How Sofia Vergara Breathtakingly Changed the Event Planning Industry

Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello tied the knot Sunday evening, 11/22/15, in the most stunning way possible—and it’s all on Instagram (fan girl scream)! Our hearts are just melting from all of these magical images. Not to sound cliché, but her wedding and Instagram photos were picture perfect. As we were scrolling through her insta-feed though, it dawned on us—more and more people are using social media to plan their wedding. Has this affected the event industry in any way? Our conclusion: it’s changed the game completely. And here’s how. 

1. The Wedding Website

Wedding websites are everywhere, and they’re certainly the coolest thing we’ve seen so far! On sites like The Knot or Wedding Window, your clients can create free wedding websites to give their event that special touch. On these sites they can:

• Tell the story of how they met each other, the proposal, and the planning process. 
• Snap and share their photos. These sites are a great place for couples to post pictures of their love. 
• Save time when it comes to RSVP’ing! You can get an immediate response from the guests instead of waiting for a paper reply by adding an RSVP section to the website. 

Changing the Industry: Good Rating! 

We’re big fans of the wedding website! This makes RSVP’ing a breeze for you, and it gives the couple a venue to show their love off. We say, “spread the wedding website news.”

2. Pinterest

We love Pinterest. Now we know we might get some backlash for that but we think it’s an excellent avenue for you and your clients to swap ideas for design, decor, and food. Pinterest is not a planner, you’re still a vital part in planning events—don’t feel in competition with the site. With Pinterest you can:

• Share ideas and inspiration for an event.
• Promote your services, showing pictures of your designs or types of events your hosted and planned. 

Changing the Industry: Great Rating! 

Pinterest is a planner’s best friend, remember that! The pins and boards you like and follow can help you better communicate a design or an idea to your clients. You can also create private boards that only you and your client can see, where you can pin ideas to it to help with the planning process.

3. Tweet, Tweet, Tweet

It seems like everyone has a wedding hashtag! Twitter is one of the quickest ways for you, your clients, and their guests to share messages, posts, and photos of the event in one place. And for the folks who couldn’t make it to the event, it gives them a live update on what’s happening. Find the perfect hashtag for your clients with the Wedding Hashtag Wall.

Changing the Industry: Drastically for the better! 

Whether it’s during an event or for future events, Twitter is a great way to show your potential clients your work. And besides, it’s a fun way to remember the night.

4. Instagram

You were probably wondering when we were going to get back to talking about Sofia Vergara and her handsome new husband, Joe Manganiello, right? Well, we’ve made it! Sofia Vergara gave her fans the best present of the year by posting all of her wedding pictures on Instagram. It gave us instant access to her special day! Which is why we love Instagram for weddings and events. Here’s what else it can do: 

• Like Twitter, it captures all of the event pictures in one location.
• It connects and shares pictures to all of your other social media pages.
• It’s fast and trendy, making it a great place for people to comment or love your work.

Changing the Industry: Kudos! 

Try Instagram! It can help you promote your business, get your designs out there, and guide more potential clients to your site. It’s a win-win-win situation if you ask us.

Social media is changing the event industry, are you on board? Let us know in the comment section below or on Facebook or Twitter! And if you’re not already a part of the Inspherio Crew, be sure to sign up for a free 30-day trial!

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The Do's and Don'ts of Website Design

In today’s business world, having a website for your company or organization is paramount for your success. Websites have been shown to increase sales and exposure at a relatively low cost, and users are more likely to research a product or a company online than anywhere else. And more often than not, your website is your first impression. 

Simply having a website is no longer enough; you need to be sure that your website is accessible, user-friendly, eye-catching, and functional.

We’ve compiled a list of some useful tips for making your website top-notch:

-Make information easy to find.

Don't get so caught up in the look of your site that you forget to make it accessible. There’s no benefit to a chic design if potential customers are unable to find what they need.

-Stay focused.

Don’t give users any headaches. Every page should serve a specific purpose and every page should connect to other pages. If a user arrives at a dead-end page, they’ll have to spend time getting back to where they were before, and you run the risk of annoying them and losing their business.

-Sometimes less is more.

Really flashy, in-your-face websites are rarely taken seriously and are often immediately dismissed as amateur by visiting users. Avoid background clutter, too many colors, dense paragraphs of text, and "busy" images.

Sometimes a very simple and straightforward site is the best way to go. Sometimes a sleeker site is in order. In the end, you will need to gauge what styles are appropriate for your target audience. For instance, a photographer will probably require a more visually-involved site, whereas a tax professional might refrain from using too much imagery.

-Maintain your website. 

Make sure that all of the links, videos, and pictures work. Every so often, go through your website and make sure that everything is working properly. You can’t simply let your website sit and expect it to function perfectly; you’ll need to periodically make updates and check on its functionality.

-Check your spelling.

Make sure you have spelled everything correctly and eliminated any awkward-sounding sentences or phrases. Nobody’s perfect: a mistake or two will probably go unnoticed by most users. However, if your site is loaded with misspelled words, your visitors may take you less seriously.

-Establish and maintain a tone.

Make sure that your site has a somewhat cohesive tone. If you’re going for a fun vibe, stick with that as much as possible. If you’re going with a “down-to-business” vibe, don’t suddenly turn funny. Conflicting tones can be confusing for users, many of whom are visiting your webpage to get a feel for what your company provides. Establish your tone and stick with it!

With Inspherio.com, you have complete control over the design of your website. We provide you with the tools to create and to perfect your own site -- and if you need help, we're only a phone call or email away. Try our free 30-day trial and see what we're on about!

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Why Google Plus Should Matter to You

When searching for an Event Planner, Photographer, Caterer, DJ, or Reception Hall, many clients will begin with a Google search. Businesses will often find themselves on the second or third (or sometimes tenth) page, causing them to be undiscovered by countless potential clients. One way Google’s search rank is affected is through Google Plus +1’s (similar to a Facebook like) which can only be earned if your company has a Google Plus page. Google Plus can also help to market your small business, improve your SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and gain more exposure to potential clients, here’s how:

Connect with your peers
You can do this by joining communities, creating circles, and getting others to follow you. For a caterer, joining the “catering” community as well as the “wedding” community can help gain more +1s on your posted content, as well as, your company page. Also, follow leaders in your industry and comment on their posts so you can increase your exposure to your peers. Find more relevant content and communities to join by clicking the hashtag on a relevant post, it will provide more posts and users to connect with.

Target your market
You can also separate your different potential clients by creating circles. For example, you can create a “loyal clients” circle and send only those clients a thank you message for their business. Additionally, by creating a “future clients” circle you can post promotions and samples of your work only to that circle. You can also post to “Extended Circles” which will include everyone in your circles and everyone in their circles.

Increase your reach
Post shareable, interesting content to get more followers. When a follower searches for “caterers” in Google, while they are logged into Google Plus, your catering website will be more likely to appear higher in Google search rank than before (as long as you have linked your company website with your Google Plus). This has been found to help search rank temporarily, unless you continue to get more +1s. It should be noted that Google Plus is not a two-way street, just because you follow someone and see their posts, does not mean they follow you or have seen any of your posts.

Even with many critics, Google Plus should be used seriously in order to gain exposure to new clients and improve SEO. If you’re unsure of how to proceed with Google Plus, follow this flowchart to get started.

And don't forget to +1 Inspherio's own Google Plus page!

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Class Up Your Wedding Blog to Keep Readers from Fleeing

This is a guest post by Kathy DalPra at Bride Appeal.

As a seasoned wedding professional, having an engaging blog can keep visitors perusing your website longer. It gives them more time to get to know you and fall head over heels with your work. Of course, with all the time you spend maintaining your blog, the last thing you want is to set it up in a way that turns readers off or sends them on their way. So here are a few simple ways you can add some extra class to your blog and keep those readers staying longer.

1. Add a Search Bar

I know it seems simple and obvious, but I’m continually surprised at how many website themes fail to add this amazing little tool. A search bar, or search “field”, makes it effortless for your visitors to find the exact information they’re looking for by allowing them to type in any keyword.

I’d add this field to the very top of your blog sidebar, if possible, so that it can’t be missed. The quicker visitors can find what they’re looking for, the happier they’ll be and the less likely they are to abandon your blog.

2. Eliminate Distractions

Years ago, during the upswing of the social media craze, I used to recommend installing full-scale social media widgets into your blog sidebar to grow your social media following. However, after having some time to really test this approach, my tune has changed a little.

When you really think about it, the purpose of your blog isn’t to grow your social media following…it’s to attract visitors to your website where they can learn about your products and services. In fact, that’s the purpose of your social media profiles too! Because of this, these days I encourage my clients to only place simple social media buttons that are linked to their profile rather than interactive widgets. They are less distracting, but still allow readers to connect with you off of your website if they want to.

3. Reduce the File Size of Images

I realize that not everyone is a Photoshop wizard. Nonetheless, you simply can’t afford not to optimize images on your blog if you want to avoid losing traffic. The reality is that today’s millennial couple doesn’t have the patience to sit around and wait for large images to load. They’ll simply move on to the next blog.

Reducing the file size (kb, mb) of your images is easy with free tools like PicMonkey. You can still use photos with a large width and height, just reduce the actual size of the file before you upload it to your blog. I typically suggest keeping your image file size under 50-100 kilobytes, if possible. The smaller, the better. 


About the Author:
Kathy DalPra is a former bridal-preneur who unexpectedly fell in love with web design and SEO. Today she helps other wedding professionals use their website to get more traffic, leads and inquiries so they can create a thriving wedding business in any economy. Learn how to turn curious visitors into paying brides™ on her website at http://brideappeal.com. 

Kathy's Social Media: Twitter, Facebook
Check out more great advice from Kathy at her blog

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Why You Should Not Have Music on Your Website

Designing a website for your business is a lot of fun and, while we understand that it can be tempting to personalize your website with your favorite music, there are some serious reasons that you should keep your website silent.

As a general rule of thumb, unless music is a part of your business, you do not need music on your website. As a DJ or videographer, you may benefit from having music on your site so that your potential clients can get a feel for your style & taste, but it is still helpful to take note of the following:

Speed - Streaming a song as your website's background music can require a significant amount of bandwidth. This causes slower loading times, and unhappy visitors. 

Discontinuity - With most music players, the music will start and stop each time another page is clicked on or whenever the page is refreshed.  

Taste - Everyone has different tastes in music.  If your website visitor does not like your style of music, they will automatically get a negative impression of you if music is blasted at them as soon as they go to your website.  We may like to listen to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" all day & night, but we know not everyone shares our unique enthusiasm.

Dueling Banjos - Many people browse the web while already listening to music through Spotify, iTunes, or Pandora. Even if your visitors like the music on your page, they are unlikely to enjoy 2 songs played on top of each other.

Public Spaces - There's not much more annoying than using a computer in a quiet office, coffee shop,  library, etc and all of a sudden being serenaded by the unexpected loud music from a website you are visiting.  This will result in your site being exited in seconds, especially if the visitor cannot find where to turn the music off. Offices are particularly sensitive. If a bride-to-be, for example, is browsing for a wedding vendor while at work (and maybe shouldn't be), she will not be happy if she is outed by her computer speakers.

Browser Compatibility - Different browsers behave differently, not every browser is capable of playing every type of audio file. Old or out of date browsers may have a tendency to lock up when attempting to play music. 


A Few Alternatives:

Storing Audio on Inspherio- Music can be uploaded to the Audio section of the Inspherio Resource Library.  These Audio Files can be embedded into your website by selecting the button that looks like headphones in the website rich editor.  These will not play automatically.  Your visitors can click the play button and control the audio on the site.

Using a Playlist that does not AutoPlay - If you must have a music playlist on your website, we recommend using SoundCloud.  This allows you to create a playlist & has the option to not Autoplay when the page is opened.  Each playlist can be embedded into your Inspherio website using the "Embed Media" button. 



Photo Credit: JD Hancock

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UnitHub Has Launched

The Inspherio Team is very excited to officially introduce UnitHub - Launching Today, Sept 18th.

This New product from SPAN Enterprises, our parent company, has been in development throughout the year, and is now ready to be used worldwide. UnitHub serves as an international website, marketing, and contact management tool for anyone in a direct selling business, anywhere in the world.

UnitHub includes the following features:
- A Fully Customizable Website
- SEO Tools
- Email Marketing
- Contact Management
- Facebook & Twitter Integration
- An Interactive Calendar
- Online Training Center
- Inventory & Accounting modules will be part of the second version.

With packages starting at just $14.95, and a free 30 day trial to check it out - There is no risk to try it out.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more, you can contact our heroic support team through online chat at www.UnitHub.com, give us a call at 704.234.6946 or send an email to heroes@UnitHub.com

UnitWise | UnitHub | Inspherio
The family of successful business management products from SPAN Enterprises

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Create Online Forms

Photo Credit:  Johan Larsson

One of the most versatile features of your Inspherio website is the ability to create online forms.  These Forms can be used to collect information from the people who visit your site.  This can be basic contact information, polls, vouchers, or anything else you can come up with.

You can even make certain fields mandatory!  

Text Guide:
-  First you will need to edit one of your website pages in Inspherio under Website >> Public Site Content

-  To begin creating a Form, click on the icon that looks like a dotted rectangle and says “Form.”  Then, you only need to enter the name of the Form and click OK

-  These Forms can consist of Open-Ended Questions, Multiple Choice Questions, lists, and more

-  Lets Start with creating a Text Field.  This is useful if you would like to collect info such as names, phone numbers, etc.

-  Start by entering what information you are collecting.  Such as a Name.  Then Click the Text Field icon.

-  Then enter the name of this text field, then enter character width of 20-30 this determines how long the box is.  Then Enter the Maximum Characters that someone can put into this field. Then click “OK”

-  If there are things you would like to change about this form, you can double-click the box and make some changes.

-  You can keep adding fields like this one, or you can do something a little different.

-  If you would like to give the User some options, add Radio Buttons by clicking the dot icon that says radio button

-  Name the button, then type in what it represents

-  You can also use checkboxes in this manner if you want the users to check all that apply

-  Now lets add a Drop Down Menu

-  Go to the Icon that says Selection Field

-  Give it a name and then select the number of lines.  You will likely want to limit it to one line.  Then select the same text for text and value and click add.  Click OK when you are satisfied with the drop down options

-  In the End, you will need to add a Submit Button so that this information will be sent to you

-  To do this, select the icon that is titled “Button”

-  Then type in Submit for Type and Value.  Be sure the Type is Button.  Then Click OK

-  If you would like to have this information sent to someone else, like say, your virtual assistant.  Then you can do that also.

-  To do this click in the area right before the Submit button

-  Then go to add a Hidden Field.  

-  For the name of this form type “form notify email” as one word.  formnotifyemail.  And for the value, type in the email address that the email notification should go to.  Then Click OK

-  If you would like to make certain fields mandatory, you can do that through the source code by clicking “Source”

-  To make a text box or a text area mandatory, first find the field in the html code

-  In the line of code for the text box, you will need to add class="required"  and title="This information is required"

-  This way, the user will not be allowed to submit the form until the required field is completed.  If the user clicks the submit button without entering any value in that particular field, the text we entered for the "title"  will show up in red.

-  When the Form is completed, it will then be sent to you in an email.  

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