The ninth of our weekly interviews in which we discover how real businesses are making Social Media work for them. Please meet Lucinda Hart, The Balloon Lady.
Who are you and what do you do?
The Balloon Lady decorates weddings, parties and corporate events with balloons and flowers. We print balloons for corporate marketing and also offer DIY balloon packs. The Balloon Lady was started by me, my mother and father 19 years ago, initially selling balloons. When I joined the business full time after university, we started offering flowers as well.
How do you use Social Media?
I use Twitter for brand recognition and local networking.
I use our Facebook page to share photos and get to know our brides. I also connect with other event businesses through the page. When I have got to know a bride, I encourage her to connect with my personal Facebook account and make sure that I get to know her as a friend so that I can offer a personal service. I spend about 1.5 hours each day on Facebook.
I don’t use LinkedIn yet, but this is one to explore to expand the corporate side of the business.
Interestingly, although I don’t use Pinterest for our images as I’m concerned about copyright, our brides come to us with images that they have pinned.
Can you share a Personal Success Story?
We have had a couple of bookings through Twitter.
In the last 14 months, we have had 37 pieces of business through our Facebook page ranging from small pieces of work to full scale weddings. I have also been referred to other brides through the Facebook page.
Can you give our readers a top tip?
You need to use the tools which work for you and your business. Identify which tools your target audience are using and focus on them. People buy from people so take the time to make the effort to get to know people. Do be aware though that you may need to be responsive at all times of the day and night!
Contact Information
You can contact Lucinda on Twitter, Facebook and The Balloon Lady