New social media initiatives from Shutterstock

Shutterstock, the leading global provider of stock images and stock footage by subscription, has applied its winning ways to the social media realm, creating the strongest sense of community for buyers and contributors in the stock image industry.

 Over the last year, Shutterstock has developed several innovative apps, such as Shuttertweet for Twitter and the Shutterstock Contributor App for Facebook, which enable contributors to alert friends and followers when Shutterstock accepts or sells their images.

Last March, the company started The Shutterstock Blog, a site filled with informative, creative content, the free images of the week, and the latest company news and updates.  In June, Shutterstock launched a new blog geared to contributors called Shutterbuzz, which provides helpful tips and techniques for photographers, illustrators and videographers. Here, contributors can read up on various camera equipment, learn how to avoid getting their images rejected, and even write their own blog posts for inclusion.

In addition, Shutterstock recently hit 20,000 fans on Facebook, the most among its competitors, and has over 30,000 followers on Twitter.

 Shutterstock’s high-quality collection of over 12 million fresh, vibrant stock images, and the brand’s remarkable success with crowdsourcing, have made it a favourite among bloggers. In a poll conducted by TopRank’s Online Marketing Blog this year, readers voted Shutterstock as the best source for royalty-free stock photos – http://www.toprankblog.com/2010/03/best-stock-photo-site-for-bloggers.

Charlie Osmond, co-founder and strategy director of social media agency Fresh Networks and contributor to its insightful blog, commented on Shutterstock’s social media prowess: 

“Shutterstock has the advantage over other online stock photo libraries with its unrivalled breadth and quality of images. This is incredibly important to our blog as stand-out images provoke response, thus increasing our readership and general interaction,” Osmond said. “Shutterstock’s own use of the social media sphere and its communities of digital-savvy readers is an asset which is serving to increase the company’s global presence.”

For Shutterstock, leveraging social media platforms to drive a strong connection with its global base of customers and contributors is an extension of the company’s commitment to providing superior customer service. 

“Our ability to successfully leverage social media platforms demonstrates our desire to connect with Shutterstock’s large base of stock image buyers and contributors around the world,” said Jon Oringer, founder and CEO of Shutterstock.  “Our dedication to truly communicate with our community is what makes us stand out in a highly competitive market.”