Wedding Marketing Blog

I’m delighted to feature Meghan Ely, a US-based wedding marketing consultant as my guest blogger this month. Hopefully this will be her first of many posts on the blog. This month, Meghan takes a look at where to get started with embracing social media for your wedding business. Take it away Meghan…

Not to brag, but I’m really good at the holidays.

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I can guarantee you that by the last day in November, I’m surrounded by wrapped gifts, a To Do list completely checked off and a batch of freshly printed holiday cards. Then, it’s simply a matter of kicking my heels up and enjoying the season- one hand holding a frothy mug of hot chocolate, and the other pumped in victory.

My secret? I break it up into pieces- one week dedicated to holiday card design and then next spent in the stores finding the exact sweater that my husband had requested.

Social Media isn’t much different. It’s just as necessary and can overwhelm if you don’t take it one task at a time.

New to the Social Media arena and not sure where to begin? A few tips and tricks to get you started:

1. Outline your goals and choose wisely- Are you aiming to provide additional content about your services/products and build yourself as an expert? Join Facebook. Want to network outside of your current circle and begin to make strides in your wedding pr initiatives? Start with Twitter. Want to connect with fellow wedding professionals and share ideas on how to better your business? Sign up for LinkedIn.

Fact: not every Social Media platform is meant for you and your wedding business. Research your options before investing your time.

2. Take it step by step- I always contend that it’s better to be involved and successful in one Social Media platform, then join as many as you can, and give up shortly thereafter. Join one, build a following and get comfortable before taking the next step. I promise you that your subsequent steps will be far easier than the first.

3. Set up reminders- A day can come and go with a blink of the eye, and it may become easy to fall back on your Social Media activities. Don’t be afraid to set reminders on your calendar to post content and engage.

4 Put it in your path- Activities, Social Media or otherwise, are far more likely to become a habit if you make it easy on yourself.  Is your goal to post on Facebook daily? Then remained logged in on your computer with the screen minimized so you can access it easier. If your cell phone supports a Twitter application, then download it.

Afraid you’ll run out of time on any given day to actively participate in Social Media? Have no fear- programs such as HootSuite have been designed so you can log into one site to access all of your Social Media platforms.

There can be benefits to automating your Social Media, but beware of simply scheduling posts and running off to another task. Social Media success is one part content, and one equal part interaction.

By incorporating the above strategies, you too will find yourself connecting with your brides in a new and successful way. With any luck, you’ll also be able to do so while still balancing the rest of the To Do lists that life throws your way.

After all, those holiday gifts are not going to wrap themselves.

Meghan Ely is the owner of OFD Consulting, a niche marketing and public relations group servicing the wedding industry. She is also a Contributing Writer to Virginia Bride Magazine, WedLock Magazine and has a regular column in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Wedology 101: the Reality of Being a Bride. She shares her wedding marketing know how in her Blog Illuminate: Tips, Tricks and Bright Ideas for the Wedding Professional.

Photo credit: Meghan McSweeney Photography