A member asks

When chatting with celebrants recently I heard again and again that most celebrants aren’t really that interested in following the general Instagram “best practice” advice that you see on social media blogs/podcasts. Most people a) don’t want to invest the time and energy to go down the Pinterest-style heavily-curated aesthetically-pleasing path, and b) think it’s bullshit anyway. They don’t want to follow a posting schedule, they may not even post very regularly. I think most celebrants just want to post photos that they like, when they have them – but want to maximize the appeal/reach of those posts and spend the least amount of time on them. Can you share any practical little hacks to shave a few minutes and a few headaches off your posting/planning time.

There’s a reason Facebook and Instagram have personal and business accounts. There’s a place for you to post what you like, and a place for you to post content that has a positive on your business.

This is part one in a three part series, part one on why, part two on what and part three on when.

What content should we post on social media?

I mention in part one that my posts, and hopefully any good posts, do one of the following for my couples:

  • help them plan a wedding and be married
  • inform and educate them about weddings and being married
  • make them laugh/entertain them
  • introduce them to me and my brand

Hopes and dreams are great, but they need to work themselves out into actual content, so what follows is my content-creating brain looking at that list and giving you a bunch of content ideas I hope you steal, repurpose, and post for your own good.

Here’s the important thing to remember as you post: most people see about 30% of your posts. So don’t assume they do and say things like “as you saw in my last post” or imagine that they care enough to go back. Each post needs to live on its own. Secondly, generosity will go so much further than greed. So offer up all of the industry insight, expert advice, recommendations and truth you can muster up.

The three different types of posts

I like to start by categorise my content into three different types of posts:

  • Posts branding me
  • Helpful/value-adding posts
  • Posts about others

With those three categories down, I start breaking it out into actual content ideas.

Content ideas

Helpful and value-adding posts

  • Shortcuts people could take in planning a wedding
  • Funny observations from weddings (respectful of the couples involved)
  • Your own personal insight about decisions people make in wedding planning
  • Inspiration for wedding planning looks and styles
  • Funny wedding memes (stay classy ok)
  • Things people could skip or drop from their wedding
  • Ways to stay mindful and stress-free planning a wedding
  • Advice on how to build and grow your marriage
  • Insight into your own wedding and marriage that is relevant to your tribe
  • Think about common mistakes or problems people encounter on their wedding day that you’ve observed, not things you’ve imagined or found on a Buzzfeed list
  • Your views on wedding traditions and what they mean
  • Your insight into what weddings mean and how they could be better
  • DIY advice

Basically, be useful to people. Think even about the reason you’re a member of this institute, hopefully it’s because we bring you value through these posts. Bring value to people, with actual help, not another bloody free e-book, social media marketing is one place where if you give away the cow the right people will still buy your milk.

Posts about others

  • Recommend other vendors, giving them a voice to your followers, and a personal recommendation as to why they’re great
  • Helping couples make other purchasing decisions in regards to their wedding
  • Anti-DIY advice because DIY isn’t as easy and cost effective as you think
  • Help people understand the role different vendors have in weddings
  • Relate other vendors/peoples’ works to real results and pinterest trends

Remember, most of your couples have never planned a wedding. So help them not only understand your role and value, but others as well. I’ve never met a person on their death bed who hoped they were less generous.

Posts branding me

  • Testimonies from your own couples so other couples can see what kind of celebrant you are
  • Snippets from your ceremonies either in video or text that might be encouraging to people’s own marriages and also showcase your talent
  • Question and answer sessions regarding your own niche field you’re the expert in
  • Photos of couples enjoying your services
  • Photos of your couples after the ceremony (see how happy they are?! you could be to!)
  • We’re the harbinger of meaning and purpose on the wedding day, so be that person on social media
  • Insights into your personal life, marriage, business

Inform your followers about who you are, do it regularly, do it with variety, do it with pride in yourself – you’re awesome!

In the next part of this series I’ll give you a hint on what your next six social media posts could be, and also some insight as to when to post.

Share any other posting ideas in the comments, I’m sure my list is only the tip of the iceberg!