We are no strangers to the importance of utilizing social media and the internet to engage with people and spread the word about our event planning businesses.  What we may be lacking in, however, is the way in which we are utilizing these platforms.

The norm for wedding and event planners is to create weekly Facebook posts, share links to blogs or articles we like in the industry, congratulate the new Mr. and Mrs. from the wedding that we planned, and then post pictures from the completed event.  These are great ways to participate in the online social world, but what about showing the world the process of planning an event and all of the hard work that it takes to reach those gorgeous final pictures?

During the planning process of any event, we all know there are meetings, emails, drawings, phone calls, inventory to take, tastings, fittings, and all of the other small details that only we, as professional event planners, think of.  I cannot stress enough how important it is to show these steps of the planning process off to current and potential clients and followers of your work.

Here is an example:

If I had a meeting today with a bride and groom at a local bakery, I would want to update my business’ Facebook status to read something like, “So excited to meet with the future Mr. and Mrs. Dan and Becky Smith at Main Street Café to plan their rehearsal dinner!”

By tagging the clients and the business you will be meeting at, you are able to show that you interact with those you meet and promote business of where you meet (this will help you relationship building). Plus you get to show social media followers that you truly care about your clients and that you build relationships with those you do work with.

In addition, by tagging others on Facebook or whatever social media outlet you are using, those who follow them or are friends with them, will see your business page, click on it and hopefully begin to follow you as well. This could very well turn into new business in the future.

If you are sitting there thinking, yes, I would love to be able to do this, but I don’t have time to be updating blogs and statuses all day, then that is where we need to find help for our company.  Maybe it is an intern or co-worker who you allow to post on the company’s behalf. Or perhaps it is time to hire a virtual assistant for a few hours a week to help with social media marketing.  Yes, there will be times when things are forgotten, but the less you forget to do, the less potential business  and connections are lost.

This is a guest post from Christine Bochniak. Christine resides in Galena, IL where she works as an Author Account Manager for Kendall Hunt Publishing. She also works as a wedding coordinator part-time for her own business Rise Events Planning.