Between having limited time due to a busy wedding season and an ever-changing algorithm that often has us wanting to get off Instagram altogether, it can be challenging to find the motivation to show up consistently and continuously create new content. If this is you, know you’re not alone. Today, I want to share my top Instagram tips for a busy wedding season. First, remember your social media presence might just look a little different during wedding season than it does during the off season.
Instagram Tips for a Busy Wedding Season
When you’re feeling Instagram burnout during wedding season especially, the number one thing I encourage my coaching clients to remember is that there’s no one perfect system for everyone. But there can be a system that works best for them.
01. Create a game plan
Whether it’s posting 3-4 times a week or just 1-2 times a week, determine how many days a week is realistic for you. Consistency is important, which means so is knowing what you can reasonably handle each week. You don’t want to commit to four times a week when you can really only handle twice a week. This increases the likelihood of burnout and you might even feel guilty for not living up to your goal. So, set reasonable expectations and make a plan.
02. Create a favorite images folder
With every new client gallery you receive, throw your most favorite images into a dedicated folder on your desktop. When the time comes, refer to this folder for images relevant to content you’ve written for Instagram posts or even a blog post.
Pro tip: Rename the files with the photographer’s name, client names, and year so you can quickly reference the photographer, remember whose wedding that ring shot was from, and even quickly go back and pull the full vendor list to credit. An example of this would be “EmmaSmithPhoto_Kyle&Megan_2021.”
03. Curate relevant content
If you find yourself getting stuck trying to figure out what to post, I encourage clients to come up with 4-5+ content buckets they could rotate within their feed. For example, you could post about you and your team, your why and the heart behind your biz, real weddings, behind the scenes, inspiration, vendor spotlights, blog posts, and/or wedding planning tips. Pick the topics that are the most important to you or that you feel you can talk about easily. Then, when you’re not sure what to post, you can just pick a topic out of your existing content buckets.
Still feeling stuck? Here are 10 content ideas to get you started:
- Ask your followers a question
- Show a tutorial of a trending napkin fold or how to set up a guest list tracker worksheet
- Go behind the scenes of a wedding, site visit, or design meeting
- Share valuable planning tips and resources that establish you as an industry expert
- Conduct a series of Q&A’s with fellow wedding pros in your local market
- Direct followers to a blog post
- Share a before and after of a wedding setup
- Post an action shot of you in your element
- Inspire followers with a quote
- Get them swiping with carousel posts
04. Implement batch scheduling
This is one of my top Instagram tips for a busy wedding season. Whether you feel inspired to batch a month’s worth of posts at a time or just a week at a time, I am a big fan of batch scheduling. Basically, you just schedule out some time to get a whole chunk of Instagram posts done at one time. You can use a scheduling tool like Planoly or Plann. These tools not only visually show you what’s in your queue, but they allow you to schedule as much or as little as you’d like at one time. Then, you can schedule and forget about it. It’s a big time-saver, which is crucial in a busy wedding season.
05. Engage for ten minutes a day
Engaging on Instagram is so important whether you’re engaging with other accounts, like your favorite vendors, or you’re just responding to comments on your own posts. Dedicate 10 minutes a day to just sit down and go through Instagram. And set a timer if you’re afraid of going down the Instagram rabbit hole!
06. Give yourself some grace
At the end of the day, give yourself some grace. Wedding season can be challenging in and of itself. You’re just trying to keep up with client work let alone find time to put into marketing your wedding planning business. Do your best to stay as consistent as possible and don’t give up.
My Instagram tips for a busy wedding season are all about doing what you can. The important thing is that you’re still showing up on Instagram and showing those potential clients what you can do. You don’t want to neglect your Instagram completely and then try to rebuild an audience once wedding season is over!
As an experienced wedding coordinator, I love helping planners achieve their business goals. Whether you’re looking for tools to make your life easier or even one-on-one coaching, I’m here to help!