Best Wedding Facebook page/group of the year

 

I'm still on the Kenya wedding awards coming up. I must admit articles on this topic have dragged longer than I  would have wanted. I would like to apologize for that. Back to my topic. Almost every wedding vendor in Nairobi today has a Facebook business page. I love the idea since I remember in 2008, I had to meet a client with photo albums for them to go through and take time thinking about whether they want to work with me or not. There was a problem in the past with pictures being stolen by dishonest clients who would rather have a cheaper vendor do the wedding for them. It was sad that they had to use your ideas for this.

Printing out photos to keep in your album that serves as your portfolio made  the cost of running the business extremely high. There was also a chance to loose or damage your portfolio as you moved around with it. If you had a premises, clients could come and still view your work. A few similar challenges still existed with this and there was no guarantee they'd work with you. There were websites but few people would be bothered to look through them at your work, let alone contact you. I might be sounding off as negative but believe me, despite all this challenges, there were inquires that actually converted to good business.

Then entered social media. More so Facebook business pages and even groups. They must have slowly gained popularity as its cheaper to reach masses than TV or even written media or wedding magazines can today. With the costs of buying internet bundles for the phone down and even internet access whether free access on public places or paid WIFI at home being affordable, it has become necessary to be online to find clients. Because of Online presence I must say, its the second source of clients for me after referrals.

images used from pexels.com

When I started having a Facebook page, I was in the school of thought that I needed numbers to grow my business and I felt bad when friends I invited to the page chose not to follow it. Now, I use it differently and am glad for the shift that I made. While numbers with real people who are potential clients or can help spread the word that you exist to their friends and others is a good idea: on its own, it doesn't mean more business for you. Having a Facebook page that people can turn to for ideas and also buy from you and actually engage you in communication, is a lot of work than I actually thought it would ever be.

How will the best Wedding Facebook page be determined? Will it be number of followers, how much is posted, popularity? I would love to know who takes this award. As for the group of the year, I already have one in mind. I'm biased on this. Wedding groups help you know other vendors too. They are a good source of business to business relationships. Its a win-win when it comes to that direction. On the flip side, a client looking for a vendor has to contend with alot of offers than they can handle. It takes time to find out the best fit for that individual. It on the other hand, saves time that you have to meet up with people who are not yet sure whether they want to work with you or not. My emphasis is on this issue as Ive had  my time wasted in the past. If it were up to me, it would be nice if the organizers split up the award of the Facebook page and group. They sometimes serve different needs.