{"id":6008,"date":"2016-11-15T12:00:19","date_gmt":"2016-11-15T20:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.azazie.com\/blog\/?p=6008"},"modified":"2016-12-20T10:03:50","modified_gmt":"2016-12-20T18:03:50","slug":"creating-a-social-media-powered-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azazie.com\/blog\/creating-a-social-media-powered-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating a Social Media Powered Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Social media has exploded in a way that few could have predicted. It has infiltrated just about every facet of modern life, and rather than shy away from it, many soon-to-be-married\u00a0couples are opting for the all-in approach, intentionally\u00a0generating a\u00a0social media firestorm… and people are loving it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now that cell phones (a.k.a. social media)\u00a0are\u00a0at the epicenter of many people’s personal lives, it’s not surprising that more\u00a0couples\u00a0are finding nontraditional ways to incorporate\u00a0social media into the details of their\u00a0wedding. According to this survey conducted by\u00a0<\/span>The Knot<\/span><\/a>, social media has a major presence\u00a0in the world of weddings.\u00a0Nearly 70\u00a0percent of all brides-to-be\u00a0(and grooms)\u00a0are using some type of social media and technology\u00a0when it comes to\u00a0planning and executing a wedding; from\u00a0setting up dedicated\u00a0sites to managing\u00a0RSVPs, live\u00a0streaming\u00a0video of the ceremony,\u00a0to\u00a0finding more unique ways to\u00a0keep their family and friends\u00a0in the loop along the way. Some have\u00a0even\u00a0created\u00a0a wedding reception playlist on\u00a0<\/span>Spotify<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adding\u00a0social media to your wedding poses both an opportunity and a challenge. Due to\u00a0budget constraints or having\u00a0a destination wedding,\u00a0it may not be possible to invite every\u00a0friend and family member,\u00a0so social media allows you to share that experience with\u00a0those that aren’t able to be there. It also allows you to digitally document every aspect of the experience, giving you another avenue for preserving memories.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Conversely, adding social media to the wedding process can be added stress for a bride who feels pressured to constantly\u00a0manage updates and\u00a0post\u00a0pictures.\u00a0You also have to consider that some guests may\u00a0have yet to embrace the world of social media (surprising, I know).\u00a0Additionally, you don’t want\u00a0social media to become such a priority that you miss out on the full, personal\u00a0experience of your wedding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Knowing all of\u00a0this, there is a\u00a0right way and a wrong way\u00a0to go about it.\u00a0There are many social media platforms to choose from, and each seems to have a different focus and audience. If you’re not a social media expert, you may be at a loss for how to run your wedding’s social media campaign (yes, that is a thing).<\/span><\/p>\n

We developed a quick list\u00a0of\u00a0what platforms to consider,\u00a0the best ways to use them, and how to make the most out of social media for your upcoming wedding.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Developing A Gameplan<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The number one thing to remember is that you need to run your wedding social media like a real campaign. This means having a game plan that mimics what successful businesses would do. There are plenty of guides with general goals, but one of the best we’ve seen comes from\u00a0<\/span>Entrepreneur<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

They recommend following through on five things to ensure success. The tips are just as applicable to a wedding social media campaign as any other, and include:<\/span><\/p>\n

Setting Goals.<\/b>\u00a0In this case, your goal is to get your guests involved with the wedding and show off how awesome it is and will be. You’ll want to do things to increase participation from the people you invite. You’ll also want to include high-quality content that showcases how much planning has gone into your wedding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Choosing Social Networks.<\/b>\u00a0There are countless options, and more popping up each day – snapchat, blogging … we’ll go into more detail later. For now,\u00a0keep in mind\u00a0that you’re probably going to make use of at least\u00a0Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Engaging With Followers.<\/b>\u00a0The\u00a0campaign would be quite boring if you didn’t interact. When your guests see you engaging with their comments,\u00a0it shows them you’re involved, and it gets them more involved\u00a0and\u00a0excited for your big day.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Displaying Content.<\/b>\u00a0For your wedding, this will include\u00a0photos and videos of just about everything. Trying on\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>bridesmaid dresses<\/span><\/a>, picking out flowers, cake testing,\u00a0maybe even rehearsal sessions with the wedding band and more. The trick to content is to make it quality, make it fun, and make it shareable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Measuring Success.<\/b>\u00a0You may not be doing a whole lot of number crunching or analytics, but you can get feedback from your friends. Gauge their reactions to your wedding posts. See what people like and dislike then adjust accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Setting Up Your Accounts & Making The Most Of Them<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

As we mentioned, there are four major\u00a0social media platforms to target. Each with different guidelines about what and how you’ll share content.<\/span><\/p>\n

Facebook<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Facebook is one of the most well-known networks. Chances are that a good number of your guests already have an account. You’ll be using this as a social media “home base.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, you will want to ‘create an event’.\u00a0You can put information about the venue, the time of the event, and other logistics here. Add some maps, a calendar with all the important dates, images,\u00a0and create your wedding guest log here.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can even give a shout-out to everyone helping you. That awesome tailor, the superb caterers, the incredible band, etc… it’s great PR for them and they may even throw in a few favors for the free advertising.<\/span><\/p>\n

First things first, though. You’ll have to set up a Facebook page\u00a0<\/span>exclusively<\/b>\u00a0for your wedding. No need to re-invent the wheel, thankfully. Storkie already has a\u00a0<\/span>bang-up tutorial<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on creating the perfect wedding Facebook page.<\/span><\/p>\n

Follow the steps, create your page, then start sharing content. Remember that posts to the Facebook page should be short, cover the essential info, and include a captivating image or video.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Twitter<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The realm of the hashtag. You might choose to create a Twitter handle just for the wedding, or simply start a wedding themed hashtag of your own. The hashtag should be easy to remember and indicative of the fact that a wedding is coming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Common hashtag generation formulas include:<\/span><\/p>\n