One of the tools that marketers are using to successfully reach the demographics of our brides is Event Marketing. It has been filtering down into the wedding industry for a while now and is starting to work. Would you like to look at the anatomy of one such event?

Event marketing isn’t about big annual bridal shows, it is more intimate than that. It is about parties and showing your guests a good time. It is about making them feel all warm and fuzzy about you.

There is a young entrepreneur in my market, Ashley, which has been doing a really good job at this. I attended one of her events last night and to be honest, I wouldn’t miss them. She has her finger on the pulse of the market and knows what to do to get that pulse racing.

Let’s think about her market. Standard demographic, women 18-34 with special emphasis on the style minded 24 to 30year old young professionals. Why style minded? The style conscious bride is always going to be willing to spend more than a granola munching earth girl. What else Ashley realizes is the even though they are brides, they are women with interests besides weddings. That is the key.

Last night’s event was a Sex and the City premier party. What does that have to do with weddings? Absolutely nothing. It does however have everything to do with the passions of her target market.

An extremely well done event, Ashley pulled in a long list of wedding vendor to pull it off; vendors that fit in with the theme. There were wedding and event planners, floral décor, caterers, cake designers, a DJ and a lighting company helping to put the event together. Oh and let’s not forget the limos to take the attendees to the theater in style. Every one of those vendors got a ton of exposure to a core group of influential’s in the exact market they want.

The event was by invitation and also promoted on her website. The guest list was brides from her lead list. Over 100 brides jumped at the opportunity to sip Cosmos and shop before arriving at the premier of this much anticipated film in limos surrounded by their sisters in the SATC cult. Let me tell you, when they arrived the buzz among the other women waiting in line to get into the movie was intense. I am willing to bet that a large percentage of them now know all about Ashley’s Bride Guide.

Here is the pay off. Ashley raised the profile of her website tremendously. The women that attended will talk about the event to their friends and want to be in on the next one. Her traffic is going to spike like crazy. As a result of this event Ashley is building her reputation of being hip and capable and in the know. In short, she is becoming trusted by her target market. The advertisers on her site will reap the benefits. “If Ashley likes them, so will I.”

Part of what makes these events so popular is that they are not wedding-centric. By using non-wedding events to bring brides together she is able to reach them on a different level and earn their trust. When their mind does turn to their wedding planning, Ashley is already a trusted source.

Stop thinking about your future clients as “just brides”; mine that niche a little deeper. Realize that just because they are brides doesn’t mean they stopped being the women they were before they got engaged. Welcome to the new world of marketing.

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