Interested in learning more? Access the Pro Forums and take a look around by following these simple steps:

• Login to your account
• Click on the Pro Forums tab
• Review forums by clicking Recent Posts, New Discussions or Most Popular tabs directly under the Pro Forums tab in the top left-hand corner
• To start a conversation, click the Start a Discussion button on the top right-hand corner

Forums are organized so you can easily browse by category or use the search option on the right to find discussions about a specific topic.

Additionally, you can browse Wedding Forums by clicking the tab on the left of the screen, and leave comments and advice to engaged couples’ questions.

You can keep track of your participation in forums by clicking the My Activity tab to the left of the Pro Forums tab. Here, your discussions, comments and any comments that you have left in the Wedding Forums are tracked.

Forums great way to stay up to date on industry news, make connections with other professionals, ask questions to get an outside point of view and share your own expertise!

• Details about recent Google search algorithm changes
• Why Google+ does or doesn’t matter
• How to optimize your business’ content and social interaction
• What you need to do to ensure potential clients easily find them online

All of our past webinars are available in our Education Center for upgraded Pros. Stay tuned for our next webinar in March!

Mint.com

Mint.com is a great online tool for financial management. You can sync your expenses, bank accounts, credit cards, loans and more to keep track of your spending, funds and budgets. Mint automatically categorizes your transactions and keeps you updated on how you are spending, as well as providing assistance to set your budget and savings goals.

Evernote

Evernote is a virtual notepad service that enables you to save, organize and share notes, images and ideas for future use. You can keep your notes in organized categories,  and they can be shared  with others. You quickly and easily can access Evernote from your computer, internet browser, and mobile application from your smartphone or tablet.

HootSuite

HootSuite is a tool designed to help you manage your social networks including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Simultaneously, you can track your followers, mentions and personal accounts all in one place, in real time. Multiple team members can manage the social media accounts, without having to share passwords and login information. You can also tweet and post directly from HootSuite, so no need to go back and forth between your accounts or miss any important mentions! HootSuite conveniently allows you to schedule outgoing messages, so you don’t always have to be online to be posting relevant information and connecting with your audience.

Prezi

Prezi is a dynamic web-based powerpoint presentation tool designed to create a more engaging presentation experience. Self described as “a cloud-based presentation software that opens up a new world between whiteboards and slides,” this tool is perfect for a creative presentation. You are able to add in multimedia features to highlight your business or show video from a recent event which adds color and personality to your presentation. Prezi is an “idea” based blank canvas, so you are not limited to traditional slides. The tool compiles all your ideas, which enables you to organize and control the direction of the slideshow.

SurveyMonkey

Looking for quick feedback on a recent event or interested in conducting business research from your clients? SurveyMonkey is an easy to use tool that enables you to create quick, customized surveys online that you can distribute and track results in real time. SurveyMonkey also provides convenient tools to help you analyze your results such as charts and filters.

Have you used any of these tools for your business? Are there any other free online tools that you would suggest? We would love to hear from you!

If you struggle with time management, check out our helpful tips and feel free to comment with any feedback or recommendations of your own to share with the Wedding Pro community!

Take Time to Reflect

No matter how busy you may be at any given time, it is important to set aside time both daily and weekly to reflect on your goals, workload and priorities. Spending one hour at a designated time a week can help you lay out your strategic plan to move your projects and business forward. Spending 10 minutes daily to review your weekly priorities and projects can help to give focus to your day, and avoid falling behind by simply reacting to items that will undoubtedly arise. Allowing yourself this “quiet time” will help to keep you organized, focused and can help calm workload stress. We recommend setting the time reoccurring on your work calendar every week so it doesn’t get overlooked.

Personalize Your Schedule

Notice when you are most productive and try to plan your schedule accordingly. What is the most effective time of the day for you to do your creative work, meet clients and respond to emails? This is not the same for everyone, so try different approaches to see what works best for you and create a schedule. If you do your best work in the morning, set that time aside for your daily tasks and projects. If you need afternoon breaks, use that time to meet with clients. Do you enjoy looking for inspiration when you finally have some time to relax? Sundays can be the perfect time to catch up on your favorite blogs and boards while enjoying your morning coffee. Also, setting aside specific times daily to reply to email helps to avoid your time getting caught up in the reactive. Work to use these designated times to respond to all non-urgent emails.

Delegate

Sometimes, there are simply not enough hours in the day to get done all your tasks. As difficult as it can be at times, it is important to delegate projects when you are able. As you are outlining your daily “to do” lists, examine which projects someone else may be able to assist with or take over. This will help to both ensure the items are taken care of, and will allow your team to learn and grow.

Say No 

Remember that it’s okay to say no sometimes! If you feel overwhelmed, express your concerns to get all your commitments done on time and completed in your high professional standards. Examine if you are able to change the timeline, and don’t over extend yourself beyond your professional commitment. While clients appreciate personal touches and the demonstrated commitment to their wedding, you have to lay out guidelines. To make saying no easier, be very clear about expectations in your initial consultations and outline specifics on your contracts. This will avoid any misconceptions and make expectations clear for all parties.

Images
Photos, pictures and video clips are popular with followers and fans! Additionally, the wedding community loves to see creative and inspiring examples of your work, and what better way to display your talent and promote your business?

Ask Questions or Play a “Game”
Popular ways to increase community engagement include posing a question to your followers or a fill-in-the-blank “game.” For example, you could ask “What is your favorite part of a wedding?” or “My best piece advice to newlyweds is ______.” You may be surprised by your number of responses and the interesting conversation that stems from these games! Participate by sharing your opinions, driving conversation to the next level and, of course, and thanking your followers for their thoughts.

Personality
Humanize your business page to your followers! Work to generate interest by sharing event or style tips, favorite things, emerging trends and industry news. Show the person behind the brand by sending messages of thanks when you reach milestone goals, wishing your followers happy holidays and replying to people who post. This interaction builds a friendship with your community while providing valuable content. It is important to not use your page to purely push marketing and sales, as followers are quick to disengage with social media sites if they feel the brands are being overly promotional.

For additional creative Facebook positing ideas, read more here.

 “We don’t encourage failure. We discourage the fear of failure.”

-  Dr. Regina Dugan,  Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

“Try very hard to say ‘yes’.”

- Alfred Spector, Google

“And if you’re going to fail, fail fast.”

-  Timothy Chi, WeddingWire

While there were many takeaways from such an intelligent and experienced panel of speakers, some key things to consider and apply to your business:

1. Urgency inspires greater innovation.

2. A team increases the likelihood of success.

3. Innovation isn’t always a linear process.

Photos thanks to Ralph Alswang Photography

We are pleased to announce our most recent WeddingWire Pro winner: Stephen Cihanek of Stephen Cihanek Photography!

Congratulations to Stephen for winning a free Kindle Fire as the lucky winner from our giveaway as thank you for  participation in our Business Insight survey, featured in the January WeddingWire Pros newsletter.

As the leading wedding technology company, we want to better understand your business needs! The Business Insight Survey was designed to address the following questions: What are the top areas where you need assistance? How do you convert your prospects to booked clients? How do you get photos of your work?

Thank you to all who participated; we appreciate your time and feedback!

If you’re in the area, start your Valentine’s Day with us at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium to observe Tim’s panel discussion, Ideas and Innovation, with Dr. Regina Dugan (Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), Alfred Spector (VP of Research and Special Initiatives, Google) and Moderator, Mary Jordan (Editor, Washington Post Live). If you can’t make it in person, we encourage you to join the conversation via live stream, available here on Tuesday.

Click here for more information and to register. Registration is free but, space is limited.

Creating contacts is particularly important in the wedding industry, and WeddingWire offers a unique professional networking tool, the Pro Network, to connect your business to other Wedding Pros. Take advantage of this tool and connect with your colleagues, share endorsements and highlight your accomplishments. Pro Network endorsements serve as colleague reviews on the site, and can be effective to grow business and gain potential clients.

To get started, simply click on the Pro Network tab within your WeddingWire account to see the different ways you can connect with other local Wedding Pros and manage your network.

Pro Network Basics:

Pros I Know – Send or accept invitations to connect with other Wedding Pros you know or have previously worked with. You can easily navigate between your connections, those you sent invitations to, and those who you received invitations from. You will be automatically notified via email when you receive a new invitation request so you will know to log into your account to make new connections! Once connected, you can give and receive endorsements of each other’s businesses. Use the search bar on the far right of your screen, and review your personalized suggestions from the Pros You May Know section to send requests to connect with other colleagues.

Preferred Pros – Create your list of trusted Wedding Pros from the Pros I Know section. Your Preferred Pros list can be added to your Storefront, shared with clients through email and printing, and displayed on your website or blog using our Preferred Pros Widget.

Endorsements – After a connection has been made, you have both the ability to give and receive endorsements. Think of an endorsement as a review from a Wedding Pro. Endorsements can be displayed on your Storefront for potential clients to see, and you can use the Endorsement Widget to share them on your website or blog.

Just follow the simple steps in the video below to learn how:

There’s no better place to start than our entrance, here you can see our entry way and just a glimpse into one of our main conference rooms which we’ve aptly named for the road our office is located on. After just a few years, some of the more senior team members can remember they days when the whole company could fit into that conference room! Now we can barely fit one team and are looking forward to showing you all the ways we have expanded.

If you were able to join us and you’re still wondering what the video you saw was saying, please click here to view it! (Please excuse our technical difficulties! We appreciate your patience!)

Congratulations to our drawing winner, Michelle Myers from Weddings By Michelle. She received a WeddingWire prize pack and HD flip video camera.

•  Your responses are made public on WeddingWire: Don’t write anything you wouldn’t want a potential client to see.  If you come across as aggressive, argumentative or disingenuous, potential customers will see this as a turn-off and eliminate you from their list of potential vendors.  Write with your prospects in mind.

•  Respond when you’re at fault: If someone leaves a review with legitimate concerns and complaints, it’s in your best interest to try to correct the situation.  Apologize and explain why it won’t happen again, and offer a remedy to the particular situation.

•  Respond when the review states incorrect information: Politely correct the reviewer.  Sometimes a review is written for the incorrect business, so step in and take this as an opportunity to educate potential customers on your pricing, policies and business practices.

•  Don’t add fuel to the fire: Some clients will never be satisfied with the service you provided.  Don’t waste your time trying to convince them otherwise, and encourage other clients to write a positive review to balance this one out.

•  Never respond when you’re still angry: Whether you had a bad day, or the client was difficult to please, remember that you can’t satisfy everyone.  Personal attacks and a defensive attitude will not win you future business.

•  Keep it simple: When you choose it’s appropriate to respond, keep your comments to about 5 concise sentences and move on.

Be proactive and encourage all of your clients to write reviews of your business on WeddingWire.  Customers use this information to evaluate your business and make informed decisions – be responsive, approachable and professional! When you are logged into your account you will see a link below all of your reviews if you like to “Respond.”

Now, we’re thrilled to share the benefits and successes directly from some of our award-winning wedding professionals!

	___________________________________
	“WeddingWire has been an invaluable tool in helping to grow my business. Engaged couples need to feel confident in their choice of vendors and the reviews on WeddingWire provide just that. The Bride’s Choice Award is a recognition that a vendor has performed well on a consistent basis throughout the year and that recognition benefits both the vendor and the couple. The couples I meet tell me how impressed they are with my work and reviews. What could be better than that?” Deborah Lauren, City Sweets & Confections, New York, NY
	___________________________________
	“We’re very honored and excited to have received WeddingWire’s Bride’s Choice Award for the 3rd year in a row! We’ve found that engaged couples want to read reviews from past clients, especially because, a lot of a wedding planner’s offerings are intangible  - peace of mind, attention to detail, organization and stress reduction! By providing prospective clients with access to read what our previous clients have said about their experience working with us is HUGE!” Mark Kingsdorf, The Queen of Hearts Wedding Consultants, Philadelphia, PA
	___________________________________
	“WeddingWire’s Bride’s Choice Awards have done nothing but great things for my studio. For those couples that find us online for the first time, they read through the reviews and have a chance to really get to know us! We love WeddingWire!” Steven Saldana, Studio Saldana, New York, NY
	___________________________________
	“Having reviews in one place on my WeddingWire storefront has been a great part of successfully booking engaged couples. People want to read reviews and feel more assured with their choice in a vendor. I’m grateful to my past clients for leaving reviews, providing future clients with the confidence to choose my business.” Jennifer Longaway, Jennifer Longaway Photography, San Francisco, CA
	___________________________________

While many industry awards are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are awarded solely based on the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds. The awards are determined by a combination of four factors: overall rating, total number of reviews, review performance from 2011, and consistency of reviews from year to year.  This year’s recipients represent the top 5% of the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. Professionals from across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, are recognized based on their overall achievements throughout the previous year.

For more information on the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

The Celebrations Cupcake Crown is an annual awards competition to find the most creative cupcake in the country. The winner will receive a $2,500 travel voucher from Wyndham Vacation Rentals valid at locations across the globe! The submission period for the Celebrations Cupcake Crown has begun and they’d love for you to enter a photo of your most creative cupcake or nominate one of your peers to participate. See below:

Here’s how to enter:

1. Go to www.celebrations.com/cupcakecrown and upload a photo of your most creative cupcake.
2. Name your cupcake and in a sentence or two, tell us why it’s so special.
3. Click publish to submit your cupcake and you will be entered for the chance to win some awesome prizes!
4. Spread the word to your friends and family! Voting will be open to the public starting January 30th through February 13th.

It’s that easy! To say thank you, they’ve partnered up with PfaltzGraff so that every submission will receive a 15% off code to www.PfaltzGraff.com. Just be sure to enter your cupcake before January 30th! For the full rules and regulations for the Cupcake Crown, see the official rules and be sure to follow along via Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #CupcakeCrown!

Take advantage of this new social vertical to spread photos and links from your website and blog. It is important to keep a few SEO (Search Engine Optimization) considerations in mind. Here are three areas to make sure you are optimizing your photos on Pinterest for SEO:

Description – When you set up your profile, consider including some of your relavent keywords and details in your Pinterest description, make sure to include your category (i.e. Photographer, Florist, DJ) and the word “weddings” if this is your primary business! This way, when potential clients are searching (on Google or Pinterest) you can increase your chances of showing up as a result.

Boards - Choose the title of your ‘Pin Boards’ carefully! This is another area to include keywords, consider doing so both in the title and description of the boards where you organize your types of photos.

Images - Ensure you are using the proper direct links to the photo from your website or blog so that you get the added benefits when your photos go viral and those who share your images are properly directed back to your site.

Enhance your SEO by sharing images from your website and optimizing your Pinterest profile to ensure more brides can find your business. For more details, watch the video below:

All attendees will have the opportunity to learn from industry leaders, meet with wedding and events experts and network with other Pros.

We invite you to:

• Listen to Sonny Ganguly, WeddingWire’s CMO, present The Tech Report: The Future of SO-LO-MO
• Meet and mingle with industry leaders
• Gather tips and tools for success in marketing, branding, communications and more

Space is limited | WeddingWire Pros receive a special ticket price by using the code FACULTY20 

Click here to register or get more information. We hope to see you in March!

Something occurred to me recently. Times have really changed. We no longer live in a world where Ricky Martin is having to swear he isn’t gay. Instead, he’s having to swear that he isn’t gay married!

I never thought I’d see the day.

But, here we are with 6 states (Massachusetts, Iowa, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Connecticut) and the District of Columbia proudly offering marriage licenses to all couples — gay and straight alike — while another 2 states (Maryland and Washington) have opened the 2012 season jockeying to see which can claim to be the eighth jurisdiction to legalize gay marriage.

Further, there are several other states — including Illinois, Hawaii, Delaware, Rhode Island, and New Jersey — offering civil unions and other broad partnership recognition rights to same sex couples. You can learn more about the map of marriage equality here.

This means that Wedding Pros in these areas should be making some conscious decisions about their marketing materials and the audience to whom they wish to speak if they haven’t already done so. More than ever, gay and lesbian couples are out there and the audience is listening.

Same sex couples have long held commitment ceremonies (as big as your traditional weddings) even when they haven’t had access to a marriage license. But with the opportunity for legal protections now in play in so many jurisdictions (and more to come), this is tipping the scale and bringing many other gay and lesbian couples who have been holding out to the altar.

Are you, as a wedding pro, reaching these couples? Do your marketing efforts, viral and otherwise, speak to them? And, if they do come, are you prepared to serve them knowledgeably and professionally?

For vendors who are working in markets listed above, it is imperative that you ask yourself these questions and evaluate your language and inclusivity. Not doing so may mean that you could be missing out on new business.

To learn more about reaching out to same-sex couples who are engaged, please take some time to listen in on a recent webinar.

To learn more about reaching the gay and lesbian wedding market by listing your services in the GayWeddings.com directory, powered by WeddingWire, please click here.

A special thanks to AnnMarie Grohs at Morton’s The Steakhouse and Erik with E. leise photo design for capturing the highlights of the event!

Congratulations to our drawing winner, Steve Morris from Crown Limousine Service, Inc. He received a WeddingWire prize pack and HD flip video camera.

We are excited to notify the 2012 winners of this year’s WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™. The prestigious annual awards program recognizes the best local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry.

While many industry awards are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are awarded solely based on the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds. The awards are determined by a combination of four factors: overall rating, total number of reviews, review performance from 2011, and consistency of reviews from year to year.  This year’s recipients represent the top 5% of the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. Professionals from across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, are recognized based on their overall achievements throughout the previous year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of our top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of The Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry.  It is with great pleasure that we congratulate the 2012 winners for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

The Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 winners were notified via email on January 9, 2012. Recipients will be given the official WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 badge, along with access to a suite of marketing tools to showcase the award next week. A complete list of the winners will be available on the WeddingWire homepage in mid-January.

For more information on the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Build relationships now, sell later.

Think of Twitter as the start to a conversation. You are saying hello, not beating potential clients over the head with your latest discount or special. It is important to let your contacts know what is going on with your business and keep them informed, but keep it to a minimum. It is always a good rule of thumb to act as you would in a real life conversation. While Twitter can later on lead to referrals and potential business, the only way you can accomplish that is by first fostering a relationship with your followers.

For some perspective, imagine you see a brand on Twitter you have heard about before but don’t know much about. They tweet about relevant information to your industry or even about your favorite football team’s win last night. You have the ability to connect on a new level. These types of relationships can help you build a positive frame of reference with others, so when they know someone who needs a photographer or florist or DJ, they might say, “Oh, I know someone you should check out!”

There is a growing potential for your business to create real relationships on Twitter and build your referrals later on down the road. For more ways to maximize Twitter, read this article.

What’s this big photo?
It’s call your ‘Cover’ and it allows you to add a unique image in addition to your profile photo. Facebook says to choose an image that “represents you best” but we say for your professional Facebook to choose an image that represents your past work best! Show off to potential clients and their friends with high quality photos of weddings or other events you’ve done previously.

Will my fans still see my posts?
The short answer is yes however it is important to keep in mind that with this new format and influx of posts, they will likely see your posts for a shorter time span. According to bit.ly (a URL shortening service), the mean half life of a link on Facebook is 3.2 hours. The old rule used to be to keep your posts to about 1 a day, but now you can post more as long as you ensure you are still sharing valuable content. Read this article for more details.

How do I get it?
Visit http://www.facebook.com/about/timeline to learn more, watch a short video, get tips from Facebook, and get your own!

Have you changed your Facebook over to the new Timeline yet? What do you think?

Submit a Press Release

A great way to keep audiences up-to-date is writing a press release, which is easier than it sounds. Positive PR can be a great tool in building a positive reputation about your product or services. Press releases should be short in nature, typically around 600 characters or less, and highlight news about your business, whether launching a new product or receiving an award. In addition, you should always include the pertinent details about your business (website, tagline, etc.).

We recommend submitting your press release on WebWire, which distributes press releases to both online readers and media outlets and also helps with Search Engine Inclusion and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). For some examples of past WeddingWire press releases, visit the WeddingWire Press Center.

Use Social Media

Posting messages on Facebook and Twitter is another great way to generate positive buzz about your business. Encouraging your Facebook fans to “like” your post will automatically repost it to their Facebook friends, thereby boosting your word of mouth. This also occurs when followers re-tweet your message on Twitter. Not only will potential clients be impressed by your accolades, but you will be helping to improve your SEO by updating your online accounts and generating more links.

Showcase In Person

If you have a physical location where clients can visit, make sure to display any trophies or certificates of these accolades in a prominent area where they are sure to be noticed. Don’t forget to bring these to bridal shows as well!

All of these ways of generating buzz take just a few minutes, but can make a big impact on your business. Beyond updating news on your website and creating a blog post, take the extra time to write a press release, share the news on social media, and display your awards at your shop or bridal shows.

How to Get It
Facebook allows you to quickly create a Like button for your website. The first step is to visit the developers section of facebook at:

https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like/

Enter your website url and then choose the layout you would like best. You can choose from the standard ‘Like’ button, which shows how many people like your site and also if any of their friends also like it as well. There is also a more compact button you can put on your website (shown above) or a box version that is typically great for blogs. They all work the same, so choose based on which aesthetics will work best with your site. You can also decide if you want the button to say the words ‘Like’ or ‘Recommend.’ I find that people feel it is a little easier to like something versus making a full recommendation, but you can go either way here. Make any last changes to the style of the button and then hit ‘Get Code.’

Simply add your personalized ‘Like’ button to your homepage. The next thing you know people will be liking your website. You’ll get more traffic and better SEO results. Now that is something to truly Like!

Where to Put It
You should add a facebook ‘Like’ button somewhere prominent on your homepage. Typically, this is put towards the top of the page or in a key area where brides and grooms will look. Again, you want the ‘Like’ button to be on your main url for your homepage. That way as you get more and more likes, it will boost the search ranking of the most important page on your site…your homepage.

Adding the ‘Like’ button to your website’s homepage can improve your search engine optimization (SEO). In the past year, Google, Yahoo! and Bing have updated their algorithms for how they rank websites. Where you rank is dependent on numerous factors, including the content on your site, the keywords you use and the number of other sites that link to you. What has changed is that search engines now count the amount of social activity on your site and one of the largest drivers of that is the facebook ‘Like’ button. The goal of a search engine is to provide the user with the best possible search results and they have found that a critical factor is including the number of ‘Likes’ a website gets into the equation.

So if you are on page one for specific keywords in Google, but your website does not have much social activity (shares on facebook, twitter, etc) then over time you may lose some ranking. On the other hand, if you are sitting on page two but people have been hitting the ‘Like’ button and sharing your website on social media sites, your rankings will get a boost. So adding the ‘Like’ button to your homepage not only will get people to visit your website from facebook, but it will also make sure you show up higher in search results! The ‘Like’ button will improve your SEO over time.

In the past couple years you have likely built a business page on Facebook, which is one of the best marketing decisions you can make. It includes your logo, some basic details and allows you to share updates with your followers. Best of all, it is free (outside of the time spent making updates!) Your business page is a great tool to market your business to users on Facebook.

Ensure your page is successful by constantly growing your followers and posting good content. And don’t forget to also cross promote your Facebook page so that you can increase the number of followers or ‘Likes’ you have. It is a good strategy to include a link to your business page on your own website, your newsletters and even your email signatures.

The only challenge with the business page is that all of that traffic goes to Facebook. When a customer clicks ‘Like,’ they are liking your business on Facebook. There is nothing wrong about that, but what about getting people to like your own website? Why should all those likes be posted on Facebook?

The time has come to take the next step and add the Facebook ‘Like’ button to your own website. Leading sites across the web have started to add the like button to their homepages. Why? Because when people hit the ‘Like’ button they like your homepage and your own url. When that news gets shared back into Facebook, their friends and family will see what they liked. And if those friends and family click on the link it will bring the user back to your own website! You get all the benefit of the likes.

We are excited to announce that WeddingWire recently welcomed new investors to our company, while also strengthening our relationship with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO). Catalyst Investors (www.catalystinvestors.com), a New York-based private equity firm, acquired a stake in WeddingWire by purchasing MSLO’s minority stake in WeddingWire. At the same time, WeddingWire further developed its partnership with MSLO to continue to drive success for local businesses.

As you may recall, Martha Stewart Weddings became the first WeddingWire Network partner in 2008, and since then Brides.com, ProjectWedding.com, and Weddingbee.com have been added to the network. This year, we extended our partnership with MSLO. WeddingWire currently powers the local resources on MarthaStewartWeddings.com and will do so for years to come.

Moreover, we are thrilled to announce that their flagship site, MarthaStewart.com, has joined our brand new EventWire Network, set to roll out in the beginning of next year. We invite you to preview our new EventWire site at http://www.eventwire.com.

The sale of MSLO shares in WeddingWire to Catalyst Investors is separate from the partnership. We continue to have a very close partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and are happy to have helped them realize a sizeable return on their investment in WeddingWire. Furthermore, we are excited to be working with Catalyst Investors to continue to grow WeddingWire in 2012 and beyond. They not only bring a wealth of experience, but also provide a broad array of resources that we will have access to. Catalyst Investors beat out several other investors for the opportunity to invest in WeddingWire.

Now for the important stuff: What does this mean for you? The short answer: More exposure for you on MSLO sites. Click here for the official press release.

On behalf of everyone at WeddingWire, we want to thank you for your continued support. I still cannot believe that we have only been operating for 5 years in the wedding industry. It seems just like yesterday that folks were showing up in my living room with the common goal of building a more direct marketplace for the wedding industry. Today, our staff of over 100 employees remains relentlessly committed to building the most effective, efficient platform to help you grow your business online. In these 5 years, WeddingWire has become the largest wedding network and continues to be one of the fastest growing resources for engaged couples and local Wedding Pros in the market. We are delighted that MSLO will continue to grow with us as part of the WeddingWire Network, and that we have a strong partner like Catalyst to help us continue to serve local businesses in the future.

Happy Holidays,

Timothy Chi
CEO
WeddingWire, Inc.

A special thanks to Darren Moore at The Lincoln Room and heidi-o-photo for capturing the highlights of the event!

We all enjoy being liked by our friends and family! As humans, it is our nature to want those around us to like us. It is no different in the online world either. You want your brides and grooms to like not only you, but also your business, your website, your blog, your facebook page and more. The great thing about being liked online is that it is easy for everyone to see your popularity!

Facebook has made the ability to ‘Like’ products and services easier than ever before. All it takes is a simple click of the mouse to let people know what things you like in the digital world. In fact, it is so easy that people like items they see on Facebook, but also quickly like their favorite movies, celebrities and products. For instance, I personally like Coca-Cola, Saved by the Bell, Beyonce and more. I have over 170 different items that I have ‘Liked,’ including numerous wedding businesses.

Many times we are afraid of whether people would actually want to ‘Like’ a business, or in particular your business. Today’s customers are built in a different way. They are happy to like all sorts of things and then share it with the world. You will find that your brides and other wedding professionals will like you without much effort. You just have to make it easy to get liked!

Over the next week I’ll share with you:

• From Business Page to Home Page
• SEO Benefits of Being ‘Liked’
• The ‘Like’ Button: How to Get It & Where to Put It

There is no better time to contact your past clients for a review of your services than now. With the full launch of EventWire.com and Bride’s Choice Awards 2012 right around the corner, now is the best time to contact your 2011 clients and get more reviews!

COLLECT EVENT REVIEWS Increase your non-wedding business by gathering reviews for other events that you service. With the full launch of EventWire.com right around the corner, event reviews will help you get more business for events like birthdays, corporate events, and more!

QUALIFY TO WIN Our annual Bride’s Choice Awards is coming soon, which means there are only a few weeks left to have your past brides speak on your behalf! Simply invite your clients to review your services to be eligible to win the award.

]]> http://problog.weddingwire.com/index.php/weddingwire/double-the-reasons-to-request-reviews/feed/ 0 http://problog.weddingwire.com/index.php/weddingwire/whats-next-in-tech/ http://problog.weddingwire.com/index.php/weddingwire/whats-next-in-tech/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:09:34 +0000 Catherine http://problog.weddingwire.com/?p=3481 Read more...]]> Yesterday, WeddingWire CMO, Sonny Ganguly, presented ‘What’s Next in Tech’ as part of our monthly webinar series. Each one hour webinar for upgraded WeddingWire Pros is designed to inform you about the latest industry trends and give you the tools you need to grow your business. This week Sonny helped listeners learn:

• What’s the next social media
• How mobile is changing the way we do business
• 20 technology trends that will shape the world
• How to stay on top of these trends
• What you need to do today to be ready for tomorrow

All of our past webinars are available in our Education Center for upgraded Pros. In January, Sonny will discuss the Top Marketing Resolutions for 2012.

KISSinsights is a free and easy, two question, unobtrusive survey that you can add to your website or blog.  You have the ability to customize the questions to make sure they are relevant to your advertising and marketing efforts. There are also upgraded options to allow for even more personalization.  KISSinsights prides themselves on their questionnaires being private, targeted, and polite.

If you’re interested in learning more about this easy way to track your direct leads, click here.

The Goal:

A simpler and cleaner layout

The Changes:

New tabs across the top of the screen (Home, Connect and Discover)

The Tabs:

1. Home – the main Twitter feed of users you follow

2. Connect – contact other users directly

3. Discover – find popular or trending topics and hashtags as well as followers’ activity

Twitter is rolling out the new design over the first few weeks, our account has been updated and we are liking the changes! What about you?

1. Google+ content and profiles show in search results.

2. Google+ is integrated with Google Places.

3. Google News highlights +1 content.

So what do you need to do?

• Apply now for Direct Connect which will allow visitors to quickly add you to their circles while using Google Search.  This feature will be widely available soon, so get ahead of the game.
• Make sure you update your Google+ business page so visitors who arrive from Google Places see content and hopefully you gain another follower
• Encourage your employees to promote your social network content
• Create content including your most important keywords to ensure you’re also helping improve your search results

We’re very excited to announce that WeddingWire’s CMO, Sonny Ganguly, is a finalist in The 5th Annual Mashable Awards as “Must-Follow Business Personality on Social Media”! Mashable recognizes companies, people and projects that have made the biggest impact on the digital landscape this year with their Annual Mashable Awards.

Sonny Ganguly steers the social media wheel at WeddingWire, so please join us in supporting the innovative, digital and social media features of WeddingWire by voting for Sonny! Voting ends on December 16th and winners will be announced on December 19th. (One vote per category per day is accepted.)

Click here to vote!

See WeddingWire CMO, Sonny Ganguly, and a wide variety of other industry leaders speak at ISSE Mexico in Riviera Cancun, Mexico from December 5th through December 8th at the Now Sapphire. ISSE Mexico offers many speakers and breakout sessions promised to inspire and educate you! Not only will you get a break from the cold weather, you’ll have the opportunity to “network and hang out with like-minded wedding entrepreneurs during relaxed general sessions, parties, and breakout sessions on the beach!” Click here for more event details.

There are a few spots left! Want to join in the fun? Email stacie@inspiresmartsuccess.com to register!

General Sessions and Breakout Sessions include:

• Effective Goal Setting & Selling your Value
• What you Need to Know BEFORE spending your $ on Advertising
• Defining your Identity and Perfecting your Brand
• Embracing Entrepreneurship & Creating that Work/Life Balance
• Staying Relevant through Social Media & Mobile Outreach
• Getting Published and Getting on TV
• Elements and Designs for Stylized Photography
• Behind the Scenes of Wedding Planning
• The Secrets of Successful Blogging
• Taking your Paper Company to the Next Level
• Florists and Designers: Bringing your Vision to Life
• Special Private Session for ISS Mentoring Members
• And MUCH MORE

3. You’ll seem pushy. You’ve dealt with a pushy salesperson before right? We all have and usually it doesn’t go in their favor. The added pressure (especially when dealing with a wedding) is definitely something to avoid. When dealing with potential clients, take care to maintain the balance between confident and prepared versus pushy.

A good tactic is to remain conversational. Learn about a bride’s requirements and concerns by asking questions and then offering information as to how your products or services can help. By doing so you will develop more of a relationship and sense of trust with your customers, which will boost your chances in making a sale.

For more details, read the full article here.

2. Rejection. You know you can’t be successful with 100% of potential clients, but still those who say know may put a bit of doubt in your mind. It is important to remember that not everyone is going to be the best fit for your business. Sometimes, it might even be important for you to reject and inquiring bride who you know you may not be worth the time/money/effort.

When rejection does bare its head (and it will) it is important to try to understand the reasons behind it and use that as feedback to evaluate your offering on a big picture scale. You may need to refine your offerings or presentation. And finally remember, usually after you confront your fear and get it over with, you will realize it really wasn’t that bad in the first place!

For more details, check out this article.

• Key tools to track what people are saying
• Skills to manage conversations
• Strategies to engage your clients
• The benefit of client testimonials
• How positive reviews can lead to success

All of our past webinars are available in our Education Center for upgraded Pros. In December, Sonny will discuss What’s Next in Tech.

1. You will make a negative first impression. 

Especially in the wedding industry, we all know how important a first impression can be. The fear that a negative one could ruin the opportunity for business can be a big one. The best way to fight this fear is by showing credibility to potential clients. Do this through your behavior and appearance as well as in more tangible ways.

• It’s always a good idea to smile, engage in eye contact, and keep open posture.

• Show off your past work to give brides the idea that, “if you can do that, you can definitely do what I want!” Give examples and show photos.

• Share your past client reviews! Hearing from other real brides can help push a client over the edge. If so many people thought you did such a great job, won’t she too?

For more details on this and some other top fears, read the full article.

We would like to take a minute to thank the wonderful Wedding Pros who helped make the event possible:

• The picturesque event space, passed hors d’voeres and cocktails were provided by Cityplace
• A stunning and delicious cake was provided by The Cake Guys
• Music and entertainment was provided by A Very Special Day
• Photographs of the event (seen below) were taken by Amy Karp Photography
• Gorgeous décor and coordination were provided by High Fire Designs and Exceptional Events

Congratulations to our drawing winner, Kimberly Rhodes from Hitched Events! She will receive a WeddingWire prize pack and HD flip video camera.

1. Visit http://www.google.com/+/business/

2. Choose your Business Category from the left hand side

• Local Business or Place (Hotels, restaurants, places, stores, services)
• Product or Brand (Apparel, cars, electronics, financial services)
• Company, Institution or Organization (Companies, institutions, organizations, non-profits)
• Arts, Entertainments or Sports (Films, TV, music, books, sports, shows)
• Other

3. Enter Your Information

The fields available to you will depend on which category you selected in the previous step.

4. Add a Tagline and Photo

Note the 10 word maximum for your tagline!

5. Tell Your Circles

Now you can spread the word to your friends and fans on Google+.

That’s it! Now get started on spreading the news.

We’ll be at Mon Cheri Academy this year, and thought you might want to join us! Mon Cheri’s 7th Annual Sales Training Seminar is Monday, December 5th through Wednesday, December 7th.

All Mon Cheri Academy attendees will have the opportunity to learn from industry leaders, meet with top designers and network with other Pros.

We invite you to:

• Listen to Sonny Ganguly, WeddingWire’s CMO, present the Future of Social & Mobile Marketing
• Join us on Monday evening for the Mon Cheri dinner and a champagne toast
• Meet and mingle with members of the WeddingWire team and industry leaders

Registration $249 | Tiered pricing for groups | Space is limited

Click here to register or get more information. We hope to see you in December!

We’ve listed a few quick actions you can take now to improve your inbound marketing efforts in a flash:

1. Respond. Engage through social media with your fans and followers. Comment or post or tweet at your customers, even just to say thank you! Building a more personal relationship through social media can help you convert those followers into clients or referral business.

2. Call Action. Use a clear call-to-action, or CTA, everywhere you go. In email, blog posts, and especially on your website. If you want someone to contact you to get more information, make sure it’s obvious and easy for them to do so!

3. Link. By linking to your own content on another part of your website or blog, you will retain visitors for a longer period of time. Just make sure that what you are linking to is relevant.

4. Share. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, You-Twit-Face. We promise we aren’t calling you names! It’s important for your business to go social on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. In the new social revolution, these tools are some of your most effective.

5. Bold. This is one of the fastest ways to make a difference. Draw attention to the most important part of your page so that visitors can see the jist of what you offer in 5 seconds or less.

Want more? Check out the full article here.

For more ways to update your profile, check out this post on HOW TO: Update Your Main Image.

Conduct a review of your business practices and products. Are they easy to understand, easy to use? Are customers leaving because they have a hard time doing business with you? Do you have tools to track the reasons why people stop doing business with you? Now, consider novelty: what are you offering that is new or different? What are you doing to stand out from your competitors? Are you making an extra effort to reward long-term, loyalty customers with premium offers and exclusive promotions?

If you want to grow your business, consider these two neuromarketing insights.

• Curves attract and sharp edges repel. Think of the original glass Coke bottle (curvy, right?) Grocery stores are making the end-­cap displays (the shelves at the end of each aisle – usually used for promotional or high­‐volume items) more rounded.

• Multi-­sensory experiences stimulate multiple areas of the brain. Consider the use of sound, sight, and smell in your store or personal interactions. Would your employees look better in uniforms or wearing branded logo shirts? Does your workplace project the professional image you want to attract your target customers?

Neuroscience is the study of the brain and how it controls our behavior. Neuro-marketing is the application of neuroscientific research to marketing and advertising messages. Neuro-marketing uses brainwave, eye-tracking and skin conductance measurements to create a deeper insight into shopper behavior.

Companies like Coke and GM spend billions of dollars each year to market their products and they want to know whether their ads are effective. Nielsen, the audience measurement firm, combines neuroscience with experience in consumer research and purchase decision-making. According to Nielsen, up to 90% of purchasing decisions are made sub-consciously. Often, the customer then spends time and energy finding ways to rationalize or explain their purchase. These post-purchase rationalizations may not be very accurate if the customer is unaware of their own sub-conscious drivers.

Our brain processes 11 billion bits of sensory information per second, yet we consciously remember only 100 bits of information per second. We have developed two important coping skills to process
this information gap:

• We spend less time trying to understand something if it is complicated or difficult, and
• We focus on novelty, looking for the degree to whether something is new and/or memorable.