During one of my daily Facebook “what’s going on” checks today I ran across a fan page with a unique pull.  Christy DeKoning, a contemporary Portrait Artist, has advertised her Facebook Fan page with the ultimate fan-based appeal — offering free artwork. Now this may seem like a minor effort, after all there are dozens of artists with Fan pages online, but Christy’s hook is unique in one way that makes her effort stand out above the others.

Christy started a discussion on her Fan page that allows members to post photographs that they want Christy to use as the basis of her monthly Free art piece. She engages users in a way that gets them involved and more interested in what she is doing.  Most importantly, these Fans have a reason to come back!

Not only has she exposed these new Facebook fans to her art, something that may not have happened without the free opportunity to own a piece of her artwork, she has also engaged them in a way that makes them interested in what she is doing. This is precisely why social media is so powerful. Find a way to engage your fans, viewers, or site browsers in a meaningful way that interests them and you have a fan for life!

Businesses and individuals who do not keep the interests of the fan in mind are losing out on a unique and very powerful opportunity to engage them and give them a reason to come back for more. By giving her fans a stake in the outcome of her next piece of work she has given them a reason to participate AND to come back and see what happened. Kudos to Christy for a great effort!

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About What Works – I decided to start a regular review of sites, social media efforts, and other network marketing events that I have found unique or especially useful. These can be considered case studies from the perspective of the user, and should be useful for social media buffs, marketers, and others interested in how the Internet, and social media particularly, is impacting the way we do business, and how we interact with our world.

My opinoins and reviews in no way reflect a personal or professional connection with those being reviewed. I am in no way reimbursed or otherwise “paid” for these reviews; these are my own opinions based on my experiences in an online world as a user, and business woman.