Optimizing Your Photos Just Got More Powerful

March 26, 2013 By ndulj Leave a Comment

You know where I stand on how powerful the photos on your website are. If you somehow missed this, read this article on labeling your images for SEO.

In a nutshell…

Today’s bride search by images.

You have to label your images for the search engines to find them.

Well I have just discovered a new tool that will make those images even more powerful. It’s called ThingLink and allows you to embed links, music, videos and even more labels in your images.

Here is a slide show that explains it all

Here it is in use, Click on the icons.

I can’t wait to play with this over on Wedding Dish.

Here are the details.

It’s free.

It’s a breeze to use.

It has analytics!

You can install it on your website as a WordPress plugin.

It connects with just about anything you could want from YouTube and Vimeo to Sptify and Sound Cloud, Facebook and Twitter.

The images on your website just got even more powerful.

Yes, it adds another step but oh it is sooooo worth it.

Filed Under: Announcement, Marketing, Social Media, Website marketing, wedding marketing Tagged With: blogging, Marketing, search optimization, SEO, ThingLink, Website marketing, wedding marketing, WordPress

Do You Know Where Your Website Traffic Is Coming From?

February 26, 2013 By ndulj Leave a Comment

I’m sure you are checking the stats on your website, but are you paying special attention to where your website traffic is coming from? Everybody check to see if there traffic is up and how many visitors hit a particular article. I pay even closer attention on where my traffic is coming from and capitalize on that.

Hello, my name is Christine and I am a stats addict.

Social media is one of the top traffic drivers today, right behind Google(if you are doing it right). Because of that,I have people ask me all the time if they should post on Facebook, or is Pinterest more important; but wait, what about Twitter and should I be on Linkedin. I hate to break it to you, but there is no hard and fast rule.

You all know that I run 2 very different websites under the Think masthead. Where the traffic comes from is very different for each.

For Think, Linked in drives a ton of traffic, so does StumbleUpon. On theDish, it’s Pinterest and Google image search.

This isn’t a guess, it is what the stats tell me. So what to you think I do with this information? Why I exploit it to the nth degree!

As soon as I publish a post on Think, I use the socialize buttons on the post to send it to my groups on Linkedin and to StubleUpon because I know they are already interested in what I have to say. I have Linkedin set to email me every time there is a like or a comment on one of the discussions I have started. I respond as close to immediately as possible. Yes, I also have the app on my phone. Oh sure I put it on my Facebook fan page and if it has an image that goes to my marketing board on Pinterest.

Over on the Dish, it’s Google image and Pinterest. To optimize the Dish I pay special attention to labeling my images. Yes it takes time but it really pays off. I have the Pin it button enabled to make it easy for everyone to share. Not only others, but I use it myself as soon as the post goes live.

I am sure there are some of you thinking that if Linkedin works so well on Think, why not use it for the Dish. The answer is that they have 2 different targets and I pay attention to my stats. It all ties in with yesterday’s post where I said to forget about your weaknesses and capitalize on your strengths.

Why should I beat my head against the wall trying to get Think noticed more on Pinterest when I can really soar on Linked in?

Where is your traffic coming from and are you exploiting that to it’s maximum potential?

Do a little testing and see which social media network is best for you.

Filed Under: Back to Basics, Internet Marketing, Social Media, Website marketing Tagged With: internet marketing, search optimization, SEO, Target Marketing, Website traffic, wedding marketing

Tip for a Successful Blog I Learned from The Wedding Dish

October 25, 2012 By ndulj 1 Comment

I don’t know if you have been following the changes taking place on my other blog, Wedding Dish, but I thought it was time to share it here.

I started the Dish back in 2006 as a way to speak directly to brides. At the time Think was subscription only mainly because I didn’t want brides to read it but with a name like Think Like A Bride, I knew that they would find it. So I gave them somewhere to go.

Wedding Dish began to take shape as a curation type website long before anything like Pinterest existed. Rather than post entire montages from real weddings and style shoots, I would post single topic articles. Think posts on guest book alternatives, winter wedding decor and cakes. I think you get the idea.

Frankly the dang thing was just rockin’ along and I was passionate about it and having fun.

Then I had some things happen in my life and I just couldn’t face another happy-happy wedding post. Oh, I tried, but I just didn’t have it in me. I posted here and there but without any spirit or dedication. About this same time the web design and consulting part of Think Like A Bride really took off and I didn’t give the Wedding Dish another thought.

Recently, I started seeing a bunch of pins from the Dish come up on Pinterest. So I wondered to myself, ” What the heck is this all about?” Well OMG! That little puppy had been rockin’ along on its own steam, never losing a beat. In fact, the monthly visitors had doubled. WHAT??

Now mind you, this site had laid there unloved and unkempt for nearly 2 years. With all I have learned about website design in that time I took one look at it and declared it ‘butt-ugly’ and a visual embarrassment!

Over the course of a weekend I gave it a complete overhaul, new look, new theme, fully mobile responsive.

Then I started to really dig into the stats to see what was making this such a successful blog and share those tips with you.

Well, it is everything I have been telling you regarding web design, how brides search, how to create content and how to optimize it all.

Tips for a Successful blog that I learned from the Wedding Dish

Start with great structure. I swear by WordPress and Genesis.
Know your target market and speak directly to them.
Split your site between image heavy posts and keyword rich copy.
Optimize your images like your life depended on it.
Give your visitors very easy ways to share.

If you thought none of that mattered, then explain to me why I have images that have been pinned over 65,000 times?

Keep watching Wedding Dish. I have once again found that passion and am ready to rock this thing. As you may have seen, I am taking submissions for images, detail shots please. Contact me at weddingdish@thinklikeabride.com or check the Submissions page for the full details

Filed Under: Announcement, Back to Basics, Building Your Business, Inspiration, Website Design Tagged With: Announcement, search optimization, SEO, website design, WordPress

How to Find Great Ideas for Blog Posts

August 13, 2012 By ndulj Leave a Comment

My clients are always asking me what to blog about. It seems that finding ideas for blog posts stumps way to many people. It shouldn’t.

I don’t care what segment of the industry you are in, as a wedding professional you talk to brides everyday. Whether it’s in person, on email or a comment on social media, you connect with your target market everyday. More importantly, you answer their questions. Right?

That is your gold mine for great blog post ideas. Those questions, that you can usually answer without even having to think, are a road map to your editorial content. If brides are curious enough to ask the question, they are engaged enough to take the time to read about it. I’ll bet you could fill a months worth of posts off the top of your head by just asking yourself what the most asked questions are.

If you want to mine it further, start writing down the question brides ask in your meetings. If you are meeting with a bride, chances are good that you are already taking notes, just add this to your normal note taking. Make it a point to gather at least one question from every bride you talk with.

If you keep getting asked the same questions over and over, try to find out why. I’ll bet five brides will give you five different answers to why they asked it.

Now obviously I’m not talking about the very common “How much?” If that is the only question you are hearing, you are not listening.

In addition to brides, you also work with a lot of other vendors. Flip the coin: What questions do you ask them? If you had the need to know, your readers may also want to know. I’m not saying give away company secrets or that secret source for that fantastic new ‘thing’, but sharing knowledge and a few insider tips isn’t a bad thing.

I have found that questions usually come in two varieties: quality, information seeking questions and bat shit crazy. Don’t discount bat shit crazy. Something made them ask it. Find out why. Worse comes to worse, make one of those quirky little Xtranormal videos out of it. (here are some funny ones from the past)

It has been my experience that people tend to over think blog posts. Stop thinking of it as writing the great American novel. Just talk to your readers like you would to your friends.

Filed Under: Ask Christine, Back to Basics, Inspiration Tagged With: blogging, Humor, Marketing, SEO, websites, wedding marketing

A Word About Keywords to Attract Brides

June 22, 2012 By ndulj Leave a Comment

By now everyone knows that you have to use keywords on your website to boost your search ranking, but are you using the right keywords to attract brides?

Huh, what? Of course you do! If you are savvy you come up with some keywords you think describe your business and run it through the Google Adwords tool and refine it a bit and you are good to go. Well that is true ~ IF ~ you start from the right assumption.

Here is the problem I see most often, you are starting with the words that YOU and YOUR INDUSTRY use to describe your product. You should start with the words brides use to describe your product.

Here is an example of what I am talking about.

I was working with a lovely woman who had been in the men’s formal wear industry forever. At the time I was webmaster for a membership site that had vendors upload their own business listing. She called me and was pretty mad that when she searched the site for “tuxedo’ her business didn’t come up. Off to her listing I went to see what was happening. The word “tuxedo” never appeared in her listing! Every where she could have used “tuxedo” she had used “formal wear” which is, of course, the correct term in the industry. It isn’t, however, the word anyone outside the industry would use to search for it.

Google is pretty damn smart but it is only an algorithm, not an intuitive brain. It doesn’t understand what a tuxedo is, it just pulls the word or related words.

I did a little experiment on the Adword Tool and here are the result. The search term Formal Wear had 832,000 Global Monthly Searches. In related terms the highest was Formal Wear Dresses with 550,00 Global Monthly Searches. (not even close) The search for Tuxedo yielded much different results; 1,500,000 Global Monthly Results. The only related term that even came close I was Tuxedos. Which keyword should my tuxedo client use?

Yesterday I was working with a bridal salon on tagging images for their website. I asked her point-blank, how would a bride ask for a gown like this? The words she used were much different from the almost clinical description that the image came with.

You have to remember that your brides don’t have the same level of knowledge of your segment of the industry as you do.

You need to listen to your brides. How do they describe your product? That is how they will search for it. It may sound silly to you, but not to them.

Take a stroll through the brides forums on sites like Wedding Wire. How are they describing what you do. You may be pretty surprised.

You know the beautiful lighting used for monograms on walls and dance floors is a gobo, but they may search for “monogram for dance floor”

Why put all that work into refining your keywords and keyword density if you are using the wrong keywords to begin with!

Filed Under: Back to Basics, Marketing, Website marketing, wedding marketing Tagged With: keywords, search optimization, SEO

Writing a Blog Post to Sell Your Product

June 7, 2012 By ndulj Leave a Comment

The first question you should ask yourself when you start writing a blog post is “What is the goal of this post.”

Be brutal and precise with your answer. Vague won’t help you hone it down.

Are you trying sell something? Make an announcement? Get your readers thinking about something in a new way?

What ever your answer, craft your post to reflect that.

If you are trying to sell something, you have to pitch it.

I am working with a client that is a caterer/banquet facility and they had a post about a recent prom. They reviewed the prom and really said very little about it, even threw in some poem. it was more like a news report.What they didn’t do is give anyone a reason why they should book their prom with them.

Here are my suggestions on writing a winning blog post:

Define what problem your clients have that this “thing” solves.

Schools need some where to hold a prom. They need food, decor, a dance floor and sufficient electrical for the entertainment.

Explain why this solves their problem.

Our facility provides everything they need from an elegantly furnished room with dance floor. It has hosted many such event so there is no concern about the electrical. On site catering allows personalized menus. Great location with free parking.

Explain what makes your solution different.

Because we have done so many, we make it easy for you to set up yours. Rather than a blank location our is already decorated. All you have to do is add centerpieces and linens in your school colors. (Oh wait, we’ll take care of that too)

Ask for the sale.

“Riddel High’s prom was such a success. won’t you let us make you prom just as great?”

Give them a clear way to contact you or buy the product.

“Call Denise today at (555)555-5555 today to make sure we haven’t already booked your date! While you have her on the phone, go ahead and schedule your tour so you can start dreaming about your prom!”

Here is the post

Riddel High’s Prom at XVC Catering was a Smashing Success

Saturday night the Versailles Ballroom at XVZ Catering was the hotspot of choice for the Senior Prom of Ridell High.(put this in h1 tags)

The ladies sparkled in the soft glow of candles and crystal chandeliers while DJ Angelo rocked the house!

The evening began with a sumptuous dinner of Prime Rib, Chicken Parmigiano and Pasta Primavera . Denise saw to it that the tables were set with linens in purple and black to match Riddel’s colors.

After dinner the students and teachers indulged in a decadent Sundae Bar. Then they packed the Versailles Ballroom’s huge dance floor for the rest of the night.

“Give me Everything Tonight” by Ne Yo (feat. Pitbull) was dedicated to the entire class that night and I’m sure the words, “tonight, let’s enjoy life,” was at the top of their minds and hearts. This night marked the end of their senior year and an end to a wonderful four years as students at Riddel and appreciation towards their teachers and classmates. Other dedications of the night included Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” to the faculty, and “Just the Way You Are,” to the ladies.

Such an elegant night for such a wonderful class. Watch the fun for yourself in this video.

Insert video here

Riddel High’s prom was such a success. Won’t you let us make you prom just as great?

In the 20 years we have hosted the proms of Philadelphia high schools we have seen them change and evolve. Each year they just get more beautiful.We have everything in place to make your prom the one of a kind evening that you have in mind.

Call Denise today at (555)555-5555 today to make sure we haven’t already booked your date! While you have her on the phone, go ahead and schedule your tour so you can start dreaming about your prom!

Please, feel free to share the video and images with your friends on Facebook, just click the button below.

There you have it. It certainly isn’t the kind of review that you would see in the local paper, but then that wasn’t the intention. It’s purpose is to sell that ballroom to next years prom committees.

Filed Under: Back to Basics, wedding marketing Tagged With: blogging, bridal marketing, internet marketing, SEO, wedding marketing

How Often Should You Blog?

April 2, 2012 By ndulj 1 Comment

I get asked this question all the time. Unfortunately there is no magic mathematical formula that I can give you.

The answer is different for everyone. It depends on who your audience is and what you are trying to accomplish.

Conventional wisdom and some of the most influential blogger will tell you that posting EVERY.SINGLE.DAY is a must. That isn’t true for everyone. If you are just posting mindless crap to keep to that kind of schedule, or worse, stealing others ideas and regurgitating them then daily posting may be causing you more harm than good.

Oh sure, if you are a news oriented site or a pro-blogger then yes, daily is what you have to do.

For most wedding professionals that are just blogging for branding and SEO, quality is better than quantity.

Suppose you have been posting random tips to try to keep up a daily schedule. Twitter or Facebook might be a better option. Cut back the words in the post to no more than a quick hit, add an image and schedule it for your social media.

I am not saying to forget your blog. Your blog posts have a different purpose.

On your blog you should be posting well thought out pieces that are better developed. These are the pieces that will be more evergreen. For example, I have some blog posts that are 4 years old that are still getting comments. These are the kind of articles that really help build your reputation.

When I started blogging it was about SEO and getting readers. Today it is also about ‘social proof’.

Wikipedia defines Social Proof this way:

Social proof, also known as informational social influence, is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others reflect correct behavior for a given situation. This effect is prominent in ambiguous social situations where people are unable to determine the appropriate mode of behavior, and is driven by the assumption that surrounding people possess more knowledge about the situation.

On a blog, social proof is the number of likes, tweets, +1 and comments your post gets. Think about it this way, if you see a post has a bunch of re-tweets and comments, you are far more likely to read it. If other people are sharing it, it must be of value, right? If no one thought enough to share it, it must not be that great. Put another way, are you more likely to pick the restaurant with the line or the one across the street full of empty tables? These people must know something,right? We trust and value the opinion of others in our peer group.

If you are posting everyday with throw away tidbits, your posts don’t have time to accrue any real social proof.

Cut back your posting schedule and make your posts more relevant and content rich. Let’s take the idea a recent wedding done by a caterer. Instead of just throwing up a few pictures and some content along the lines of “We had great fun catering the Rick & Rachel’s wedding this weekend at {Venue}. Enjoy these pictures.”

Try something like this:

Describe the food and how it fit their vision.
What made these food choices unique
Showcase a special ingredient or preparation.
Why did you style the food displays the way you did and how can a bride DIY that decor

What about a planner? Instead of just showcasing the images from the wedding talk about a special challenge or use it to teach brides something.

As search continues to refine itself, you have to pay more attention to the quality and relevance of your content. Quite frankly, first-rate posts that are going to rank highly need more time and thought than a bunch of pictures and a few sentences.

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing, Social Media, wedding marketing Tagged With: blogging, bridal marketing, SEO, social media

Website for A Wedding Planner

March 30, 2012 By ndulj Leave a Comment

I just finished a lovely website for a very lovely lady, Marva Munroe.

Marva plans weddings all over the Bahamas and wanted an update for her site that reflected recent changes in her growing business. She also wanted it to be mobile friendly.

Not only did we make it mobile friendly, we made it mobile responsive.

Huh? Mobile responsive means that the site rearranges itself depending on the screen size it is being viewed on. In short, it will align differently on an iPhone than on a desktop.

As always, click the image to view Marva’s new website.

Filed Under: Announcement, Blog, Portfolio, Website Design, Website marketing Tagged With: blogsites, SEO, website design, Website marketing, websites, Wedding Business Success

A Magical Affair

February 5, 2012 By ndulj Leave a Comment

A couple of years ago I put together a blog for Courtney Hammon’s company A Magical Affair. This year she decided to finally bag her old flash website in favor turning that blog into a complete website. Yeah! Courtney. Now you get all the SEO power of WordPress and Genesis.

Of course we did some updates but kept the same basic look she loved in the blog. Click the image to visit the site.

Filed Under: Announcement, Clients, Portfolio, Website marketing Tagged With: blogsites, search optimization, SEO, web/blogsite, website design, Website marketing, Wedding Business Success

Tip for a Successful Blog I Learned from The Wedding Dish

Tips for a Successful blog that I learned from the Wedding Dish

How to Find Great Ideas for Blog Posts

A Word About Keywords to Attract Brides

Here is an example of what I am talking about.

Why put all that work into refining your keywords and keyword density if you are using the wrong keywords to begin with!

Writing a Blog Post to Sell Your Product

The first question you should ask yourself when you start writing a blog post is “What is the goal of this post.”

If you are trying to sell something, you have to pitch it.

Website for A Wedding Planner

A Magical Affair

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