Eye Fi Wireless SD Card: Download photos wirelessly to your phone & iPad.

Eye-Fi Connect X2 4 GB Class 6 SDHC Wireless Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-4CN

 BUY: Amazon

 Price: $38.65

Here’s how I use it in event marketing:

I mentioned the discovery of the Eye Fi Wireless SD card, and I actually got one.

I had an issue with my Rebel XS telling me it was too busy to take photos which really bothered me. I thought I needed a fancy (expensive) flash because the problem was lighting – and my husband told me it was the SD card. I thought he was ridiculous and totally clueless about photography. I’m really glad he was right.

I thought SD cards were all about the memory – but they also have different “classes.” Having a low class card makes my camera refuse to take pictures. Snob! So the very nice guy at Best Buy told me I needed at least a Class 6 to avoid the problem, so I sprung for the Eye Fi card.

At first, it took me a while to set up and I thought I’d use it in a much different way. I actually just use it to download photos to my phone when I’m at an event – and still plug my camera in to my computer to download photos. Because I have a Mac and iPhone, the Photo Stream syncs it all together – but if you don’t use a Mac, this Eye Fi card will sync your photos wirelessly.

Here is how I used the Eye Fi card and why I think it is essential if you are in a business that benefits from real-time social media:

• First, a little background: I’m the marketing manager for an outdoor shopping/lifestyle center in Myrtle Beach called The Market Common. We have a lot of events. Usually, I take photos and post them after the event… Great for engagement but doesn’t do a thing to get people to the event!
• Today we kicked off our Farmers Market. At 7:30 am, I was taking photos of fish, produce, flowers, and pies. I immediately uploaded them to my iPhone – simply by keeping my camera on and opening the Eye Fi app. Like magic, all of them were on my phone and ready to publicize.
• I posted an album on Flickr and several Facebook posts featuring produce and fish – And got a surprising number of likes and comments. Great feedback. Even better feedback: a few people told me they saw it on Facebook that morning and came out after they saw the pictures. Direct results.
• Best is best: using the best camera available to produce the best pictures is important with real time social media. A crappy blackberry fuzzy photo isn’t going to have the same effect as a good point and shoot camera. My iPhone takes great photos, but my DSLR is better and was available – so that is what I used. People like pictures (I have seen the stats to prove this!), so make sure they are the best they can be.
• A professional photographer would have been better than me – but speed is also important. I wanted to post these photos while people could still act: see them, and drive to the event – and it worked!
• They are also on my computer because Photo Stream works like magic too.

So here are some of the photos I was able to post today: