino games or at least online hold em poker I would not have the power to resist. I guess it is time to call my cell
Organic Symmetry
July 21, 2008
Self explanatory, really
Organic Symmetry
A press release from Vlad Bjornson:
Join me as I celebrate the re-opening of my New World Gallery. Organic Symmetry is an exploration of the shapes and colors provided by Mother Nature, viewed through a distorted digital lens. Undulating colors and self-similar shapes are combined in a variety of ways to create an immersive, full-sensory experience.
The works begin their life as RL digital photos captured in the wild places of the Pacific Northwest. Moss & bark, flowers & leaves, earth and sky. I take these images into Photoshop, exploring the shapes and color combinations that arise as I experiment. I have always been a fan of symmetrical compositions and the self-similar shapes found in Nature, and I enjoy creating my own variations on these themes.
I brought these manipulated images into SL for further experimentation. In here I can combine the images in new ways, put them in motion, create interactive pieces that surprise and delight. I never know what this Mashup of tools and ideas will bring about, but I know what I like when I find it. 
This Organic Symmetry show includes digitally manipulated photos, interactive sculptures, kinetic art, video installations – even a symmetrical space created specifically for this collection.
MoShang Zhao will also be joining us for a live musical performance. His music is a perfect fit for this show. Energetic yet introspective – a blend of traditional Chinese music, ambient sounds, and hip-hop flavors. He calls it ‘Chinese Chill’. You can learn more about MoShang at his website: http://moshang.net/
I will also be providing some live visuals to accompany MoShang’s music. Pictures, videos, particles, and other colorful eye-candy drawn from the same pool of natural imagery.
See you at the show!
Vlad Bjornson
