A few days ago, I got to cross “DJing at Victoria’s Secret” off my bucket list!!! How did the store manager find me? Instagram.

Last week, I was contacted about DJing at a very cool event that’s right up my alley—She Rocks 2017. The contact form read: “…we are still in need of a badass lady DJ and a photobooth. I have been Instagram-stalking you and think you would be perfect for it.”

Last night, a very cool bride messaged me through Instagram about DJing her wedding. Ten minutes later she had booked a meeting with me.

Is your Instagram marketing this effective?

Why Would a Bride Be Looking For You On Instagram?

So, before we get to the deep, dark secret of getting wedding leads from Instagram, I want to tell you a little story.

A few months back, I wanted to get serious about my financial planning. I was not digging the testosterone vibe at Fidelity, so I googled “female San Diego financial planner.”

A bunch of irrelevant results popped up like mutual funds of female-friendly companies.

So I thought, “Where can I find the kind of financial planner who will get me?”

Instagram! I figured if she was hip enough for Instagram, she would be hip enough for me.

A few days later I found myself at Savvy Women Wealth Management where a male receptionist greeted me, and I was given a swag bag that included a lipstick-shaped pen.

Instagram had lead me to EXACTLY what I was looking for…Google had failed miserably.

Again, why is a bride going to be looking for you on Instagram?

While it might vary slightly for different types of wedding pros, I imagine ultimately they are searching on Instagram instead of on The Knot or Wedding Wire because they want something different, someone who “gets” them, someone who is “out of the box” and can deliver a modern wedding experience.

She thinks if you are killing it on Instagram that there is a higher chance of you being the one to deliver this for her.

Ssshhh!!! The BIG SECRET to Instagram Marketing

So…how do you kill it on Instagram?

Obviously…the basics—attractive images posted regularly.

The secret beyond that is…authenticity. That’s it…just be real.

Here are some examples of Instagram “turn offs” that reek of inauthenticity:

• only posting a gig log
• posting ads/selling points/calls to action too frequently
• posting a lot of screenshots of online reviews you receive
• posting only “staged” photos (photographers, I’m looking at you)
• only posting sporadically (brides will know you don’t really “get” Instagram)
• any combination of these

Yes, the bride does care about your reviews and your selling points…but not on Instagram.

After she gives you “Instagram-approval,” she will check your website or Yelp listing. Before she does that, she wants to see who you are (or what your company culture is).

For the wedding industry (and probably any other creative industry), Instagram is the new “About” page.

An “authentic” Instagram profile is going to show off who you are as both a person and a wedding professional. In other words, it may combine pics of your kids, pets, workouts, meals AND some behind-the-scenes work action.

In my case, my non-work posts revolve around memes that show how much I love music and dancing and some of my favorite artists/songs–in addition to pics of my kid, throwback Thursdays, Sex & the City stuff, #GirlBoss stuff, etc.

30-Day Instagram Challenge

Try the above tips and post at least one attractive image a day to Instagram…then share your results below!