Starting Contest and looking for my connections to help out.

[Tears of Joy Video]

This year we have started a series of writing and photo contest. Last months writing contest went very well, and everyone said how many comments they received from their network and friends who had read their stories. We had a few notes from our network as to how much they were enjoying visiting and reading the stories submitted. The people that participated in helping with the prizes also appreciated the added exposure to their business, and our site had a nice daily increase in visits. All and all it was a very successful first contest.

Watch this video from our first place winner:


This month is our first photo contest. The theme is “The Oscars or The Movies”. We are asking a person to submit a picture of you, a family member, or a pet who is dressed as a movie star or movie character. We also accept pictures that are combined in Photoshop. We are waiting anxiously for our first entries for this contest, as it just started on Friday.

I am looking for people in our network to help out in our contest in a number of ways. The first way you can help is to enter our contest. All the rules for the contest are on the page with the current contest information, along with a form to join. Here is this months contest page:

http://www.tearsofjoystories.com/february09contest.html

If you don’t want to enter the contest this time, support those that do, by stopping by and voting for them. Under each entry is a star system. Click on the number of stars you feel the entry deserves. Contestants will be judged first on the number of votes, and in case of a tie, the number of stars. You may also mention the contest to your friends and contacts or tweet about it on twitter.

The last way you can help is to consider offering prizes for our contest, especially if you have a business that has products that can be used in the USA or internationally.

· Those that do supply prizes will get a few advantages for their business.

· They will be added to our contest page with information about the business and their URL. This will give their website added exposure

· They will be mentioned in our newsletters, with the information about their business and their URL.

· They will get all the information on the contestant, so as to work on developing another prospective customer.

· Also contestants who provide a prize worth $50 or more will receive a free business video from us. We will provide a small video uploaded to youtube that you can use in your marketing or on your website.

If you are interested-this is what we are looking for. We are trying to find products that coincide with the theme of each months contest. For a list of the contest themes you can go to this link:


http://www.tearsofjoystories.com/2009Contest.html


March-products that have to do with romance, couples, marriage.

April and May-products that have to do with children or babies

June- products that have to do with romance, couples, marriage

July-products that have to do with family, family history, family photographs

August-Products that have to do with vacations.

September-Products that have to do with education, school age children, teachers

October and November-Products that have to do with pets

December-Products that have to do with family or pictures

If your business has products that fit in one of these categories and you would like to provide prizes, write it down in the comments below. State what month you want to provide the prizes for, what you would like to provide, and what the retail value of the prize is. Include your website so we can take a look at what you are offering. If we like your prize, we will contact you. I am hoping to fill up these spots this month. I have posted this same blog on all my networking sites, so the spots may be filled up soon. So please post your comments right away.

A few of you may of already written me, but post it again here. I am starting out again, and this time creating a data base for the contest. If you have requested it before, you will have residence, over some else.

Once last thing, if we do pick you and your prizes, we request you share our contest with you contacts, whether this is on your website, your blog or your newsletter. Let them know about your prizes.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope we can support each other in our networking endeavors

[Tears of Joy Video]

http://www.tearsofjoystories.com/2009Contest.html

Here is the section on our website that talks about this. Looking right now for one more prize worth $50 for January. Let me know if you can help.

Cathie

[Brian Francis]

Hi Cathie, I am interested in providing a prize. I am in the nutrition, health & wellness business. I can provide free evaluation and consultation along with a weight management program or wellness program. I am a Herbalife Independent Distributor & Certified Nutritional Consultant. I hope your contests perform really well for you. Have a great night. Sincerely, Brian

[Tears of Joy Video]

Brian, what would you say your prize would be worth?

[Brian Francis]

The products would be about $120.

[Lindy Asimus]

Great idea Cathie.

What a fantastic way to start the new business year!

Have you a link to sign on to your newsletter too?

This is a great offer for TeamCircle members to get their first Video up and on YouTube. That's going to go great with the Ebook you write for your business too! ;-)


All Right! Loving this.

[Tears of Joy Video]

You can sign up on any page on our website. But this page is dedicated to talking about our newsletter

http://www.tearsofjoystories.com/tearsofjoynewslettersignup.html

[Lindy Asimus]

Cathie, I started a Twitter List on Merchant Circle forum - anyone who is in Merchant Circle, and want to be Followed on Twitter, go add your name. It is pinned in the Promote Your Business thread.

If you wish wish to tweet your page here I'll be happy to retweet it for you. Let me know if you want that.

[Tears of Joy Video]

I am only looking for 3 prizes per month. But I will be looking for lots of people to submit. I now have my prizes for this months contest and will posting this tomorrow. Then I will post a announcement about the contest on all my networks. So I have only posted looking for prizes on two of my networks, here and on Fab40. I will approach a few the next few months personally if the spots don't fill up.

[Tears of Joy Video]

Lindy, can you delete the one above. I can't seem to do it myself.

[The Diaper Baker]

Hi Cathy,
For starters, let me just say what a fantastic idea! I have been seriously considering creating and adding a video to YouTube so I would love to participate in this offer, if you would allow. My two-tier cakes are valued at $65 so I would be willing to send one for your contest giveaways. I was reading through the info on your site and it looks like April and May are baby months so I thought one of those may be the best month for a giveaway such as my products if you are coordinating prizes with the monthly themes. Just a thought.
I'm signing up for your newsletter now. Please email me at [e-mail] with your response. I know you are full for January already. Best of luck to you and this great project!!

All the best,
Angie

[Tears of Joy Video]

Thank you for your offer. I would also like to mention that anyone who would like to help me out in spreading the word about our contest would be appreciated. Especially when many of these contest can work in with your businesses. Angie for instance in the months we have contest on children, you can let your list know about the contest tell them to join. The more people join these contest, the more customers come to look at the products on the page for prizes.

[The Diaper Baker]

Absolutely! I will definitely do that. You just helped me with a newsletter article for those months, thanks! (lol)

I will hope promote it in my newsletter the month before and during the "baby and children" contests, and since the contest for this theme is two months long, I can promote for three! I'll also promote it on other networks as well as my business blog.