I prefer using Instagram as a search engine over using google, and I'm going to tell you why.
Have you ever went to search for a business or location on google and get overwhelmed by the amount of ads, "click bait", or just sites that redirect you to something you aren't looking for? Me too. Google is an incredible tool, but I've found that by using a social media platform like instagram, I can narrow down my searches to EXACTLY what I'm looking for.
For example, on google if I search "Wedding Videographer" often times it gives me ads from photographers, wedding directory websites etc, with a fair mix of wedding videographers too of course, but you're going to have to sort through a ton of weeds to get to the sites you are actually looking for. Not to mention that google prioritizes businesses local to the area you are searching from.
Now let's do the same thing on instagram. Right away if you look under "accounts" you're gonna see a list of all the different users that have listed their business under the name "Wedding Videographer" or a variation of it, (ie Destination Wedding Videographer, Wedding Elopement Videographer, etc.)
You now don't only have a list of wedding videographers with direct access to their portfolio, but these are also businesses that have educated themselves on how to market themselves on instagram, which might not seem like it relates to filming your wedding, but this proves that they keep up with the times, and more than likely stays up to date with trends, their gear, editing style, etc.
In my opinion, this a lot easier than searching through many different websites that each work differently. Everyone designs their website uniquely, so there's not going to be any unison on looking at each different site. However with Instagram, Each profile looks remotely the same. You can look at their feed as a whole, or just their reels, videos, or even my favorite feature, posts they've been tagged in.
You can do this for ALL of your wedding vendors. Try searching "destination wedding planner" or " California wedding florist."
Hashtags
Now that is just how you search on ACCOUNTS. Now let's talk about hashtags. Hashtags are just as powerful as the account feature or even more. By looking in the posts within a hashtag, you can look at the "top posts" or switch tabs to the " recent." I love this feature because sometimes I want to find posts from recently and not have a post show up from two years ago. Try searching #californiaweddingphotographer or #Phoenixweddingvenues.
You're gonna immediately see all the posts made using that hashtag which can make finding things like a venue SO MUCH EASIER! When looking at pages like venues I highly recommend using the "posts tagged in" feature to see different photographers posts who've tagged the venue there. This is getting you to see the venue not only from the owners perspective, but fellow vendors perspectives and seeing how it looks decorated differently.
This hashtag feature is HUGE for finding a vendor you will love. By looking at all the different pages, you can now stalk their social media to see if their posts are educational, get a feel for their personality, and overall aesthetic. You will be opening a door to SO many more vendors than just the ones that came up on the first two pages of google.
Geotags
I LOVEEE using geotags. Searching within a city or the exact specific location, you can see all of the different posts in that spot. For example when your photographer or videographer recommend shooting your bridals at a certain location, you can look up that geo tag and see all the different posts that have been taken there, which you can sort through to see if there's wedding photos to get an idea of what yours could look like at that location!
Instagram is an insanely useful search engine when you know how to use it. I hope this information allows you to find professional vendors that are absolutely the perfect people to be apart of your wedding day.