Resource Repository
Paint Gallery store - So let say you sell paintings (the ones that cost $20 which you hang up on the wall). You can go after different interior designers that focus on office furniture, or home decor and write a reverse guestpost about them on your website. Then let them know about it.
Reverse - Everyone's always crying about copyrighting photos right. Well, how about you turn the game on it's head. Create a huge repository of photos, images, and pictures you have for sale in your gallery store, and watermark them all in a bottom corner. Nothing retarded, cause this won't work if it's a retarded watermark across the whole image - fucking it up. Then reach out to 100 bloggers who update their blog more than once a week, and let them know they can use your photos in your repository for free as long as they keep the watermark in place. If they would like to put a link to the piece of work so their visitors can buy the piece and hang it, that'd be cool of them and their visitors can appreciate it. Leave it at that.
There are going to be some that will crop out the image and remove your watermark, don't waste time or worry about those. The vast majority of them though will appreciate a free repository, and would most likely link back. Even if they don't directly link back, the images have your watermark on them, driving direct traffic. Let say you do this outreach to 100 bloggers a week for 10 weeks straight, that's 1,000 bloggers, and 30% use your image with about 20% of them create links that's 300 bloggers distributing your brand and 200 creating direct links to your website for direct sales - increasing your exposure weekly - since they blog more than once a week.
If you get really clever, you can create an affiliate program and tell them that they can get a commission whenever one of their visitors buys a painting - so it's a win-win for them, and a major win for you. They get free images and can make some extra cash, while you have a growing network of bloggers blogging everyday while spreading your brand and links indirectly around the internet. But, but, but, too many anchors, bla, bla, bla - you didn't tell them what type of links to create, so they'll most likely be custom according to the blogger's desire, damn Google's got you brainwashed...
You see the lies Matt Cluts told you? Not to link or get a link from any website? Links are what drive traffic? If you have no links from traffic, you are then reliant on one source. In my scenario, I've got 300 bloggers creating links, and brand awareness for me. In your scenario, your using Search Engine Pray (#SEP) to pray and hope search engines send you traffic... one day...
If people are already jacking your photos, you can use Google Image search to find them, and let them know that you have a free big repository of images; you ask that you keep the watermark, a link, or even a link to your affiliate program so they can make money. You go from being a dick cause they stole your images, into making them your partner/allies while generating both of you revenue.
