I was at a great new year’s party, and watched several of my friends take photographs with their iPhone.

But Tiffany took the idea to a whole new level. She snapped several group photographs, uploaded them to Facebook, then “tagged” every person in the photos. The next morning, we were all notified with links to view ourselves in Facebook pictures.

Since it was Sunday morning, I was lazy. Rather than post about how great the party was, I found myself sharing Tiffany’s photos with my friends and family. I’m sure many other folks did the same thing.

This same process could work at any event.

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You’ve probably seen the new changes in Facebook’s Wall feed over the last two weeks. Basically, Facebook has changed the wall so that the most recent, most clicked or most commented-on posts are on top, then the rest of the posts are underneath it.

These same changes are being seen by your customers too. After two weeks, research is coming out that shows individual post impressions are down by 25% In other words 1 out of 4 folks are reading the top posts and ignoring the lower ones.

If you want your FB posts to be seen, focus on these 3 strategies:

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If you haven’t noticed yet, next to every Google search result is a little button with a “+1″ inside.

This is a preview of a new social networking service called Google+ that started in July. It is designed to compete with the Facebook and the ”Like” button. The folks at Google don’t want to miss out on the social networking bandwagon the way Microsoft was slow to embrace the Internet and web browsers (remember when Netscape Navigator was king?).

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Would you walk up to someone at a party and say that your latest product is now available for $149.95 for a limited time only? Not only would that person walk away, but so would everyone else who overheard you.

In the same way, writing how much your product or services cost in a Facebook post isn’t a good idea. Facebook isn’t about talking at someone, it is best when it builds a conversation with others.

So instead of leading with an offer, try sharing about photography, then ask people to provide feedback and participate. This bridges the distance between you and your clients, and gets them involved with your brand. Ultimately new-found fans will promote you without being asked because they feel included. The fact that you asked and listened goes a long way.

Here are some examples of not-ok, better and best Facebook posts:

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Recently I was cc’d on an email between a client and one of his suppliers. The subject of the email was “social networking.” Here is what the email said:

As for the social networking stuff, it doesn’t work for everyone, but you have to do it anyway. An hour twice a week should be fine. Mostly I think people don’t do it because they don’t know what to do. A couple of links to articles you find online, a video from your website, new products, contests….really, anything works, just get your name in front of customers on a regular basis, and link back often to your website.

Here was my response to my client.

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Marketing folks talk about “push” and “pull” marketing. Push is old-school: you “push” information about your studio to clients and potential customers with newsletters, ads, fliers, etc. Pull marketing is engaging the customer, offering something that interests them, and getting them to seek you out. Examples of pull marketing are Facebook, blogs, tutorials, etc.

You need both kinds of marketing. But as a photographer, your ability to take capture great images can be used to create pull marketing.

Here’s how.

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Remember the scene in the movie Minority Report where Tom Cruise enters a mall and the advertisements on the wall talk to him as he walks by? The future is coming – Facebook now has a similar feature for iPhone and Blackberry users.

Using the built-in GPS capabilities of a cell phone with the mobile Facebook app installed, users can check into a place (like your studio) and see if you are offering any instant deals. If a deal is available, the user shows the coupon on the cell phone screen to redeem it.

This is very cool.

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Having a Facebook page for your business is as important now as having a website. That’s why it is time to start putting your Facebook page name on your ads and on your business cards. Unfortunately, most Facebook page names look something like this:

facebook.com/pages/Flint-MI/jdphotoimaging/14414426999?ref=ts

Not very flashy on a business card, is it?

So here’s the trick to getting an easy to read (and remember!) Facebook page name.

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• My friend recently decided to repaint and carpet her home. She asked her 14 year old son if he’d like any changes in his bedroom. “Sure,” he said. “Can you take out the TV? I don’t watch it anymore.“
• We have a college student working as an intern at the lab. Call his cell phone, and he doesn’t answer. Send him an e-mail, and it may take hours for a reply. Send him a text, and he responds almost instantly.
• I was at a party watching a twenty-something young lady sit in the corner alone, texting on her iPhone. I asked her “who are you talking to?” “My friends,” she replied. “I’m on Facebook telling them what a great party this is.“

These three Generation-Y young adults – children born in the 70′s through the 90′s – are your new customers. They are purchasing your graduation and wedding photographs. they are starting new families. Marketing to them is different than the traditional marketing we’re all more familiar with. Here are 7 items to put on your checklist when you plan your next marketing campaign:

1. How to reach them. Social networking has replaced the phone and email. Think Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and texting. Gen-Y won’t read your email newsletter or see your ad on TV or in a magazine.

2. What to say. Sales language turns them off. They’ve already heard tens-of-thousands of ads in their lifetime, and are totally immune to old-school marketing speak. Instead, be authentic. Start by listening to them.

3. What they purchase. Apple, Jet Blue, Trader Joes, Jones Soda, Mountain Dew, Hollister, Old Navy and Red Bull. Pay attention to each of these brands when you see them in videos, magazines or in stores. They have a “little attitude” in their sales pitches, are unique players in their respective markets, and sell a lifestyle at a relatively low price .

4. What they’ll pay. We’ve all heard Jet Blue sells cheap airline tickets, but what about $3 bucks for a can of Red Bull? While that might seem like a lot of money for a tiny can of pop, Gen-Y will gladly pay it. Like Jet Blue, They trust this product to give them what it promises (Red Bull = energy) and it delivers.

5. Good Quality. Google any product on the Internet and you can read dozens, if not hundreds or thousands of opinions about that product’s quality. If you’re not offering great quality products and service, people will talk and others will listen and trust them. Once you get a reputation – good or bad – you can’t take it back.

6. Fast Service. If you quit answering your phone at 5pm, the customer who calls you at 5:05pm will be calling your competition at 5:10pm. Gen-Y doesn’t leave a “voice message” then wait for for you to call them back.

7. An Experience. Perhaps the most difficult to quantify, but the most critical marketing tip for long-term success. For an example, go down to your local mall this weekend and walk into a Hollister clothing store. The sights, the sounds and the smells all combine to make you feel like you’ve landed in a southern Californian beach party, the clothes and the sales staff all match the brand, yet the prices are not much different than you’d pay at Macy’s or J.C. Penny’s.

If you can focus your marketing on Gen-Y clients, you’ll be on your way to capturing the next generation of customers for your business.

Betsy Finn shared this link with me via twitter, and it is good enough that I thought I should pass it on.

In his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie reminds us that a person’s name is the “sweetest sound to anyone’s ears.”

I’m not normally good with names, but I’ve found associating a name with an image to be useful. For example, if I had just met a guy named “John”, I’d picture him on the…well, you get the picture.