How To Avoid Your Wedding Business Past Biting You From Behind

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If you don’t want your wedding business past to come up and bite you from behind then it’s best to avoid the mistakes that create that kind of past. Cast in point; don’t post anything on your website or on social media sites when you are drunk. Remember that once something is online, it stays online. It doesn’t matter who you are or how large a cleanup crew you have, there is no way to guarantee that the information you posted is gone for good.

No one likes having mistakes in their past that can mess with their business future. But what you might not realize is that often it’s the small mistakes that create the biggest havoc. In their article The Young Entrepreneur Council on inc.com recommends making sure to always keep your information in the about me, and contact sections up to date. These places are often where people go first, and the last thing you want is for brides, or even worse those you are networking with to get outdated information. Not only does it look bad, it can lead to your having to honor problematic business practices that you have moved past. What do you think?

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Filed Under: Attracting Ideal Clients, Bridal Marketing, Networking, Personal Development, Social Media Tips Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How To Make Wedding Business Networking Successful

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Networking events can be tough, whether you go to one outside your industry or are just mixing at a bridal show. Patricia Fletcher points out that you don’t have to be an extrovert to make them work well for you, you just have to be prepared.

Think it through. Why are you trying to network in the first place? Do you want to build a network for bridal referrals? Are you a wedding planner trying to find businesses you like that you want to work with going forward? Know your purpose and then think through the main things you really want to talk about with people. If you only have three things to say to someone to try to get a wedding business networking relationship started, what do they need to be?

While you’re thinking that through ad in a few questions you can ask them about themselves. Remember, networking isn’t all about you, it’s a two way street. You need help, they need help and a relationship is formed when you both realize you can help the other person. Make sure to read Patricia Fletcher’s great article for more ways to prepare for networking events.

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Filed Under: Advertising, Bridal Marketing, Networking, Personal Development, Wedding Vendors Tagged With: , , , , ,

How To Avoid Spammers On Facebook And Still Network

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Wedding business networking on Facebook is great, but it comes with its own set of problems. Of course you want to be connected with other business professionals, and sometimes even some of your favorite clients.

So how can you tell right off the bat whether someone that just friended you is a real person who is trying to network, or a spammer trying to get your personal information? Well that is exactly what Nick O’Neill answers in his awesome article. According to him the rule of thumb is that if their profile picture is of a hot chick that you’ve never met before, they are probably a spammer. Keep networking, but stay safe while you’re at it. Have you even run into a problem with getting spammed on Facebook?

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Why You Need To Use LinkedIn

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LinkedIn has been skimmed over a lot recently by marketers. It isn’t that they don’t use it or think it’s important. Actually the opposite is true. They almost automatically assume than anyone involved in online marketing, let alone regular business people, are going to be already using LinkedIn.

So what exactly does it do for you? Well, it isn’t where you are going to find a lot of brides. However it is where you will be able to network with other professionals in the wedding field which can lead to referrals, and even more importantly, it builds your credibility.

It’s true that you want your business to get top ranking in Google, but have you ever run a Google search on your name? Believe it or not both brides and professionals networking with you are going to be doing that very thing. They are asking “who is this person, and why should I listen to them?” Having a profile on LinkedIn is one of the best ways you can answer that question.

Watch the video by WebProNews here:

 


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How To Do Effective Business Networking

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Shanking_HandsBusiness networking can be fun, but it isn’t something that you do to just get to know the other professionals in your field. Good business networking is a mixture of building relationships and doing it in a way that will encourage sales either from those you network with, or from them giving out recommendations for your business.

One of the simplest ways to keep a new business contact interested in building that relationship is to utilize social networks and email marketing according to an article by Diane Johnson. I know, I know. You don’t want to over sell. That is actually why a lot of businesses will have a newsletter that they email out or post as an article on blogs, Facebook, or whatever else they like to use. It keeps people updated about your business while at the same time keeping things personal. After all, that is what networking and social media is all about.

What are things that you do for business networking that work well for you?

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4 Tips for Money-Making Networking Relationships

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We know we’re supposed to be networking and building relationships in order to grow our wedding business.  But are we doing it?

It’s really easy to get caught up in the everyday activities of running our business and the urgent (but likely unimportant) phone calls, emails and busy work.  But if we aren’t networking, we’re missing an essential element of business success.

What is “networking” anyway?  

Networking is building meaningful, strategic partnerships and relationships with other businesses and wedding professionals.  You can network with other wedding vendors, related businesses, suppliers and even competitors.  The best networking relationship we ever had was with a DJ who was our direct competitor!

The networking relationships you build can send dozens, hundreds or even thousands of referrals.  These are the people who have a constant stream of brides and grooms they can send your way.

How much would you have to pay in bridal advertising to get that kind of referral power?

Relationships are gold.  Check out these 4 awesome networking tips from the Young Entrepreneur blog here: 4 Tips For Power Networking  

Who can you build a money-making networking partnership with?

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How Your Biggest Competition is Your Best Friend

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Do you hate your competition?  A cock fight representing our wedding business competition

I remember feeling scared the first time I went to a local wedding professionals’ networking meeting.  All my biggest competitors were RIGHT THERE.

What if I accidentally gave away one of my secrets?  Would they steal my ideas?

But networking with our direct competitors has been responsible for generating thousands of dollars of revenue for our business, ideas that helped us break into new markets, exclusive discounts, and powerful introductions.

Maybe the competitor who is the biggest thorn in your side could actually be an ally.

Here are just a few things competitors can do for you:

•    Refer you business when they are booked.
•    Share valuable resources and training.
•    Bail you out when you need help.
•    Help you brainstorm new marketing ideas.
•    Become partners in new ventures.

What about the competitor who you just can’t stand?

Well, they’re even more useful.  That competitor makes you work harder and smarter.  They challenge you to make your wedding business different from everyone else’s.  They force you to grow.

Isn’t that what a best friend would do?

Here’s an interesting article about partnering with your biggest competitor: Your Competitors Can Be a Resource

How is the competition affecting your business?

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