marketing consulting for wedding professionals    Writing, branding, logo design.newsletter design

Do You Know Where Your Website Traffic Is Coming From?

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.

 

 

Marketing a Wedding Planner

I have been struggling (yes, me struggling) with the best way to market wedding planners. Oh, there are a bunch of seminars and webinars from “successful” planners that are marketing “get rich like me” schemes. I have 2 concerns with those. First, if they are so damn successful as planners, why have they abandoned it to make money off of seminars?

The second reason I have a problem with them is the focus of this article.

A simple truth about marketing is that to do it successfully, you have to really dig deep and uncover what it is that sets you apart from the herd. So the problem with following someones else’s path is it is only an illusion. Yes, their words and methods may have worked for them but you are unique; you are not them. More importantly, their brides are not yours. If everyone is following the same marketing plan you all sound alike. What would make a bride pick one over the other besides price?

Which brings me back to the conundrum of marketing a wedding planner:

As a wedding planner, what exactly do you do?wedding planner as architect

Are you the architect?The general contractor? The stage manager?

Huh? (Shit here she goes again with the analogies)

Let me break it down for you.

The Architect:

The architect designs everything from the structure to the appliance placement to the general layout of the landscaping. To translate this to wedding planning you start with nothing and design the whole package from location to lighting concept to the style of the invitations.

 

The General Contractor: 

The GC takes the plans and makes them happen. She hires the subs and creates the schedule. She keeps everything on track and budget. The translation: you take the brides concept and find the right vendors to make it happen. You make sure that they are all on the same page and working on schedule, that the flowers are delivered at the right moment and that the cake gets cut when the photographer is in place to catch the shot. You are the field general, implementing someone else’s plan.

The Stage Manager:

The stage manager comes in last, after the walls are in and the floors are in place. He makes sure that at the time of performance  timing is adhered to, that the props are all in place and that everyone hits their marks. This translates to weddings as someone who comes in after all the vendors have been hired and the major decisions made. You manage the actual day of, you work with what they are given to make the brides vision happen.

I want to hear from all my wedding planner friends. Who are you? How do you describe what you do? help me come to grips with this.

Bridal Show Booth for Wedding Planners

It is kind of a given that one of the hardest types of bridal show booths to design is one for a wedding planner.  I have seen a few good ones, but most of them come off looking like either a florist or a rental company. You really have to think outside the box to hit the mark.

Sadly I was unable to make yesterday’s Perfect Wedding Guide’s fall bridal show, but Scoobie Schneider was kind enough to share his images. Now I am really sad that I missed it because I think Decadent Details may have come close to a home run.

Take a look at this shot. (Thank you Scoobie Photography)

Bridal Show Booth for a Wedding Planner

I love the thought behind this bridal show booth design. Tap into the way  brides dream about their wedding then show them how you can make it happen. They tied in a brides favorite planning tool, Pinterest. You want to talk about thinking like a bride. These ladies know where their brides are! Very smart.

What I can’t tell from the image is what their signage or collateral looked like. Those are both key ingredients. If they missed the mark on the signage, they may not get the ROI they deserved. I would have had a sign above the word Dream that said “Decadent Details> You dream it, we make it happen!”

I visited their website and found something they are doing right. They are running a Pin it to Win it contest which tied in brilliantly with the booth design. Let’s hope the collateral pointed brides in that direction.

I have reached out to Kelly at Decadent Details but at this time I haven’t heard back.

Marketing with Events. A True Story

I have spoken in the past about using events to market your business, but nothing speaks as loudly as testimonials from someone that uses the method successfully.

A few months back I went to one such event that a friend, Erica Rains was participating in. The attendance wasn’t huge but when Erica told me she had booked 3/4 of the people there I almost fell over. That is one hell of a return on investment! I asked Erica to write me up something in her own words to show you exactly what I have been talking about.

Take it away Erica

As the owner of a rapidly growing local culinary company, we value our business relationships and work closely with other businesses in the community to promote our events. The Chef and I Catering holds mini events a few times a month and invites brides. industry professionals and potential clients to these tastings. We have seen the highest return on investment we’ve ever seen in comparison to more traditional advertising. It works for us because we are able to showcase our company, our chef, our food, and our staff.

We have an average of a 1200% return on investment when we host these events, and the best part is that we have time for the one-on-one interaction that we feel is so important.

At The Chef and I, we believe in building long-term relationships with brides and client as well as business partners in lieu of turning short term high profits. We have enjoyed an incredible residual effect and loyal clients for years to come! For instance, we catered a wedding for a couple last year, and now they’re calling us for their parents’ anniversary party. We have participated in the large scale bridal shows as well, and loved meeting 700 brides in one day! But really, how many quality conversations can you have when you are that slammed?

We really focus on the smaller events, and we never charge for them. We invite brides to be, and other businesses who may use us as well, and everyone who walks through the door is happy to be there with no pressure. We just share our story, our food, and our passion.

We feel strongly that no relationships should be forced, so we just work with brides and clients who naturally gravitate toward us, who attend the events, and who are referrals. Our business is about 50% direct referrals-while we are catering a wedding, private residence party, or office luncheon, we usually get two or three more clients. The events that we hold to market ourselves make up about 40% of our business, and the other 10% is through our published articles in local and national magazines, our appearances on local and now national television, and our affiliation with organizations like the NFL Alumni Association, the Nashville Predators, United Way, St. Luke’s, Brown Dog Foundation, the Nashville Film Festival, and the Heritage Foundation. We feel that event marketing on a smaller scale is the most effective, (and most fun by far!) way to market to brides and other B2B opportunities.

Because our company is unique, our percentages and marketing techniques are as well. While this may not be the perfect mix for everyone, it works for us because of our interactive culinary experience. Events are the best way to network, meet new people, and begin forming long-lasting genuine relationships. After all, it’s how we met Christine with Think Like a Bride! The moral of the story? When in doubt, throw a fabulous party. Don’t charge admission. Don’t force anything. Go in with an open mind and have fun. If your product and service is great, the rest will follow! ~Bon Appetit~ Chris and EricaThe Chef and I Catering

 

Reread this last sentance:

 When in doubt, throw a fabulous party. Don’t charge admission. Don’t force anything. Go in with an open mind and have fun. If your product and service is great, the rest will follow!

Erica and Chris have seemingly come out of nowhere and marketed their way to the top. Of course the fact that their food absolutely rocks doesn’t hurt!

How can you use this technique to market your business?

One of the things that struck me in Erica’s post is that they do these on a pretty frequent basis. I bet that after the first couple of events, they had it honed down to a science. They knew the set up and each one became easier.

You can do this!

Put on your thinking cap and perhaps band together with other wedding professionals and throw a little party every month. You will be amazed at the results.

Brilliant Wedding Marketing

Marketing is tough. How do you decide where to start, where to invest and how to design your marketing material.

You are getting pitched daily by this one and that one telling you have to advertise with them.

“You have to do print!”

“I can deliver  (insert ridiculous number here) leads to you a month!”

“If you want to do well in this market you have to do this bridal show!”

Who do you believe?

The only real way to know what to do and who to believe is to build a marketing plan specifically for your business and stick to it. Don’t you wish someone would just tell you step by step how to market.

BINGO!

Brilliant Wedding Marketing is the step by step guide to building your marketing plan in a logical, layered way.

It tells you where to start and why. As you grow your business, add a layer.

Not only where and why, but how to perfectly execute each facet of your brilliant plan. From what to include in your website to  how to design an ad for print, here are the answers. What about Email? It’s covered! Outrageous marketing? You didn’t think I would leave that out did you?

It’s all here in one clear, logical road map to marketing your wedding business brilliantly!

Brilliant Wedding marketing ebook

What do you spend in a year on marketing your wedding business? Isn’t it worth $19.95 to make sure you get it right? You bet it is. One decent print add will run you at least $2400!  Isn’t it worth less than 20 bucks to get that right?

I know there are about a million books on marketing, but how many of them are written specifically for this wacky industry known as WEDDINGS? More than that, how many of them are written by someone you already know and trust?  One of the reasons you read THINK is for marketing advice in a clear and easy to understand style. No bullshit, no gobldygook; just straight talk from someone who has been there.

Brilliant Wedding Marketing boils it all down to a step by step plan to keep you on track with your marketing.

Brilliant Wedding Marketing ebook

Get the e-book today!

 

 


$19.95
Still haven’t bought Bridal Show Success? Let me tell you, Bridal shows are a key part of your marketing plan and you also have to do those right. If you buy both ebooks I’ll take $5.00 off.

Buy the e-book bundle and market like a pro.

Brilliant Wedding Marketing and Bridal Show Success

 

 


$29.90

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Understanding Pinterest

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.

 

 

Understanding Pinterest

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.

 

 

New Ideas for Bridal Show Email Follow-up

OK, you’ve invested your time and treasure in a bridal show, or several and you have a fat, juicy lead list. Now what?

I have already given you tons of ideas to use both short-term and long-term like cherry picking your lead list and outrageous marketing. The question people still are asking is what  to put in that first email?

An interesting answer popped into my inbox just this morning that I think you should give a try.

How about instead of telling them something you ask them something?

Check this quote from today’s Research Brief from The Center for Media Research.

A new survey from Cint shows that 62% of those surveyed said they were more likely to purchase a brand’s product if their opinion has been sought by brand in a study. The survey highlights the importance of customer insight, says the report, as over half of the 1,200 consumers polled felt more loyal to a brand if it takes the time to find out their opinion.

Personally I can’t think of a better way to get them engaged from the very beginning. You know me, here is an example. If it were me sending the email for Indulgence Custom Bakeshop I would have said something along the lines of:

“Hey there {add first name}, it was great to meet you at the XYZ Bridal Show.  I was wondering if I could get your input on something. It’s a new year and I really want to add some new and exciting flavors to the menu.  If you could have any flavor or combination of flavors for your wedding cake or dessert what would it be?”

Better yet, put in a very brief survey or poll.

Don’t be crass and ask what their budget is. Ask them something that they may just have an interesting opinion on and ask it like you mean it. Give them some reason to believe that their input matters. Tweet the answers like a horse race. Build some excitement. Keep a tally going on Facebook. Foster engagement.

Here is one more tip that you probably already know but needs to be reinforced.

That email needs to be finished and uploaded to your bulk mailer BEFORE  you set up your booth. As soon as the show is over you need to load the emails you collected in your booth and hit the send button. That night. I know you are tired; shows can be brutal. Not taking care of the follow through is the biggest mistake that bridal vendors make when using bridal shows to market.

 

Bonus.

Here is another great article I just found on Asking as Marketing.

Mastering a World in Flux

 

I caught this great quote in the editors column in the February issue of Fast Company magazine

“In our hyper-networked world, the rules and plans of yesterday are increasingly under pressure; the enterprises and individuals that will thrive will be those willing to adapt and iterate, in a disciplined, unsentimental way.”

This is more or less what I have been saying since 2008, much more eloquently stated. You have to keep your eyes open and be agile and unafraid; but that isn’t what this post is about.

This post is about this philosophy in action; a case study if you will. This is a post about my dear friend, Paul Pannone and how he is single-handedly and unflinchingly transforming a very stuffy, nearly dead industry.

The men’s formal wear industry had all but written its own obituary. Stuck firmly in the past; saddled with outdated looks and hopelessly chained to traditional marketing channels, it was sinking fast. They were living in a bubble. Paul, however saw the bigger picture:create product that followed fashion and market it in a way that would appeal to a younger demographic. To survive, the industry had to get with the program…This ain’t your Grandpa’s tux!

To accomplish anything he had to break down the walls of the stuffy, ‘this is how we’ve always done it’ men’s club that ran the industry. To do that he had to get noticed and show his chops. Chops in formal wear he had in spades having been in the industry for 28 years and publishing a successful industry newsletter, E-formal News. What he needed was to show his mastery of the new marketing. Enter eWedNews. Well, that worked for a while, but it still wasn’t quite it. It did open his eyes to what it was going to take to get this done. Throwing off the bonds of a traditional milquetoast editor he struck out on his own with eWedNewz. Look out world!

Paul understood that in today’s fast paced, information heavy, 24 hour news cycle world you needed a little sensationalism and controversy to shine through the haze. Love him or hate him, he got your attention. More importantly, he proved to the powers that be that he knew what the hell he was doing in the new social media world.

Enter the Weintraubs and FLOW Formal Wear. One of the largest manufacturers of men’s formal wear in the US, they had a lot to lose if the industry failed. Seeing that it was time to adapt to a changing market, they brought in Paul.

Finally in a position to influence change in an industry he had been in since 1984, he stepped up to the plate. Styles were updated, marketing changed and you started to see formal wear that didn’t look antiquated. That was the first step.

 Time to raise the roof.

A big part of marketing today is celebrity endorsements. What you want is a celebrity that understands social media and eyeballs. Oddly, it’s less about how closely the celebrity personifies your brand as it is whether or not they are getting the eyeballs of your target market. So who does Paul pick? Not a dapper James Bond type, but the Situation from Jersey Shores, Mike Sorrentino. Again, love him or hate him, he loves clothes and gets a ton of media attention.

The traditionalists in the formal wear industry blew a gasket! To say they were appalled is an understatement.

This is what MyTuxedoCatelogBlog.com had to say:

When FLOW Formal Wear announced that Mike Sorrentino (aka “The Situation”) from reality TV series ‘The Jersey Shore’ was going to be the celebrity face for their new line of tuxedos, we were admittedly… concerned?  Confused?  We didn’t really get why anyone would choose for a tuxedo line spokesperson a guy best know for losing his shirt

Get over it, you wanted new, you got it. The Situation got his own branded line to stand alongside the lines of Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. You want to appeal to a younger demographic? Here you go.

Was it a risk? You bet it was. The top style in the line, the Avalon is just beginning to arrive in stores and according to Mr. Pannone, “Without going into numbers, let’s just say if this was a book, we blew away our first printing and are already on our third.”  Here is how the industry reviewed the Avalon once they actually got their hands on it.

From the original quote,”adapt, iterate in a disciplined and unsentimental way”; I would say that pretty much sums it up. How one man, unafraid to take risks but with a vision of what can be is on his way to saving an industry.

So what are you doing to shake up your world?

 

Are You Chasing Unicorns?

This quote from today’s eWedNews really got me fired up.

eWedNews’ ongoing discussions with every category shows most wedding professionals have not taken the most basic, simple steps to know what their market value really is. Many say they’re focused on products, website traffic and honing efficiencies to make their business run better. Many have no answers when asked if they could be chasing after business that really isn’t there.

Isn’t one of the most basic parts of a business plan the question of whether a market even exists for your product at your price point? What you want to sell may or may not have any relationship to what your market will buy.

I hear it all the time.

Client:I really only want to do luxury weddings.

Me:Really. How many weddings over $250k are there in End of the Road, Idaho?

C: I don’t know.

Me: uh-huh….and what is the average budget of a weddings in your market and what is the total market value in your area?

C:I don’t know, exactly, but my usual bride has about $12K. I see weddings in the magazines all the time that must have budgets more like a quarter of a million. I know I can do those weddings.

Me: uh-huh.Why do you think better marketing will really make those $12k budgets magically find more money? How many people in End of the Road, Idaho can afford that kind of wedding?

The wedding industry is beginning to make some small gains after the debacle of 2008, but we are no where near the free spending heyday of  pre-recession America. Oh, and you can keep hoping but the wedding of Wills and Kate isn’t really going to change that drastically. The recession has changed the way many of today’s couples look at all things wedding. It is less about the spectacle and more about the meaning.

Rather than just wishing for the market to miraculouslly rebound, or building your business plan around the weddings you see in magazines, how about taking a real look around your own market. The information is out there, it’s called The Wedding Report. Take the time to find out what the budgets in your area really are. What are the couples in your area really spending on gowns and venues and flowers and transportation.

You may just find that you have been pinning your hopes on catching a Unicorn while ignoring the herds of beautiful horses that surround you.