Instagram is one of the fastest growing and also one of the most popular social media platforms, it is also a massive resource of ideas and inspiration for couples planning their wedding.

When it comes to wedding ideas and inspiration up there with Pinterest is Instagram, it is also a great way to find ideas and connect with suppliers within the industry as it is photo rich.

Instagram Tips & Ideas for Wedding Venues

As with any marketing activity for your wedding venue it is important to try and get the best from it and maximise it's potential return, so if you are going to do it, make sure you are getting the best from it.

Key steps to get the best from Instagram:

  • Ensure your profile is up to date
  • Ensure it follows your brand
  • Post consistently
  • Engage
  • Check your DM's!

Before we get into what to post and content ideas for your wedding venue on Instagram, it is important you have everything set up correctly and get the foundation right first.

Ensure your profile is up to date

Your profile reflects your brand and is also a key point of contact for couples, so it is important to ensure all your details are correct, email address, contact phone number, web address, as well as your profile photo and description. Your instagram profile is a shop front for your venue to, and not just your website.

Ensure your description concisely describes your wedding venue and includes your keywords, for example, 'Luxury Wedding Venue Barn in Cirencester'.

Finally optimise your profile by ensuring the category is set as 'Wedding Venue'.

Ensure it follows your brand

Your account should feel like one user and one voice. The content, description and format should follow the same style, and the style and feel of your feed should also reflect your brand and the image you want to display. Have a style and feel of imagery that is consistent across all your social media platforms and also your website and brochures.

Post consistently

The key to social media and particularly Instagram is to make sure you post consistently. It doesn't matter if it is once a week, once a day or 2-3 times a day, the key is to have a plan and schedule, and keep to it.

Couples like to see recent photos, they like to see an active profile, it is not a good look if the the last post is a few months ago or at worst from the psst year.

To help schedule and plan your posts, you can save time using a scheduler app to post your Instagram posts for you. Apps worth checking out are:

  • Tailwind
  • Onlypult
  • Later

Check your analytics on the Instagram app to see who and when users are viewing and engaging with your content. From here you can ensure you are posting at the best time for your audience too.

Engage

Once your posting and got a good schedule going, don't just post and forget, engage, follow up on comments left, start discussions, answer any questions or just thank people for leaving a comment.

Check your DM's!

This is a big one. Couples may find you and have a question, or may wish to book a viewing, instead of going through to your website the quickest way is to send a direct message on Instagram. These may come under a 'message request' on your inbox, so it is important to keep checking this and responding as soon as you can.

As with enquiries with your website, you want to be quick to reply and don't forget to follow up, even if it is a discussion via Instagram.

Action step: Set aside time in your day to login and heck your Instagram DM inbox, there could be leads or enquiries you will want to get back to ASAP.

Instagram Content Post Ideas for Wedding Venues

You have your profile all set up and optimised, a plan in place on when and how many posts you want to post each week and month, but then your mind goes blank, what do I actually post?

Specifically for wedding venues we have 11 Instagram content ideas and post topics you can cover to get you started.

1. Recent Weddings

With weddings happening every week this is your go to start for content, be it your own behind the scenes photos or reposts from wedding photographers that have shared some of their recent photos at your venue. Showing couples your venue and the different set ups, style and decor that can be done helps them visualise what they can do for their own day and also the flexibility and possibilities with your venue.

Add some information in the description about the day and the couple and be sure to tag the photographer and suppliers.

2. Venue Photos

Show different areas of your venue, the entrance, the long drive way that the bride to be will go down on her way to get married, the reception area outside with the warm fire pits burning away. Show these different aspects so couples can see all areas, you could share photos you have captured or from a styled or branded shoot.

As well as sharing different areas of your venue, don't forget to share them through different times in the year, autumn photos can look gorgeous as well as those summer and spring shots.

3. Meet the Team

Get personal and introduce your team. This is great way to connect with couples, as the wedding planner and main point of contact it is great to introduce yourself, but what about everyone else, the chef who will be creating amazing food for the couples tailored to them, the head barman who can create a unique cocktail for the couple and their guests. From new members of the team to the old, say hello and make it personal.

4. Behind the scenes

Quick raw photos or videos are a create way to create some content, this could be setting up a wedding, new features or renovations at your venue, show what is going on when there isn't a wedding or other ways your space is used.

What about meal tasting, or new menu options being created in the kitchen, amazing cocktails be made up or the gardens being maintained.

6. Exclusive Offers

Sharing photos is great but think about how the description and caption can be used, you can easily share exclusive offers you may have, book now and get XYZ included, or special discounts for off season weddings.

7. Late Space availability

In a similar way to your exclusive offers if you have any late availability or a date that has become available, share it across your social media platforms and Instagram, a couple looking to marry at your venue or wish to marry soon may just see it and get in touch.

8. Tips and Advice

With all the venues you have hosted and questions you have been asked, share this knowledge and share tips and advice to couples. This could be things to think about when booking the venue or planning their wedding, answers to common questions you are asked at your venue, or tips you can offer brides to be on their wedding day.

This can be done as a post, or as a guide on Instagram, you can also create a story with the questions box for anyone to quickly ask a question for you to answer.

9. Events

Be it an open day, wedding fair or another event you are hosting, share a relevant photo and add all the details into your post description for your users and followers to see.

10. Couple Testimonials

Don't be afraid to blow your own trumpet and share reviews from recent couples. It is important to follow up with your couples to get their feedback and review, but you must use them, so not only get them on your website, but use them to create a post on your Instagram, combined with a photo from their day, add their review and testimonial to the caption as a quote.

11. Repurposing High-Performing Posts

Check out your Instagram analytics and see which posts performed the best, what is working and what does your audience like, every so often share this post again, it maybe a wedding photo or a post which shared some advice, give it a quick edit and share it again.

Instagram stories are a great way to quickly share behind the scenes videos or photos, grab your phone and capture a morning sunrise at your venue, wedding table set up and decor, new venue features or just a staff hello or FAQ. Use engaging elements, such as polls, or adding a questionnaire. You can now add stickers to create a link a website, great if you wish to promote a open day.

When posting make sure to tag and credit the photographer as well as all the suppliers.

How to share your content

When posting think about how, make sure to use all the options on Instagram, you can do a:

  • Feed Post
  • Reel post
  • Story Post
  • Instagram Live
  • Guide

For video content reels and stories are great, a feed post is perfect for your photos while guides are great for doing an FAQ or showing different areas of your venue in an article style format.

Printable Instagram Content Planner PDF

Want to jot down your plan for Instagram, download our weekly instagram content planner PDF, print it off and plan out your posts. Decide how often you plan to post a week and month, create a schedule and stick to it. Consistency is the key!

Download our Instagram Planner PDF here

We look forward to seeing your posts and instagram ideas, make sure to follow and tag us, we would love to see them @wedinspirevenues.