Many people try to avoid using Instagram in their marketing plan because they do not understand how it fits into their overall marketing plan. Instagram is actually a great way to connect with customers if you use it correctly; especially if someone is trying to plan a large event or wedding and can’t afford everything they see on Pinterest. Post good ideas or graphics and you could go viral and become more successful within a few seconds! However, if utilized incorrectly, all of your efforts could all be in vain.
Here are 5 tips to consider:
1. Use Hashtags
I know this one probably seems obvious, but hashtags (“#”) do actually serve a purpose other than being really annoying if more than a few are used at a time. Social media users can use them in their search bar to find out about your company. They do get out of hand sometimes, as Instagram doesn’t have a character count limit like Twitter does. Try to include only necessary hashtags, such as #yourcompanyname, #wedding, or #eventplanning. You don’t want to look desperate for likes, but hashtags are important. You should also incorporate any trending hashtags if they’re a good fit. Your company could be seen by many event planners within a few seconds!
2. It’s All About The Event
You know this. You’re an event planner! You should like and comment on your followers’ photos, and respond to any questions someone might post on one of your pictures. It is also a good idea to share any pictures your clients post to make them feel extra special. Do anything you can to interact with people!
3. Show Off
There is no better way to show off what you can do than to show somebody a picture. That’s literally all Instagram is, so why not flaunt your talent on there? Everyone wants to see how things will look at their event, so post pictures of events you were hired to do. This is especially great if you can honestly say that the idea in the photo was your idea! Clients will also want to get to know you, so give them a behind the scenes photo of your business, or even a selfie of you doing your job.
4. Make People Talk
You basically want to do anything you possibly can to get your clients talking and showing your Instagram page to their friends, co-workers or families. Feel free to ask for comments and ask questions to get a healthy conversation going on your photo. You could even try doing a hashtag contest where users upload a photo with a specific hashtag. The submissions are posted on your website where other people vote on them. It’s a great way to get more website traffic!
5. Don’t Stop Posting
You have to be consistent. If you go weeks at a time without posting anything on Instagram, some people will most likely unfollow you. Then again, you don’t want to drive people insane by posting 100 pictures in one day. Figuring out when and how often to post is easy if you pay attention to when you get the most likes and comments. You also want to pay attention to which types of photos and hashtags get the most likes and comments and try to post more similar items.
One other thing I need to mention: Don’t post any pictures of your clients unless they say it’s OK! That being said, these tips should be just the thing to help you get more event planning business on Instagram!
