The Local Bridal Marketing Advantage

5 Tips on How to Target Your Plan!

By Jenna Parks Olender, Southern Bride & Groom, Durham, N.C.Weddings are indeed the culmination of many dreams, as well as a dream-come-true enterprise for the many wedding-focused businesses that dedicate themselves to creating those joyous celebrations.According to the 2012 Wedding Report, 80 percent of couples are married within 50 miles of their home, and the vast majority of those actually wed within 25 miles. Therefore, targeted regional marketing is the cornerstone of success for most bridal businesses—from event venues to specific services such as wedding planners, caterers, bakeries and florists. The most strategic way is to market your services to the largest pool of likely clients and their mothers. So, if a large part of your goal is to get connected to the ideal couple in your business area or drivable region, the following tips will help to target your plan.1. Know Your Customer BaseWhen forming a marketing plan, first identify your “bread-and-butter” business. Your client list from the last two years will provide the statistics. Are the majority of your clients coming from within your city limits? If your customers are coming to you from various parts of your state or region, what are the trending cities or metropolitan areas? Identifying the percentage of clients that typically come from each target area helps in allotting marketing dollars. Those from outside your region who return because of family or school ties count as “locals” who are seeking services within your area.2. Identify Your ImageMost importantly, consider details about the clientele you are attracting and booking. Do most fall within a certain budget, age, or education range? Do they have a particular style? Figure out who you are and own it. Your plan will be most effective if you are marketing to the people that are most attracted to you, your style, and your business model. Now, make sure your image reflects what your bridal customer is seeking. Your brand should reflect exactly who you are and everything from your business card, website design, and print material should coordinate.3. Inspiration vs. Resource HuntingFrom the moment a couple becomes engaged, the clock is ticking and planning is underway. Regardless of whether or not your potential clients are picking up a national magazine and browsing wedding blogs for inspiration or planning a visit their hometowns to check out venues, generating a direct contact all comes down to having a presence both where they are actually having their wedding and when they are shopping for resources.4. Spend (or Don’t) WiselyToday’s client is attacking wedding research from all angles. Therefore, you should do likewise with your marketing plan! Investigate the various local media available. If considering buying space on a website or blog, ask for the traffic and stats specifically relevant to your business.• A magazine should disclose print count and distribution outlets. If it is sold, ask for the actual sales totals from the stores in your region.• Inquire about the average number of brides and/or grooms rather than visitors attending wedding shows.• Ask how marketers are using their social media platforms: Are they attentive to your target bride and demonstrating support of their customers with extra coverage?To refine your choice further, position yourself alongside those you consider to be peers—professionals in your territory who share similar pricing and professional standards. Choose outlets you can reference as a badge of honor. If there is a local marketer who helps you cover all these grounds, lucky you!Not all marketing is paid; there are countless national and local bridal blogs and magazines that accept submissions from non-advertisers. Use Google maps and other complimentary listings. Your own blog may attract clients because of your steady activity, expertise, and sampled work. Share your knowledge and speak to brides and grooms at shows, seminars, and events. Network with other wedding experts in your region and refer to each other. Finally, use your biggest advocates to support you—your happy clients! Stay in touch, and ask if you can use them as a referral.5. Proactive Partnership and TrackingYou’ve researched and picked a promising marketing package, so now you get to kick back and wait for clients to rush through the door singing your ad’s praises, right? Wrong! Realistically, clients do not always remember where they saw your name. A personal recommendation often trumps an ad. But the cumulative effect of seeing and hearing about your company through multiple sources heightens the probability of the client taking the initiative to reach out.Create a tracking system. Ask your clients to fill out a form in which they have the opportunity to check the ways they heard about you from a list of possibilities, including your media sources and partnerships. This helps jog their memory, and you will get more comprehensive feedback. Likewise, track your own website each week or month with Google Analytics to know the scoop on where the client was before he or she clicked to your website.And remember, the more you put into your relationship with your marketer, the more results you should see in reaching and meeting potential brides!