I’m excited for you to read today’s article by one of our fabulous readers, Jamie! Read it carefully because this post has some incredible marketing gems inside!

I didn’t start my photography business, Facebook started my photography business. I remember the photograph that cannonballed me to where I am today.

2009 photo my kids

So many people commented on this photo, and it began, the first email came in, then the next… now I’ve got a waiting list and weddings booked till 2012. Since I knew Facebook had this kind of effect on my business, I decided I wanted a lot of friends, then maybe when all my friends commented on my photo, all their friends would see it too. (Kinda starting to feel this is one of those pyramid schemes!!! Lol) This year, to drum up new friends, I decided to hold two contests for Christmas. The first is to give out a free session with me to a deserving family. The second, this is where the cleverness kicks in, is to give out a prize to the person who gets the most votes. Here is how I designed it.

1^st– I selected one photo from every session I did this year (if someone had 2 sessions, I only selected one from those, I excluded family, since they get a discounted price from me to start with)

2^nd– I created a new album on Facebook name “The Contest” and added all the photos from step 1.

3^rd– Created a poster to announce the contest… made sure to add that they must comment on the photo for the vote to count and liking the photo does not count as a vote. I then said that the winner of the contest will receive a prize (didn’t even mention what the prize will be, I will decide depending on who wins – a child session (album or canvas), a wedding (a canvas) or a grad (album).

4^th– Let the fun begin… make sure to set your facebook account that only friends can comment on photos, then the people will have no choice but to add you as a friend to cast their vote. I’ve seen my customers post this on their wall, asking everyone to add me as a friend and vote for their image.

Why is this genius plan? During the first 24 hours of the contest I had over 800 votes and 100 friend requests. That’s right, 100 new eyes looking at my best work from the year! That’s some great advertising!

Photos from 2010

To see more of my work, Facebook me! Jamie Bard-Dube or check out my blogsite www.bardphotos.com

Isn’t that just genius?! When Jamie emailed and told me what she’d done I was so excited at her brilliance! I immediately asked if she’d write up a post to share her idea with all of you!  This is a real marketing gem so please make sure you leave a comment to say thank you for Jamie’s awesome willingness to share!

As an added bonus — Here is an awesome article about facebook posting strategies by Jay Ehret of The Marketing Spot