Social Media For Event Planners

Planning events for other people is a tremendous task. That’s because you’ll spend your time doing all the legwork for someone else. Because people use social media to converse and show others what they are doing, event planners have one of the greatest opportunities in leveraging social media. After all, being an event planner requires you to do both of those activities anyway. Let’s go over a couple of platforms you can leverage for your business.

Capture the Magic With Instagram

You will most likely be dealing with a wide variety of celebratory events from graduations to weddings. You can count on people to want to see what kinds of events you have previously executed. There’s no better way to show people what you do than to give them the ultimate visual experience. Instagramming your events is a strategic way to give them that experience while promoting your services. You can use Instagram to your advantage by capturing the magical moments people can only dream about. Make those images easily searchable by adding proper hash tags i.e weddings, dinners, baby showers, engagements, parties, etc. Don’t forget to use tools like Iconosquare to simplify your life!

Join the Conversation With Twitter

Social media is all about interacting and connecting with one another. Each platform gives us an opportunity to do that in a different way. Twitter is known as the place where buzz topics, trends, and real-time conversations take place. Join the conversation by talking about event planning strategies, ideas, tips, and tricks. Ask questions and give others advice. The price of your services will vary on your expertise but the decision to hire you in the first place will depend on whether your client feels like you know what you’re doing. Prove it to them in conversation by engaging with others in a way that positions you as the expert, guru, or go-to person for event planning.

Search hash tags or use Customer Relationship Management systems like Hootsuite to listen in on the conversation. Find people who need “event planning” help and answer their questions with your expertise. Follow industry related accounts and engage with them by sending a shout out, Retweeting content most relevant to your audience, and follow competition to see what they’re up to.

Get Yourself a Facebook Page

As usual, it’s no surprise that you will need a Facebook fan page. Notice that I say “need” and not “want.” Why is that? Because as an event planner, your target audience will never be children, kids, or teens. You may be the best child party planner ever, but mom and dad are still the decision makers. Facebook will be where most of your audience lives, so your fan page will be an integral part of your social media strategy. The cool thing about Facebook is that they offer the most options in terms of customization, analytics, and even advertising. Don’t be afraid to pay to play, the benefits of Facebook advertising are worth more than we can explain on this blog. With Facebook updating all pages as of 06.06.14, here are some things you should know, and four ways to improve your page if you already have one.

Event Planner Benefits on LinkedIn

In planning any events, you’re going to need to know people. The people you may need to know are in other professional industries and the best place to find them will be on LinkedIn. This is a great place to network in order to find the right people to help you get the job done. Whatever industry professional you need, you’re very likely to find someone there. It also gives others the opportunity to find an event planner *hint hint*. Be the pro in your field and show people by sharing tips, tricks, and industry related news.

Whatever social platform you decide to be on, make sure you have enough time and resources to be there. Each individual platform offers you and your business an opportunity to connect with your audience in a different way. As an event planner, we believe LinkedIn and Facebook will provide the best ROI. However, Instagram and Twitter will provide you with an avenue for conversation. It’s all about balancing your act. If you don’t know what to do, experiment with a platform and try it out. It’s the only way you’ll truly know what works for you. Lastly, whatever you do – make sure to promote your channels!! No one is going to know what platform you’re on if you don’t tell them.

Now it’s your turn..

Have you tried other platforms? How did you do? Share your experience with us, or send us a question you may have and we’ll turn it into a blog specifically tailored for your business. Leave a comment or send us a tweet at @BoxlessMedia!