Instagram Scavenger Hunt

Remember scavenger hunts? Someone gives you a list of odd items, and you go out and find them. The first person (or team) to return with the most items the quickest wins the game.

But now we have Instagram, so there's no reason to bring the items back to anywhere...

Wanna play?

Below is the list of things to photograph and post to Instagram. Use #CCCOEhunt so I can tally points and #CCCOEchallenge to be a part of the November (and into December) social media games (and the challenges that I've been posting since August).

Each item is worth 5 points. The first person to photograph and post the item gets 10 points.

You may combine as many items from the list into one picture as you wish, but you'll only get one first credit per shot. Make sure to indicate which item(s) on the list your picture is of. I may or may not recognize it, especially if you go very arty. (But please, do go arty. That's half the fun.)

The list:

1. An item for your shop "in progress" 
2. Your work space
3. A new listing
4. An order in the process of being packed up for shipping
5. A shot from a craft show/marketplace (doesn't have to be your items)
6. One of your items on/with a person
7. A repost from another CCCOE shop
8. Using the black & white filter
9. The moon
10. Water
11. A rainbow
12. A holiday display
13. A yellow traffic light
14. A tree
15. A wild bird
16. Your/your friend's pet
17. A parking lot
18. Something red
19. A post-it note
20. A hand

Good luck!

Facebook Tag

The purpose of social media is interaction. It's a conversation held in public. But, those of us who attempt to use social media to get attention to our shops find that our efforts bring us no benefits. Why is that? Could it be that we're not really interacting?

So, let's interact. What better way to interact than to play a game?

You've been tagged.

Did you follow a link to this post via someone writing on your timeline? Then you've been tagged. Welcome to the game. 

Step 1: On the timeline of the person that tagged you, you can post anything you wish. (Just remember to keep it professional!) Is there an item you wish to highlight? Or perhaps just a link to your shop. Post a photo, tell a joke, or just thank the tagger for including you. (A like for their page might be nice as well.)

Step 2: Tag someone else.
Choose any team member. Like their Facebook page. Then, on their timeline, tag them. (Include a link to this post so they have access to the rules.)

And that's it. If you wish, you can tag more than one shop. Have fun with this. Happy tagging.

Twitter Attack

One way to promote your business is to engage on social media. And instead of costing you advertising dollars, it'll just cost you time. There are all sorts of venues to explore. I've mentioned several of them on this blog in the hopes that you would find one (or more) that you like and engage.

Going on social media and posting "look at my stuff" all the time is the quickest way to get ignored. So, instead of those stogy posts, let's play a game.

I call it Twitter Attack. Anyone can play. All you need is a Twitter account. You can even sign up just to join in.

Step 1: As this is a team event, you'll need to follow the team. I've compiled a list of CCCOE members here. (And you might want to follow me, too.)

I tried to follow the whole team and add them to the list, so if I missed your Twitter account, let me know and I'll include you.

Step 2: Create a Shameless Blatant Promotion tweet. Make sure to use a picture. Include a link. And use #CCCOEchallenge so we can find you.

Step 3: Promote a fellow CCCOEers shop and/or item. For bonus points, talk to them directly--ask a question, pay a compliment, etc. And make sure to use #CCCOEchallenge.

Step 4: Retweet any #CCCOEchallenge tweet.

Step 5: The Attack. To another CCCOEer, "prank call" them. If you're old enough to remember prank calls, you remember the silly jokes. Put it in tweet form and attach their twitter handle. (Feel free to hit me up: @ZiziRho, or the team: @CCCOE.)

If you don't remember prank calls, feel free to just tell a joke. Or make some random comment or observation--the more random, the better. (But keep it nice. This is a promotional event after all.) Use #CCCOEattack so we can all enjoy the fun.

Some Twitter tips:

• There are several 3rd party apps to help you manage your tweets and lists. Buffer is a way to schedule tweets to post all day without you having to be on Twitter all day.
• Add pictures to your tweets. A great image is more likely to entice someone to click on a link.
• Be yourself. People prefer to read tweets of real things written by real people. 
• Talk to others. If someone asks a question, answer. If someone tweets something that you have a response to, do.
• Join Twitter chats. Check out trending topics. Almost daily, someone is doing some pun or other. Feel free to join in.

Would You Like to Play a Game?

Welcome to November. Here's where the things start to ramp up for the holiday season.

Last month's Promote-a-thon was a dud. I blame myself. I was down with a cold towards the beginning of the month, and the rest of the month I was playing catch up for all I missed while I was down with the cold.

But it's a brand new month with new possibilities. And I thought we'd do something fun.

Would you like to play a game? Or rather, multiple games? Social media games?

To begin, make sure you're connected:

• Join the CCCoE Group on Facebook
• Follow the CCCOE Twitter Attack List on Twitter (if your shop is not on this list, let me know and I'll add you)
• Follow this blog (you can sign up on the sidebar for email notifications or subscribe via one of the readers listed)

The first game is starting soon.

And make sure to check out our winner of the September Challenge, Stitches2Stones.