How Use Social Media to Plan a Party Without Being Tech Savvy

Researching & Planning a Party

Finding a Venue with Google

Parties are held at every restaurant, the movie theatre, at kid’s programs like gymnastics and dance studios, the bowling alley and more venues than can be listed here. You can even have the party come to you with bounce house or petting zoo.

To know what is available in your area, just type “birthday party” (or whatever you’re celebrating) and your city’s name in the URL bar or in the search box on Google.

You’ll find places and get ideas that you never thought possible – with only your budget limiting your choices.

Finding a Party Theme with Pinterest

Pinterest is one of the best ways to discover new and interesting party themes. Check the Holidays Event board for the best pins, and don’t forget to check with Confetti & Cocoa’s Pinterest Inspiration Boards too! (We have over 200 boards of inspirational ideas.)

Set up your own Pinterest board to save the ideas you find. If you use Chrome as a browser, download the Pin It Button so you can add things you discover from your browser too.

Getting Ideas for Your Party

Once you’ve narrowed down your party theme to one topic, it’s time for more brainstorming!

• Go to Pinterest and type “the theme topic you choose + party” in the search box in the upper left-hand corner.
• Do the same on Google and check the first few search responses. To filter it further and save you time, check the Google images that came up in the search next.

Finding Helpers

You can’t have just one or two adults and a dozen kids. No way! You definitely need helpers. If you are serving food to any age group, you need helpers.

The best way to throw a party is to have enough helpers to leave yourself free to greet guests (and the children’s parents) as they arrive and oversee that each part of the party runs smoothly.

While you’re planning your party activities, think about who would make a great helper for that particular event.

• Need a mascot such as someone to dress up as the Easter Bunny for your Easter Egg Hunt?
• Need someone to take photos of everyone acting crazy in the photo booth?
• Need someone to help kids do a craft or decorate cookies?
• Do you know someone who’d be great at organizing races or games?

If you have someone specific in mind, shoot them an email right away with the date of the party and details of what they’ll be expected to do.

If you don’t have someone, use social media to get volunteers!

• Email family and friends with a list of what you need them to do and the party date.
• Click the Facebook New Messages tab, type in the specifics of your plea, send to all your friends that you think would be willing to participate and ask them to “reply all” when they respond so everyone on the request list will know if you get enough volunteers. It’s also a great way to remind volunteers the day before the event.
• Create your own hashtag, such as “#JaneWBirthdayParty”, and keep in touch with everyone on social media to keep them in the loop, give them reminders, etc.

Invitations

Today very few party invitations are sent through the post office (other than wedding invitations). It’s the day of digital invitations or hand-delivering special invitations to those on the guest list. (Or kids hand out their invitations at school.)

Save yourself time and money – and keep track of the RSVPs – with social media.

• Email or send an ecard to guests who are in your email address book.
• Create a private Facebook Event to make sure they know the date, time, venue, and other pertinent information. Add an interesting picture. Make sure you use the “Invite Only” selection in the privacy section, or you may end up with more guests than you anticipated!

Pump Up the Excitement

• Post a countdown sticker on Instagram.
• Post teaser photos that hint at the party theme on Instagram and your Facebook event page. Don’t forget to use your hashtag!
• Interview the birthday boy/girl or guest of honor and post the video of their excitement
• Post sneak peek photos of party preparations to build anticipation
• Post a music video from YouTube with a theme song for your party

Party Photo Album

After – or even during the party – you can create a social media photo album to share with all the guests who attended and family members who weren’t able to attend.

• Upload your photos to Flickr and tag them all the same with something like “Jane’s Awesome Birthday Party” or create a set so you can have a slideshow of all the party pictures. Click the “Actions” button, then the “Add Note” button, so you can share your funny insights on what’s happening in the photo with readers when they put their cursor over the photo.
• Create a party album on Facebook or post pics – and ask guests to post their pictures – to your event page.
• Upload photos to your personal Instagram. (Your party was SO Instagram-worthy!)