A lot of venue owners ask me what they should be posting. They post a few times a week. The photos are nice. People like them. But the tours don’t really change.
Here’s how I think about it. Every venue owner is trying to answer one question: how do I get someone from looking at my venue on their phone to standing at the altar?
Your social media is the first part of that. Its job is not likes. Its job is to get a couple to come see the space. In my notes I wrote that getting people to tour is the biggest hurdle most venues face, because people really only fall in love once they see a space in person.
So every post should move a couple one step closer to a tour. Here are the post ideas I’d use to do that.
Show the space, not just the decor
Couples need to picture their own wedding in your space. That’s hard to do from a close-up of a centerpiece.
When we go through a venue’s photos and videos, I always look for shots of the empty space first. Wide shots of the ceremony site, the reception room and the views. Those give the best feel for the venue. Shots that are just full of decor look pretty, but they aren’t very useful for someone who is planning.
Mix in real weddings too, with the couple’s permission. Empty shots show the space. Real weddings show what it feels like full of people.
Walk them through the tour
Some of the best videos you can post are simple. Hold your phone and walk the path a couple would walk on a tour. Pull in from the parking lot. Walk into the ceremony site. Go to the reception room, the bridal suite and the spot where everyone takes photos at sunset.
A video like that answers a lot of questions without a single word. It also makes the in-person tour feel like the obvious next step.
Show what makes you different
Don’t copy what other venues post. I think one of the bigger mistakes venues make is trying to market themselves to match everyone else. If you look like everyone else, couples have no reason to pick you.
Find the thing only you have and build posts around it. At Rustic Grace in Texas, that was a huge grooms room and a place to fish. So the idea was to talk to the grooms: get your fiancé out here on a tour. Most venues only talk to the bride, and very few can offer that.
Answer the questions you hear on every tour
Your coordinator hears the same questions every week. How many guests fit inside? Where do we go if it rains? Can we bring our own caterer? Where do people park?
Turn each one into a short video. Have the person who gives your tours answer it on camera. Couples who are searching for answers will find you, and they’ll already feel like they know your team.
Put your people in it
Couples don’t just book a room. They book the people who will run their day. Show your coordinator, your owner and your staff setting up, walking the space and talking to the camera.
This matters for sales too. Coordinators can use social media to close more deals by being relatable and keeping up with people on social. When a couple has already seen your coordinator’s face ten times, the tour feels like meeting someone they know.
Post your open dates
If you have open Fridays, Sundays or off-season dates, say so. Show the space and the date. Some couples have no idea you have something open in their timeline, and some will move fast on a date they like.
Ask yourself: would I watch this?
It can feel good to post something every day. But is it really making a difference? Before anything goes up, ask yourself one simple question: would I watch this? Would I enjoy this? If the answer is no, don’t post it. Fewer good posts beat a lot of posts nobody watches.
Put your best posts behind ads
Here’s the hard part. Social media is pay to play now. Most of what people see on their feeds are posts that go viral, so posting on your own page doesn’t reach very many new people.
Organic posts are slow. Ads work this week. Once you know which of your posts people actually watch, put money behind them and show them to engaged couples in the cities that book you the most. Your best organic posts usually make your best ads. I go deeper on how ads fit into the bigger plan in my post on how to market your wedding venue.
Use your photos after the inquiry too
Social media doesn’t stop working once someone reaches out. We text photos of our venues to the couples who inquire, because people don’t buy in until they see a space. The same posts and clips you made for social are perfect for this. Send them the reel of the walk-through. Send them a photo of the spot where they’d say their vows.
Then invite them to come see it in person. That’s what all of this is for.
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