Party planning isn’t an easy feat, if it were, everyone would plan and execute their own events, and no need for anyone to hire a party planner (like ever).
Whether you are brand new to party planning, or even if you’ve been in the party planning space for a while, it can be overwhelming. It takes an organized, creative, and professional person to make a name for themselves in this industry. There are a lot of things to do and sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, or what’s the most important.
If you’re not seeing the clients, income, or growth that you want, you might be making one of these (very common) mistakes, and here are a few of my best tips to becoming a successful party planner both online and off.
Mistake #1 : Having Too Broad Of A Focus
Too many people get lost in the shuffle of not having a proper niche or target audience. They think by sharing “all of the things” they will be able to attract a bigger audience and reach more people, but that idea couldn’t be further from the truth.
When you tackle too many different genres in your business (or online) you look like a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none.
Basically, it’s hard for your audience to know what to expect from you, and unclear customers don’t turn into buyers.
Choose 3-5 main party categories that you want to be the “expert” in. Then be really, really good at “your thing”— that is how you will stand out and make a name for yourself.
Mistake #2 : Not Building A Separate Online Following
Starting from 0 can be hard and honestly a little scary, especially when your personal social media accounts already have a few hundred followers… Don’t be fooled by thinking that you can just change your account name and suddenly have a genuine audience.
Keep your personal accounts personal, and business ones about your business. It’s also important to make sure you separate your personal life content (photos of your kids, dog, what you ate that day, etc.) to either a) stay in your personal account, or b) would be relevant to your audience.
Just know that it’s ok to ask your followers to head over to your business page and follow you there when you start your new account.
And don’t be afraid to ask for help with what your trying to accomplish. Like this:
“I’m trying to build up my party planning business. If you know anyone who’d like my help in planning a party would you please send them my way?”
If you make that switch, you’ll have a better quality of followers who will be genuinely interested in what you have to share, teach, and sell.
Mistake #3 : Poor Image Quality
Have you ever heard the phrase “A picture’s worth 1,000 words”?
Well, it couldn’t be more appropriate as it relates to creating content online and especially on social media. And with features like portrait mode on iPhone… There’s no excuse for grainy or poor quality photos to be shared by you, EVER.
Always post clear, bright and color-coordinated photos if possible. Remember your Instagram is like a digital magazine— all about you. Make it look professional and reflect the brand you want to create.
Mistake #4 : Improper Use Of Hashtags Or Not Using Them At All
Relevant hashtags are as valuable as a Google search these days.
Make sure you are doing your research and finding the right hashtags to link with your content and posts. This will help drive awareness to you and hopefully help you get discovered by new followers and sponsors as well.
Sites like RiteTag are a great resource to help you learn which hashtags are most effective, and you can also do your own research by seeing what your competitors and similar accounts are posting too!
Hashtags are also a wonderful way for you to catalog your posts by simply using a custom hashtag for your events or certain galleries (like #Housewife2HostessDanceParty).
Get even more engagement by asking your guests to add their photos using that hashtag as well!
Mistake #5 : Not Charging For Your Time/Talents
Sometimes when you really love doing something, that’s easy and fun for you to do (like throwing awesome parties), you almost feel guilty charging for your time and talents because you just enjoy it. However, just because you enjoy something, doesn’t mean you have to do it for free.
Create a price list of your services and start advertising yourself as a party planner. Ask your circle of influence who they know and start marketing yourself and your talents. As you build up your skill set and are able to help coordinate more and more parties, you’ll be able to raise your prices as demand for you goes up!
Don’t forget you can also charge to create online content, so don’t be afraid to pitch yourself to brands and sponsors too.
Party Planners Success Recap
Now you know a few things that will get you started on the right track to party planning success!
Here’s a quick recap of the actions you need to take:
- Discover which 3-5 categories you really shine in, and focus on those!
- Treat it like a business & create business profiles (if you want to be paid like a business, you gotta act like one).
- Make sure you’re posting quality images that reflect your brand.
- Research and use relevant hashtags so you can create the engagement you need.
- Create a price list, because you DESERVE to be paid!
As you move forward in your party planning business you’ll be able to avoid these five very common mistakes in the party planner space. Soon you will stand out among the competition & get paid to do the thing you love.