Indeed – Email Marketing Still Works!

For another insight into the value and power of well managed direct email marketing read this recent eMarketer article.
A few important grafs -

Half of US adult e-mail users surveyed in April 2008 for Merkle’s “View from the Inbox” study, conducted with Harris Interactive, said they had made an online purchase in the previous year [...]

Insights to Facebook and MySpace friends and our upcoming May 28th teleseminar

Just a short post, part of getting ready for our free teleseminar regarding how wedding/bridal professionals can use MySpace and Facebook to increase their income.
Newsweek has a helpful article online by Steven Levy covering Facebook and MySpace friending, “How Many Friends Is Too Many?” The article provides excellent info contrasting the two [...]

Death Watch for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

I haven’t wanted to say much on this topic because the SEO voice is so loud. And for good reason, SEO had some great results and every website should still always have good search engine management and “hygiene”.
For the last few months I have been watching SEO consultants enhancing their marketing efforts at the same [...]

It is not the format! It’s the story! Change your message for success.

The buzz on wedding marketing is to use blogs and newsletters/ezines. Unfortunately many of us are simply putting the same low results text content into these new formats. And we wonder why we are not getting improved sales. Because we haven’t changed the old message. Putting the same old message [...]

Comparing three web marketing options on your profits

As a wedding professional you have three major channels for business development and marketing on the web, in addition to your website.
They are

Paid Search like Google Adwords,
Display Ads/Banners on placed on wedding directory websites or other sites either directly or with a service like AdSense
Direct Email.

All three are used to inform people of [...]

Direct Email Marketing and the Rule of Seven

How many products have you ever purchased based upon the first and only commercial information you had? Any? That is the foundation for the Rule of Seven. And it is important because it is one the marketing rules, that when followed, will make you successful.
The Rule of Seven stems from marketing research work that Dr. [...]

Mastery versus Marketing – Congratulations on Your Career Change!

As wedding professionals we have often worked many years developing our skills, becoming masters of the art or service we offer. Then when we finally feel we are competent to provide our service for payment and proceed to open our own wedding business … we promptly change careers. We go from developing mastery [...]

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics – Average Wedding Spending

If Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, walks into a crowded bar … everyone in the bar is instantly a multimillionaire. On average, that is.
Most of us are aware of the constantly quoted and increasing average wedding cost number. I wonder how many of us really understand what the number means, I [...]

Branding by Ben Mack, Free "Think Two Products Ahead" Video

He has a lot of fans and Ben Mack always seems to have a little different approach in making the marketing practice of the major companies approachable by very small businesses. I recently came across this recent 79 minute video by Ben Mack on Google.

It is worth a “watch”! Here’s the description – “Ben Mack [...]

The Challenge in Marketing to Gen Y / Millenial Brides-to-be

I recently came across this open letter on Facebook. I think it is very instructive as to the intelligence of this generation’s brides-to-be and how we need to become more authentic and helpful in marketing our services. If anyone would/want, please comment on this opinion by Ashley Keene a college senior from Cincinnati.
“My [...]

More on high value creative weddings

This recent business news item from MSNBC asks, “Economy sticking a cake fork in bridezilla?“
Well sourced, it offers anecdotal accounts that high value in weddings may become a new trend, replacing extravigance. Very much worth the few moments to read.
Much to think about as far as how to profitably position as the high value [...]

Convert more leads to sales, manage your communication

In many of my conversations with wedding professionals who are seeking to increase their income I hear the comment that they have little success with leads. From any source.
It is my view that part of the reason for this is that leads and the communications directed towards those leads is not effectively managed. [...]

Can MySpace increase your search engine ranking

As long as I am mentioning social networks, I’ll touch one of the most underutilized features of MySpace – profile comments. One of the easiest ways to get links to your website, improve traffic to your website and improve your search engine ranking (see update below).
MySpace’s profile comments are excellent in expanding your MySpace [...]

Info you need before you setup your Facebook profile

Everyday I come across new Facebook profiles established by wedding professionals. And every week a few of those profiles are deleted by Facebook. Profiles that have had a lot of effort and use. Profiles with a large number of contacts.
Why? The most common and irreparable problem is that the profile was [...]

Recap of our recent Branding for Wedding Professionals teleseminar

Thank you to all who participated in our teleseminar on April 30th with Christine Boulton of Think Like A Bride.
It was a great discussion and a wonderful exchange of ideas. A few after word comments from participants sent in by email:“It was informative so thank you for inviting us!” “Thanks for coordinating that [...]

Are high value creative weddings the new "black"?

Recently I had a message from a wedding professional in Oregon mentioning that weddings and revenue combined were down about 15% in her area and asking if wedding business was down in my area, too.
My observation is that weddings are about the same in number, but that it seems like what is changing is that [...]

Welcome to my new blog.

If anyone reads this, thank you for being here.
I am not sure this is the best first post, but I need to start somewhere and the reason for this blog seems a good place.
As part of my program of unique bride-to-be leads and wedding professional coaching I have begun this blog to enable easier access [...]