This is the Transcript of the #WeddingMarket Chat on June 17, 2015 with Wedding Social Media Strategist Samantha Roberts. The answers were made on Twitter so responses will appear different.

A former Social Media Manager for The Knot, Samantha Roberts is a social media consultant and strategist specializing in the wedding industry. Her work recognizes the importance of social media as a key resource not only for couples for their wedding days, but for wedding professionals to use as a way to showcase their work and engage with potential clients. Any business that is looking to expand its outreach on platforms such as Instagram may want to get Growthoid, or something similar to access a wider audience.

Samantha helped establish The Knot’s social media channels as the go-to wedding destination for brides, dreamers and vendors alike. Samantha was directly responsible for increasing The Knot’s followers by over 200%, engagements by 300% and used social media to drive 1 million sessions to the website each month. Samantha’s focus on Instagram helped The Knot win the DigiDay award for “Best Brand Instagram.”

Samantha is a graduate of San Diego State University with a B.S. in Finance and a 4-time varsity letter winner in golf. Prior to a career in weddings, Samantha debated a career as a professional golfer. It was probably her creativity in the best Instagram captions for golf such as, “You ‘Putt’ Me In A Great Mood,” that got her interested in a Social Media Manager career! She was born and bred in San Diego and currently lives in New York City. She loves to play golf, travel, run half-marathons and live-tweet TV shows. Follow Samantha on Instagram & Twitter: @SamanthaRoberts.

Q1: How did you get involved in the wedding industry?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with weddings. I turned this obsession and passion into a career!

Q2: What is the most important social platform for wedding professionals to use at this moment?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: Instagram – it’s the new Pinterest for weddings. Brides are browsing inspiration, dresses & even finding their vendors!

Q3: How important is it to use hashtags?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: Hashtags are important for wedding professionals to use. But 100% crucial to use on Instagram!

Q4: Should hashtags be discouraged from certain media platforms?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: Wedding professionals should use hashtags on Instagram and Twitter — keep them off Pinterest and Facebook.

Q5: What’s the maximum # of hashtags that should be used in a post?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: No more than 2 on Twitter & 7 hashtags on Instagram (Tip: Comment more hashtags in the line directly beneath the caption)

Q6: What are the best hashtags to use for brides to discover vendors or inspiration?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: Use hashtags for the wedding’s hashtag, venue & dress. Add brand hashtags for brands that share photos like TheKnot .

Q7: What is the difference between tagging and mentioning someone in a post?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: On Instagram: Tagging is in the actual photo and mentioning is in the caption below the photo.

Q8: Is tagging or mentioning someone more important to do in a social media post?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: IMO, it’s more important to use hashtags (since this is how brides are finding photos anyway) & tagging in the photo

Q9: How can you grow your following on @Instagram ?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: Share quality photos to grow follower counts! No collages, use a time of day strategy & don’t post too much! If you are really struggling then you can learn how to buy instagram followers from different websites to help get you started.

Q10: What are brides looking for on @Instagram ?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: Brides are searching the geo-tag on Instagram for examples of how different couples decorated their wedding venue!

Q11: What do you think is the next big social media platform for weddings?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: Snapchat and Periscope are the next big social platforms for weddings — get on them NOW.

Q12: How can wedding companies use @Snapchat to connect with brides?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: Show your personality through photos/videos of what you do each day & a live @Snapchat story of a wedding day is epic.

Q13: With Facebook’s algorithm constantly changing — how can it still be used to connect with couples?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: Boost your individual posts on FB. Even a small amount of $5-25 dollars per post can have a huge reach!

Q14: How should Pinterest be used to connect with brides?

Answer

Samantha Roberts:Focus energy on getting weddings featured & follow-up asking if that site could pin your wedding on their page instead.

Q15: What are the most important platforms to use to reach couples & brides?

Answer

Samantha Roberts: Now it’s Instagram & Facebook (with a little bit of money towards post boosts) Future: Snapchat & Perisocpe!

Q16: What would you like everyone to take away from this #weddingmarket chat?

Answer
Samantha Roberts: If you do social media right, you can book more weddings and help brides find inspiration! Win-win!

#WeddingMarket Questions From Twitter:

@EventPassion What are some helpful tips on ways to boost your post reach on Facebook?

Samantha Roberts: Put a few dollars towards boosting of individual FB posts.

@danieladegrassi Why add more hashtags in the comment area and not in the description?

Samantha Roberts: So it doesn’t look spam. A comment with more hashtags will still make sure the photo appears in the search.

@TapSnapShare What’s some great eye-grabbing content to post on Instagram?

Samantha Roberts: I strive to post photos that are SO stunning, a bride will comment below to tell a bridesmaid to look too.

@apriltwentyfive Is it better to create your own hashtag trend or follow onto others?

Samantha Roberts: I would use a hashtag for your business, but always trend on to others too!

@sothisislov Biggest challenge in retaining followers on social media while running a wedding business #Weddingmarket ?

Samantha Roberts: Continue to post relevant and quality content. Also be consistent in posting.

@ChantalMallett I wish more people would tag me in photos on Instagram as they can be found on my profile.

Samantha Roberts: You can always comment below a photo and ask that you be tagged!

@danieladegrassi What about telling a story, writing about your brand? I found it works for my company?

Samantha Roberts: Remember, the shorter and more direct the caption is, the better it performs.

@FrillsBridal How many posts should you max out at per day?

Samantha Roberts: I usually say no more than 5 per day (on a busy day!) But experiment and see what your optimal number is.

@EventPassion How many post should you put on @instagram daily/weekly?

Samantha Roberts: I say at least one post a day. Experiment to find your post max (5 is a good rule of thumb).

@DreamyWeddingSK Should more emphasis be placed on one social media platform vs aonther. If so which one?

Samantha Roberts: Right now focus on Instagram and Facebook — but keep Snapchat and Periscope in your radar too!

@apriltwentyfive Would you consider Google+ a great place for displaying content relevant to couples?

Samantha Roberts: Google+ isn’t necessarily where brides are (right now) but it’s 100% vital for SEO purposes!

@TapSnapShare What would you use Periscope the most for? Event set up, etc…?

Samantha Roberts: Yes, but mostly the actual wedding ceremony itself.

@Rhobi_Samz As a growing and young wedding planner what advice can you please give me?

Samantha Roberts: I would say get involved in the industry and surround yourself with a dream team of wedding professionals!

@TapSnapShare Would that be something you’d have to clear w/the B&G first?

Samantha Roberts: I would definitely clear this with the bride and groom first and photographer/videographers/planner.

@Akhilkhatri I feel brides look for multiple things on #Instagram – photographer, makeup artist, outfits, venues, etc.

Samantha Roberts: I agree. Brides are searching for everything for their weddings on Instagram!

@EventPassion How can you grow your following on @Pinterest ?

Samantha Roberts: Get your weddings featured & let the publications pin your weddings for you on their pages.

@CFTHEventDesign What are your thoughts on Google+? Are Brides visiting for inspiration & searching 4 planners in their area?

Samantha Roberts: I think Google+ is important for SEO purposes, but brides are more focused on other platforms right now!

@Akhilikhatri With Facebook and Instagram, isn’t Twitter and Pinterest very powerful too?

Samantha Roberts: They are. It’s tough to grow a following on Pinterest. Brides are selective on who they follow.

@WeddingRowCharl Thoughts on @periscopeco? Where you can actually engage with your followers (vs #Snapchat where u cannot).

Samantha Roberts: I love @periscopeco for ceremonies & first dances! Especially for family and friends that couldn’t attend.

@ArusiGuru How does a wedding listing start up position itself to reach vendors and brides?

Samantha Roberts: Get involved in the industry, make friends & advertise with different websites to get started.

@HappyHanky Any tips on how to get weddings?

Samantha Roberts: Photographers and planners are the ones submitting photos to publications — follow up and make sure they submit!

@TapSnapShare What do brides/couples want to see the most on social media (content wise)?

Samantha Roberts: Engagement rings, dresses, flowers, bridesmaids looks & anything pretty that brides will comment to friends.

@EventPassion What’s a good way to find/interact with engaged couples around your market area?

Samantha Roberts: In their photos congratulating them!

@apriltwentyfive Would you consider YouTube to be a viable way to connect with couples, i.e. social interaction?

Samantha Roberts: Yes but remember to value your time. High quality video may take more time/energy than Instagram or Snapchat.