We’re very proud to announce our latest social media project with TextbooksRus.com, an Instagram Photo Contest. Introduced on the TextbooksRus.com website and through Facebook on June 15, the promotion utilizes Instagram and Twitter APIs (Application Programming Interface) to automatically pull images based on a specific hashtag (#textbooksrus). Participants are able to upload and share pictures of their summer adventures to the contest via Instagram, but must use the specific hashtag. By sharing the photo with family and friends, participants can gain votes and be entered to win a variety of prizes. Instagram was chosen as the venue because of its 30 million registered users and receives over 5 million photos per day, many of which are posted by 18-25 year olds.

Photos can be submitted now through July 30, 2012. Users who submit pictures can ask their friends and family to vote at the website where voters can submit one vote per day by logging in with their Facebook account. The top 10 photos with the most votes will win cash prizes and TextbooksRus.com store credit. Voting for the TextbooksRus.com summer photo contest ends August 9.

“Social engagement is constantly changing and our core customers are on the forefront of using these social medium,” David Bishop, Director of Marketing at TextbooksRus.com said. “Modern ecommerce is not just about selling products or services, but also engaging the customer in a way that provides value and spurs two way conversations. This is a fun way for us to continue to reach out to our customers and say thanks for their business, as well as gain exposure on key social networks.”

“TextbooksRus.com is becoming well known in the industry for holding exciting, social media driven contests and give-a-ways” said Phil Smyres, CEO of TextbooksRus.com. “Customer satisfaction is at the heart of our business. We have experienced tremendous growth over the years because friends tell their friends and sisters tell their brothers that TextbooksRus.com is the best place to buy and sell books. We feel these types of promotions help give something back.”

TextbooksRus.com is one of the largest online retailers of a variety of books including college textbooks, children’s books, literature, and more. TextbooksRus.com got their start in Columbus, Ohio in 2002 on The Ohio State University campus. The company enables users to buy, sell, and rent books from all over the world.

About Carla Hale

Carla Hale joined the C-3 Group in 2010. A recent graduate from Wright State University, Carla brings a fresh perspective to the team. A naturally social person, Carla’s passion is to connect with others and forge relationships. Carla loves for her clients to experience success on the web through traditional means as well as Social Media Marketing and Optimization. Her goal is for brands to become more accessible to their customers through the places they spend the most time at on the web. In the ever-changing Social Media field, Carla invests time to stay on the latest trends in both macro- and micro-markets. Her main passion is for firms to develop authentic advocacy from their customers so that they become a part of the sales force. Email: chale@c-3group.com Twitter: twitter.com/carlaweishale