Facebook: Making it your gold mine!
About Tessa: I am a self-taught portrait artist specializing in capturing real-life, of the moment images of children, families and your ever-after.
Just a little bit about me. First and foremost, I am a mother. My son is my life, and he was my inspiration to try my hand at photography. He inspires me daily, and keeps me on my toes and and inspires me to try new things and see the little moments in real life. I strive to connect with my subjects and capture emotion and connections that get lost in everyday life. I specialize in natural light, modern, custom portraiture. I love what I do, and It shows in every image that I capture for my clients.
My ultimate goal in my photography is to provide you with more than just a portrait, but a timeless creation of your family’s personality, style and love for one another, of your newborn’s sweetness and of the ultimate anticipation of welcoming new life. I love to take photographs, and have a great time doing it!
Facebook: Making it your gold mine!
So, you have set up your Facebook fan page, and are probably wondering “what do I do now, besides suggest it to my friends?” I have over 1,500 unique fans, and in this article, I am going to tell you:
- How I got so many fans
- How it has positively impacted my business
- How to make Facebook work for YOUR business
So, let’s get started!
When I originally got my fan page, I was somewhat clueless as to how to use it in a beneficial way. The most important thing to consider about Facebook is that you have an unlimited audience (many of whom are most definitely in your target market) and it is FREE! The days of print advertisements and phone books are just about long gone. Which is fine by me, as I try to keep my studio as green as possible, and I hate the thought of a beautiful marketing piece, that cost me good money to design, print and mail, just being tossed in the trash.
Step 1: Before you even attempt to work some Facebook magic, it is VERY IMPORTANT to know your target market. Really, it should be built into your business plan. Don’t have a business plan? Get one! There are lots of awesome online resources to help you get started. I have included a few below that I have found helpful.
http://www.bplans.com/photography_studio_business_plan/executive_summary_fc.cfm
http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/125/138
When thinking about your target market, think to yourself, “If I were my customer, what would I want?” Be sure to include things like:
- Product Offering: Keep it easy, yet unique
- Prices: Have you researched your area, included your COGS (costs of goods sold), insurance, time invested and general overhead? Are you priced appropriately (and charging enough?)
- Services: What do your competitors offer, and what are clients in your area looking for?
Once you have pondered awhile, done your market research and figured out more about your market and target clientele, it is time for…
Step 2: Create an offer to draw people to your page. The key here is to give people a reason to visit your page, fan you, and keep coming back.
For example, on my fan page, I ran a month-long “cutest kid” contest where I solicited everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) to enter their kids. This is not for the faint of heart. I canvassed everyone I knew, by word of mouth, by my personal Facebook page, etc. I had about 20 people enter, and during the month, I went from around 250 fans to over 1,500.
For me, there were two keys to this contest.
- Getting people interested enough to sign up, and telling their friends to become my fan.
- Taking advantage of my new audience, and posting posting posting! I posted new images, old images, etc. in order to keep the content fresh.
During my contest, the competition was FIERCE! I had some determined mommas wanting a discounted session with me!!
After the votes were counted, and the contest winner was announced, my fan pool has continually grown. I post fresh and fun content just about daily. I think that with Facebook, things move very quickly, so you must stay in people’s mind. If they see your awesome images and stories on a daily basis, chances are, they will visit your website and book you when they have photography needs.
Step 3- Continue to use your new audience to promote your business! I post images and information about my photography, specials, etc. constantly. I estimate that about 85% of my current bookings are Facebook referrals.
























Web-Connection:
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Quick Tips:
I hope that these tips on Facebook pages help your business and prepare you to take full advantage of Facebook. Remember that there are many other great applications and tips out there to help you benefit on Facebook. 






