
You’ll find wedding pros arguing both sides on this one. Some say it’s a waste of money, while others swear it books their calendars solid.
It’s not how big your advertising budget is; it’s what it does for your bottom line.
Consider these factors before investing your advertising dollars in paid advertising on these sites:
1. Is your target market on this site?
Check the website’s demographics as well as the style and budget of the weddings being planned to make sure the brides and grooms on the site are actually prospects for your business.
For example, your local wedding business may be a good style match for brides drawn to Style Me Pretty, but if most of them are not planning weddings in your local market, it’s not going to be a good investment.
2. How much competition do you have?
The more competition, the less visibility you have. You’ll often get more leads from a site with fewer website visitors and fewer competitors than you will from a site with lots of visitors and dozens of direct competitors.
3. How can you stand out and get noticed?
You need to think different to stand out from the competition on these sites. Use bold, unusual photos, headlines and copy that are completely different from everyone else. Check out one wedding pro’s controversial method of getting leads from WeddingWire.

4. How can you get the click?
Design your listing or ad to get visitors to click through to your website. That means you have to give them a good reason: a free gift, information or offer.
5. Once they land on your website, how will you turn them into a real lead?
Your job isn’t done until you turn that visitor into a lead you can actually follow up with. Create a landing page designed specifically to capture that lead by using a free offer or compelling availability checker.
What do you think about sites like WeddingWire and the Knot? Are they worth it?