Are you overlooking a goldmine in potential customer evangelists? I think you might be. Every wedding you do, and most bridal marketing centers on the bride. That makes sense because she is the one making the choices and spending the money. Ultimately she is the customer that you must satisfy. But every wedding comes with 4 to six potential client evangelists built right in…the bridesmaids. My research tells me that most young woman will be a bride’s maid an average of four times. Each time she is in a position to offer advise to a different bride. Hmmmm.
Most of us see the bride’s attendant as just another part of the package to be handled. Just one of the crowd in matching Victorian Lilac dresses carrying a bouquet. That is your first mistake. Every one of those is a marketing opportunity, and I don’t just mean for this wedding I mean for this one and several more to come. Let’s cut one out of the herd, give her a name (Ginger) and follow her around for a while.
Now say Ginger is treated like an accessory in this wedding. The bridal salon barely gave her the time of day and hurried her through the process because, hey, she wasn’t looking at bridal gowns. Neither the photographer nor the DJ remembers her name. The bouquet shows up with a tag saying “Bridesmaid 3”. I guarantee that Ginger won’t remember any of your names. Six months later, our girl is once again a bridesmaid. This time the salon miss-orders her dress. The DJ introduces her as Jenny and every shot the photographer takes of her makes her look 20 pounds heavier. Oh boy, this time she remembers names.
Another six months pass and once again a bridesmaid, but also newly engaged! When her friend starts talking about possible vendors, Ginger chimes in with” Let me tell about the crummy experience I had in so & so’s wedding.” So the friend picks another group of vendors. This time Ginger is treated like a queen at the bridal salon, suggestions are made and orders confirmed. Her bouquet arrives with a tag marked “Ginger”. The DJ gets her name right and the photographer gently suggests that she turn slightly to the right. And every shot is flattering.
Now who do you think Ginger is going to hire for her own wedding? Even if they are a little more expensive. She has learned through experience that the little things make a difference.
When I discussed this with a salon owner recently her response was that these girls come in, grab 20 gowns off the rack and head for the dressing room. Which in short order looks like a messy teenagers bedroom. She said, “I just can’t let that happen. I tell them that won’t be allowed in my shop” Now of course this angers our young ladies. My suggestion? Tell them gently “Why don’t you select 3 or 4 different gowns and we can make some suggestions based on those. We think you should have the same fabulous experience as our brides.” Same goal accomplished, but now our ladies feel special rather than offended. You just won some fans. And it didn’t cost you anything.
Common sense tells us that if we stop marketing just because we are busy, the day will come when we are no longer busy. Marketing your product is an ongoing project. Why not take the opportunity to continue your marketing efforts while actively engaged in working a wedding.
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