Why I still use Behance in 2019 and why you should too
There are multiple social media platforms for photographers all over the internet in 2019.
What differentiates Behance from other networks is a unique opportunity you have here. It is almost only used by professionals who work in the creative field either as a creator or someone who hires creatives and works with them. While some people upload their work, others browse to get inspired, build mood boards, or search for new talents. One reason for that, the network is owned by Adobe and is therefore embedded in the creative cloud.
For you, that means you can directly communicate with your target group by uploading your works.
Why it’s worth it
The project was launched in 2006 and got acquired by Adobe in 2012. Its purpose is to connect artists and creatives from various disciplines and let them showcase their work. Classic social media features like messaging and commenting, are also present.
The stats I was able to retrieve are a bit older (2016).
Behance does not display these anymore.
100.00.000 pictures in the network
8.000.000 public projects
5.500.000 appreciations (likes) per month
1.600.000 comments in the last 6 month
50.000.000 project views in the last 30 days
172 countries
2.400.000 projects with more than 100 views
Considering that Instagram has over 110 million active user accounts, this might seem like pretty low numbers. If you start deconstructing this group of users and narrow it down to your specific target audience, numbers will probably change dramatically.
There is always this one crucial question about selling your work:
Who is buying it?
As for the "who" I can tell you that my targeting group consists of:
Art- & Creative-Directors
Art buying
Editors
Collectors
Addressing this specific group on Instagram is not easy. It takes time, knowledge, and money in the end. The good thing about Behance is you are already posting directly to your group. They are already there is large quantities. Another side effect is that Behance is not time consuming if you compare it with other social networks. There is nothing like a daily routine you have to follow to get exposure.
Does that mean publishing your work there is an automatic win?
No. What you are uploading still needs to be outstanding, and you got to have patience. Otherwise, there won't be any recognition for it.
Your goal on Behance?
The simple answer is:
Get the bloody feature and gain exposure!
Features are essential to get significant exposure.
Therefore you have to understand that projects act as containers which can be aggregated by other sites/pages within the network.
Behance features your work in categories (e.g., Photography, Architecture, or Illustration). The moment someone looks up these groups, these features will let you gain expose since being displayed amongst the top entries in this category. This happens for a small period only.
The real deal is to get featured on the front page since this will get you the most exposure.
How to get featured
Curators & mods are continually crawling the network for exciting new work. That is your chance. Get noticed!
It is crucial only to upload your best work. Think in a series of images rather than single pictures. 8 is the magic number here but up to 13 will work as well. Add some explaining text and maybe a video. A making-of can enrich your content. Mixed media works excellent in general. Do everything to make it look appealing for your audience.
Be patient; it can take a while until you get featured. Maybe it is just not the time for it right now.
Some tips for using Behance
Think about collaboration with other people. You can increase visibility by an enormous amount that way. Mixed media is working very well. Why not combine your pictures with a video from someone else?
Do not publish unfinished stuff. As always, "there is no second chance for a first impression." Do they like it? If not, they will probably never come back.
As mentioned before, think in a series of images that tell a story rather than single pictures. It is essential to have a stringency in your photographs so that your audience understands the story you are trying to tell. This one fantastic sunset (who no one buys anyways) is maybe something for Flickr and not for Behance.
Answer to comments with a @username. This increases visibility by a significant amount.
Be active in the network, follow other creators, comment, like. Show yourself, just like in real life.
Link to my profile:
https://www.behance.net/nickfrank