Wedding Professionals:

The word on the street is that wedding vendors should each have their own wedding blog in order to attract and inspire brides, to display their work, and to express their talents within the wedding industry. Having a wedding blog on your wedding website is also a great way to increase your Google rankings because search engines love sites that have new and relevant content. So, having a wedding blog sounds like a brilliant idea but a big question still remains...

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 This blog post is for wedding vendors who at some point have been at a loss for words when it came to emailing brides, blogging, tweeting, or posting on their Facebook fan page.

Email truly is an amazing vehicle to help build and deepen relationships with your customers. That is the number one reason why I send a Constant Contact email to BridalTweet members each week. It is a way to keep in touch and stay connected. After trying a few different email services, I chose Constant Contact because I decided that they had the most professional looking email templates. I also found their 60-Day Free Trial to be compelling. But as Lindsey pointed out, along with the benefits of email marketing, there are some challenges. What does one include in an eNewsletter in order to effectively connect with customers?

First and foremost, I believe that you should only send out eNewsletters if you believe that they will help or provide value to your customers. Otherwise, you’ll run the risk of having your customers opt out of your future emails. I also believe that email content, which falls within one of these seven categories, will likely provide value to your customers:

1. Wedding Tips – We all know that wedding planning can be stressful and overwhelming. Based on your expertise, what content can you create or gather that can help make a bride’s life easier?

2. Trends and Research – Including facts and statistics within your email will add credibility to your message. If you choose this route, be sure to give credit to all of your research sources.

3. Wedding Ideas and Inspiration – Why not inspire brides by providing examples of real weddings that you have worked on? Or perhaps recap a wedding fashion show that you just went to. Including images will grab their attention, give them ideas for their wedding and it will give them a glimpse of your own personal style of work.

4. Special Wedding Offers – Are you running a special promotion that brides can benefit from? This is a great way to deliver value to your audience.

5. New Products or Services – Have you launched a new product or service that brides will benefit from? Email is a great way to publicize this type of information to your customers.

6. Interviews – Capture a bride’s attention by recapping an interview or encounter that you may have had with a wedding trendsetter. Be sure to include insights that the trendsetter shared, which might enhance a bride’s big day.

7. A Backstage Look at Your Business – I’ve purposely included this category last because in marketing, I believe that it is better to put yourself last. Unless you happen to be a celebrity or popular icon, your audience is not going to want to read about what you did this past weekend. It is true that they want to know that there is a real person behind your brand but if you decide to provide a backstage look at your business, then be sure that your content is still helping or providing value to your bridal audience.

These seven categories work well for sending out emails, blogging, tweeting, or posting on your Facebook fan page. What kinds of topics had you had success with when emailing, blogging, or tweeting? Please share your thoughts below.

~ About the author ~ 

Christine Dyer shares over tens years of marketing expertise with the wedding community in her weekly blog called Supercharge Your Wedding Business. In this blog, you'll find advice on an array of wedding business topics such as selling to brides, wedding marketing, social media, wedding PR,  wedding networking, branding, and much more. Please pass this news along to your own professional wedding network. To receive this advice in your email inbox each week, Sign Up for a Free BridalTweet Membership.

During these recessionary times, we are quick to assume that price is the main factor for brides as they plan their wedding. Yes, price is important but I believe this recession has brought forth other factors that are just as influential.

 I came to this conclusion after reading Lee Eisenberg’s ‘Why Shopping is Good Again.’ Eisenberg articulates today’s top consumer values. I believe these three values can also help all of us to understand what brides are thinking as they are making their purchasing decisions.

1. Brides value experiences that transform them. Even some of the shyest women embrace the spotlight on their big day. As a bride plans her wedding, she is more commonly thinking about her own personal ‘red carpet’ moment. That is the moment when everyone at her wedding will look at her in astonishment. Various vendors have picked up on this common value or mindset. For example, thanks to Adorn Brides, brides can now rent thousands of dollars of diamond jewelry for a fraction of what it would cost to purchase them. What additional services can you add to your current offering in order to make brides feel special and transformed?

2. Brides value shared experiences. During tough economic times, people tend to place more value on family, friendships and relationships in general. We’ve been forced to focus on the things that are really important in life – and that’s not a bad thing. This is also entirely true for weddings. In some cases, guest lists have had to shrink and brides have had to focus on the elements that matter most to their loved ones. But behind all of that, weddings have become more intimate. What can you do to add to that intimate, meaningful experience to a bride’s big day?

3. Brides value experiences that are an extension of themselves. It’s no wonder that many brides are now into DIY (Do-It-Yourself) elements. They are creating their own menus, programs, favors – you name it. We tend to think this is only to save money. However, they are also doing this to put their stamp on their big day - to make it personal. Thinking beyond price and thinking deeper about the personal nature of a DIY wedding, how can you make your products and services more personalized?

Position your wedding offerings, so that they are in line with the values of today’s bride. Ultimately, this will help ensure that brides say ‘yes’ to you.

~ About the author ~ 

Christine Dyer shares over tens years of marketing expertise with the wedding community in her weekly blog called Supercharge Your Wedding Business. In this blog, you'll find advice on an array of wedding business topics such as selling to brides, wedding marketing, social media, wedding PR,  wedding networking, branding, and much more. Please pass this news along to your own professional wedding network. To receive this advice in your email inbox each week, Sign Up for a Free BridalTweet Membership.

 It's down to the wire, and you find yourself pulling out your hair because the florist is slow at returning your calls, the tailor is taking too long to alter your gown, and you can't decide which dish to serve at the reception. It's enough to make anyone go crazy, but surviving wedding stress is possible.

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It’s that time of year again! The annual NAWP conference is quickly approaching! Come out September 20 and 21 to the fabulous Pink Shell Beach Resort on beautiful Fort Myers Beach, Florida and participate!