Apps (also called Tabs because they use to be at the top of the page) are represented by little 117x74px buttons underneath your Facebook banner page image. Each of these buttons represent an application (think of Apps/Tabs as a macro or a program) that is run when the button is clicked by one of your Facebook friends or fans.

Facebook includes Tabs for 2 Apps on every business page by default: 1. photos (a link to your photo albums), and 2. “likes” (the number of fans your page has).

Other Tabs commonly created for businesses by social media marketers include:

1. Map – a link to a Google or Yahoo map to your studio.
2. Website – a link to your website.
3. Email signup – a link to a form where your fans can sign up to receive your emails, coupons, etc.

Although Facebook only shows the first 4 Tabs, there is no limit to the number of applications you can have on your Facebook page.

Even if you don’t create any additional Tabs, you should create these three. Fortunately, it is easy to do with the most commonly used free “Tab creator” called the Static HTML iFrames Tab. Here’s a step-by-step guide I used to create a Tab using the Static HTML iFrames Tab tool.

Step 1. Figure out where you want your client to end up. For example, if your goal is to make an app that links to a Google map when the Tab button is clicked, open a browser window and bring up the map you want to show your potential clients. Here’s the one for JDPI. Notice I didn’t link to a Google map directly, but instead linked the “map app” on my main page to my Facebook “About” button since it already had a Google map embedded in it. Either one would have worked. For a website app, the final destination could be your home page, or you could create separate Tabs for weddings and seniors. Simply make sure you have the final destination open in a browser window or a new browser window tab. You’ll need to copy and paste it in Step 4.

Step 2. Create a 117×74 px image for each Tab button you plan to create. Save it as a jpeg image. You’re going to need this for the next step.

Step 3. Log into Facebook and install the Static HTML iFrames Tab. This only works for business pages. If you’re still running Facebook from your personal page read this. Note the Static HTML iFrames Tab will ask for permission to install itself on your Facebook page. This won’t be a problem. Just read the instructions and take your time.

Step 4. Configure the Static HTML iFrames Tab. The most used – and simplest option on this settings page is “Page Source.” By default, this is a link to where the App will send your fans when they click the Tab button. To use “Page Source”, select either URL (opens a web page inside Facebook), Redirect (opens a web page outside of Facebook), Image (links to an image) and  HTML (custom programming code). Choose one of these options, then paste in the link you created in Step 1.

For example, if I was wanted to link to a Google map, I would choose URL, then paste the link from the Google map window I opened in Step 1. If I wanted to create a Tab/App that transferred a viewer from Facebook to my website, I would click “Redirect” and paste a link to my website’s home page here. The difference is whether you want them to leave Facebook.

Step 5. Create an Optional Fan Gate. Note that in the example to the right, I’ve done something more interesting for the newsletter signup Tab than just taking viewers to a signup form. In addition to the “Page source” option, I added a “Fan Gate” option by clicking “HTML” and entering the following HTML source code:

<a href="http://www.jdlab.com"><img src="http://jdphotoimaging.com/blog/images/like-to-unlock.jpg"></a>

Before I started, I created an 800x350px image to encourage photographers to like us in Facebook first before they could sign up for the newsletter. This kind of option is called a “fan-gate” or a “reveal”. If I were a photographer, I’d ask potential clients to like me on Facebook before giving them a coupon or letting them enter a contest, for example. Note that once my client “likes” my page, if they click the Tab, they will see a link to my newsletter signup – not the photo of the lady asking them to like me.

Step 6. Test your work. Once you have set up a Tab, ask someone else with a Facebook account to test your new Tab both before and after they like your page (they can unlike your page for testing). If anything isn’t working correctly, while logged into Facebook, click your Tab, then in the upper right corner click “Settings” to modify the Tab. Make your changes, then click “Save Settings” at the bottom of the Tab settings window and test it again.

If you can’t get a Tab to work, go to your main page, and under the banner next to the Tabs click the little down arrow on the right. Now in the upper right corner of each Tab is a pencil. Click the pencil, and you can edit or uninstall the App.

Step 7. Create More Apps with Tabs. Once you’re started, it becomes easy to install more Apps. Note you only have to install the Static iFrames HTML Tab application once. You can use it over and over again to create new Tabs. Click the plus sign next to an empty Tab box, click “Find more Apps” from the menu, then click “Your Apps” on the left and start a new one.

While every Facebook business page should at least the 3 apps above, there are many more ways to use apps effectively for marketing.

1. Offer a special discount or gift to people who “like” your Facebook page.

2. Make users “like” you in order to register for drawings or prizes.

3. Make different Tabs that link to different areas of your website: brides, seniors, portraits, commercial, etc.

4. Make Tabs for Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, or any social networking sites you’re active in.

Learn to use Facebook Tabs, and make it easy for your Facebook fans to connect with you everywhere online.

1. Click the Windows “Start” button and select Control Panel.

2. In the Windows Control Panel, find and double click the Java icon. (You may need to click “Programs” first to find Java.) This opens the Java Control Panel.

3. In the Java Control Panel, click the “View” button in the lower right of the General tab. This will open the Java Cache Viewer.
 

4. In the Java Cache Viewer window, make sure the “Show” drop down in the upper left is set to “Applications.”

5. Highlight JD Photo Imaging ROES or JDLab2You.

6. Click the “Install Shortcuts”arrow button in the top bar of the Java Cache Viewer window.

7. Click the “Close” button in the lower right.

8. Close the Java Control Panel window.

That’s it! Your desktop icon will be restored.

1. “Are You Sure You Want to Exit?”

In JDLab2You, if you exit the program before you send the order, you will see this message:

Clicking “Exit” automatically saves your work, so you can open the program later and complete the order.

2. “We’ve saved the last order you were working on”

When you start JDlab2you, if you exited last time without completing your order, you will see this message:

This message is telling you that you closed JDLab2You WITHOUT completing the last order.

[Delete Auto Save] – your order will be deleted. If you’ve make a mistake, you will have to start over. There is no way to retrieve it.

[Load Auto Save] – your last UNCOMPLETED order will be loaded again. You can continue to add items to it until you are ready to complete the order and send it to the lab.

If you are ever in doubt, choose “Load Auto Save”. You can quickly see what’s in the order and if you don’t need it, you can click the “Clear Cart” button in the cart tab and quickly start a new order.

3. Show Queued Orders

Let’s say you’ve just completed an order and sent it to the lab. You see the Uploads windows and you order is sending or has just finished. You may see something like this:

See the order with the green “Send” button lit up? This is telling you that the order has not been sent to the lab. You should hit send. If for any reason you doubt that you need to, you can click the “View/Print Order Report,” which shows you your order summary. If you are confident you don’t need the order, you can ignore it and it will be automatically removed from this window, just like any sent orders, when the expiration time has been reached. (Hint: See where it says “Remove old orders after two weeks” over on the right? Two weeks is the default, I like one month better).

Here’s another tip: click the Uploads tab each time you start JDLab2you. If no green “Send” buttons are lit, this means that all your orders were sent successfully.

How can you be sure that you have successfully sent your order to the lab?

a. JDLab2You would not have popped open the “We’ve saved the last order you were working on” window
b. If you have successfully sent the order, you will have an email confirmation from us
c. You can log into order tracking on the home page at JDLab.com and confirm your order’s status

4. Naming Orders Before Saving

JDLab2You lets you name orders so you can easily recognize them in a list of orders like the one above. This is different from the reference order name you send to the lab.

When you are in the cart, notice the lower right corner of the program:

[Check Out] – finish and send your order.

[Save for Later] – Lets you give your order a name you’ll remember without exiting the program. When you click the Uploads tab, instead of a hard-to-remember numeric order name, JDLab2You will show you the order name you’ve saved in the “Show Queued Orders” windows above.

The “Save for Later” button doesn’t save your order and exit the program – it just remembers the name you’ve typed in. You can still “Continue Shopping”, “Check Out” or Exit the program (orders not sent to the lab are automatically saved).

Tip: before you check out, click “Save for Later” and give the order a name. A month from now it will help you remember the order you sent.

1. “Are You Sure You Want to Exit?”

If you exit the program before you send the order, you will see this message:

This feature automatically saves your work, so you can open the program later and complete the order. Orders saved in ROES Pro cannot be opened in JDLab2You.

2. “We’ve saved the last order you were working on”

When you open ROES, if you exited last time without completing the order you will see this message:

This message is telling you that you closed ROES Pro WITHOUT completing the last order.

[Delete Auto Save] – your order will be deleted. If you’ve make a mistake, you will have to start over. There is no way to retrieve it.

[Load Auto Save] – your last UNCOMPLETED order will be loaded again. You can continue to add items to it until you are ready to complete the order and send it to the lab.

If you are ever in doubt, choose “Load Auto Save”. You can quickly see what’s in the order and if you don’t need it, you can click the “Clear Cart” button in the cart window and quickly start a new order.

2. Show Queued Orders

When you start ROES, if an order was completed but not yet sent to the lab, a “Queued and Previous Orders” window pops open:

This is a warning that an order was not sent, or did not finish sending when you closed the ROES Pro program.

[Send] - To send the order, you must click the “Send” or “Send All” button. When you click the button, the order will re-attempt to send the order(s) in the queue to the lab. If the order is not sent successfully, you will see this message again the next time you start ROES.

[Remove] - Removes the order from the sending queue, but does not delete the order. If you’re not sure you need to send the order, (maybe you forgot what it is) click “Remove.” The order will be removed from this “Queued Orders” window and placed in the “Previously Sent Orders” window.

To see the “Previously Sent Orders” window, click the two black arrows in the lower left corner.

You will see a list of all your recently sent orders, as well as the order you just removed from the sending queue. Here you can highlight the order you’ve removed from the queue and click the “Open as New” button (not sure which order it was? Check the dates). You can then choose to clear the cart and start a new order, or complete the order and finish sending it to the lab.

How can you be sure that an order was successfully sent to the lab?

a. ROES-Pro would not have popped open the Queued Orders window if it had been sent
b. If you have sent the order, you will have an email confirmation from us
c. You can log into order tracking on the home page at JDLab.com

This popular five day program is in its 8th season. It is the most comprehensive training available for independent photographers and studios who want to enter the lucrative underclass school photo market. A highlight of the week-long program is a simulated classroom photo session using local children as models when attendees get to see a wide range of imaging technologies in action.

You can save $100 if you register by June 6, 2012.The program sells out every year, so early registration is recommended.

JD customers get an additional $50 off by using Discount Code 50bc2012 when registering.

The program is taught by Chris Wunder, Cr. Photog. ASP, one of the School Photo industry’s most popular instructors. Guest instructors will also be featured.

A program synopsis, registration fees and information is available here.

I’m a professional wedding DJ; I’ve been in the business for 7 years and have somewhere around 50 weddings under my belt.

I see it as part of my job to set the scene for you take the best shots you possibly can. I create the moments, you capture them. Whether or not you realize it, we’re a team. There’s no reset switch, we only have one chance to get it right. The better we can work together, the better the outcome is for everyone.

To help us work better together, here’s some things I think you should know:

• The best thing I can mention is communication. We need to have good, constant, open communication. When you arrive on location, find me, introduce yourself and lets hash out a game plan. I always have a printed agenda of my plans to give to the photographer.

• This is also an excellent time to give me a few business cards. Aside from creeping on your your portfolio during the reception, I like to know who you are and know how to refer work to you. Trust me, I’d rather work with photographers that do great work and work well with me.

• Give me a list of things you need shots of and I’ll make sure you’re not in the bathroom before doing them. If you need a extra minute to prepare, let me know and I can delay.

• If it looks like my lighting rig is going to throw you off, let me know before I turn them on. If time permits, I’d be happy to turn them on so you can get some test shots.

• My schedule is largely determined by what time you’re contracted until. I understand you’ve been shooting since before noon and want to go, but please, let me know how much flexibility you have. As you know, sometimes things happen that are out of our control and cause events to get out of sync. Just knowing that you’re willing to stay an extra 15-30 minutes if necessary is a big help.

• I’d really appreciate a 5 minute phone call or an email a week or a few days in prior to a wedding, just to make sure we’re on the same page. If we need to discuss anything in depth, having the conversation an hour before the ceremony or reception starts isn’t going to do either of us any good.

• Ask me how you prefer to communicate: We use Google Apps for email and document storage. In order to ensure that we stay in sync with the bride/groom/minister/other vendors, we create and share the Google Doc with everyone involved. This way, there’s only one constantly up-to-date agenda floating around. Everyone is on the same page, all the time.

• I love getting recommendations for things to do during a reception (fun games, activities, etc), it helps me keep things fresh.

• If you hear guests complaining about the volume or song selection while you’re out shooting, let me know. If my voice sounds too loud or quiet when making announcements, let me know.

• I always have a small toolkit and spare batteries, just ask.

• Yes, it’s okay if you store your gear bag behind my booth.

Prepare to experience what it takes to elevate your wedding game to the next level. Whether it’s learning how to score in the consultation room – to creating the images that wow your clients – join Mario as he shares with you his secrets to create award winning wedding albums. No more excuses! Learn how to become everything for every bride.

This is a 2-Part Program:

Part 1: 12-5pm at the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 760 West Wattles Road in Troy, Michigan (map). Using live models, this will be an all-afternoon demonstration of Mario’s signature style and work flow: How he poses, chooses his angles, lights, and uses flow posing techniques to get the very best images in a very efficient and workable manner.

Part 2: 7-9pm at the Troy Community Center, a mile from the church (map). It is open to all DPPA members or registered non-members. Here Mario will share his secrets in consulting and creating award-winning wedding albums.

The cost for this day-long program is $59.00 for DPPA members, and $99.00 for non-members. Registration is required (Register here).

About Mario:

Mario Munoz, Jr. is a fourth generation photographer that began assisting his father at events at the age of seven. He is one of four brothers who together photograph nearly 275 events per year. Today at the age of twenty-seven, Mario along with his brothers have taken their old-world knowledge of lightning and portraiture and transformed it with an innovative contemporary style that captivates their brides today. With four generations of photographers behind them, the Munoz brothers have become one of the highest awarded wedding photography teams in the country.

You must register for this seminar on line at DPPA.net. Space is limited and is filling fast so get your registration in TODAY!

The 2 levers you can control on Google are your website’s Title and Meta Description. Get these right, and people will click on your website. Get them wrong, and no matter how good a photographer you are, potential clients won’t pay attention to you online.

Fortunately, more than 50% of your competitors either don’t have a Meta Description or have one that is too long. Your first step to winning clients is to get in the game and follow some basic rules:

First, Your Meta Description works in tandem with your page’s title. Your title should be no more than 70 characters, unique for each page on your website, and most important keywords first. For example, if you are a wedding photographer, a good home page title might be:

Wedding Photography by John Doe - Detroit, Brighton, Bloomfield Hills.

A good title, but it only tells the reader who you are. You still need to tell a potential client why they should call you. That’s what the Meta Description does. Think of it as 160 characters of marketing copy for each page on your website.

You can learn about what makes a good Meta Description by looking at what other photographers have done. Here is a typical example:

Welcome to John Doe Photography, I am a Michigan wedding photographer centrally located in Lansing and frequently working in Metro Detroit, Grand...

While this Meta Description is not bad per se, it is about the photographer – not the client. It gives a list of services and geographical areas, but no reason to click on the photographer’s website. They followed someone’s advice about including keywords in the Meta Description, but didn’t consider making the text compelling for the reader.

Here are some better examples:

Michigan wedding photographers - two women photojournalists at every wedding, you keep all photographs and negatives.

This description tells a little about the photographers, but more importantly, gives a benefit of choosing them. And they talk about the reader, not just themselves.

Detroit Michigan wedding photographer John Doe is a Michigan wedding photojournalist who ranks as a bride's favorite of all the Michigan wedding ...

Readers are attracted to awards and testimonials – see how this title of “bride’s favorite” is cleverly described without sounding pompous. It also describes the style of photography he does, which will attract some viewers.

Michigan wedding photography starting at $1450.00 Great pics and prices from experienced husband and wife wedding photographers. New! Add on Video ...

This description takes a real chance by mentioning prices. For the cost-conscious bride, this would be an eye-catching description.

As the old saying goes, “you have one chance to make a first impression.” Google yourself, and check out the Meta Description on each page of your website. If they aren’t encouraging readers to visit you, it is time to change them.

Step 1. If you use AVG 2013, update to the latest version. Issues with Java installs on earlier versions have been fixed.

Step 2. Launch AVG and click computer (make any of these screen captures larger by clicking on them).

Step 3. Enter settings by clicking on it.

Step 4. Disable AVG. A temporary 10 minute disable will be fine.

Step 5. Install ROES or JDLab2You. They should install and work correctly.

Step 6.  If you still cannot upload orders, you may have a problem with AVG blocking Java. To fix this, you must add the Java program to AVG’s “exception list” so it will not block Java from operating.

Step 7. Select ‘Update’ then ‘Exceptions’. You should now have a screen like this. Click add exception.

Step 8: Select exception type ‘file’, and tick the boxes as shown. Click browse.

Step 9: Select each of these 4 files depending on your operating system and version of Java installed.

a. C:\Program Files (x86)\java\jre7\bin\javaws.exe

b. C:\Program Files\java\jre7\bin\javaws.exe

c. C:\Program Files (x86)\java\jre6\bin\javaws.exe

d. C:\Program Files\java\jre6\bin\javaws.exe

Step 10: Once found and opened, ‘OK’ the exception. You have now added a program exception for javaws.exe. Do this for any of the 4 versions of javaws.exe listed above you have installed on your PC.

Step 11: Click ‘OK’ to return to the main AVG window. If you have disabled AVG, you can enable it, or it will return to normal protection when the time shown in minutes runs out.

With a little advanced planning you can offer your customers a modern alternative to large framed prints that looks great in any size room, and that you can retail them for almost the same amount as a single large print.

The trick is this: when taking a photograph, instead of thinking of an image as a horizontal or a vertical, think of it as a panorama.

Web designers do this all the time, but instead of calling them panoramas, they call them banners. Banners are the horizontal advertising images at the top of web sites. To make them, web designers slice a 7:1 horizontal strip out of a larger 4:5 or 5:7 ratio image (see red outline in the example). You can use this same idea to easily create a series of 3 or more images from a single one.

In this example, I started with a 4×5 ratio landscape image in ROES, selected an 8×10” portrait canvas wrap from the Gallery Wraps Prints catalog, dropped in the image, and zoomed in until their was enough image remaining on both sides to fill a left and right 8×10” print.

After ordering the center image, I selected the 8×10” canvas wrap again, dropped in the same image, and repeated the process for the left and right side prints. By playing with the zoom, I made sure that the “wrap” on the center image did not include the boat on the left. The canvas wrap crop lines in ROES made it easy, and the entire process took me less than 5 minutes.

Here’s a tip: if you are setting up a shot with a great background, use a tripod, have the subjects step out of the frame and shoot the background again, or you can slightly rotate your camera and shoot to the left and right. Then you have even more room to adjust the images. Just keep the zoom level the same in ROES so that the prints match.

Obviously, not all images can be used this way. For example, you should never cut the subject or a group of people in half using this technique. In addition, you need enough pixels in the original image to let you zoom while maintaining image quality.

Offering an alternative to a large print can be the perfect solution to a price objection or the excuse: “I don’t have anywhere to hang it.” With a cluster of canvas wraps, now they will.