5 TIPS FOR BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL MARKETING PLAN

1. KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET
If you don't know who you're marketing your brand to, you're missing your mark. Developing a clear, concise list of who your target demographic is what's going to help you make those tough decisions about what marketing avenues you're going to choose. List everything from their gender, income and location to their age range and interests. And make sure you choose the right paths to market to that demographic. If you don't, you won't achieve the best ROI.

2. KNOW YOU'RE BUDGET
This is crucial for start-up companies. If you don't have a set marketing budget for the year, you're throwing money to the wind. Knowing what you can and can't afford is what is going to help you determine what marketing avenues to take, which to avoid and which to set aside for later (when you have a more substantial budget). It will also be a great indicator of just how mainstream or how creative you're going to have to get with your marketing. If you have a substantial marketing budget, you'll have more mainstream options to choose from (ie) print advertising, online directories, etc. If you have a less-than-desirable budget, you'll have to actively look for no-cost opportunities, network your butt off, be extremely mindful of where you do put your dollars and be strategic in your plans. And you will need a budget. (Remember that business cards, web sites, etc are all forms of marketing!)

3. INCLUDE AT-COST AND NO-COST OPTIONS
Developing a marketing plan isn't just about listing the marketing tactics and mediums that will cost money. It's about listing marketing tactics and mediums that won't cost money as well. And there are no-cost options. It's merely a matter of being creative, strategic, open to opportunities big and small and a ton of research.  Focusing all your time and energy on only the mediums that have a price tag won't necessarily get you ROI. At the same time, you must spend some money to effectively market yourself, so don't expect to be able to solely grassroots market your brand in a highly competitive industry like our beloved wedding industry with absolutely no funds at all.


4. INCLUDE A SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN
Companies across the globe are now incorporating a Social Media Marketing Sector into their Marketing Departments and for good reason. In this day and age, social media and mobile marketing is as important in marketing your brand as the more traditional methods. It's not just about print, online, direct mail and email advertising anymore. It's about real-time marketing as well. Be sure to add this  category in your marketing plans.

5. REVIEW, REDO OR TWEAK
So you did a marketing plan exactly one year ago today. Bravo. Now it's time to review it and decide what worked for you and what didn't. If you've spent a lot of money on a particular medium that didn't bring you at least one to three inquiries then it's time to change course. Marketing is expensive and if you're not getting the ROI that you expected you need to change your strategy and focus your dollars on another medium or strategy. In some cases you may have to simply tweak your marketing plan (ie) make your ad bigger, combine your ad with an online presence, increase your social media marketing or purchase more of the good stuff that got you leads. In other cases you may have to redo your plan altogether. Reviewing your marketing plan and adjusting it every year is what is going to continue the success that you achieved in the past year or save you from making the same mistakes twice.

I've said it time and time again. If you don't have a marketing plan you're essentially throwing money away. Draft a clear, strong marketing plan and keep on top of it.  It's not a waste of your time and it will take time. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day and a good, strong marketing plan won't be either.

MARKETING UNVEILED'S FIRST SEMINAR OF 2012

Are you not 'getting' how social media can help your Toronto wedding business? Are you confused as to where to start? Do you have no clue as to what a Social Media Campaign is? Have you been avoiding social media like the plague because you feel it's just "a fad"? Then join us at the Making Sense of Social Media Seminar on February 23rd and get tips on how to increase your presence on Social Media and more importantly, make sense of it all!

5 MARKETING PREDICTIONS FOR 2012

 With 2011 behind us, marketing continues to expand its horizons.With that said, here are a few of our predictions for marketing in 2012.


APs ARE KING ON THE ONLINE INTERFACE

With the explosion of smartphones and tablets in 2011 came the explosion of Applications. I'm not talking about Social Media aps like Facebook or Twitter. I'm talking about aps that not only make our lives simpler but derive from the corporate and retail sectors as well. More and more people are using Aps over regular internet for their consumer needs. What does that mean for wedding professionals? Consider Aps that will make your clients' lives much easier in the planning process. Whether it's for sharing or categorizing photos from their photographer to budget applications for Planners. iwedding was one of the first that we saw to grab onto the Aps phenomenon and run with it - offering everything from vendor directories to seating plans.

CONTENT MARKETING IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

I've mentioned over and over that when it comes to marketing, content is king. There's a favourite example that I like to use when discussing content marketing. "No one gives a damn that you had a ham sandwich. Share where you got that sandwich and their web site and you've provided relevant content". Well, in 2012 content marketing is going to be even more important to drive web traffic -- specifically blogs. With social media being a staple in consumer's lives, wedding professionals need to give their Facebook Fans or twitter followers a reason to go back over and over and realize that you are the professional for them.

EMAIL MARKETING RISES FROM THE DEAD

There was a rumor that Email Marketing was on it's last legs as far as marketing was concerned. With the latest Spam-filters being tighter than Obama's security team and the new expectation of including the opt-out option with marketing emails and newsletters, many thought that Email Marketing had reached it's end. Not so. In fact, consumer purchases will continue to purchase through email marketing by 10% over the next few years according to Forrester. What's changed to bring Email Marketing back from the dead? Smarter Marketing. Using mediums like Google Analytics to target our Email campaigns is what will make email marketing more profitable and more successful over 2012.

MOBILE MARKETING HITS AN ALL TIME COMPETITIVE EDGE

In 2011, I had predicted that Mobile Marketing was going to be one of the top marketing tactics to watch for.  Much like Aps are quickly becoming king in the court of marketing, mobile marketing is giving companies a competitive edge. With the ability to reach consumers locally and in real time, mobile marketing hasn't just gained in speed but has taken leaps and bounds as well. Here's an example: According to the New York Times companies were using mobile advertising to lure customers away from competitors while the customers were waiting in lines to make purchases on Black Friday. If that doesn't show the power of Mobile Marketing I don't know what will.




'BIG DATA' THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT FOR SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNS

The term "big data" has been thrown around over and over and it's exact meaning has never been quite clear with different companies using different definitions. Here's our take: "big data" refers to the collection of consumer and client data -- particularly listening to conversations and feedback regarding their brand, learning about where their brand is being discovered and how, who is searching for their brand, etc. In other words, using market research not just in general terms but brand-specific research and data collection to propel their marketing efforts is the secret ingredient to a successful marketing recipe.

STAGING REINING OVER REAL WEDDINGS

We predicted back in 2010 that Staging would see an increase in usage as marketing ploys in 2011. Boy were we ever on the mark. I remember the days when Real Weddings were the only way to get your talent noticed by potential clients and media alike. Today staging or 'style shoots' -- the art of styling, staging and photographing tabletop designs, theme decor, food and more in classic 'high-fashion' style -- have become one of the most utilized forms by wedding professionals to showcase their talent for design and detail in their portfolios, blogs and as a gateway to media attention. Real Weddings? They still exist in the realm of marketing, whether it's print, online or social media. But it's taken a back seat to style shoots in the eyes of many a wedding professional. After all, staging is controlled, it's directly derived from the imagination of the wedding professional, it's a way to network and experience vendors' talents.... staging has become so prominent in the media and in advertising that one has to wonder if Real Weddings will one day become an endangered marketing ploy. Equally so, we have to ask ourselves if style shoots are what Brides and Grooms want to see or is it the real, nitty-gritty of the professionals "real" client work that is important to them...this is what will determine the fates of these equally talent-based marketing forms.

LINE BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA AND TRADITIONAL MARKETING BLURS

Once upon a time there was Marketing and then there was Social Media Marketing. With Social Media here to stay, no longer are the two separate. Social Media has earned it's stripes over the years and proved it's power and that said, it has now earned a spot on the holy Marketing Plan. After all, Social Media is what has been driving sales for the majority of companies out there. With the ability to spread branding messages quickly and across numerous platforms, the number of people utilizing Social Media and the opportunity for consumers to receive real-time reviews from a company's customers, Social Media is no longer just another way to market your business but is one of the

HIDDEN MARKETING GEM: WHAT YOUR EMAIL SIGNATURE CAN DO FOR YOU

Unless you operate out of a cave, you have email. In fact, more than 50% of your business is likely conducted over email. So if you have email, you even more likely have an email signature. (If you don't, create one pronto!)

Now take a look at your email signature. What's in it? Hopefully you're seeing your name, title, phone number and web address that links to your web site. Yes? Good. Now what else do you see? ... Keep looking...Nothing? Then you've missed one of the simplest (not to mention FREE) marketing tools out there!

By simply adding a short sentence to your signature that references a special promotion you're holding, shares some exciting news about your product or service, links to a subscription to your newsletter or blog or heck, just reminding your email recipient about a special service you offer and linking to a specific page on your web site, you are marketing yourself.

And in the most subtle of ways. There's no spamming prospective clients. No money spent on flashy ads that just may not work. No double issue commitments. No sales calls. Just a simple one liner at the end of an email.

Simple. Effective. FREE.

A NOTE ABOUT CREATIVE RISK

There are three different kinds of marketing professionals out there. There are those who went to school and follow the "rules" in marketing to the letter. There are those who abandon all rules and theories about marketing and just do their own thing, taking a risk with both their time and money. And then there are those who apply the "rules" and theories of marketing when necessary but that aren't afraid to take a creative risk now and then and see where it leads them.

According to a study from The Creative Group, nearly two-thirds of marketing executives feel that their company or agency doesn't take enough risks or plays it way too safe.

Now I know what you're thinking. I'm not a marketing executive. I'm a wedding professional. What does this have to do with me?

As a wedding professional you are in a unique position. You aren't a major brand relying on ad agencies and marketing firms to get you results. You likely have either a very fixed and concentrated or very modest marketing budget. That said, rather than focus merely on "tried and true" marketing methods, you have an opportunity to be more open to taking a creative risk and trying a method that is not only unorthodox but less costly as well.

Sit down with your team, clear your head of all the marketing opportunities you have seen in the industry and brainstorm ways to promote your company, it's services or its products in an entirely different way. Walk that narrow path into uncharted territory.  You'll never know when one seemingly "absolutely crazy" idea just may become the smartest promotional tactic you've ever used. Even better, it'll be a marketing idea that not one of your competitors will be utilizing and will likely cost much less that traditional ad space.

On the flip side, your creative idea could bomb. But a "tried and true" method could bomb as well.

Anything with the word "risk" attached to it can be a scary thing. Especially for a company looking to establish their brand in crowded industry. Rather than focus on the word "risk", focus on the word "creative" and let it inspire you to new ideas, new marketing tactics and new success.

MORE BLOGGING TIPS FOR THE WEDDING PROFESSIONAL

 

By now I'm sure that all of you have been hit over the head over and over with tips for blogging for your wedding business. You all know to incorporate visuals wherever possible. You know how to keep it at length. You know the importance of tagging. You realize that you shouldn't make your posts all about you ... Yada, yada, yada.

Here are a few more tips to keep in mind when embarking on the art of blogging:

'C' IS FOR CAPTIVATING CONTENT

First of all, no one wants to sound like a walking textbook. Ensure that your blog has a voice -- which essentially you should have already established through the branding process of your company. Your voice should be expressive, charming yet authoritative. Master that and you have one kick ass blog.

Second, you will want your blog posts to inform and engage. You want your readers to stop and think about the message you are trying to get across or you want them to be interested in that newest trend you're sharing or that latest product or service to hit the market. As I've said time and time again, showcasing the occasional wedding you have serviced is great and showcases your expertise. Making your blog only about weddings that you have serviced however reads like a resume and portfolio (read: web site anyone?). Dare yourself to go beyond that. Make them want to read what you have to say rather than scroll through pictures.

BE THE BLACK SHEEP

 

While we're on the subject of content...

Unfortunately the wedding industry is one of redundancy. Trends are forever repeated, phrasing becomes cliche and the big "news" has usually been blogged about to death. You can't get away from it.

There's a big fear out there however that if you aren't reporting the latest trends you will look out of touch. Not so. Think of how many wedding planning blogs are out there and how many of them have likely reported on the Royal Wedding of 2011 for example. Will you seem out of touch if you don't report on it? Absolutely not.

Strive to blog about things that haven't been blogged about. Write about your opinion on certain subjects within the industry, no matter how controversial you think it will be. Put a call out for press releases from other professionals or products in the industry. You never know what might fall across your desk.

By striving to be different from other blogs rather than compete with them you are setting your blog apart from others and garnering your own style of audience. This sentiment can be carried over to your business model as well.  After all, who wants to be comparable to other businesses?

BE APPROACHABLE

Always encourage comments. And be sure to keep the negative, nasty or whiny ones. Blogging is as much an element of social networking as Twitter and Facebook. You'll want to encourage conversation about what you've written whether your post has sparked a heated debate or whether it's a simple kudos. Look at comments this way: it's interest in your blog.

By locking out the negative comments you're not giving your audience the opportunity to speak their minds and more importantly, you're not listening to your audience. You never know what you will learn by opening the comment box to both positive and negative comments or who you may draw to your blog for the first time because of them. Also, always remember that what one person sees as a negative, another sees as a positive. So even if one Bride disagrees that pink polka-dots are the best pattern ever for a Bridesmaid dress, another might be ecstatic to see that a professional shares their taste.

REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE BLOGGING 

IN THE FIRST PLACE!

I always tell wedding professionals that if they can't blog on a regular basis (at least once a week) or if the thought of constantly coming up with blog post ideas is a huge stressor, blogging may not be the right fit for them.

And if that is the case...THAT'S OK!

Blogging is a huge trend that sparked with the latest onset of social media popularity. While blogging has always been a staple of online literacy, it has only been in the past few years that blogging has increased popularity to such extraordinary levels. This is partly because most professionals feel that without blogging they are not being noticed online or are not providing value in some way.

Not so.

Keep in mind that for the average wedding professional (note that I am NOT referring to the average blogger), the purpose of blogging (or any form of social media actually) is to be found by those who are searching online in general and not necessarily by those looking for you specifically. This means that while being found via google search is great, being found by someone who was searching for something else entirely and just happened across your business is even better. Blogs help this accidental search-ability by making you more visible in general through tagging, etc.

But will it make or break your business? Absolutely not.  That said, if you don't think you can deal with the high-maintenance attitude of a blog, don't bother with it. Focus your attention on other ways of being visible. Ways that won't keep you up at night.


So there you have it -- just a few more things to keep in mind when jumping onto the Blogging Bandwagon. Remember that Blogging is an art form.  Not everyone can successfully blog.  Be honest with yourself  and realistic about your abilities. Treat it like a piano. If sitting at those keys doesn't feel like a natural fit, walk away and choose another instrument.   If you feel that blogging is something you can accomplish and actually enjoy...

Blog away my friends, blog away!

TOP TEN WEDDING MARKETING MISTAKES

You asked for it and we're delivering! Here are the Top Ten Wedding Marketing Mistakes that we see on a regular basis:





1. NOT HAVING A WEB SITE/ HAVING AN AMATEUR WEB SITE

You've heard time and time again that you are not considered to be in business until you have a web site and a proper one at that. Ensure that your web site incorporates beauty and brain. Meaning, ensure that your web site not only looks good, but is smart by way of having all the most important information, is easy to navigate and is clear and precise about what your company does without making potential consumers read an essay online.


2. NO BRAND CONSISTENCY


In order to remain TOM (Top of Mind) you need to be sure that the public is seeing the same logo and seeing/hearing the same message over and over again. That said, while changing the colours of your logo slightly so that it works well with your ad design may seem like a brilliant idea, you're actually committing branding suicide. How is a potential client supposed to recognize your logo if it continuously changes? You may decide at some point to change your company description -- if that's true you need to ensure that you change your company description in previous marketing efforts as well to ensure that the message is seen or heard over and over.  In a nutshell, ensure that your logo, your company colours, your slogan/tag line, your "voice" and yes, even your company description is the same no matter where the public may happen to come across them.


3. NO MARKETING PLAN

 

This is perhaps one of the biggest marketing blunders we see on a regular basis -- Wedding Professionals blindly throwing their money at advertising options and marketing ideas without having a concrete plan. This is extremely dangerous for your business not to mention costly. Having a marketing plan will help you determine the direction in which you want the company to go/the goals you want to achieve for that particular year and what marketing measures will best help you to get there (not to mention what marketing measures you can realistically afford and what 'grassroot" options will give you similar success). Without a marketing plan you are essentially sitting in a barrel stranded in the middle of an ocean without a clue as to how to get to land.


4. BECOMING AN ADVERTISING VICTIM

This boo-boo goes along with not having a marketing plan but goes one step further. Having a marketing plan is great, but not doing your diligent research as to your marketing options could drown you. So often we see wedding professionals  throw their money at wedding magazines, at online wedding sites or blogs and more without really knowing what they can or will do for them. They base their decisions on popularity or merely their target market (which, don't get me wrong, is important). What's worse, we've seen wedding professionals replicate the marketing efforts that seemed to have worked for others. Ouch. Don't be an advertising victim. Realize that what works for one may not work for others. And do your proper research.

Request media kits from all potential marketing sources. Look at a magazine's distribution numbers, where they're distributed, who their readership is, do they connect to their online counterpart and what is their online audience like. What do you get for the price etc. With regards to online marketing, request a media kit as well! Look at the number of their monthly viewers and how many of those are returning visitors and how many are unique visitors, where their viewers reside, how many females to males and how involved online is the wedding site (ie do they Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, etc.) And with all advertising mediums what other options do you have to leverage your marketing dollars (ie) Real Wedding postings/editorial, etc.


 
5. NOT PROOFREADING YOUR MARKETING MATERIAL

If your not looking over your mateereal for speling, grammer, mesage, etc over and over before going to print or online... your in huje truble.


 
6. MARKETING SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN'T OR DON'T DELIVER

 Don't make promises you can't keep. Don't use images that aren't your personal work. And don't pretend to be something you're not. Marketing under false pretenses in order to get those clients/consumers that you wouldn't normally attract will only make you look silly and scattered in the long run. Know your niche/demographic and market to them well rather than making that stretch into unknown territory simply to expand your horizons or to compete with a professional you admire/envy.


7. TWO MUCH WHITE SPACE


You've likely seen it. An exquisite photo that nabs attention, creates an emotional response and just plain spells out what that professional does. Then next to it, above it or under it is a glaring white space with minimal text and a logo. Some of you may wonder what could possibly be wrong with this?  Take a quick glance at the said ad again. What do you notice? The photo, right. What else draws your eye. Nothing. Right again. Which means that the most important message has been overshadowed by the photo.

White space can either help your advertisement or murder it. It's important to find the proper balance. Leaving too much white space will only detract from your ad and drowns the message that your audience should be focused on. Let the photo grab the attention and direct the audience to the message.



8. UNCLEAR CALL TO ACTION

This is a marketing faux-pas that should be avoided at all cost. For those of you who are unsure as to what a "Call to Action" is...essentially this is a point on your advertisement that tells the potential client/consumer what to do next. However being unclear with your Call to Action could spell disaster in terms of your ad's efficiency. What do you want your audience to do next? Call you? Visit your web site for more info? Email you? Be sure to be very clear about what direction you want them to take and most importantly ensure that you have all the proper contact info on your ad to do so!



9. TOO MUCH ABOUT YOU!
 

Having an award list a mile long is fabulous. The fact that you've been in business for 20 years is fantastic. The thought that you love puppies and long walks on the beach is adorable. But it doesn't necessarily sell your service or product to a client.

Now, we're not saying don't mention your awards or how long you've been reputably serving your clients. These may be important bits of information to select clients/consumers. What we mean is that droning on and on about yourself, your experience and your hobbies won't help your audience personalize with you but will simply cause them to zone out or ignore the most important parts of your experience, etc. Your potential clients want to see and hear what YOU can do FOR THEM. This is what they will focus on the most out of everything in your marketing material. So be sure to make your marketing material less of a mouthpiece and more of a service announcement.



10. NOT INTEGRATING ALL OF YOUR MARKETING METHODS


Your print marketing has to direct your audience to your online marketing (web site, blog, etc). Your online marketing has to direct your audience to your social networking efforts (twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube, etc). Your Social networking efforts have to direct your audience back to your online efforts (web site, blog, etc) and to your print marketing ("check out our ad in...", "as seen in...."). Your publicity campaign has to direct your audience to your online marketing (web site, blog, etc).

If all your marketing channels are not properly connecting (or worse, not connecting at all!) you are not making the most of your marketing dollars and therefore are not ensuring that you are everywhere all at once and are being found by accident and not merely by those who are looking for you specifically. 

Avoiding these marketing pitfalls will bring you one step closer to successfully achieving your marketing ambitions.

GOOD LUCK!

CAN GOOGLE'S GOGGLES HELP YOUR WEDDING BUSINESS GROW?

 

Now say that three times fast.

Is Google's Goggles about to hit the Canadian wedding industry? If it does, it could prove to be a sophisticated, albeit pricey, way to reach the mobile market.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this technology, Google's Goggles is a mobile app available for download on the iPhone and Android that recognizes real-world objects through Smartphone camera lenses. With the original version, you would take a snapshot of the QR Code (that funky barcode-ish looking thing) and would immediately receive information related to that product such as what it is, who made it and where you can get it.

 With Google's newest version Goggles 1.3 you now have the ability to retrieve information simply by hovering over the QR Code (and now BARCODES too!) rather than having to take a snapshot. What's even cooler is that the new version has the ability to read QR Codes in print ads. For those of us who combine our print marketing with e-marketing strategies and social media...YEE-HAW! This is just one more way of connecting the dots and putting your business everywhere all at once.

Think of all the possibilities that this little do-hickey can bring to marketing your wedding business! Print ads do not have to simply be print ads any more! Not only can the QR Code provide potential clientele with additional information for your product or service instantaneously but it can also send them to the URL for your service. The trick to putting Goggles to task is to ensure that the Goggles tags bring up info that can't be found by a general Google search. You want to ensure that your potential clientele or consumers are receiving real-time info that they can't find anywhere else.

Will "reality advertising" guarantee sales? Not sure. Will it put you one step closer to reaching couples that are constantly on the move, tech-savvy and glued to their phone? Yuppers!

And for those of you who have no idea where to start with QR Codes for your marketing practices...it can also solve your Sudoku Puzzles in a matter of seconds.

Seriously.

MARKETING PREDICTIONS FOR 2011

With 2010 coming to an end and 2011 right around the corner, we thought we'd share with you a few of our wedding marketing predictions for 2011:


ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING WILL GET EVEN BIGGER

We've already witnessed the upsurge of Social Media, Blogging and Online Advertising among the wedding industry and most of us have adjusted our marketing to accommodate this new wave of online movement. In the New Year more and more wedding professionals will be shifting their marketing budgets to online mediums for the mere reason that online is where the bulk of their audience is. While print marketing is not about to bow out by any stretch of the imagination, most wedding professionals are going to realize the need to mix their Marketing Campaigns with Online Marketing Campaigns in order to get the most bang for their marketing bucks.

In 2011 we'll see more wedding professionals jumping on the Social Media bandwagon as they'll have a better grasp of what Social Media is. Those who just didn't "get it" this past year will be trying it out in the new year. (In other words, if you're not on Social Media, you might want to get on that).

You will also begin to see more career paths dedicated to Social Media Marketing (meaning you'll see more wedding professionals assign or hire team members for the sole responsibility of listening and researching in social media communities, social gaming and social video as well as handling marketing in these areas on a day to day basis). As a result, wedding professionals will seemingly be everywhere all at once.

As well, more educational opportunities will be popping up both in formal educational institutions and informal seminars for wedding professionals (or any professional really) to gain more knowledge on how to best use SMO for their marketing practices.  That said, that excuse you've used all of 2010 that you just don't "get" Social Media will be tossed out the window my friend.



SEO AND SMO WILL EXPAND AND COMPETE EVEN MORE

In the past couple of years wedding professionals have been focusing a lot of energy on increasing their SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and well I'd certainly hope so as it's pretty much been the number one way of getting found by your target market. However with the emergence of other search engines as major contenders like Bing, MSN, Ask, etc it's become not just about being on the first page of Google anymore it's about getting on the first page everywhere. So guess what? Now your SEO is on-par is more important than ever.

Then you have social media like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more which provide new ways to be found online. Toss in Mobile Searches and Geo-Location Searches and voila -- you have so many more places into which you have to get your brand.

Acknowledging that there is so much more than just Search Engine Optimization on Google is the first step to increasing your brand's profile. Embracing the new practices and using them is the next one.



STAGING WILL BECOME MORE PROMINENT


It works for the real estate, fashion and culinary industries and while it's was embraced rather slowly in the wedding industry it's usage is anticipated to pick up speed in 2011. 'Fashion shoots' are no longer only for the fashion industry. These days wedding professionals - from cake designers and decorators to caterers and wedding planners -- are styling, staging and photographing tabletop designs, theme decor, food and more in classic 'high-fashion' style as a way to showcase their talent for design and detail in their portfolios, blogs and as a gateway to the media.

While 'staging' in the wedding industry is definitely not a new concept, fashioning and photographing wedding concepts in 'high-fashion' zine-like style for self-promotion is. Gone are the days of simply setting up a table yourself and taking some photos with your own camera or hoping that a high-profile magazine will offer to do a shoot for you. While it can be costly, these days wedding professionals are hiring or partnering with other professionals in the industry to put together full theme concepts (aka their 'vision') and having established photographers skillfully capture it. Everyone who participates essentially wins with equal promotion and let's face it, it looks so much better than if we did it with our rinky-dinky point-and-shoot.

Staging has become the newest form of collaborative partnership among industry professionals and can be expected to increase in the New Year.


MOBILE MARKETING HAS A RUNNING START

With the success of the iPhone and the introduction of the iPad and Google's Android, Smartphone technology is booming and so mobile marketing has sped up from a light jog to a full on run.

In the New Year mobile marketing won't just be about texting, emails or applications. We'll see an escalation of new applications, new devices (ahem...the new iPad anyone?) and an increase in technology making our networks that much faster and technology that much smarter. That said, our marketing efforts will expand to Smartphone technology services like location-aware programs, mobile games and applications that will feed interest to our consumers and send them in our direction. Where will you see the most wedding professionals in 2011? You'll see more wedding professionals develop their own 'Apps' for their services or making use of Wedding Apps that already exist like iWedding and more.



ONLINE VIDEO WILL GET EVEN BIGGER (YES IT IS POSSIBLE)

One thing that stood out in 2010 was the increase of numbers of people watching online video. With an abundance of video sharing sites like YouTube, Loomia and Woomu and video hosting sites like Hulu

While using video for marketing purposes is not a new concept,  (promo videos, 'trailers', recorded interviews, etc. have been used for the last three years in practically every industry from entertainment to publishing to fashion and more) there has been a dramatic increase in using video for marketing among wedding professionals as a result of this increase in what's being referred to as 'Social Video'.  From 'wedding trailers' to 'video testimonials' you can expect to see more promotionally-aimed videos coming from the wedding industry than from the wedding couples themselves.



PERSONALIZATION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE WILL BE EVEN MORE OF A KEY FOCUS

More wedding professionals are realizing that 'personalizing' their marketing efforts are getting more personable results meaning that by tweaking their marketing to capture the interest and needs of their 'target market' they see a stronger presence of that specific audience in their ROI (Return on Investment).

In 2011 you'll likely see more wedding professionals 'getting personable' with their target audience as well (and not just with direct marketing methods). More conversations will be sparked by wedding professionals in online social communities, more wedding blogs will surface (but more importantly more wedding blogs will reflect and attract specific audiences) and more attention will be paid to how customer service is handled.

Speaking of customer service,  2010 proved that consumers don't want to wait for an answer to their question or a solution to their problem. Everything had that "I want it now" mentality. Some professionals labelled this mentality as "demanding".  Other professionals saw this mentality for what it was -- a desire for real communication in real time.

As a result, in 2011 you'll find that many companies will be providing 'real-time' customer service to engage and appease their consumers in this fast-paced era. Consumers now have more than one option of obtaining customer service. (ahem...remember the good ol' days of waiting on hold for what seemed like eternity?)

In 2011 you'll likely see a decline in the use of online forms as a way of obtaining customer service and instead you'll see more direct email options and direct phone numbers. You'll also likely notice an increase in the use of Live Online Chat or Messenger Boxes for customer service which  provides the highest level of 'Real Time' Customer Service.



These predictions don't mean that we've looked into some magic crystal ball and are telling you what you must do in 2011. These predictions are the marketing trends that we anticipate will impact the wedding industry as a whole in 2011. And as a wedding professional your key to success will be to develop a marketing plan for 2011 that will reap the most benefits for your business.

AND IF YOU'VE NEVER DEVELOPED A MARKETING PLAN, GUESS WHAT YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION SHOULD BE?

A LOOK BACK AT 2010: WHAT MARKETING TRENDS WORKED & WHAT DIDN'T - PART II

A LOOK BACK AT 2010 - PART II: 

RING IN THE NEW

2010 marked a giant leap in marketing trends, especially online. What was a phenomenon in 2009 quickly became an everyday reality in 2010. Marketing tactics leaped from one dimensional conversations to two-way relationships and listening and responding to consumers became every wedding business' top priority.


Here are the Marketing Trends in 2010 that not only made a huge impact in how we marketing our businesses but that actually worked:



SOCIAL MEDIA (TWITTER, FACEBOOK, BLOGGING, YOU TUBE, ETC)

I'm really hoping that the climb of Social Media hasn't come as a surprise to you all. After all, with the need and desire for everything in our lives to be in real time, Social Media simply did the polite thing and stepped up to the challenge of delivering it. The success (or failure) of Social Media for most wedding professionals however depended on how it was used. Many wedding professionals are still in the dark about how Social Media can optimize their marketing efforts while others have embraced the notion of 'interacting' rather than simply 'broadcasting'.

Social Media enabled wedding professionals to be found by consumers who were simply searching in general rather than only by those consumers who were searching for them directly. This has opened doors of every shape and colour for wedding professionals and has expanded their reach ten-fold...if they're embracing the Social Media age that is. Those that still view Social Media as simply a passing phenomenon will be left behind by the side of the road. Social Media is forever changing and expanding, hence shedding light on new opportunities for wedding professionals every day.

If you're not yet on the band-wagon you had better buy your ticket fast.



REAL-TIME SEO


While Google was once the end-all-be-all to SEO, it's had to adjust its practices to embrace the Real-Time revolution. More and more people have begun to do their searching for products and services through Social Media networks which has left Google, etc. in a flurry to catch up. As a result, Search Engines have now integrated Twitter and Blog feeds making our businesses, services and discussions that much more visible and allowing greater opportunities for professionals to connect with their consumers. And it likely won't end there. Eventually all social networking feeds will likely wind up in the almighty search engine which means that ensuring that your SEO is up to par is of huge importance.



FACE-TIME MARKETING

The concept may not seem all that new, but the number of wedding professionals embracing this trend is. Face-time marketing is not just about the typical Bridal Show which, let's face it, has been around forever and is not about to go anywhere anytime soon. It's about interacting, engaging and listening to consumers in real time, in a real place and most importantly, face-to-face. Think of it as Social Media but without the Media part...so basically 'Social'.

In a digital, hurry-up-and-wait age like ours many wedding professionals are shying away from the once-popular marketing method and opting for the 'new-age' trends like social media, online advertising and print. However, face-time marketing has been proven in 2010 to still be a major front-runner in marketing. What's considered Face-time Marketing? Launch parties, Public Seminars, Sponsoring and Presenting at Wedding Productions like Fashion Shows, etc. While more and more research is done online, consumers are still out and about and enjoying physical interaction.

Real time marketing is about capturing the consumer's attention and engaging them in the moment. What better way to capture the attention of our consumers than to offer something tangible...our product and service face-to-face.



MOBILE MARKETING

Yes there's an app for that. Hundreds of them.

In 2010 Mobile marketing has made an enormous impact on outreach to the consumer without actually making a lot of noise. Just like our mobile devices get more sophisticated every year so does the way we interact with consumers on such devices.

Whether it's providing an easier, quicker way to use or purchase products on the move as with App's,  sharing thoughts and ideas through mobile Internet and social media applications or connecting communities of like-minded individuals together through texting contests and promotions with companies like ThumIt, Mobile Marketing has brought individuals even closer than before and has brought products and services literally to the fingertips of consumers. 

“We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day”.

~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

A LOOK BACK AT 2010: WHAT MARKETING TRENDS WORKED & WHAT DIDN'T - PART I

 

“Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.”
~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

In just a few short weeks the Holiday hub-bub will dwindle down and we'll be (*gasp!*) heading into a brand New Year full of new hope for successful wedding businesses and new marketing plans to make it happen.

Of course to do that we have to re-evaluate our marketing plans from the past year and determine what has worked and what hasn't (or for those of you without marketing plans you'll have to actually create one!).

Following along the theme of looking back on what has worked in terms of marketing your business and what hasn't, A Look Back at 2010 examines a few of the marketing trends that took off in 2010 and a few trends that are on their way down.

A LOOK BACK AT 2010 - PART I: 

RING OUT THE OLD

DIRECT-MAIL

I'll likely take a lot of heat on this one as there are many marketing companies out there that still thrive on the Direct marketing route, but hear me out. We live in a world that's obsessed with saving time. We send emails over Blackberry because it's faster, we opt for self-check-out at the grocery store because it's quicker than having someone else do it and we have cell phones because we can no longer wait to get to a landline to chat. That said, the idea of having to sort through endless Direct Mail pieces in our mailbox to get to the  mail that actually means something to us is a waste of time (not to mention a waste of paper). Most Direct Mail pieces are viewed as "junk mail" nowadays and are simply ignored.

That said, if you plan to remain loyal to your Direct Mail campaign ensure you're piece is doing two very important things: 1) visually eye catching with the right call-words and  2) connecting your consumer directly to something online (and fast!).

TELEMARKETING

I'm really hoping that I don't have to explain this. Telemarketing is one of the most inconvenient marketing methods imposed on consumers and yet there are a ton of companies out there that missed the memo.

Put it this way, there's a reason that "Do Not Call" lists exist. Better yet, think of the last time you were contacted by a telemarketer and then tell us how hooked you were on whatever they were pitching to you.

Exactly.

PRINT ADVERTISING

Now I'm not one of those people who is going to join the "Print-is-Dead' parade because I truly don't believe that. However I am going to be completely frank here:  the print mediums that are surviving out there are the ones that have integrated their print efforts with their online mediums. Those that don't are in danger of fading into the "remember when" category. Why? The amount of people doing their research online is increasing every year. Consumers want real-time reviews and photos of products and services and they want their information in great detail and this can't easily be done with a print ad. Gone are the days of the thick Yellow Pages book or when consumers looked forward to thumbing through catalogs in the mail and here are the days in which with a simple click on an online ad a consumer can be immediately transported to a page or web site that's chock-full of information that the consumer wants about that product or service.

If you look at the wedding magazines that are still enjoying great success you'll notice that they all have one thing in common: they have online counterparts that take the print content and propel it into real time digital-tangibility. If you're opting for Print Advertising, ensure that it has the capability to connect with an online campaign and make that you have your web site prominently displayed on that print ad. After all, where do you think the consumer will go after seeing your print ad? Think about it.


TELEVISION ADVERTISING

There's a reason that sites like You Tube are thriving. More and more consumers are watching television programs and video online than ever before, making television commercials less effective than they once were. Also, with the wonderful invention of the PVR which grants consumers the power to fast forward through commercials, successful television advertising has become dependant not only on the delivery-style of the information but the strategy of timing and placement.

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in.  A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”

~Bill Vaughan

Stay tuned for 

A LOOK BACK AT 2010 - PART II: RING IN THE NEW!

WHY WORKING FOR FREE SUCKS

There are many 'professionals' in the wedding industry who feel that in order to build up their professional portfolios they have to work for free or severly undercut the industry by doing the same amount of work as their colleagues but at an extremely low fee. What happens when they do this is they tear apart the value that others in their profession have worked so hard to create.

Harlan Ellison, a Hollywood writer, sums why working for free and undercutting the industry just plain sucks. Of course he's referring to writing in Hollywood but his sentiment resonates with just about any profession in the wedding industry.

Bravo Mr. Ellison...Bravo.

TWITTER FACT OR MYTH

While Twitter has become as much of a staple in our personal and business lives as Facebook, there still remains an overwhelming number of wedding professionals who are in the dark about what Twitter is, how to use it and how it can be beneficial for your business. Even more so, there are many misconceptions about what Twitter is that deters many professionals from even attempting it.

Well folks, below you will find some of the most common thoughts or remarks about Twitter and Marketing UnVEILED is going to dispel the myths and clarify the truths.



 
TWITTER AND FACEBOOK ARE THE SAME DAMN THING:

 



 While Twitter and Facebook are both elements of the Social Media phenomenon, they are two completely different entities with different goals. Here's the diff' in a nutshell: Facebook is all all about reconnecting and furthering relationships with people or 'friends' whom you already know. Twitter, on the other hand, is about creating new relationships. It's about sharing ideas with like-minded individuals from around the world and engaging complete strangers (read potential consumers!) into conversations and creating a desire to "follow" you and learn more about you.

So what does that mean for your business? With Twitter, by creating new relationships you are opening yourself to new opportunities through others and are exposing yourself to a new demographic that may have not discovered you otherwise. It's essentially a circle effect. For example, if you 'follow' Joe the Photographer and start interacting with him, he, in turn, may 'follow' you. Now Jennifer the Bride who was also 'following' Joe the Photographer has noticed you interacting with him. This has peaked her curiosity and so she has checked out your Twitter profile, likes what she saw and is now 'following' YOU!  Viola! Potential consumer! Not to mention a great new connection with a fabulous photographer!




ETIQUETTE STATES THAT IF SOMEONE FOLLOWS YOU ON 
TWITTER YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THEM BACK 


I can count on both hands how many times this has come up for debate. Here's our take on the matter: some of the most promising and business-successful relationships were created by professionals following one another. After all, the point to Twitter is to connect and network with one another right? That said, you should be aware of who is following you and connect with them appropriately. You never know what may come out of that newly budding relationship. However, that does not mean that you have to follow every single person who follows you just out of sheer politeness. Can you imagine what your Twitter feed would be like? How many un-interesting tweets (in your opinion of course) you would have to filter through just to read up on those you're interested in? Who has that kind of time?

Consider Preston Bailey for example. At last count he has 8,938 followers but only follows 303. Does this mean that he's being rude or arrogant? No. It simply means that while he appreciates his massive following, he only has the time to follow and connect with those tweets that genuinely interest him.





THERE ARE RIGHT WAYS AND 
WRONG WAYS TO USE TWITTER



There aren't too many "rules' when it comes to Twitter. After all this isn't the Church of Twitter or anything but there are some foolproof ways to LOSE followers. Here's what they are:

1. SPAMMING: Sending your followers sales pitch after sales pitch is basically the number one way of losing followers. Informing your followers of the occasional sale or promotion is fine, but making every second tweet about a sale or sales pitch is a giant boo-boo in Twittersphere.

2. USING A DEFAULT TWITTER PHOTO: If you're using Twitter as a marketing tool and your Twitter profile photo is the iconic Twitter-Bird you have a serious problem. How can you expose your brand on Twitter if you don't have a brand? And no, I don't mean putting up your personal photo. I mean your logo people.  Oh and don't forget to include your web site on your Bio!

3. OVER SHARING YOUR PERSONAL LIFE OR NOT SHARING ENOUGH OF YOUR PERSONAL LIFE: This is a biggie. Yes, it's important to have a bit of personality with your tweets, meaning that if you're using Twitter for marketing it's OK to share a personal-life comment once in a while. After all, your followers want to know that you are an actual person and not a robot. Having a balance of personal and business will keep your relationships with your followers fresh and intrigue new followers to join you.

However, sharing nothing of value but your personal life or sharing what's considered 'TMI' (otherwise known as 'Too-much-information') can put you in the doghouse. Not all your professional contacts want to know about your latest conquest from last night or want to listen to you whine about personal matters...know what I mean?

4. POSTING EVERY FIVE MINUTES: OK, so you may think you have a lot of great, important things to say, but posting every five minutes -- especially if it's nothing relevant -- just becomes annoying and is the second quickest way to be dropped like a bad habit. You're merely cluttering up your followers' Twitter feed. Don't give them a reason to do some spring cleaning.

5. USING 'TWITTER-BOTS':



YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY BLOCK OR UNFOLLOW  ANYONE WHO POSTS A NEGATIVE COMMENT/ARGUES WITH YOU/ETC.
  

OK, so you tweet about a particular subject and out of the woodwork comes Mr. Negative who strongly (and publicly I might add) disagrees with you. What do you do? Do you immediately block them? Do you unfollow them?

No. You engage them into a discussion. Defend your point and see what Mr. Negative has to say in return. He will likely follow your lead and defend his position and so on and so forth. Why is this important? Because you've now created a lively discussion into which your followers (not to mention his!) can tune in. You've created content. You're listening. Your sharing. Your interacting. Welcome to Twitter!

Now, there may come a point where the conversation is dragging on with no end in sight. At that point you should drop the conversation but not the follower. When should you drop or block a follower? When their responses or tweets become rude, disrespectful or just plain nasty or if you truly feel they are damaging your reputation for no reason other than spite.



  

CONTENT IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO DRAW A FOLLOWING



 I have mentioned countless times that it's not the number of people who follow you, it's who is following you that truly matters. After all, does it really matter that you have 40,000 followers if only ten of them can actually impact your business?

Now that having been said, how do you attract those you want to follow you? Aside from directly connecting with your potential followers, you also have to ENGAGE them. And how do you engage them? With content that interests them, inspires them and encourages them to interact with you. Posting that you had spaghetti for dinner doesn't exactly scream "come follow me!". On the other hand, posting "just had the most amazing spaghetti at www.lapastahouse.com and they have gorgeous wedding facilities too!" has just provided relatable content to those who you want to follow you -- brides, grooms and fellow professionals. Posting thought-provoking or debate-provoking questions or comments invites potential followers into conversation, giving appropriate shout-outs to vendors encourages interaction and posting links with your posts gives meat to your posts. The point to twitter is to share, listen, interact and engage. Best way to do that? Have content!






TWITTER HAS NO ROI.




If you are investing a lot of time in Twitter and you are gaining nothing in return (otherwise known as 'return-on-investment' or ROI) then you are doing something wrong and should examine how you are using Twitter to market your business.

Now ROI can take many forms. Your return on investment can be anything from direct bookings to established business connections that may connect you to consumers in the future to Brides who follow you and while they don't become your client they retweet your info to future Brides they know.

If you're lacking any form of ROI try examining how you're Tweeting for your business. Are you starting conversations? Are you communicating with your existing consumers? Are you using viral tactics to spread your message?

And of course, if you feel that you are gaining absolutely nothing in return for your well-planned Twitter-efforts and it is truly becoming a "waste of your time" then it may be time for you to leave the Twitter-sphere. There are many forms of Social Media out there and no one has ever said that you have to be everywhere. If Twitter just isn't working for you and is becoming a source of stress rather than marketing, move on to something that will provide you with some form of ROI.






TWITTER IS TIME CONSUMING.


The main rebuttal I get from reluctant Twitter-marketers is that Twitter takes too much time. One client I have said quote "I barely have time to update my Facebook, how am I supposed to find the time to continuously post what I'm doing, where I'm going, etc, etc, etc on Twitter???"  This misconception goes hand-in-hand with a couple of my posts above. You don't have to tweet a lot to be noticed. If you can only tweet once a day or hell, once a week, that's perfectly fine! Just make sure that the one tweet you do post is worth reading.

There are also numerous software programs out there from Uber-Twitter to Hootsuite and more that can make your Twitter existence easier to manage whether it be by tweeting on-the-go via your mobile device or scheduling your tweets in advance. Find what method and frequency works for you and roll with it.

Well there you have it folks! Now that your most common concerns about Twitter have been clarified or dispelled, you're running out of reasons why you're not on Twitter.  Try it out, tweet a bit and see where your wings take you!

BRIDAL SHOWS (AND UNDERSTANDING THOSE THE BRIDES DRAG IN WITH THEM)

 

Photo courtesy of Bridal Boudoir Affair

 

Bridal Shows are one of those promotional tactics that will likely never become replaced.  Why?  Bridal Shows offer tangibility. They offer the opportunity to ask questions, get answers and see/touch/feel product and service in real time better than any Social Media platform ever could. Yet Bridal Shows are also one of the more costly means of promotion for your wedding business once you have factored in all the costs involved as well as the strength of competition that surrounds your booth.

That having been said, in order for your Bridal Show to be effective you must understand those whom you want to see your booth. Your booth needs to stand out and speak to the most common attendee...the Bride. But your booth should also grab the attention of those whom they have brought with them...most likely the Maid of Honour, the Bridesmaids, the Best Friend...the MOM.

There are a number of reasons why Brides attend Bridal Shows, mainly:

• Concentrated number of vendors in one place
• Tangibility of products/services
• One on one time with vendors
• Diversity of vendors
• Opportunity to win prizes/services
• To gain inspiration/ideas

But what about those who attend the shows with them? Most Brides will bring along their Maid of Honour, their BFF, their Bridesmaids, Sister or their mother before they would ever consider bringing along their Groom. Why? Because that female compadre will endure the massive crowds, the inflated food prices and the aisles upon aisles of everything 'wedding' out of sheer loyalty to their blissful Bride. Which means that not only will they follow the Bride through endless flowers, veils and cake with a smile plastered across their face the entire time but they will be fiercly protective of their pal's best interests when dealing with vendors.

So what can you do to ensure that you're not just drawing attention from the Bride but from those whom they've dragged with them (let's call them "the loyal comrades")? Here are just a few tips:

SIGNAGE -- ensure that you have adequate sized signage that can be seen not just as one is approaching the booth but that can be seen from further away. 

BE CREATIVE -- understand that eventually every booth will begin to look the same to a Bride and especially to their loyal comrade. Ensure that your booth stands out whether it be by way of creative colour choices, a "wow-factor" stand-alone piece, etc.

BE INVITING -- ensure that your booth invites attendees inside the booth not just in front of it. Couches and coffee tables, bistro tables, crusier tables and bar stools not only encourage attendees to walk into the booth and explore but are enticing to the loyal comrades as a place to rest their weary feet, forcing the Bride to stop at the booth.

BE STRATEGIC WITH YOUR CONTESTS -- if you haven't already figured it out, many contest ballets are filled out not necessarily by the Bride but by their loyal comrades. For truly effective leads, why not include a line such as "I visited your booth with _____________ my _______________" along with a spot to fill in their email for a chance to win a secondary prize?

COMMUNICATION IS KEY -- don't just chat up the Bride, chat up her loyal comrade! The Bride may be looking elsewhere as she approaches your booth but that doesn't mean that the loyal comrade is too. What you have to say may strike a chord with her and she may then encourage the Bride to stop and take notice.

POINT THAT THING ELSEWHERE -- having a slideshow of your work on a big screen is great. Having it face straight out at the aisle isn't. Understand that while a Bride is chatting with a vendor the loyal comrade may not be all that interested and their attention could be wandering down the aisle. Your best bet? Aim that slideshow down the aisle to grab their attention before they even get to your booth.

Most wedding professionals concentrate their Bridal Show efforts on attracting Brides to their products or services. And rightfully so! However understanding those whom they bring along may very well double their efforts and increase the traffic to the booth. After all, what product or service one may not see as a big deal, another will and can convince them.