Guest Post: Donna Queza - Marketing Optimist | Top 5 Ways Photographers Can Better Use Facebook

Donna is probably the most knowledgable person I know personally when it comes to Marketing. I met her last year at a women's networking group called Creative Connection. Not only was she super sweet and interested in YOU, but she truly desires to help your business be the best that it can be. Since FaceBook is a huge source of networking and advertising for me, I thought Donna's guest post idea was perfect! See below for Donna's input on the Top 5 Ways Photographers Can Better Use Facebook!

When I first talked to Meghan about being a guest writer on her blog, I was pretty excited. I love working with creative types in general, but photographers hold a special place in my marketing heart. You’re always open to doing something fun and you’re always looking for ways to stand out from the crowd (because, let’s face it, there are a lot of great photographers out there!) So, I’ve put together my Top 5 Ways Photographers Can Better Use Facebook: 

• With more competition for space in friends’ Facebook tickers, engagement is your best friend. Every time someone likes or comments on your page, that little nugget of information will be broadcast to their friends. So, it’s no longer enough to just post pictures and posts and let people look at them… think of ways to get people to take action.

• Sharing is caring. People should have the ability to share everything on your blog with one click. Every post needs to have the capability to share on Facebook (as well as the other major social networks – including Pinterest). Your blog should have a simple plugin to make this possible (here are a few Facebook plugins for WordPress). Otherwise, talk to your designer to make this happen.

• Mix up your social media posts. Do you typically post a link to your blog? It’s time for a photo. Do you love posting videos? Why not try a question? People will appreciate the break in sequence.

• When you post something that highlights another business, make sure to tag them in the post (start with the @ symbol). That way, they’ll know you’re talking about them and the post will also show up on their pages.

• NOTE – Using your business Page, you can only tag other Pages (not individuals’ profiles). Make sure you log in as your Page and “like” any of the businesses you want to tag. 

• Earlier I mentioned that engagement is your best friend. One way to encourage engagement is to feature more people in your posts. I recently had a conversation with a friend who’s been in a ton of weddings. She made a comment that stuck with me, “I only share pictures/albums if I’m in them.” This is human nature. Adding great snap shots of the bridal party or from the dance floor means that people are going to be more likely to tag the photos and SWOON at your albums. Give the people what they want – pictures of themselves!

I’d love to know… what other ways are you getting people to engage with your content? Let’s share ideas with each other! 

Lets connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MarketingOptimist

Twitter: www.twitter.com/DonnaQueza

My blog: http://www.marketing-optimist.com/ 

The Nakate Project

Today I take a break from posting images, in order to bring awareness to an organization I highly value and support! Please take a moment of your day to read about this amazing opportunity to bring life to the women of Africa!

"This week, the social enterprise Nakate will be raising $2,000 for a group of women and their families in Uganda. Nakate is an enterprise by nature, and usually makes their money to send back to Uganda through selling handmade goods from Kakooge, Uganda. But this week is different. This week, they are directly raising funds to wire back to the women they work with to boost their income in time for school fees, the rainy season and a nearby medical clinic that many of them are traveling to this week. The fundraiser is focused on 40 families, and giving them a break and a much needed financial boost during a hard time of the year.

Founder, Shanley Knox, writes "The goal of this fundraiser is to be able to give 100% of these funds to 40 families in Kakooge, Uganda. We are not paying ourselves. We are not spending any of this money to grow our organization. We are sending it all to Uganda."
You can donate to the fundraiser through The Tipping Bucket. The catch is that Nakate has to meet their goal in order to get this money. The way Tipping Bucket works, organizations only get their funding if they are able to reach their targeted amount during a scheduled amount of time. The Tipping Bucket is based on the belief that every single dollar helps, so hurry over and donate your dollar right now!

Visit Tipping Bucket to donate.

Note: there will also be a giveaway for those who donate $1.00 or more to this fundraiser - visit Nakate's facebook page for information on how to enter!"