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3 Reasons You Need to be on Pinterest

February 3, 2012 By 2 Comments

Surely you have heard of Pinterst by now. Pinterest is an invitation only site  (but invitations are easy to come by) where people curate images.

 

The number one reason you should be on Pinterest

is because your brides are.

Pinterest has replaced the binder full of pictures. Don’t be surprised to have brides waltz into your shop, pop out their iPad and start showing you their pins. You want them to be pinning your work! You can upload your images or just pin images of your work that others have posted.

Number 2. There is no better way to know what trends1 are rising then to keep up with what brides are pinning. Follow brides in your market and around the world. You will quickly see what is catching their eye.

Number 3. It gets your creative juices flowing. One idea leads to another. Don’t be afraid to pin the work of others. Brides will get a good idea of your taste and that helps them choose you.

 

FYI Pinterest is also the biggest time sink going right now, so be forewarned. You really should  follow my boards.

1 Top trends I am seeing, ombre cakes and it seems every other bride is in love with chuphas and mandaps, regardless of their religion.

Filed Under: Trends, What Brides Say, What's Hot Tagged With: , ,

What Brides Want

December 8, 2011 By 2 Comments

 

Some days the universe just seems to present itself in ways that make thoughts and ideas crystal clear.

I ran across an article from last month on Forbes Magazine’s website talking about why so many Millennial women are burning out at work by 30. It made perfect sense. They have been pushed since birth to reach higher, strive harder. To get the best grades and the best resume in order to get the right job and shatter the glass ceiling. Go! Reach! Strive! Succeed! The one thing they never learned is how to take a little time for themselves. I mean for heaven sakes, they are answering email while they squeeze in a pedicure!

I’m short of breath just thinking about it.

Now let’s throw in a little touch of wedding planning for good measure.

Do you have to wonder why today’s brides can be a little frazzled and touchy?

Then low and behold, the universe laid two different answers on my table.

Brides want wedding vendors to take the pressure off. Oh, they may not know it, exactly, but they do.

First I received an email blast from a wonderful wedding professional I have know for years and highly respect, Kellie Bryson of Main Event Productions. Kellie had the opportunity to interview one of her MoBs and shared it in her newsletter. With her permission I want to share parts of it with you.

Getting right into the details — how long did you have to plan the wedding?

A total of 13 months.

Tell us what you thought were the most important aspects in selecting a wedding venue.

The number one priority was a beautiful outdoor setting with a backup plan in case of rain. It was also important that the venue have a wedding package available because we did not have the time or opportunity to shop for vendors. 

Ok, this family had 13 months to plan but felt they did not have the time to shop for vendors. Hmmm, so having a package took off some pressure. You can read the entire interview on The Main Events Newsletter  The point is, they specifically chose a vendor that could take off some of the pressure. Look for this trend to continue.

 

Next an email came to a website I’m webmaster for from a website I had not heard of  that was beginning to explore my local market. I figured I would check it out. My immediate suspicion was that it was just another wedding portal looking to be the next Knot. Well if you have read Think for more than a month you know where I stand on those. This one caught my eye, specifically these few lines

 She wanted something fast and easy that could help her find her vendors. She realized much of her precious time was being spent asking vendors about availability and price range, as well as exchanging basic wedding details. She wanted a location where she as a bride could “shop for vendors,” as well as give vendors a way to see her wedding details and budget without having to pick up the phone.

Wait, you mean to tell me this site was designed from the brides point of view? This bride was sick of wasting her time on the phone telling the same details to multiple vendors just to find out they were booked or out of her price range.  Why couldn’t she just put all those gory details out there and then contact vendors she might be interested in to have a look?

Damn, makes perfect sense to me.

Enter Haley Suggs, the genius behind the nearly brand new website The Bride Link. With most sites vendors buy listing and the lead list that comes with them; a bride registers and then get spammed by every vendor in a 200 mile radius on no information. With The Bride Link, our bride starts the process by listing her information, date, location, guest count, budget, her hopes and dreams even her Facebook page if she wants. Then she looks through the vendors (which are required to list some type of ball park pricing) and for the ones that look promising, she sends them a link request. (Think: Facebook friend request. )  Once the vendor accepts the link request, they can see the full details of our bride’s information and start the contact back and forth.

Brilliant!

This puts the power in the brides hands, gives them the information they want, blocks out all the spam from vendors they don’t want and keeps them from wasting time telling the same details over and over again, Brilliant!

Over the last year in development and the last 4 months post launch, Haley and her team of developers have honed this site down until it is sleek and flawless, just what today’s bride expects. It’s clean, easy to use and easy to navigate. Now it’s time to start scaling.  You see up until now it is specific to Knoxville,Tn. Smart move roll it out locally, perfect the processes and systems then start to scale.

If you are smart and want to be on the forefront of what I think may be the next big thing, contact Haley for a demo.

So what is your take away from this? Find ways to make it easy for your bride. Do what you can to take some of the pressure off. Think packages like Kellie or a streamlined system like Haley.Make yourself their lifesaver.

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing, wedding marketing, What Brides Say Tagged With: , , ,

What Happened to the Fun

August 2, 2011 By 2 Comments

I have been listening to some interesting chatter lately in our industry and it’s not good.

It seems that there are a lot of people in our industry that have gotten bitter and are sporting a platimum sized chip on their shoulders. What gives? What we do should be fun. It isn’t statistics or rocket science or brain surgery. It never carries terms like idictable or inoperable. Ultimately, we are in the business of helping people throw a party.Party

I understand that things have been a little rough lately; between the economy and the changes  from elegant to casual. The thing is, we are the ones that are supposed to bring the party, bring the fun, bring the confidence. It’s time for an attitude check.
You have the power each and every day to get out of bed and make it the best day possible. Or not.

You can look at the day and your work and tell yourself that no matter what comes I will make it great and fun, or you can bemoan the fact that things are to tough and just slogg through it. It’s your choice.

 

You can wish and beg for things to go back to the way they were or you can decide to find the fun and the magic in the newness of the changes in our industry.

 

 

You can greet the changes with open arms and delight in how you can take them to new and amazing levels. How these changes can open the door to things and ideas never before possible. Or you can sit in your rocker on the frontporch and reminisce about the good old days while the newcomers eat you for lunch. Your choice.

I know, you want some examples, don’t you?

Photographers: Your clients want instant gratification more than they want prize winning images. Learn to edit in camera and get them their unphotoshopped images within 7 days of the wedding when they are still in that “wedding high.” Or you can spent 7 weeks editing and color correcting every image to within an inch of it’s life and deliver in that zone when reality has set in and they are questioning every dollar they spent.

Planners and designers: You can fight and argue with your clients over DIY details. You can refuse to participate in them. Or you can listen to them and see how you can help or aid and abet and make some money in the process. They might have a few really clever ideas you can use.

Bridal salons: When she wants to try on bridesmaids dresses in white you can discourage her or lie that it doesn’t come in white. Or you can highlight the maids dress that do come in white as a viable budget friendly alternative and maybe, just maybe, save a few brides from David’s.

We are in a whole new game, a new market place. Stop trying to bring back 2007 and take a look around you. The changes can be fun and exciting if you choose to view them that way and you had better. If you are bitter and cranky and obviously not having any fun, no one is going to hire you for what they want to be the most important and fun day in their lives.

 

Filed Under: Back to Basics, Personal Coaching, What Brides Say

The Changing Face of The American Wedding

June 29, 2011 By 1 Comment

I set out this morning with the intention of doing one of my Trend Tracker post. You know, where I run through about 1000 posts in my reader quickly to see what jumps out. Well today, what jumped out was a little deeper than colors and feathers, circuses and painted signs.

What jumped out was a different way of thinking about weddings, to be more precise, how couples are thinking differently about their wedding.

There seems to be a feeling or yearning for the small town, tight knit community of family and friends. Gone is the urban chic. Even the Mad Men look was no where to be found. I felt transported to a time and place when life was simpler. A time of picnics in the town square, concerts in the band shell, carnivals that appeared magically on the outskirts of town, a time of farmhouses and faded picket fences.

I saw more and more of families pitching in to help the couple realize their dreams. Think of the new American wedding as a modern day barn raising.

If you will notice, I used the word ‘couple ‘ in the 4th sentence instead of ‘bride’. That is another change that is just beginning to emerge. Because weddings are increasingly being financed by the couple, the men are becoming more involved and to a lesser degree, more excited by the wedding planning process.

I have long maintained that more and more, brides are getting their information from blogs, chat and forums. I ran across an interesting thread that helps to explain why. There are several pages to this thread, but this one statement tell the story better than I ever could. Mainstream wedding media, pay attention.

Shortly after getting engaged, a recently married co-worker suggesting I check out Weddingbee. She said of all the wedding websites, Weddingbee was her favorite as it followed real brides on real budgets. (emphasis mine)

Two more  interesting threads concerns the desire of some brides to blow off the fluff and pouf altogether. The first is from Weddingbee and illustrates that despite their desires, brides were into full on planning mode due to pressure from not only their families but also the groom.  In the second thread the Tribe Community manager for OffBeat Bride explains that she really isn’t all that OffBeat. This quote explains why she wasn’t a fit for traditional wedding media:

I don’t do the poetic schmoopy thing very well, but to ME, being offbeat is putting your marriage and relationship ahead of your wedding and being true to the people you are every day. It means that your wedding (ie: a party) exists to honor the two of you, and to celebrate you choosing to spend the rest of your lives together with the people you adore. It’s not a showcase of wealth and taste, carefully tailored to inspire envy, covetousness, and awe in as many people as possible … it’s a showcase of your love

Well said Ang.

More and more I see the face of the American wedding changing in some very positive ways. Oh maybe not positive for the wedding professionals that still yearn for the “More is better” heyday of  2008; but a big plus for our society and for the vendors that change and adapt with it.

 

Oh ya, the Trend Tracker

 

Colors are softer, dresses are softer, finishes are softer, it is like the world is looking at wedding by squinting.

 

 

{Source}

Filed Under: Announcement, Trends, What Brides Say, What's Hot Tagged With:

Has Our Client Changed?

June 1, 2011 By 4 Comments

Conventional wisdom is that wedding vendors market to brides,

but is that still true?

I have been tracking a rising trend of grooms doing more of the planning than ever before.1 Time was when the groom picked maybe the band and maybe, just maybe the men’s wear. Other than that, they knew they were better off just staying the hell out of the way. This was between their future bride and their soon to be Mother in Law, both of which he knew better than to piss off.

That was then, this is now.

I  have been having a discussion with wedding vendors all around the country and most are saying the same thing: Grooms have more power in the process today and they view it much differently. Men view shopping (and to them that is what this is) as price, contracts and commodities. They don’t see the nuances. They see apples to apples when we all know that simply isn’t true.

Grooms may or may not be as emotionally invested in the wedding as the bride.2 They are flexing their muscle to impress her by handling it in a very businesslike manner. Determined to get the best price and the tightest contract they are bringing their negotiating A-game. Lovely.

So how did this all happen?

Our culture is changing, for one thing. If you have read any of the numerous studies that have come out in the last year or so about the rise of women then you should have seen this coming. By the time women reach the average age of a bride in 2011, they have completed university and begun to establish their career. They have learned the value of team work and delegation of duties. They see their role of wife as an equal partner and the see the wedding as belonging to the couple not just her. Another change is that her career is of high importance to her and she realizes that she has to work very hard to rise in her field. So she does what she has learned to do: she delegates.

No longer is the conversation, “Honey, please help me decide between these 2 invitations.”  Now it is more likely to be ” Look, you have more time than me, you have great graphic skills, deal with the invitations.” Women have long grumbled about the entire job of wedding planning falling on their shoulders and they are finally finding a way to change it.

That is wonderful, but it comes with it’s own issues. Men are just different in the way they approach the issue of acquiring goods and services. We as wedding vendors have gotten very good at how to sell to women. Now comes this new creature that we formerly either humored or ignored that is now the decision maker. It is time to hone you A-game and learn to sell to these guys. Your future may depend on it.

 

1Like most trends, this is most prevalent in the urban centers. Talking with professionals in less urban areas, this isn’t as much an issue…yet.

2 Notice I said wedding, not marriage; many of them are even more invested in the marriage than the bride.

Filed Under: Blog, Trends, What Brides Say Tagged With: , ,

Game Changers in the Wedding Market

April 8, 2011 By 3 Comments

I talk to a lot of different wedding businesses over the course of a week. I also talk alot about change and our changing marketplace.

When I run across the former that really gets the later I want to jump up and down with joy. You have heard me talk about photographers that are switching focus, florists that are changing to showcase rental and planners that are putting thier talents into an Etsy store with all the things they make for weddings.

Here are two that are jumping into the wedding fray from other industries that might just be game changers.

My Flip Wedding:

My Flip Wedding is the brainchild of Storymix Media. These guys have been doing editing and fusion media for pro-photographers for a long time. Now they are jumping into the retail side.

Couples can rent Flip Video cameras and have their closest friends and family members video their wedding, shower, stag & hen nights or any other part of their celebration. Then they send the cameras back in the pre-paid envelope and let the Apple Certified pros create a highlight reel. It’s fun, it’s easy, it’s really inexpensive and couples are loving it.

I know that videographers are going into convulsions right now. Look, this doesn’t have to be about cutting you out, it is about adding a different POV. It is also an option for the 70% of couples that weren’t going to hire a pro anyway.

Here is a company that read the numbers, found a new solution using cutting edge tech and are poised to be the hot new trend.

Just an example of reading the market and giving them what they want in the way they want it.

Something Borrowed NY:

We have all watched the changes happening in the bridal gown market. Vera Wang saw it coming and hooked up with seemingly strange bedfellow, David’s Bridal.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Brittany Haas last night of Something Borrowed NY. Haas and her business partner met while in university studying fashion, both design and business. As they watched their older sisters and friends search for the perfect wedding gown and grapple with the cost, they listened and learned.

It seems that the newest generation of bride still longs for that high end designer fairy tale gown, but don’t attach the same sentimentality to it as generations past. Yes they want to wear it, but once the wedding is over, they could care less. After the wedding, these same brides tried, mostly in vane, to sell their very expensive gowns. Despite the now seeming abundance of resellers and consignment sites on the web, they had no takers.

As a response Haas is working the plan and building the foundation of what may well be a new trend. Rentals. It may not take off tomorrow or next week, but mark my words, as more and more Gen Y brides enter the marketplace this will become acceptable. They are already comfotable with concepts like Rent the Runway and Bag, Borrow or Steal. When it comes time to decide what to wear on the big day, well, Something Borrowed NY will look pretty good.

Yes, it is a fledgling business in a fledgling concept, but when it hit’s; look out world. Something Borrowed NY is an idea whose time may very well have come.

(I purposely did not include Something Borrowed website because is isn’t ready for prime time, but give them a follow on Facebook and watch these dynamic ladies leap forward?)

How are you changing the game? Or are you content to just stand there and get run over.

Filed Under: Ask Christine, Rants & Raves, Trends, What Brides Say Tagged With: ,

Know Your Market: Gen Y Brides

March 28, 2011 By 3 Comments

Have you been paying attention?

Brides today think differently and it isn’t just about the economy. Oh, that’s part of it. I guess I should say it isn’t just about the money. It is about the experiences they have had, the way they think and the way they were raised.

We now live in a time that values self-service and self-reliance. Ask the internet any question short of brain surgery and you will find not just instructions but a video tutorial on how to do it. Your brides are well aware of this. They were also raised to believe that they could do anything they set their mind to. Forget the fact that they may have no talent whatsoever. No score soccer leagues where everyone gets a trophy ring a bell?

How about transparency? Everything you have ever done is on the web. Every complaint or ruffled feather in the last 15 years is still out there for someone to search.

Transparency and the internet color their take on pricing too. Yes you may be in a very expensive market, but hey, they look at the websites of vendors in small town middle America looking for ideas and don’t understand why you are more expensive. They talk to brides all over the world in forums and see that one bride got her bouquet for $$ and don’t see why they should pay you $$$. They surf the web for the lowest price and find it, then use that to convince themselves that you are just out to scalp them. If there are photographers on Craig’s List that will do packages for $250 doesn’t that mean that the other $2750 just go in the higher priced photographers pocket?

Make no mistake, I get it. I understand why what we do is expensive and I get why you charge what you do. Remember though, I’m on the inside, she isn’t. Her lens is much different from yours or mine.

Self-service and instant gratification is another part of what makes her different. If she wants something, she pulls it off the rack and takes it home. Instant. Long gone for most of today’s women is the hands on, well-trained sales rep. It is a concept that she has never know. The friendly face that you saw every time you entered you favorite boutique that knew your style and was right there to recommend new things and steer you clear of what didn’t work is a joy they have never known. In short, they have never known the service level that true wedding professionals provide on a daily basis and when they see it they are dis-trustful.

Here is a little story that illustrated my point.

I have a  friend, a life long New Yorker, who recently went to a medium-sized city in Canada for a conference. I spoke with him while he was there and his take was “Everyone is so nice and friendly here that I keep looking over my shoulder for the knife to get plunged in my back.”  He was so used to things being one way that when he was treated with kindness, respect and great service he just didn’t trust it. Your brides don’t trust it either.

Do I have a point to this rant?

Just this, it’s not you. Today’s brides are different. That is why things like Costco Bridal and Micheal’s DIY invitations, iPod Weddings and Flowers by the Box are getting traction.

Keep thinking re-invention. Know your market, reach them in the way they want to be reached.

Filed Under: Ask Christine, Rants & Raves, What Brides Say Tagged With: ,

Surviving in a Changing Wedding Market

November 4, 2010 By 1 Comment

There has been much chatter over the last month concerning changes taking place in the wedding industry. Chatter about the new guard grabbing the baton from the old and the old steadfastly refusing to let go. Chatter about some at the top, the bigger than big, finally getting the message that the old ways won’t work no matter how tightly they close their eyes and try to wish it away.

You, my faithful readers, have seen this coming for some time now. Things are getting ugly. Many are suffering from growing pains. I tell you what, this isn’t anything that hasn’t happened before.

I don’t know how many of you have been in the industry long enough to remember the days before Vera Wang. She was the harbinger of the last revolution. She ushered in the trends we have seen for the last 8 or so years, the halcyon days of weddings. Before that change, weddings were the pearl and lace encrusted children of Princess Diana’s wedding. Things were formal and heavy, just look at the gowns and head pieces from that era. Brides were ready for a change and Wang delivered with a breath of fresh air.

The rest of the industry followed suit. Cakes became sleek fondant creations with nary a column in sight. Flora went contemporary with glass containers replacing silver and baby’s breath died a slow death. Invitations became envelopments and grew belly bands. The seated chicken dinner became exotic stations. Those that refused to change died  along with the baby’s breath, but still the industry survived the upheaval and went on to grow and survive.

This kind of change is necessary to keep our industry healthy. I grew up on a lake and from time to time the lake would smell horrible and the waters would get muddy. My father would tell me that the lake was just turning over and that it had to in order to stay healthy. It always returned to it old beautiful, reliable self after a few days. That is what is going on in our industry.

The last time it was a fashion designer that sparked the revolution, this time it is the brides and the information age. Today’s bride has visual imagery of every possibility at the tips of her fingers. She will not be swayed by what you are trying to sell her. She has found what she wants and she WILL find someone who will provide it for her. Barring that she will find the instructions online to do it herself. Contrary to popular belief in the industry, not all DIY is budget driven. Quite a lot of it is driven by the simple fact that she can’t find anyone to do/create/provide exactly what it is she wants.

So how do you survive to reap the benefits on the other side of this turn over? Start off by realizing that you are no longer the expert there to guide the brides decisions, you are the professional there to provide what she desires. Frankly, I don’t care (and neither does she) if you like her choices or not. They are her choices and if you won’t provide them someone else will! Harsh, I know, but it is what it is.

Next you need to really listen. Not just to the individual bride but also to the collective conscience as spoken through social media. I am not talking about what Grace Ormand  has between her pages, but what brides are talking about on Wedding Wire and Facebook and Twitter. They are telling you what they want if you will just take the time to listen and not just dismiss them.

Yes, there are still times that you are going to have to put your foot down. You know, things like a five tier cake with whipped cream icing outdoors in August, but you had better listen to why she wants that. Then you can possibly find an alternative that will satisfy her desire without causing a catastrophe.

In short, listen hard and realize that for the first time ever, the industry is being bride-driven.

Filed Under: Trends, wedding marketing, What Brides Say Tagged With: , ,

Prices on Your Website?

September 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It seems to be a question as old as the internet. Should wedding vendors put prices on their website?

My answer has always been yes for the simple reason that brides to be just wanted to know if you were in their price range. Today, that isn’t the only reason.

Take a look at this quote from Media Post:

According to the June 2010 UNICast What Women Want from the Web Report, 64% of women plan to use the Internet to find sales and compare prices whenever they plan to make a purchase, for small- and big-ticket items alike. In fact, women 18 to 24 are much more inclined to do this kind of comparison shopping research solely online.

“Plainly put, women are utilizing the Internet as a resource for simple and complex purchasing inquiries. They enjoy, arguably more so than men, educating themselves through the use of the Net,” says Emily Carroll, manager, Strategic Insights, Leapfrog Interactive. “They’re looking for more shortcuts to save time and money. In doing so, they’re searching more, browsing more, consuming more content, and seeking input from their trusted friends and confidants online.”

So, if that is the way women are shopping and using the net in thier day to day lives, they will expect to be able to do the same in thier wedding planning.

Look at it this way. When a woman first jumps into wedding planning, it is truely a different world. Take gowns, even bridesmaids dresses. For their entire lives they have gone into a store, tried things on in a variety of sizes and walked out with the one that fit best. Now, she most likely won’t be able to try on anything close to her size; she has to take the bridal salons word that alterations will make it fit, then she has to wait sometimes 3 months to see if they are right. Everything about shopping as they have known it is turned on its head.

If you can give them some familiar connection to the ways they are used to doing things, so much the better.

Before you start, I understand why things are this way, but she doesn’t. Which brings me to my second point. Education.

I read so many threads and talk to so many vendors that are bent because brides just don’t understand what a realistic budget for what they want is. $150 cake budgets, $500 for photography, $600 for the entire floral budget, $8.50 per person for the reception, the list goes on and on. Do you think it could be because no one tells them?

Flowers, all they know is how much they spend at Costco or Whole Foods to pick up a bouquet for their dinner party. They don’t understand containers or construction or the labor involved in prepping the flowers. Their only frame of reference is that dinner party bouquet. You have to tell them.

So many vendors keep their prices a deep dark secret, “It’s so important to be able to explain what all is included.” Oh hogwash! If you think the only way to do that is face to face you are either not comfortable with your prices or you really don’t understand the way today’s brides shop.

I used to advocate that you just put a ball park price on your site, but I have started to rethink that. Brides really do want to make realistic choices so why not give them the tools. Suppose, you added prices to some of the photos on your website. Something like, “This centerpiece was priced at $xxx. Your price may vary depending on the flowers chosen and the season.” “This cake was priced at $xx per serving. Prices may vary depending upon fillings.”

Yes, I understand that as creative talents that design something unique for each bride, no two wedding will ever be priced exactly the same. Just give them some jumping off point and add a disclaimer that prices listed are only an example of how your prices run.

I know, you don’t want your competetors to see your prices and then undercut you, right? Well guess what, brides are taking your bid across the street already, whether you know it or not. That is where selling them on your persoanl charm and service comes in. If they feel that they trust you more, a few pennies won’t make a difference.

Let me repeat what I said before: Anything you can do to make their wedding planning experience closer to the way they are used to doing things, the better. The more comfortable they are, the more likely they are to spend with you.


Filed Under: Back to Basics, What Brides Say Tagged With: , , , ,

How to Collect Testimonials

September 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

We all know how important testimonials and reviews are; but where do you get them? You probably already have more of them floating around out there than you may think. You just have to know where to go to harvest them.

Your Inbox: Go back over those emails and hunt for any positive feedback. Chances are good that your clients have told you how wonderful you, your service and/or your products are. There names are right there. It’s a good idea to just use the reply button to ask them if they mind if you use the testimonial in your marketing material. That way, even if the email is a year or two old, you will be reminding them of the nice things they said.

Wedding Wire: You can either copy and paste onto your website or just link your reviews to your site. Wedding Wire has a handy badge that puts a few of  your reviews right into your sidebar.

Yelp!: If you are getting positive reviews on Yelp! you might as well use them. Again, copy and paste.

Twitter: Check any tweets that mention your name. (You do this any way, right?) You can hit Twitter search for your company name or you can just check for tweets with @{your twitter name} If you watch HGTV, they do a brilliant job of this.

Facebook: Check your fan page for positive comments from your fans. Send them a private message and ask if you can use their comment or ask if they would elaborate  for your marketing.

Your blog: Go back through the comments. I bet there are some that attest to your design style or just general brilliance. Go with them, they are already public. You should also consider putting a tag in you signature line inviting people to comment on the post.

Google Alerts: In addition to what other Google Alerts you have set up, you should also have them set up for your name. You never know when some one is going to mention you on their blog. You can always add that to either your testimonials or your press page. This should also yield any mentions on the Knot or similar sites.

Email marketing: If you do email marketing, include a survey in your emails and just come out and ask for testimonials.

Wedding Websites: Get in the habit of asking your clients if they have a wedding website. This may yield a lot of information in addition to testimonial. What do you want to be they will post wedding pics? I don’t know anyone that doesn’t complain about not getting images of their works. Be sure to ask if you can use them first. Before the wedding, you may be able to get a deeper feel for your client and what they really think by reading their site.

Now that you’ve got them, what do you do with them.

Put them on your website.

You should have a testimonial or accolades page in you main navigation menu. More that that, pepper them through out your site. If you do a blog post about a wedding and then get a testimonial you can always go back and add it to the post. It’s a little known fact that if you have a dynamic website  your homepage is probably not where most of your traffic from search lands first. If they do a search for pink and green weddings or wedding food on skewers or escort card they will land on the page that talks about that, not your homepage. So, it pays to put testemonials in as many place as possible in addition to your accolades page.

Marketing Package

If your business is the kind that puts together a full on marketing packet, you should have a page of testimonials in it. You never know who will see these and you always want to let them know what others are saying.

Testimonial are powerful, in some ways they are another form of word of mouth marketing.

Filed Under: Back to Basics, What Brides Say Tagged With: , , , , ,
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