For more information on shooting/selling stock footage check out my other posts:
GETTING STARTED
KEYWORDING
WHAT SELLS?
The best way to advertise your footage to potential buyers is to put some kind of link to your other clips in the description of every single one of your clips. Many stock footage sites allow you to use UBB Code (or some variation of it) to insert links and images into the description of your stock footage clips. Use that creatively to advertise your other clips. You will notice that many seasoned stock footage producers have several banner/links to similar clips, concepts, shots using the same model, etc.
A buyer that is ready to purchase a stock footage clip will often be looking for additional related clips, or even un-related clips. Bottom line is, they have money to spend on stock footage, and you have stock footage. If they can click on a banner that catches their eye, you can send them to a collection of your clips and you have the chance to make another sale. That is good.
As a default, I usually try to have a banner that links to a collection of some of my best clips. A banner that looks something like this:
For iStockphoto.com I attach this link:
Check out other high quality footage from HDCineman
Which leads to a collection of my favorite clips. (Feel free to go there and comment/rate some of my clips! I like getting feedback.)
For www.pond5.com they allow you to put links to a bin, and display a custom number of random thumbnails from the bin.
These are simple things you can do to increase your sales dramatically without even shooting any additional footage, take advantage of the free advertising space on each of your stock footage clips.
Happy Shooting!
HDCineman
