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Keep It Simple, Stupid

May 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Are you confusing your brides? Stop that!  Just keep it simple.

I have had a lot of contact lately with planners and decor people. Listening to them I have come to the sad conclusion that many of today’s brides, while highly educated have the imagination and vision of a turnip.

simplicity

We as creatives, listen to their dreams and yes, look at their Pinterest boards and then design for them what we hear. AND THEY CAN”T SEE IT!

What they really want is what is in the picture. Face it they have looked at thousands of them. I know it zaps your creative soul, but it really is so much simpler to just give them what is in the picture; no matter what we think of it.

Times have changed. Time was when they came to us for our vision and expertise, now they just want our technical skills. ~sigh

So here is a thought, take their money, put your creativity on the shelf and  implemented their plan. No, you won’t explode.

I have another outlet for your creativity>>marketing to build your business.

Face it, if you aren’t having to design everything, your staff should be trained well enough to copy from pictures. Turn more of it over to them and start doing something that will both feed your creative needs and grow your business.

Get involved in style shoots.

Feed your blog.

Create just to create.

Then photograph it and get it out there on Pinterest. Be consistent and relentless. Before long it will be your pictures that they are bringing and it won’t just be to you. All of a sudden it will be your designs that everyone is having to recreate. hehehe, sweet!

Here is something to think about. Have you noticed that the majority of cakes on Pinterest these days are tiny, maybe only 2 small tiers. Do you know why? Because they are done by cake designers just to be photographed and shown off. I will stake my reputation that the vast majority of those small, absolutely stunning cakes never leave the cake shop. The designer got to design, they are getting their style out there and somewhere there is some poor baker being asked to make those designs feed 120!

Just some food for thought

Filed Under: Ask Christine, Building Your Business, Marketing, Trends Tagged With: , ,

Has the Recession Split Gen Y?

April 23, 2013 By 1 Comment

I read an interesting article today about how the recession has effected the Millennial generation. Here is the point that got me thinking about tomorrow’s brides,

Based on our research it is clear that younger Millennials (age 18-26) have been hit significantly harder by the effects of the recession than older Millennials (27-35). Fully 64% of the older group admit that those coming of age now have it worse than they did. Thus, it is no surprise that younger Millennials are more considered consumers, 69% report trying to cut spending on what they don’t need.
Though all Millennials were affected in some way by the recession, younger Millennials, compared to older Millennials at the same life stage, have been more substantively…

With the average age of today’s bride 29 and rising it looks like we have a couple of more years before the younger (and least economically healthy) sub-group of Millenials start getting engaged. That bodes well for the continuing slow recovery of the wedding industry. Budgets are loosening a little and the occasional splurge is now being made.

How will tomorrow’s bride be different?

My question is, what happens in 2-3 years when we hit this new group of highly educated, under-employed couples that are already deeply in debt with student loans?

Tomorrow’s bride may have become so used to corner-cutting, deal-cutting and scrimping that she will expect their wedding to be that way too. Even though you may think today’s brides are only out to cut a deal, I have a funny feeling that this is a walk in the park compared to what’s to come.

That is, if they have a wedding at all.

With statistics like this, how many couples are even going to consider a big spend like a wedding.

Since 2010, the share of young Millennials ages 18 to 24 currently employed (54%) has been its lowest since the government began collecting data in 1948. And the gap in employment between the young and all working-age adults—roughly 15 percentage points—is the widest in recorded history.

Unless our economy gets moving and employment picks up, we may be in for some rocky years. To quote Stanley Tucci’s character in “The Devil Wears Prada”

Alright everyone. Gird your loins!

Nigel

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

Is Your Primary Marketing Tool Ready for Today’s Bride?

March 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I was reading an article by one of my heroes, Holly Buchanan a true pioneer in marketing to women. Holly posted her predictions for marketing to women for 2013.

Well wonder of wonders! check this quote

I’ve been saying this since 2005, but this trend shows no sign of slowing down. Women will continue to shop, do research and interact online.

Your website, email, social media and mobile strategy should be at the core of all of your marketing efforts. The experience she has with your brand online will be a key factor in how and whether she does business with you on or offline. She is expecting to get the information she needs, when she needs it. Too many brands still fall down on the job with their online customer experience.

I think we all pretty much knew that. Like Holly, I have been saying for years that you have to be marketing to brides online. Now the question becomes, HOW are they accessing the internet?

Here is some information from a Pew Research study:

Almost nine in 10 (87%) use internet or email on their smartphone, while two-thirds (68%) use it to go online on a typical day and one-quarter mostly use their smart phone to go online.

This doesn’t mean they have abandoned their desktop or laptop, they just aren’t chained to it. Thanks to smart phone, they research the internet whenever the thought strikes.

So, we know that the experience a bride has on your website is often key to whether she does business with you and we also know that she will be accessing your website on everything from a large screen monitor to a tiny smart phone in the palm of her hand.

How does your website measure up to this vast potential?

You will also notice from the Buchanan quote, that she is expecting to get the information she need when she needs it. What’s more, she want to be able to find the same content no matter where she looks in a way that is easy to use. The best solution we have today is to build a mobile-responsive website rather than have a variety of sites (Flash, HTML, mobile)responsive website design

Let’s look at one more article. This one is from Josh Byers, writing for one of my favorite sites, copyblogger.com. In it Josh discusses why you should have one website that performs well on any device, from desktop to smart phone.

Mobile users will do anything & everything that desktop users will do provided it’s presented in a usable way. Assuming people on mobile “won’t do that” is a losing proposition

If you’re not designing and developing your entire site with mobile users in mind, it doesn’t really matter if you employ a responsive design, or have a separate mobile site.

Data consistently show that mobile devices, mobile usage, and mobile purchases continue to rise at an enormous rate. This data also suggests that this trend will not slow down in the future, but only pick up speed.

To be successful on the web you must begin your process with a philosophy that puts mobile first.

Mobile responsive design is then the natural outflow of this process.

Simple question~

Is your primary marketing tool ready for today’s bride?

If it isn’t, drop me a line and I can fix it!

Still think mobile responsive isn’t that important? The New York Times doesn’t!

 

Filed Under: Marketing, Trends, Website Design, Website marketing Tagged With: , ,

Why 2012 Was A Great Year for Many Wedding Professionals

December 31, 2012 By 1 Comment

I’m confused!

I read an article recently saying that the wedding industry is in worse shape than anyone is willing to admit. Really? Then I have a slew of people lying to me. Or maybe my followers are just a little smarter than the rest.

You tell me.

Here is what I am seeing:

2008 hit this industry like a ton of bricks. Many wedding professionals did not survive.

Because the rest of the economy got hit, many left other industries to flock to the supposedly recession proof wedding industry. This pumped a bunch of new blood into a stagnating industry. Think of it as a much-needed transfusion.

Those that did survive, saw the writing on the wall and knew that what had worked in the past was not going to continue to sustain them. So they evolved.

Did this mean they stopped doing weddings? No, it just meant that they started doing them differently and started adding other things to the mix.

They retooled their offerings to be more inline with the new economy and with a new focus on value for the dollar.

They changed their marketing mix and for some, finally started marketing.

They looked at who their market really was instead of who they wanted it to be and ran with it.

In short, when the economy hit the reset button in 2008, they started thinking like business owners instead of privileged artists.

These are the people who are succeeding and thriving. Their businesses are growing by 20-40%.

I am not talking about the very tip-top of the food chain like David’s and the Knot, I am talking about you. Street level vendors that are in the trenches every week working one on one with brides and grooms on the wedding day. The small mom and pop and solopreneurs that sustain this industry and make it the behemoth that it is. I am not talking about the privileged few that have their name splashed all over the major media. I am talking about the caterer in Nashville, the florist in San Francisco, the DJ in Baltimore and the banquet hall in Pennsylvania whose names you have never heard. I am talking about you and me.

If you are one of those that saw the writing on the wall in 2008 and were smart enough to make the changes that meant you would live to fight another day, you are the ones that thrived in 2012. I applaud you!

Keep it up and 2013 is going to be a banner year. Bet on it!

I want to hear from you about how your 2012 was and what changes you made to make that happen.

 

Filed Under: Back to Basics, Inspiration, Trends Tagged With: , ,

Coming Trends in the Changing Wedding Landscape

November 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I was at an industry event last night with a group of friends both old and new. I am hearing some interesting rumblings about the changing face of wedding trends for 2013.

Fewer requests for mason jars and burlap and more for mercury glass and traditional silver.no more mason jars

Decor is still casual and vintage but less homespun. Think Little House on the Prairie but moved to town.

More brides dumping the iPod and again hiring entertainment and an increase in live musicians for the ceremony.

A rise in using specialty linen.

Guest counts starting to inch up.

What does all this mean? It means that the purse strings are starting to loosen. Inch by inch.

What is causing this I don’t really know. It could be the s-l-o-w-l-y recovering economy. It could be ‘austerity fatigue’. It could be that they have put their weddings off to save for the event. It could just be that couples are coming to grips with the reality of doing it all themselves and are now planning accordingly. It could be that they are adjusting their priorities and cutting the budget in other places.

One opinion I got was that paying for a wedding is more communal with everyone participating.  Here comes the example. If for instance the bride’s parents aren’t paying for the wedding but feel that a nice host bar is important, they may opt to pay for that part of the reception. Or if the MoG feels that videography is important, they may decide to pay for that. Or, in the instance of my wedding, my Mom would have gladly paid for a pair if Jimmy Choos  if it got me out of flats. I think you get the point.

One thing you may want to be aware of, is with this trend you are going to be dealing with more people than just the bride and groom.

Remember, this is incremental so keep your budget options available but start adding some just a bit higher options.

Start showing some more elegant and minimal options. Think sleek and clean. Be open to more players (payers) at the table.

We are getting there.

 

 

Filed Under: Ask Christine, Trends Tagged With:

Are You REALLY Embracing the Internet?

May 2, 2012 By 6 Comments

Do you really understand all the ways brides use the internet to plan their wedding?

Oh I know, you have a website and a Facebook fan page, maybe even a Twitter and Linkedin account. You might even have discovered Pinterest and be rockin’ that out too, but do you really get it?

There has long been an undercurrent from a large part of the wedding industry that if only the internet would go away, things could get back to the way they are supposed to be. ~sigh We have moved so far past that point that we have crossed yet another threshold.

Shopping has moved primarily to the online world. US e-commerce sales will grow 62% by 2016, to USD 327 billion (Source: Forrester, February 2012). Even if someone goes into a brick and mortar shop, they have already fully researched what they are shopping for and in most cases made their selection. There isn’t much that can’t be bought online.

Even physical locations are popping up for online shopping. Huh? Ok, check this out.

Shopping by ap

A grocery store in Seoul has billboards at bus stops with QR codes. Just scan what you need with your smart phone and arrange when you want it delivered. I know, I know, “But Christine, that’s in South Korea how does it affect my bridal salon in Backwater, Kansas?”

It affects you because it is coming your way.

E-bay is already doing the same thing in New York and London. During New York’s Fashion Week, Glamour magazine partnered with L’Oreal to enable passengers riding in selected cabs to buy Lancôme products they saw featured on the in-cab TV screens.

“Oh but Christine, this will never come to bridal,” you say. Really?  Then explain to me the surge in brides buying everything from bridal gowns to wedding day shoes online. Invitations have long been bought online, even flowers are available online. Heck, even engagement rings are bought online.  You have heard of BlueNile, right?

Your brides have been shopping online since they could use the keyboard, why would you think they would shun it for their wedding? They are used to it, it is the way their world works.

Now, my question to you is are you embracing these changes. I have long said that the business that succeeds is the one that gives consumers what they want in the way they want to purchase it. It isn’t about how you want to sell, it is about how they want to buy.

We have moved in to a See it, Click it, Buy it world.  Has your business moved there yet? Are you giving brides what they want?

 

 

Filed Under: Back to Basics, Facts & Stat, Internet Marketing, Trends, Website marketing Tagged With: , ,

Sharing Your Images on The Internet Despite Copyright Issues

March 2, 2012 By 1 Comment

Last week’s post Can You Stop Copyright Infringement drew some interesting responses, especially in some of the groups on LinkedIn.

There is a split between those that are old school and trying to sell based on emotions and those that get it. Even if you never post a single image anywhere online, be it your website,Facebook or Pinterest; even if you use film and never produce a digital image, somebody, somewhere is going to use a scanner and put it online. You must not underestimate how savvy people are today. I could go online right now and in a matter of minutes find a high enough res image of the Mona Lisa to print.

For photographers, many are doing business differently. They have changed their outlook to keep pace with the changes in the world around them. This comment from the WPPI group on Linked In says it best. (Printed with permission)

I have to agree with Chuck T. and Christine. With photoshop being taught in High School and lower the kids growing up today have all the skills to do it themselves. They like having the images to work with, and they have learned that working with negitives from their parents of their childhood and want to have that same control over their wedding prints.

*******  this does not mean I disagree with you or think what you said is anyway wrong, it’s just that with the programs out there now, even low resoulution does not protect the image and with the availabiltiy of high end scanners that cost low enough for the average photo junkie to own, there is no way to have complete control over the prints. If you can make a 4×6 / 4×5 print that looks good then the technology exist to be able to make at least 11×14 or even larger prints from that file, and this is not a big ticket software.

In today’s world, I think you need to protect yourself up front. Make your packages worth your time, your cost, and profit up front. Then if you get any additional sales your way in front of your income needs. This way, you take the worrry out of the sale, you do not have to go to an extra length to watermark, or worry about copying and it makes your sales time more productive. No more scheduling return visits to your studio, and no more sales time looking for more sales to make a profit.

This isn’t something that just effects photographers, it isn’t new and truthfully, it isn’t just about the internet. Shortly after I started getting my cakes published inQuilted wedding cake with satin detail magazines, I started getting phone calls from other bakers asking how I had done this or that on a cake. Yep, it kind of freaked me out. That is until I realized that there was a learning curve to much of my decorating skills and for them to recreate my work wasn’t going to be easy on their first go-round. I also realized that if brides wanted the real deal, they were still going to have to come to me because even with a picture in hand no other decorator was going to have my exact skill set. That didn’t make me better than anyone else, just different and unique.

From a marketing stand point, having your images out there can only increase your reputation. Sure, brides are going to show your images to cheaper competitors to try and get the same thing for less money. Just remember, as a creative, your are selling your skill. It isn’t about a 5 x 7 print, it is about your skill in capturing the image in the first place. Charge for your talent. The brides that value your particular talent are going to seek you out.

Bottom line, you cannot keep your images from being shared online, nor do I think you should. Re-post your images everywhere you can, but be smart about it. Watermark your images and always post them on your own website and re-post from there so the image always links back to your primary marketing tool.

 

Side note: The above cake was designed and created by Christine Boulton and photographed by David Wright. The interior was Vanilla pudding pound cake, double chocolate mocha cake, raspberry jam and vanilla bean buttercream. No that isn’t fabric, it is sugar paste. Damn I miss those days!

Filed Under: Marketing, Trends, wedding marketing Tagged With: , , ,

Understanding Pinterest

February 21, 2012 By 2 Comments

For the un-initiated, Pinterest can be a confusing mess. Some see it as a time waste, while others can’t figure out why it would even be popular or useful. Maybe I can help.

I am going to approach this from a marketing stand point. Be warned once you are hooked it will go way beyond that.

A poll just out from Shareaholic shows Pinterest refers more traffic than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined. That should certainly answer a part of the ‘why’. The rest of that answer has to do with today’s brides. Pinterest is over 90% female. Today’s bride and millennials in general are very visual. They look at the pictures rather than read content. Pinterest is right up their alley. What once was a wedding planning binder is now a pin board. Got it? Good.

The next thing I keep hearing is “I signed up but I don’t know what to do”

 

Getting started with Pinterest

Give yourself an hour or four to get familiar with it. In this image you see a couple of things  I am going to point out to get you going. Hint, click the images to enlarge.Pinterest: An Overview

At first you have nothing, no boards, no pins so hold off on finding friends until you populate a little bit.

In the middle top under the word Pinterest you have some options. Click on ‘Everything’ and a drop down menu opens, you probably want to choose weddings & events as a jumping off point. An entire page of images will open. Now just start pinning stuff you like. Click on a picture, you will have the option to Pin it, Like it or Comment. You will also have a button to follow that person. If you like the stuff they are posting, by all means follow them. You can always unfollow later.

When you pin something it will ask you what board you wish to pin it to. Better create some boards! You can create boards on the fly when you pin something. So maybe “table decor”, ‘cakes’, ‘gowns’ whatever you fancy. It really is easier to create boards this way because you will be able to see what you’re pinning and organize it accordingly.

Now that you have a bit of a feel for it and some boards and pins it’s time to start connecting to people you know.

Finding friends on Pinterest


On the left hand top, under your name the drop down menu has the option to find friends. You can see which of your friends from Facebook are on Pinterest and
connect to them. Since I am talking about using this as a marketing tool you might want to start with the people in your industry that you know from Facebook. You don’t need to limit yourself to that, it is just a good place to start.The next time you open Pinterest, you will see all the pins from the people you are following. Repin all you want.

How, Christine, is this marketing my stuff?

It isn’t yet, that was just learning the ropes.

 

Marketing with Pinterest.

At the top left it says Add+  Open that and you have a screen that gives you the option to Add a pin, Upload a pin or create a board. You want to Add a pin. Just copy the url for an image on your website and paste it in. Rather that choosing the Upload option, the pin will link back to your website.

You need to have a Pin it button on your website so visitors can share your images and they will also link back to your website.

One more thing, when you set up your profile, you did make sure to include the name of your business and your website address, didn’t you?

How about using Pinterest for research?

When you open a pin, it show you who all has pinned it. With a little luck and a bit of intuition, you can tell which pinners are brides and which are in the industry. See how this one calls the board “Our Wedding?” Dead giveaway. Just takes a bit to get the hang of it. Check out the boards on the ones you suspect are brides. See what they are pinning. It should give you a decent read on the pulse of the market, both their dreams and their reality.

Also pay attention to which of your pins get repinned. Obviously something in that pin is worth paying attention to, it may just be a coming trend. You can change your email setting in your profile to notify you when certain actions take place.

I haven’t even touched on the search function.

Just like any other social media, if you are using this for business, think about what you pin. The pins you choose will show your personality in a way you can only imagine.

 

Let me know if you need an invitation.

 

 

Filed Under: Ask Christine, Marketing, Social Media, Trends, wedding marketing, What's Hot Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Understanding Pinterest

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

For the un-initiated, Pinterest can be a confusing mess. Some see it as a time waste, while others can’t figure out why it would even be popular or useful. Maybe I can help.

I am going to approach this from a marketing stand point. Be warned once you are hooked it will go way beyond that.

A poll just out from Shareaholic shows Pinterest refers more traffic than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined. That should certainly answer a part of the ‘why’. The rest of that answer has to do with today’s brides. Pinterest is over 90% female. Today’s bride and millennials in general are very visual. They look at the pictures rather than read content. Pinterest is right up their alley. What once was a wedding planning binder is now a pin board. Got it? Good.

The next thing I keep hearing is “I signed up but I don’t know what to do”

 

Getting started with Pinterest

Give yourself an hour or four to get familiar with it. In this image you see a couple of things  I am going to point out to get you going. Hint, click the images to enlarge.Pinterest: An Overview

At first you have nothing, no boards, no pins so hold off on finding friends until you populate a little bit.

In the middle top under the word Pinterest you have some options. Click on ‘Everything’ and a drop down menu opens, you probably want to choose weddings & events as a jumping off point. An entire page of images will open. Now just start pinning stuff you like. Click on a picture, you will have the option to Pin it, Like it or Comment. You will also have a button to follow that person. If you like the stuff they are posting, by all means follow them. You can always unfollow later.

When you pin something it will ask you what board you wish to pin it to. Better create some boards! You can create boards on the fly when you pin something. So maybe “table decor”, ‘cakes’, ‘gowns’ whatever you fancy. It really is easier to create boards this way because you will be able to see what you’re pinning and organize it accordingly.

Now that you have a bit of a feel for it and some boards and pins it’s time to start connecting to people you know.

Finding friends on Pinterest


On the left hand top, under your name the drop down menu has the option to find friends. You can see which of your friends from Facebook are on Pinterest and
connect to them. Since I am talking about using this as a marketing tool you might want to start with the people in your industry that you know from Facebook. You don’t need to limit yourself to that, it is just a good place to start.The next time you open Pinterest, you will see all the pins from the people you are following. Repin all you want.

How, Christine, is this marketing my stuff?

It isn’t yet, that was just learning the ropes.

 

Marketing with Pinterest.

At the top left it says Add+  Open that and you have a screen that gives you the option to Add a pin, Upload a pin or create a board. You want to Add a pin. Just copy the url for an image on your website and paste it in. Rather that choosing the Upload option, the pin will link back to your website.

You need to have a Pin it button on your website so visitors can share your images and they will also link back to your website.

One more thing, when you set up your profile, you did make sure to include the name of your business and your website address, didn’t you?

How about using Pinterest for research?

When you open a pin, it show you who all has pinned it. With a little luck and a bit of intuition, you can tell which pinners are brides and which are in the industry. See how this one calls the board “Our Wedding?” Dead giveaway. Just takes a bit to get the hang of it. Check out the boards on the ones you suspect are brides. See what they are pinning. It should give you a decent read on the pulse of the market, both their dreams and their reality.

Also pay attention to which of your pins get repinned. Obviously something in that pin is worth paying attention to, it may just be a coming trend. You can change your email setting in your profile to notify you when certain actions take place.

I haven’t even touched on the search function.

Just like any other social media, if you are using this for business, think about what you pin. The pins you choose will show your personality in a way you can only imagine.

 

Let me know if you need an invitation.

 

 

Filed Under: Ask Christine, Marketing, Social Media, Trends, wedding marketing, What's Hot Tagged With: , , , , , ,

BHLDN by Anthropologie Turns 1

February 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I am always talking about change and thinking differently; well here is an example that seems to be working.

BHLDN, the bridal and party dress line from Urban Outfitter, parent company of Anthropologie turned a year old on Valentine’s Day.  They took the position of being centered more on changing things and offering new options than just trying to jump into an already saturated market.

“”What we saw was a limited market,” said Kristin Norris, chief creative officer at Anthropologie and the creative force behind the BHLDN concept.

Elizabeth Cooksey works to set up the new bridal and event dress store BHLDN from the owners of Anthropologie on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012 in the Gold Coast.

“We saw a lot of space for dresses that weren’t the princess dress, maybe with details and embellishments that are less expected. Maybe the bride didn’t want to pick up the dress nine months ahead of time.”

The chain launched the concept online to test the waters, followed by flagship stores in Houston and Chicago’s Gold Coast. While they state no plans for more stores in 2012, if the concept holds strong they would like to increase to between 50 to 100 locations.

Also from the same article

The idea behind the BHLDN shopping experience is to erase the intimidation that can often accompany shopping for a wedding dress, said Elizabeth Cooksey, director of stores.

In contrast to bridal salons, where a sales clerk sizes up the bride, disappears into a stock room and brings out gowns she thinks the bride will like, BHLDN keeps its wedding dresses on the racks so shoppers can browse on their own. And one room is devoted to a dozen mannequins dressed in wedding gowns and posed as if at a party, allowing shoppers to walk among them.

In a nod to both nostalgia and modernity, sales clerks are dressed in gray pinafore shopkeeper uniforms, while oversized dressing rooms tout iPod docking stations that allow the bridal party to listen to their own music selections as they shop.

Party dresses are near the entrance so shoppers don’t feel they have to be a bride to enter the store. Dresses and gowns range from $400 to $7,000.

Thinking differently seems to be working out for Urban Outfitters. ”According to the Chicago Tribune article, “ the company has said initial sales exceeded their expectations.”

How are you thinking differently?  Are you trying new things, boldly and fearlessly? You better be!

You can read the full article here.

 

Filed Under: Back to Basics, Building Your Business, Trends, wedding marketing, What Brides Say, What's Hot Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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