As the number of images being filed continues to grow, many photo agencies are facing a production squeeze – too many images, not enough time to process them.
That means metadata is skimpy, perhaps wrong, there’s little or no keywording, and likely there are a lot of delays getting images to market.
The problem is that many photo agencies who thought they were on top of the problem are finding that getting more images, in an effort to get what sales they can by covering all bases, suddenly makes metadata work uneconomic. If you find yourself in that situation, here are some dos and don’ts to address the problem:
Do stop acquiring more content – when you’re in a hole it’s a good idea to stop digging.
Do look at the contributors you have, and weed out the poor performers who mostly send in me-too sets.
Do talk to an outsourcing company about ways to get costs down by utilising their experience and efficiency.
Do think about cutting the amount of metadata, but do it logically. Again, some advice from an outsourcing company can help with that.
Don’t think that you can just hire some extra staff on low wages. You won’t be as efficient as you think, keeping those staff will be difficult, and managing them will take you away from selling and core business.
Don’t try to get people who are selling or editing to take on metadata work in their “downtime”. They probably don’t have any, or much less than you might think. And because metadata isn’t their main job, they won’t do it well.
To find out more about how Picsell Media can help you find the solution that’s right for you, click here.