Whether They Follow You Or Not, Brides Expect To See You On Facebook

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Over the last few years the look of marketing has drastically changed. People have gone from using phone books and listening to radio and TV ads and have switched to checking out websites and looking up companies on Facebook. It’s not that TV, radio ads and phone book listings are irrelevant, the actual issue is that the majority of consumers expect your business to be active online, and if you aren’t it can be a huge red flag to potential customers.

The movement behind the switch in expectations: The truth is that once Amazon really caught on people got used to finding out in-depth information and reviews in an easy to find format. They want to know what you are about, and what other people think of you. They can’t find this out in an ad directly from you. On top of that, reviews and information online tends to be written in a much more interesting format. People don’t want to just take your word for it; they want to know they are making the best decision possible.

So why do brides expect to see you on Facebook? In part it’s because in the last year wedding businesses have started to get the picture that people want to see actual images of their products. Facebook is a no pressure, easy to navigate place where brides can check out your work while they are catching up on the news with friends and family. Essentially you are putting your wedding business on Facebook in the same place where brides hang out. To find out more about current stats on consumers on Facebook check out this interesting article by Sarah Love. What do you think?

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Filed Under: Bridal Marketing, Social Media Tips, Website, Website Tools & Tips, Wedding Business Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Google is Lying to You About Your Website! Find Out the Truth

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Many wedding vendors are making a fatal mistake that means brides are NOT finding your website…and most of them will never realize it.

It’s time for you to learn the truth. You can handle the truth, right?

The Google Search Trap

I’ll use an example outside the wedding industry to illustrate this point.

A friend of ours told me she was on Page 1 of Google for her #1 search term: interior design business. Being the “prove it to me” kind of gal that I am, I immediately typed the phrase into Google.

No dice. She wasn’t there. In fact, I didn’t find her until Page 2.

What my friend didn’t know is that Google delivers different search engine results depending on who you are and where you’re located.

Ever notice those little person icons next to your search results? They look like this. 

Those are your personal results, meaning pages that belong to sites you visit or sites that belong to your social media friends. (Yes, Google knows all about your dirty little secrets.)

Your search results are also skewed by your geographic location. If you’re in Arkansas, you’ll get totally different results when you type in “wedding photographer” than I do here in New York.

This can mean that your wedding website is buried in the search results for your most desired keywords, and you never even know it. All the while, you think you’re sitting pretty because every time YOU type in that phrase, your site comes up on page one.

Google, you deceitful #@*&^!!

Find Out the Truth

How do you find out what really comes up on Page 1 of Google for the terms you’d like your wedding business website to rank for?

What you need is a proxy server.

A proxy server is a service that hides your location so you can do a search without Google knowing who and where you are. Sneaky, eh?

Our favorite proxy server is Hide My Ass. *shrug* It’s the name that gets us.

You can use Hide My Ass or any other proxy server to find out how your website really stacks up. Watch the wedding business tools video below to learn how.

This is just ONE of the many essential tools and resources that we share with our Wedding Business Blueprint members.

Want more juicy tips and sneaky strategies you can use to grow your wedding business?

CLICK HERE to watch our entire video series! But hurry–they’re only available for a limited time.

If you'd like to get more free information and strategies like this, join our Wedding Business Tips email list here.

Filed Under: Attracting Ideal Clients, Bridal Marketing, Home Page, Leads & Traffic, Personal Development, Website, Website Tools & Tips, Wedding Websites Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The New Best Way To Capture A Brides Attention

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When did you last look at a bunch of wedding business websites? There is a trend which is quickly catching on with wedding websites that is crucial in capturing a bride’s attention and it increases the probability of changing her from an observer to a client.

This trend is pictures. Lots of artistic, eye catching pictures that show off the work your business does. Now obviously over using pictures is no better than not using pictures at all, however you should use a few pictures on every website page you have, as well as having a photo album to show off more of your work.

The reason this works according to Kathy DalPra’s brilliant article on Bride Appeal is because pictures convey an idea faster than words. They also show how good you are, and let’s face it; brides today are used to social media where they see a ton of pictures all the time. So what do you think? Are pictures the next big trend?

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Filed Under: Attracting Ideal Clients, Bridal Marketing, Website, Website Tools & Tips, Wedding Business, Wedding Industry Trends, Wedding Websites Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Why Digital Marketing Is Here To Stay

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Mud_Puddle

Have you ever wondered why there is so much change in the digital marketing platform? After all it seems like there should be some bottom line answers that ALWAYS work right? Well, let’s put it all in context. Marketing has been around ever since buying and selling started (and let’s face it, we’re talking about a very long time) whereas the entire digital age is young. After all, the internet is a new invention, and the very first web page just turned 20 last month.

Does that mean that it shouldn’t be taken seriously and that you don’t need to worry about digital marketing for your wedding business? Absolutely not. The type of marketing is dependent on how people are shopping and buying, and there is an ever growing desire by the consumers to at least do the majority of shopping online. To some of us who have spent a big chunk of our lives with the internet the concept of buying online is no harder than walking through a mud puddle.

What does this mean for you? It means that there is really no excuse for you to not be marketing online, and businesses who want to thrive are doing exactly that. Make sure to read the article by Pierre DeBois for digital marketing tips! What do you think? Is digital marketing for wedding businesses going to stick around for a while?

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What The Changes In Marketing Mean To You

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Simple_But_Beautiful_Woman

Marketing has changed. Not just in some fields, but across the board. Think about it. If you’ve done any shopping online you’ve probably noticed that you base some if not all of your purchase choices on reviews. So how does that work with marketing as a whole?

Well, it means that doing a huge ad campaign isn’t going to bring great returns. First of all, most of us ignore the ad and don’t even look at it in the first place according to the awesome article by Eric Markowitz. And second of all there is no interaction with the ad. Personal interaction is what is driving the market right now. People want to know the people behind the business, and want to know what other people think about the products and services.

This has created a huge marketing benefit for any business that is online and on social media. Online shopping caters to the new market, and wedding businesses that plunge into the new marketing now are going to find themselves ahead of many of the top wedding businesses nationwide because of how many businesses are still fighting the change in marketing. What do you think?

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Why You Should Market To Brides Where They Are

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Woman_On_LaptopFinding out where your audience spends it’s time online is one of the first steps to setting up an effective marketing plan. If you go where they are already it will be easier to capture their interest. The good news is that there is one place where the majority of internet users hang out, and that place according to Frank Reed’s article is: Facebook.

The first thing you need to realize before you start marketing to brides on Facebook is that they are there to socialize. This means that you need to set up your Facebook page to be user friendly and use your status updates to not only market but to also ask questions and give out important and helpful information. Think about it. The bride socializes with you while chatting with friends and gets helpful tips for planning her wedding. That combination in a safe environment is going to build trust, which in turn can turn into solid sales, and great reviews. What do you think? Is your Facebook marketing working for you?

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Why, When and How to Blog Your Way to Booked Weddings

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A girl standing in front of the question why

Leave it to my friend Claire over at the English Wedding blog to make the most convincing argument for blogging that I have ever seen.  Really!

Not only does she tell you how to do it simply and easily, she explains the actual results and benefits you can expect to get from it, topics you can blog about and shares examples of wedding professionals who are doing it well.

Read her article here: How to Blog Your Wedding Business

Blogging is not a “fad,” it’s a necessary part of your wedding marketing if you want to book Gen Y brides who are online all the time.  If you want to be found, it’s the simplest way to get there.

What do you think about blogging?

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