Guest Post: 11 Social Media Tips from a Wedding and Event Planner

Melissa Miville is owner and event planner at Stylish Occasions by Melissa Miville. I met both Melissa and her husband via Twitter, and they are part of a rather robust Social Media community in Lancaster, PA.

Social Media is a very useful tool in the wedding industry. Brides today are very tech savvy and constantly searching the internet for information. More often than not, it is the bride that is doing the majority of the legwork and making at least the initial decisions regarding the wedding. Here are some of the best ways to reach those brides:

1. Have a website – This may seem rather basic, but what better place to showcase your work and let potential couples know what you have to offer? If you’re a wedding planner then showcase some weddings you have put together. If you’re a photographer showcase your wedding pictures. Or for cake bakers show your cakes. Whatever your role in the wedding process, you need to showcase your work online, and a well-designed, functional website is a great start.

2. Don’t use Flash on your website – While Flash can look really great…there are a few big problems. First, iPhones don’t show flash based websites! With the popularity of iPhones do you really want to turn these iPhone users off of your website? And second, search engines can’t read Flash, and therefore it can hinder the search engine optimization (SEO) of your site.

3. Keep your website updated – I’d suggest at least once a quarter to update your website with your most recent events to keep the content fresh. If you can update more often, great! But you really want to highlight your latest and most interesting work.

4. Start a Blog – Many professionals in the wedding industry tend to only blog about events that they have done. For example wedding planners blog about weddings they’ve planned, photographers blog about weddings they’ve photographed, and so on. This is a great start, but why not blog about tips and ideas in the wedding industry? Some of the wedding professionals I’ve spoken with feel by doing that they are giving away free information. That’s the wrong way to look at it. By doing this you’re getting your name out there. While one reader may not use you they might refer you to others that will. Plus the more you blog the more you will be seen on the internet. Additionally, by giving out “free” advice and information, you will build trust and potential clients will see you as the “go to” person when they actually need your services.

5. Set up a Facebook business page – This is a rather simple process, but make sure you do it right. (You can get some tips here and here from Inkling Media)

6. USE your Facebook page – I’ve seen so many wedding professionals set up Facebook pages but never update them. What is the point? Try to write an update at least once a day. It only takes a few seconds! Add photos and videos and engage your fans. If you don’t use the page, you won’t grow a fan base.

7. Twitter – I will admit that I am not the best at using Twitter. But I am working on it! It’s a great tool to meet other wedding professionals from across the world. Even better, most towns have a local twitter group which makes Twitter a great way to meet local people! Set up an account, use it, and attend tweetups!

8. Take advantage of online forums – There are many out there. One of my favorite is BridalTweet. This is a great online networking tool to meet and get advice from other wedding professionals.

9. Take advantage of wedding websites that offer free advertising – There are many out there like WeddingWire, Decidio, OneWed, and more that let you have an online ad for free. Just do a simple search for “wedding sites” and you will find quite a few! For a fee you can upgrade your ad, but at least take advantage of the free ads.

10. Keep up to date – Stay on top of all the newest social media platforms that are coming out. Technology is constantly changing so be sure to stay on top of it! And read a lot of blogs so that you stay ahead of the curve. Here is a list of 100 to follow.

11. Be Creative! – If you are in the wedding business, you are most likely a creative person by nature. Use that creativity as you promote yourself online.

Happy Planning!

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are not necessarily those of Inkling Media.

Tagged as: blog, facebook, Marketing, photography, Social Media, Twitter, weddings