So in the last eight weeks I have learned more about social media than I have in the past five years! I learned that I can promote my personal brand on social media sites such as this blog, Twitter, facebook, Pinterest, and even LinkedIn. I now have an updated LinkedIn profile that I can use to network with other event planners. I created a Twitter page which I plan on using to communicate with my target audience and increase my number of followers. I had never used RSS feeds before this course, and now I have a feedly account and have subscribed to several RSS feeds which is so exciting!! I also have my very own page on Wikipedia, so I feel special… haha. I definitely plan on continuing and improving this blog so that I can make a career out of event planning. I will also be active on Twitter, so keep up with me people!! I would like to dive deeper into the world of vlogging… I think it would be very beneficial for me to use vlogs as a way to promote my brand. I plan on doing some vlog research so that I can become a vlogging expert!! All in all this has been such a great experience and a fun course for me. I was able to find that I can turn my passion for event planning into a career and use social media to promote myself. This may be the final countdown, but I will be back!!

My first Podcast!

I’m so excited to share my first podcast with you! This is just a brief overview of what I will be posting on YouTube in the next week. Happy Sunday and enjoy!!

Check out my podcast for https://t.co/cl0e28xlAU pic.twitter.com/gLbt9GTqmX

— Amanda Allen (@aballen87) May 2, 2016

Be professional, people!

When using social media to promote your brand, you need to be careful about how much fun you are having with your profile and what content you’re posting. I don’t like to be too serious when it comes to my professional profile, but it’s necessary to keep things classy so that contacts and organizations see me as a serious event planner. It’s important to have a professional profile photo. Have someone take your photo instead of using a selfie, and I would recommend wearing a business casual outfit. This is not the time to use your girls night out photo as your profile pic, hint hint.

Make an effort to keep your posts relevant to your brand image. For instance, I could post a photo of a party that I went to over the weekend but center it around the table settings, décor, and theme of the event. I would also change your privacy settings so that friends can’t tag you in inappropriate pics or posts that could damage your reputation. We all like to have fun on the weekends, but your professional contacts don’t need to see pics of you dancing on the bar, taking shots, or making obscene hand gestures… whoops! So after you have your profile all decked out and professional looking, it’s time to network! Join some groups on LinkedIn that fit within your area of interest.

LinkedIn has many professional groups that event planners can join. The Event Planners and Coordinators group is open to anyone that works at providing the very best to the event industry. This group has over 73,000 members. BizBash is another group open to event professionals who are interested in sharing contacts, best practices, ideas, and resources. They have over 60,000 members. I would also suggest joining the Event Planning & Management Association Group. They are one of the top 3 largest global associations in the event planning and management industry with almost 50,000 members.

 

Party Planning Checklist

So I was cruising around YouTube and found a vlog by this fun lady who really knows how to plan a party! Alison Faulkner of “The Alison Show” knows her stuff when it comes to party and event planning. I feel like she does a great job of explaining how to plan a party regardless of budget and her personality really shines through her vlog. She uses examples and scenes from other parties that she has planned to give viewers a visual aid of how successful their parties can be. Check our her vlog here at The Alison Show. Cheers to party planning!!

 Alison Faulkner

 

 

Brand Inspiration

I love getting ideas and inspiration from other blogs, so I chose 5 fun and creative blogs to share with you all tonight! These blogs are all things event planning, decorating, and everything in-between.

Sendo Invitations is a colorful blog filled with party planning tips and ideas, invitation designs, table and party décor, wedding ideas, recipes, crafts, and even sewing ideas. I’m inspired by the layout of this blog especially; the home page is bright and eye-catching with categories to the right and featured blog posts below the cover photo. I would like to organize my blog in a similar fashion. Check it out here Sendomatic.

Hostess with the Mostest is another super fun and creative blog with hip and modern entertaining ideas. The blog features clever DIY projects, hostessing tips, cool entertaining products and drool-worthy recipes. This blog has a great layout as well, with scrolling images of party ideas labeled “in the spotlight.” The page also has some scrumptious recipe posts with pics which catches my attention instantly. Who doesn’t love food?? I would say my takeaway from this blog is definitely the name and theme. Hostest with the mostest is a fun, catchy phrase that is perfect for an event planning blog. Check it out here Hostest with the Mostest.

Mindy Weiss Party Consultants is another trendy event planning blog that caught my attention right away. The layout of this blog is clean and professional. Mindy’s blog is focused on creative ideas, unexpected décor accents and event planning with exquisite attention to every last detail. This blog is an inspiration for my brand after reading about the creator, Mindy Weiss, and her success in the event planning industry. She started out creating custom invitations for events and now plans extravagant parties for celebrity clients. Check out her blog here Mindy Weiss.

Oh Happy Day! is a blog that screams fun and creative event planning. The mission of this blog is to be the best party resource on the internet. Even with simple categories like holidays, party, interiors, printables, and travel, this blog contains all the resources you need to plan an incredible party or event. I’m so envious of the layout as well. I like how the author makes the blog fun and approachable instead of serious and snooty. Check it out here Oh Happy Day!

Last but not least is the fancy schmancy blog Camille Styles. This blog is focused on inspiring, creating, and exploring when it comes to fashion and home décor, recipes, and health, fitness, and beauty tips. Camille Styles is not specifically focused on event planning, but does have categories that fit into the event planning process. The blog features inspiration and ideas for entertaining, food & drink, living, beauty & style, and goals. I appreciate the simplicity of this blog the most. Check it out here Camille Styles.

 

 

 

 

 

Event Planning 101

 Hey y’all! My name is Amanda. I’m a social gal from the Midwest, if you couldn’t tell from my greeting. I’m an animal lover, foodie, wino, and aspiring event planner. Planning events down to every little detail is something that I enjoy, and I would love to help you plan your next event! Stop on by for free advice, helpful tips and tricks, and weekly posts about anything and everything related to event planning.