Using online photo-sharing services to market your business

Online photo-sharing services are websites where you can store, organise and share your photo collections. Photo-sharing services also let you edit images, add explanatory information, and 'tag' individual photos so that they can be easily searched.

Many of the collections held on photo-sharing services contain personal photographs belonging to individuals. But some businesses are also using the services as part of their marketing strategy. Photo-sharing services can help you to:

• show your product or service to potential customers
• raise awareness of your brand
• build closer relationships with customers
• increase traffic to your website, Facebook page, blog or Twitter account.

The most popular photo-sharing services include:

• Flickr
• Instagram
• Pinterest.

This guide explains how online photo-sharing services work, their potential benefits and pitfalls, and how to use them effectively to market your business.