Last week, I talked about how to prepare your wedding business for outsourcing. (Miss it? Read it here!) This week I want to dive deeper into how to prepare your business to outsource social media. For many wedding professionals, the idea of hiring someone to take over their social media can seem daunting! Platforms like Instagram are a huge source of inquiries and clients for wedding professionals, so you want to make sure you hire the right person.

When you are finding the perfect fit for your business, make sure they have experience in your industry. If you are a wedding photographer, make sure they are someone who has worked with wedding photographers in the past, and understands wedding terminology. It is important to have an expert on your team, so the copy changes and adjustments are minimal on your end!

 Think about what you want to outsource.

The first step is to decide what channels you would like to outsource, and how often you would like to post. While Instagram might seem like an obvious choice, there might be other platforms you are overlooking. Recently, we did a complete social media audit for a client, and found out her biggest traffic was not Instagram – it was Facebook! She had invested all of this time and money into Instagram, but her biggest lead generator was her Facebook page. By looking at her Google Analytics and Facebook analytics, we were able to determine that her large Facebook following very much engaged, active, and interested! Instead of just focusing on Instagram, we created a strategy that involved Facebook as well, including targeted ads, cross-posting, and consistent content sharing.

Next, think about how often you would like to share. Most Instagram packages are 3 to 5 times per week, and Facebook is often 1 to 2 times per week. The amount you share will adjust the pricing accordingly, so also keep your budget in mind.

Have a (realistic) budget mapped out to outsource social media.

You need to have a realistic budget in mind. Most social media packages start at $500/month per channel, so keep this in mind when deciding what to outsource! If you can only budget a certain amount, start with the channel that you get the most inquiries from, or see the most ideal clients on. Keep in mind, it might be a channel like Facebook, YouTube or Pinterest!

While a starting price of $500 per month might sound like a lot at first, trust me, it is so valuable! Let’s say you charge $150/hour for your photography services. If you spend 10 hours a week doing social media, that will cost you $6000 in potential work you could be doing! However, if you hire a social media strategist for $500 per month, you are saving thousands.

Plus, you are hiring someone who is committed to your strategy. It’s not just about posting pretty pictures and writing cute captions! It is about creating a cohesive feed, a cohesive message, and attracting potential clients. Hiring a social media manager can allow you to save hours a week, which you can put back into your business.

Also, be aware that this is a longer-term strategy – contracts will be for at least 3 months at a time, and I recommend doing 6-month increments. This way you can really see the results!

Download our free workbook!

To make things even easier for you, we have created a FREE 20-page workbook and checklist, that will walk you through how to prepare your wedding business for outsourcing. This workbook will let you prepare your company today, so you can outsource tomorrow. It will help you learn how to outsource social media, and hire the right social media manager!

Start to prep for a social media manager.

Once you have picked the right person, start to gather photos! I suggest using a program like Google Drive, where you can start putting images into folders. For our clients, we like to have them sectioned off by type. For example: a folder for styled shoots, a folder for real weddings, a photo for headshots, a photo for stock images you use, etc. The more organized the better! This is a step you can even start doing before you find the right social media manager. By having items organized in advance, you will ensure a smoother onboarding transition.

You don’t have to have thousands of images – pick the top 10-15 from each event so we have a variety! By having the top images, you can ensure we are posting one you love, without us having to delete images and re-do over and over again.

Don’t forget vendor credits!

When you start to gather content, make sure to include vendors! It is important for us to know who to credit in your post! As a former wedding planner and bridal boutique owner, I know how important it is to credit vendors correctly! Avoid any issues by gathering this prior to sending to your social media manager.

I recommend uploading the vendors into each wedding or styled shoot folder, so your VA knows who to credit. We have one client who has the joint Google Drive divided into different folders, so every styled shoot has 1 folder with the top images, and a document of vendors. This ensures we have a background on the shoot or wedding. Make sure to add key items like the couples name, where the wedding was when it was, and any important details we should know when posting.

Think ahead.

While it can be easy to think of the next two weeks, you need to think ahead. Start mapping out what you have happened in the coming up months. Are there client anniversaries you want to be posted? Are you attending any events that you want to talk about? Even if you start with a list of what is coming up in the next three months, that will be a huge help!

For our clients, we like to have a marketing calendar, so we know what is happening when, and what we need to focus on month after month. At Ava And The Bee, we have quarterly strategy sessions, where we are able to fine-tune our marketing focus and strategy each and every quarter. This includes what events are coming up, and what we need to share!

Take a look at your current messaging.

Most social media managers will have a questionnaire you fill out before starting, that will go over your brand voice, ideal client, and who you are targeting. Try to really think about your messaging: who is your ideal client? Is the copy and words you use right now working? What can be improved? By taking the time to really look at your ideal client, you will help ensure your social media manager has the right copy created for you. As a digital marketer, it is so important for me to know our client’s ideal bride – from their age, to their income, we need to know it all to ensure we are targeting the right people!

Hire the right team to outsource social media!

At Ava And The Bee, we make sure that your onboarding process is easy, and stress-free! First, we will have a discovery call, so we can get to know you, your brand, and your goals. Before starting each package, we will have a kick-off marketing strategy call, to get a clear idea of your message, who you target, and how you want to present your brand to your audience. We have a seamless, stress-free onboarding process, that includes a questionnaire, a private Google Drive folder for you, and will walk you through every step. We provide complete digital marketing strategies by utilizing Website SEO, Weekly Blogging, Monthly Pinterest Management, and Social Media support. Plus, we are wedding experts, and only work with wedding professionals, like you!

Reach out, and let’s take care of your social media strategy!