Why I Review Your Social Media Profile Prior To Following Back Or Connecting…
This morning after reviewing over 200 friend requests on FB, I posted that unless we have mutual friends- I don’t accept friend requests. My reasons for this are that my FB profile is for posting photos & catching up with friends & former clients. I never post political views or even respond to them because when I started this business, I was aware that 50 percent of my clients are Democrats and the other 50 Republican. For these reasons, I keep my opinions to myself in order not to alienate my connections.
Lately I’ve seen profiles that were somewhat shocking with derogatory posts and even nudity- I’m a “family friendly” social networker and review each and every Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, FB, Google Plus and Pinterest follow or request prior to accepting the connection. Is it time consuming? You bet with 30k Twitter followers and two accounts- it’s often very time consuming!
Why do I care what you post? You’re on my timeline and other connections can see you’re risqué posts and I don’t want to see them either- if we have nothing in common why on earth would I want you as a connection?
I own and operate family businesses and therefore, all of my posts pertain to my businesses or my family and if you’re a connection- we shared common interests.
Some of my followers and connections enjoy my unique and diverse “twist” on the wedding and events business. A few of you laugh with me and a few of you enjoy some of the drama and hurdles we’ve overcome to give anyone regardless of their income or background a Dream Event.
Diva’s and Down On Their Luck Families are like a box of chocolates- even we don’t know what we are walking into on a daily basis. Some of the families have had real struggles and others are “well to do.”
Texas Twins Events services are for paying clients who can write a check or whip out a credit card.
Pawning Planners clients have no money and are often far more interesting because we go into their home, trailer or barn to find a flip, swap or trade and spend far more time with them rather than just meeting them for an interview or at the wedding or rehearsal. My team and I have met Pawning Planners clients numerous times prior to their event date and therefore, have established a real relationship with them. We know their kids and pets and we know their story.
All of my websites have social media sites listed on them and many of my connections found me by visiting The Pawning Planners, Texas Twins Events, Texas Twins Treasures or Texas Twins TV.
Why do I often add Pawning Planners clients on my FB pages? Complimentary photography is posted as a courtesy to clients who can share, post and print photos at no charge.
Why do I need a photography team? My son and his wife Robert and Stephanie Hafele have very different photography skills- my son will take less than half of the photos Stephanie does because he’s “waiting for the right shot.” Stephanie keeps shooting and later edits or deletes bad photos because she believes that waiting to take a photo misses and opportunity and she loves posing clients for unique and memorable photos.
Our “Little Pawners” are also part of my team and help out with set up and decorations as well as acting as flower girls, ring bearers and ushers at our events.
My twin sister, Cindy Daniel is key to calming frazzled nerves, entertaining guests and the wedding party along with helping with set up and execution.
Creating #Cindyism Cindy is a self professed hillbilly with a unique ability to take real life situations and make them hilarious with one liners used on Pawning Planners Apparel. Proceeds from the sales are used to fund families with no money and no trade. Yes, we try to help anyone and occasionally volunteer our services. No one in this industry goes to such great lengths to help others which sets The Pawning Planners apart from any other wedding or event vendor.
We are different intentionally and for good reason- I created Texas Twins Events to offer low cost services to families who couldn’t afford traditional price structures. Upon recognizing that many prospects could still not afford to hire us- I created The Pawning Planners.
Why help these down on their luck consumers Wendy? Because I knew that if I didn’t no one else would. In order to understand their situation- you need to be the person you’ve never met or have been in a similar situation yourself! I’m both.
Why do we need a bilingual translator? Many families don’t belong to a church and several don’t speak English. My niece Stephaney Mahaney is key to overcoming language barriers.
We are a family committed to helping anyone and act as a team specifically to overcome any issue on location.
From the broken tooth bride to the banjo playing boyfriend, the bloody nose or even the bee sting incident- we never know what will happen on location and providing a team ensures that we are capable of solving a problem that would otherwise interfere with an event- we plan ahead.
The florist forgot to include your bouteniers? I bring my own designs. No pins to attach them? I bring those too. Your bouquet was damaged? I can fix it in seconds. How? I’ve been designing floral arrangements for over 20 years.
Knowledge is power-knowing how to fix or refurbish anything is key to bartering and flipping traded items or even repairing a wedding dress with a torn hem on location- my team work together to flip, fix and even sale items. Everyone has a particular talent and blending our unique backgrounds is key to the success of all of my businesses. If I can’t resolve an issue- I’ve got someone else on hand who can.
Who handles my social media? I personally follow back or connect with others- no one writes my blogs or handles my social media except me.
Your YouTube videos are occasionally hilarious. Well, we have a good time together and many of my videos are a mix of family events as well as clients since I only have one YouTube account.
Why are you and your family always together? We work together and we also enjoy having fun at family outings together and probably spend far more time together than others but even though we occasionally bicker, at the end of the day we cherish our time together.
My niece Leigh Ann moved to California several months ago and is no longer present at our events. She’s a Navy Wife living the Navy Life and we are very excited to be planning a trip to see her in a few weeks along with Latest Little Pawner- Madyson Blais.
I really enjoy looking at photos and posts by my connections and keep a very small circle on FB intentionally.
Appreciating my fan base on Twitter- I also keep up by retweeting every other day to support my connections which is why my numbers are high. Social media is Tit for Tat because in order to grow your fan base- you have to build and expand it.
Cindy and I have separate accounts but can often be found in our suv’s between appointments retweeting abd following back because like everything else in our lives- we struggle to find time for everyone and our obligations.
I’m hoping this better explains why I occasionally decline invitations or block a profile due to photos or posts that I find offensive.
Wendy M Wortham