The November 19th Brides’ Panel
The Today’s Bride team hosted a brides’ panel on November 19, 2015. All ages, budgets and tastes were represented. We had several questions for them — and they had just as many answers. See how they weighed in on what they want from potential wedding vendors … and what they don’t want!
MAGAZINES
♥ The first resource the brides consulted. (And they have quite a few of them)
♥ Brides respond better to education rather than sales tactics.
♥ Brides look for ideas and local vendors in magazines.
♥ Brides notice the good, well designed ads. (Inspiration catches their eye)
♥ Presence across multiples platforms (print, web, at show) is best … “For me, more exposure equals more credibility.”
BRIDAL SHOWS
♥ The brides attended a bridal show because they needed vendors & inspiration.
♥ The majority of the brides attended & booked a service from a bridal show.
♥The brides wanted to experience a bridal show as part of the engagement process.
♥ A lot of the brides made follow-up appointments at the bridal show.
♥ Variety of businesses is one of the main reasons a bride will decide if she is coming to a bridal show.
♥ Brides are looking for connections. After all these are the people that the couple is going to be spending the day with. They are treating it as a mini-interview.
♥ Couples notice what you are doing in your booth space and relate that to their wedding. (Staring at your phone. Looking bored. Packing up early. Ignoring guests) Flip side: Having fun, engaging and entertaining. Yep. They pay attention.
WEBSITES
♥ 98% of brides look at your website. If it is not attractive or too much text the will leave instantly. (And all the marketing you just did to get them there. What a shame!)
♥ Your website should be current with up-to-date and recent information.
♥ If the website isn’t easy to navigate, it’s overlooked. Function is everything.
♥ Music NOT to their ears. “I hate websites that have music. I’m online all the time at work, so I always have to quickly close out of a companies website when music comes on. I don’t go back.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
♥ The brides look to see how often businesses post.
♥ The brides said social media plays a large role in the selection process.
♥ The brides want to see quality posts.
♥ The brides trust when they see a business reviewing another business.
EXTRA GOOD STUFF TO KNOW:
♥ The brides want the cost of the service listed up front.
♥When the prices aren’t listed, they think it’s too expensive. If you are uncomfortable with actual prices, consider putting a dollar range for your services.
♥ The brides prefer communicating by e-mail; they do not like calls or texts.
♥ Direct mail works! It take three seconds to delete an email but 90 seconds to walk from the mailbox to the house. (That is 87 more seconds!)
♥ Cut the clutter! Brides look to longstanding and trustworthy sources to decipher all the information that is on the internet.
♥ Before making a decision, a face-to-face meeting is mandatory.
♥ First impressions are everything. (i.e. advertisements, websites & exhibit booths)
♥ The brides are turned off by “if you sign today…” pitches.
♥ Brides in this generation thrive on conversational messaging.
♥ The brides consider referrals when booking a wedding service.
