Ever wonder about wedding planner Instagram etiquette? Instagram is a popular marketing tool, but for new planners it can be hard to navigate the business end of it. Today I have a special guest blogger. Bianca is the founder of The Wed Strategy and owner of Bianca Nichole Events. She is going to share with us some helpful tips on how to promote your wedding planner business without enraging your fellow colleagues.
Wedding Planner Instagram Etiquette
Possibly one of the most difficult things to do when you first start your wedding planning business is having photos to market your business.
There are a few ways you can gather photos for your website and social media. But first let’s talk about what NOT to do. Here is some wedding planner Instagram etiquette to take note.
How to repost an instagram post
As difficult as it is to wait to build up your portfolio, the one thing you don’t want to do is use another wedding planner’s pictures without proper crediting.
If you find yourself wanting to “repost” or use someone else’s photos, you first need to ask for the photographers permission. This step is serious as you could potentially be sued for copyright infringement if you don’t have the photographers permission to use their photo. A simple “Hello, I am a wedding planner in XYZ area. I want to ask permission to share your photo for my followers?” and include the photo you’re talking about.
There are a few unwritten rules but are best practice or as I like to think of them as a “courtesy” if you do use someone else’s pictures.
Make sure you Give Credit
Once you have received approval from the photographer to use their photo. Make sure you give credit to all of the vendors, especially the wedding planner if you’re able to find that information as you want it to be clear this is not your work. You can “give credit” by tagging them in the photo and tagging their account in the caption.
Here is an example of how I give vendors credit from my own business page.
Don’t Use Photos From Local Planners
Don’t use photos from wedding planners in your area. That is a big no, as potential couples will think this is your work when it simply is not. One day you will have a portfolio of 100 weddings with thousands of work hours put in behind them. You would not appreciate someone using your photos on their website or social media. Let’s remember the Golden Rule from grade school: treat others the way you want to be treated.
If you’re wondering how to get more photos for your wedding planner portfolio, I have a few ideas for you.
#1 Update your contract
Add in your contract a photo or model release that your couple can sign at time of hire. Consult with an attorney in your area but this should be enough to give you permission to use their photos for your marketing needs such as website, social media and printed materials.
Having this in your contract also sets the understanding early that you will be asking for and potentially using their photos.
#2 Ask the couple
You should be sending an email after every wedding asking for a review. At the same time, asking them to share wedding images as well.
Pro Bonus Tip: you can share their wedding images and use their review as the caption!
#3 Make friends with photographers
In addition to building relationships with photographers to start a referring relationship. Once you have a relationship with a photographer you will feel comfortable asking them for pictures after the wedding. If the couple doesn’t share pictures with you, you can always ask the photographer for the images since you have the photo release rights signed in your contract.
During the wedding day, I often ask the photographer “will you send me this images so I can share, this wedding turned out so beautiful! I would love to share them and tag you.”
#4 Snap your own photos
Take pictures on your phone at weddings in case you don’t get any back. I know wedding days can be hectic so you can also assign this task to your assistant. Our phone cameras are getting more and more sophisticated. Make sure your lens is cleaned and the image is clear. My favorite photo editing app is Lightroom, you can also download mobile presets to edit the photos so they all look the same and can be cohesive for your Instagram feed.
#5 Small scale photo shoot at home
Find an area of your house with good lighting and set up a table or flat lay on the floor. At home you can create a sample tablescape, sample bouquet or centerpiece or make a flat lay with invitations. You can get free invitation samples from Minted.com for these photos!
#6 Plan a styled shoot
Possibly my favorite way to get photos for your wedding portfolio is to plan a styled shoot. This is the best way to control the images you have to share as you can plan every detail to match your ideal couple, work with your favorite vendors that deliver the style of work you want to show off.
#7 Use Stock Photos
There are many sites with stock photos you can use that cost little to no money. Each site will have different terms to follow but most of them allow you to use the photos on your website and/or social media without any extra fees.
Download 5 free stock photos for your wedding business at The Wed Strategy!
There are many stock photo websites but my favorite sites for wedding specific stock photos are Sourced Co and Pops of Pretty. Here are a few other sites that have wedding related images mixed in with their other stock photos: Styled Stock Society, Social Squares, Haute Stock, A Creative Library, Unsplash, Pexels
Bianca is the founder of The Wed Strategy and owner of Bianca Nichole Events. While building her wedding planning business in Austin, TX she quickly realized how little information there was for marketing your wedding business, specifically how to use Instagram for your wedding business. After booking over $15,000 from Instagram in her first year of business, Bianca became passionate about helping other wedding pros do the same. The Wed Strategy helps Wedding Pros book more couples through Instagram! For more tips on how to market your wedding planning business follow us on Instagram @thewedstrategy
