Eye on Business | Light Up Your Facebook Fan Page!

HAPPY FREEDOM DAY, everyone!  First and foremost, a huge thank you to all those who have, who are, and who will serve for our country.  We love you.Keeping in mind that we are fortunate enough to celebrate today, I promise to keep this quick.  I know that the peeps from SUZANNE MELLOTT PHOTOGRAPHY (my husband and kiddos) are anxiously waiting for me to join in the fun.Here on SSG, we talk a lot about the business side of things, especially marketing to our seniors.  Google this topic and you'll be hit with thousands of articles on how to effectively market to those elusive teens.  But, you'll find a common thread among all of those articles.  FACEBOOK.  Although I'm often frustrated with the many mind-twisting algorithms and loopholes that facebook rolls out, it has been the BEST, BEST, BEST free marketing for my business.What does your fan page convey to your fans?  Do you knock their socks off?!  Now, if you do not have a fan page for your business, I just can't look at you right now.  That's like Business 101.  What can be difficult isn't creating a fan page, but growing and engaging your fan base.  So, here are a few quick tips to get you started.  I expect for you to join me over on the SSG fan page and link up your page so I can check them out tonight.

• Ask your family and friends to invite their friends to like your page.  Don't just ask them to share it on their walls (although that helps too), ask them to actually take a few minutes to personally invite friends.  You're more likely to gain a few fans if they are asked nicely.

• Ask them yourself!  At the top right of your fan page Admin Panel is a drop-down box called, "Build Audience."  Here is where you can see which of your friends have not liked your page yet.  Check the box and they'll be sent a personal invite.

• Join in on the ever-popular 'networking" blasts on your favorite fan pages.  When Senior Style Guide asks for your fan page, share it!  On average, I gain 5-10 fans in a day just by doing this, just on SSG!  Don't forget to play fair, though, and return the love to those photographers who have taken the time to like your page.

• First impressions DO matter.  Put your best out there, not just every image from every session.  Pay attention to the images that get the most likes on your page.  Select only those images that you feel convey your brand.

• Going along with first impressions, WOW them with your cover image.  Facebook's 20% text rule is gone!  If you don't know what that is, don't worry about it  ;)  Admittedly, if a photographer's cover image doesn't impress me, I don't "like" them.  They must show me that it's worth adding them to my already bogged newsfeed.

• Customize your fan page.  I made a few very simple customizations to my tabs on my own fan page just this afternoon.  Check out my PINTEREST BOARD:  Customize That Fan Page! to see how easy it really is to tie your brand to your fan page.

• Keep your page upbeat.  Yes, we all are up until the wee hours editing, emailing, learning, etc.  We ALL are.  But our fans {a.k.a potential clients} do not need to hear us complaining.  They may think we're too busy to work with them or that we don't enjoy our job.  That's not cool.

• Show them the real YOU.  Just like you need to convey who you are through your imagery, you should also let loose and let your fans into your life a little.  It makes us more approachable and relatable.  Share your most embarrassing moments during sessions (Uh, yeah...FACEPLANT moment for me).  I am NOT suggesting that you share every intimate detail because there is such thing as TMI.  I do not wish to read that your dog is ralphing all over your office.

• To keep fans coming back and staying for awhile, make it worth their time.  Don't just share images but share anything your fan base may be interested in knowing...other blogs, pins, events, etc.

Ponder THIS:1.  Number of Fans - This is a personal choice.  Many photographers do not watch their fan count like a hawk.  They want true fans, not just high numbers.  I say, "To each his own."  I try to engage with everyone and have forged some pretty amazing friendships across the country.  So although I do pride myself in having a strong local fan base, I enjoy meeting new fans who may never be a client.2.  To Contest or Not - This is also a choice.  Sometimes, a business may choose to run a contest to drive fans to their page.  I choose not to do this often, sometimes only once  a year (if that...) because it can be a real challenge to run an organized contest at the beginning of your business.  But, it's also the surest and fastest way to see that number rise.  Your choice.I hope to see all of your fan pages customized, active, and engaging!  GO GET 'EM TIGERS!