The Guide To Growing Your Facebook Page With A Contest

How To Get More People To Your Facebook Page

The only way to get more people to your Facebook Page is to tell more people it exists.

It may be easy to send people to it by providing a link in your email, or including a Facebook Badge on your blog, but what do you do if you are out networking face to face?

Why not try a Facebook Business Card?

I’ve always loved Moo – you can find a variety of posts on here talking about how to use Moo products in your marketing materials.

Now they are helping you market your Facebook page as well.

Earlier this year, they launched Facebook Timeline cards – which was great for getting people to your individual profile. Now they are offering the same for Facebook Pages. And the best part is you can try it out … for free.

Each business can now login to Moo and get one pack of 50 cards for free. And even when your first 50 are gone, additional packs run $15 a pack. Very reasonable for a great marketing tool.

Making your Moo Facebook Cards is easy. When you sign in, make sure you click the “yes” when they ask for your data. This allows them to connect up with your Facebook account to pull the data automatically in.

Once your card is set up with your Timeline photo, personalize it. Make sure all your data is correct and its easy for people to connect up with you. You can add a favorite quote or phrase to the back of the card as well.

Tip: I love quotes and used one on the back of my first free pack. But you don’t have to stick with quotes. Think about what you do on Facebook. Do you provide tips? Do you share photos? Are you running a contest? Use that info on the back of your cards. It’s a great way to drive traffic if you’re offering an ongoing promotion.

Then purchase your cards. They are now shipping all over the world, so know matter where you live, you will probably be able to add this to your list of marketing tools.

Once you have your cards in place, use them in addition to your business cards. Yes, its okay to hand out two cards if they are both sending you to different places. When you are talking with someone, what would you like them to see? If you really want to feed them info from your Facebook account, hand over that card. If you want them to see your site for more information, hoping to convert them to a client, hand over your business card. And if you can tell they aren’t quite ready to convert to a client, or they are a great referral source, hand over both. The key is to let them follow you in the manner most convenient to them.

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: Facebook cards, Facebook page, marketing tool, moo, social media

How To Make Your Facebook Page More Interesting

by Virtual Photography 2 Comments

“I’ve been on Facebook for awhile now, yet I really have no enthusiasm for it. I post sporadically because I feel like I have to. I only have a hundred fans. And I really don’t know how to keep them interested. There is zero communication on my page, yet everyone says it has great potential. What do I do?”

Have you ever felt like that? Don’t worry, many people do.

If you have no enthusiasm for it, you will fail. Its as simple as that. So at this point you have two choices.

1. Quit using Facebook altogether for you business.

2. Choose to use it to attract new business.

If something isn’t working for you, you don’t enjoy it, and you really have no desire to make it work, why put your focus there? Instead, choose another way of marketing your business and put your concentration there instead.

Facebook is just a marketing tool – its one of thousands that exist for a small business owner. Yes, it will work if you use it right. But if you don’t enjoy it, why spend the time on it.

Yet if you decide that Facebook is truly something you want to use to attract new business, then its time to treat it like a marketing tool, and gather all of your energy up to make it work.

Are you using Facebook correctly?

Before you begin building a Facebook presence, make sure you have your accounts set up correctly. When you originally set up your account, you should have set up a personal account under your personal name. Your business should have its own Page. Browse through one of the many Pages that already exist on Facebook to gain some ideas. Then set up your own. You can use it as your business name – ABC Photography – or try creating different pages for different niches. For instance, if you focus on corporate events and weddings, the two make great stand alone businesses, and would potentially be more attractable if you separated them and created a page for each. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: facebook, marketing, pages

8 Ways To Gain More Followers On Facebook And Keep Them Interacting

by Virtual Photography 1 Comment

According to many of the top SEO companies that study social impact, the two things that matter most when using Facebook to gain authority within the search engines is:

1. The number of Facebook shares you have

2. The authority of your sharers

Which means if you want to rank well under your keywords and search terms, Facebook can help you do so… if you understand how to use Facebook. Its more than adding a few posts here and there. Facebook offers a wide array of tools that help you build your authority and get people interacting as well.

1. Implement the Facebook Like buttons

To make your blog posts more shareable, make sure you add the Facebook plugin to implement Like buttons both at the top and the bottom of each post. While the standard Facebook icon is acceptable, look into newer options as well. You can now incorporate other options into your Like options, including:

Versions that show thumbnails of friends

Widgets that allow people to add comments both to your blog and to Facebook

Make sure you put Like buttons both at the beginning and the end of your posts, and also include it next to highly visual content, such as videos and photographs. People are more likely to click the Like button if you give them a reason to do so.

2. Add a Facebook comments plugin

If you are a regular on any blog, you know one of the benefits of blogging is the ability to have comments at the end of each post. They allow interaction amongst your visitors and can really help you educate your readers just be carrying on normal conversations.

Blog comments are great to help you grow your blog, yet they do little for external growth. By incorporating a Facebook comments plugin into your blog, you can allow the interaction to flow between platforms. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: build relationships, facebook, fans, gain more followers, get more clients, like button, pages

Your Photography As We Know It Is Dying

by Virtual Photography Leave a Comment

10 years ago the term “social media” had a completely different meaning then it does today.

Facebook? Twitter? What?

10 years ago things were changing – and they were changing rapidly. That much we knew.

But we had no idea how fast things would continue to change as we moved into a new era.

AOL had a huge market share. No more.

So did Microsoft. And General Motors. And Kodak.

But in every case we look at, something changed. Or in many cases, it didn’t change.

If we look at Google today, the reason it has become a huge player in the industry is because it never stops changing. It stays with its most successful product – a search engine – and continues to morph in all directions.

Facebook of six months ago is completely different than it is today. I know. I teach a Facebook class here at a local community college three to four times per year. Every time I begin the class I have to update it, and in some cases I have to completely rework my recommendations. It’s a never-ending evolution of growth and change – just like it should be.

The people at Google and at Facebook know the world is changing rapidly. And if they sit still too long, someone else will jump in and take their places. They are constantly moving, changing and morphing into the next phase of business.

And while its easy to see with companies in the technical sector, people tend to ignore the same changes in other industries and expect things to remain the same. Like photography for instance.

When digital first jumped into the scene, many photographers swore they would never make the change – they would retire long before they were ever required to pick up a digital camera or use a computer to manipulate an image.

And they were right. If you didn’t make the change and jump into it, life passed you by. They were forced to “retire” because they simply couldn’t keep up with what was happening – and expected – within the industry.

So the question for all of us now is

Who do you want to be? Do you want to be the AOL? Or do you want to be Facebook?

Are you ready to jump in and give things a try? Are you willing to test to find out what works and what doesn’t?

Not everything you do will win. Facebook tries many things, tests them for a while, and redesigns based on their findings. You may buy equipment, software, or online programs, only to find out they were a complete waste of time.

That’s okay. Because you learned something along the way. It made you focus in on your photography in a different way, learn something new, and apply it to the future of your business. Whether you continue using it or not, it will always be there guiding your future decisions.

Every step you take may not bring in a profit. But it will guide you towards success. The “wrong” moves teach you just as much as the right ones. But only if you apply it in the right way and use it to move you forward.

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: AOL, dying, facebook, kodak, Photography, technology

5 Reasons Not To Quit Facebook

by Virtual Photography 2 Comments

A few months ago, I spoke with a friend who was fed up with Facebook. She spent way too much time on it, wasn’t quite sure how to bring her business into it, was tired of the constant “noise” in her newsfeed, and decided it was time to say goodbye. So with well over 500 friends in her list, she clicked the button and shut down her Facebook account.

A few weeks ago, I noticed she’s back on. With a few weeks away, she began wondering what everyone was doing, and started reading more information on building a business using Facebook Pages. So she headed back online and opened up her account. Now she’s at 200 friends, and is looking closely for guidance on how to use Facebook the right way this time.

She’s not alone. In fact I see people all the time that have a “Facebook breakdown” and make a quick decision to call it quits.

Would you do the same with your website?

Of course not. That’s your business.

Yet shutting down your Facebook account if you run a small business is pretty much doing just that.

Yes, Facebook is free. Yes, it has its own purposes. But it’s a tool you can use to attract and gain new clientele. If something like that has purpose, the last thing you should do is shut it down. Instead, take some time away no one will realize you’re gone – and restrategize. Discover the true reason you want to use it, and start in again. You won’t have to rebuild your profiles and pages, add friends and followers, and you’ll have a much easier time of moving forward.

Facebook is the Social Reach of the World

Facebook has only been around a few years. The world survived before Facebook, and I’m pretty sure it would survive if Facebook suddenly went away. Yet Facebook has become the window of opportunity to learn all about your friends and family. If your niece posts new pictures of her baby, where else are you going to see them? If your son shares his college experiences, don’t you want to know what he’s doing? (Okay, maybe not) And what about the bookclub, yoga class and travel meetings? How will you ever know what’s going on without Facebook? Because people are on it all the time, it’s a great place to meet new people, network with new people, and find new clients. If you are in business, can you really ignore one of the most active places on Earth? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: marketing, networking, Reasons Not To Quit Facebook, relationship, social media

8 Creative Ways To Grow Your Photography Business With A Facebook Page

by Virtual Photography 3 Comments

Have you built your Facebook Page, and are still wondering why more people haven’t liked your Page? Fans don’t automatically appear, ready to like you, follow you, and do business with you. People must be lured to your Page in hopes to attract enough people that will ultimately turn into a regular stream of business.

However, the greatest myth out there is that if you build a Page, advertise it to your entire list of friends and acquaintances, and you’ll quickly build up a respectable following. Unfortunately this strategy may actually backfire. If you’ve been on Facebook for a while, you probably have a variety of family and friends outside of your photography business. While they may love you and appreciate you own your own business, they probably don’t want to be marketed to again and again. You may suggest they like your page, and the suggestions are overlooked again and again because they simple aren’t THAT interested in the marketing side. Also, even if they do choose to like your Page, they probably won’t take an active part in discussions and commenting, and won’t help you grow your Page. Your Page is all about building relationships with prospects and customers, and use those relationships to build your business over time.

Instead of relying on your family and friends, lets look at 12 creative ways you can get more fans to your Facebook Page.

Tip 1: Embed Facebook Widgets on your Site and Blog

Facebook makes it easy for people to share your content and information in a variety of ways. Select from a variety of Social Plugins to place throughout your website and blog.

Use the Live Stream plugin to share activity and comments in real time as they interact.

Use Facepile to showcase the Facebook profile photos of users who have liked your page.

Or use the Activity Feed plugin to show users what their friends are doing on your site through likes and comments.

All are an excellent way of building your fans by allowing them to interact with people they already know through Facebook.

Tip 2: Invite Your Current Email, Snail Mail and Ezine Subscribers

While you shouldn’t invite family and friends you are connected to on Facebook, by all means promote to your current client lists. If you send regular emails or ezines out to your prospects and clients, make sure you include a link to your Facebook Page on all of your outgoing correspondence. And if you send postcards out to entice your clients, why not send a special one and invite them to your Facebook Page? Instead of telling them about it, give them a reason to join. Maybe a coupon or discount when they join, or even the enticement of being able to see their photos on Facebook when they come in for a portrait. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: creative, facebook, grow your photography business, like, market, page, profile

The Guide To Growing Your Facebook Page With A Contest

by Virtual Photography Leave a Comment

It sounds great in theory. You set up a Facebook Page, and wait for people to join. But in the end it’s not that easy. And you really can’t market to 25 friends – you’ll never grow your business that way.

So maybe its time to look for a new way to promote your Page – how about using sweepstakes and contests?

A sweepstakes is defined as the winners being chosen by random drawing. A contest is the winners are selected either by jury and/or audience voting and the entries are evaluated according to the skill of the submission. A photo contest is a great example of a contest. And while the two are distinctly different, they both have potential to help you grow your Facebook list, and increase the number of people interested in what you do.

Understand The Rules

Before you start planning your promotion, first spend the time reviewing Facebook’s promotions guidelines. They have changed significantly along the way, and its important to understand their rules before you begin.

For example, Facebook clearly states that your promotion

Must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.

They are very specific about what you can and cannot do. And if you don’t stick with their guidelines, you risk having your account deleted – so it’s important to stick with the rules.

Once you’ve read through the rules, the planning starts.

We ran several contests about a year ago, and ended up doubling our Likes month after month. It can be very effective; but it does take a little planning.

Who Is The Contest For?

As a photographer, consider what type of followers you would like. Are you looking for potential customers for portrait sessions? New brides to be? Or maybe you’re selling a camera bag you’ve created – you need photographers who would love what you have to offer.

Once you have your market defined, its time to think about what they would truly like.

I usually look for things that will get the greatest number of people participating. Giving away a free portrait session won’t attract a large number of people. Giving away a gift basket with fun photo related items will. Think outside the box. It doesn’t have to be worth a ton of money – just be something a ton of people will like.

Now its time to set up your sweepstakes or contest. While you can do much of the work yourself, I’ve also found a shortcut to the process by using a third party system.

Making It Easy

Wildfire is a promotional application that makes it easy to set up contests on your blog, Facebook account and your Twitter account. It isn’t free, but if you use their basic account, you can run a month long promotion for around $35. And if you gain even one new client through the process, you’ll more than make your money back. They have many different promotion types, including sweepstakes, contests, coupons and quizzes, and by walking through the system you’ll learn more about each and how to decide which is right for you. Start small and grow in sophistication as you learn more and become more successful with it.

While Wildfire is what we used for our promotions, there are other companies out there that offer similar services – Offerpop, North Social, Bulbstorm and Votigo are just a few.

Then start talking about your contest. Blog about it. Send a postcard out to your client list. And talk it up at your networking groups. The only way to grow it is to promote it. It doesn’t work on its own – you still have to do some promoting. But if the offer is right and they are having fun with it, you’ll quickly see your numbers grow.

Filed Under: Facebook Tagged With: contest, facebook, Facebook pages, growing your fan base, likes, social media, sweepstakes