IN[FOCUS]

I have gotten together with a few vendors lately discussing how now more than ever we are seeing new wedding vendors pop up out of nowhere. It seems like the cat is out of the bag, weddings are recession proof!!!

That is only true, though, if you know how to market your business and continue to do so in tough economic times…but that is another post….back to our topic… Now I am all about the open market and I welcome the competition. Competition helps you strive to be better and forces you to take your product to the next level. I am not threatened by it. So more and more I am talking with fellow vendors about what they can do to set themselves apart and here is what I have learned about most people….many wedding professionals are a one-man band… They are the artist, the accountant, the sales person and the assistant all wrapped into one.

Often times the artist is great at the art but the artist’s strength usually isn’t sales. You can have an amazing website wtih stunning collateral materials and pleasing studio space but if you can’t sit down across from that bride and present to her why her wedding day will not be all it can be without hiring, then you then you are dead in the water.

The beautiful website, big full page ads and fancy collateral material will mean nothing to her. Those items are serve as inner confirmation of her decision to go with you after you have closed the deal, but they aren’t going to close the deal for you.

Watch the video above and ask yourself the questions therein – evaluate your studio, and as you sharpen your sales process, you will be more likely to survive and thrive as your marketplace becomes flooded with other competitors.

TarynP

Taryn Bills attended Arizona State University and graduated Cum Laude from the Walter Cronkite School of Broadcast Journalism. She worked in community relations at the Phoenix NBC affiliate, then moved on to an account executive position for Infinity Broadcasting where she discovered her passion for Sales and Marketing. After 3 years she left radio for a 3-year stint in pharmaceutical sales, during which time she and her husband started Serendipity Videography. She has served as the sales and marketing director of award winning Serendipity for 6 years as well as with their baby sister company Simply Cinema. When she is not busy growing her own businesses, she offers marketing and consulting services for various companies who need assistance in growing their brand and increasing their sales.

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So you just finished up a beautiful 20-minute wedding feature and you are so excited to send it off to the couple. You create and upload a trailer to tease everyone and everybody cannot wait to see the final product. But wait! The full wedding film is on DVD…only.

But there are dozens if not hundreds of individuals eager-to-view, what about them? How will they get to see it? One solution is for the couple to buy some extra DVD/Blu-ray copies, but for the most part, couples are unmotivated to do so and have more on their plate.  If the full wedding film is restricted to optical media only, most of the guests at the wedding will never have the chance to see the full, finished masterpiece that you spent the last 2 weeks piecing together.

Making your longer edits (features, short forms, or whatever the kids are calling them now-a-days) available online creates an open avenue to display your true talent and product to anyone connected to the happy couple. The video above shares some ideas and some basic how-to’s to get you started if you haven’t already began sharing your longer edits online.

The couple is going to be thrilled that their film is online and easily shareable. You can offer full wedding video hosting as an addition to a package or surprise the couple with it after they receive their package. It’s up to you as to how you’ll offer it, but the key is to understand how important it is for the couple to have it sharable online. Happy couples should always be your top priority!

Since everyone’s sites are setup differently, I can’t tell you the best way to add an online checkout to your site/blog. We use PayPal because it easy and most web-savvy folks have a PayPal account. I’d encourage you to explore some of the options that PayPal has for merchants. Google Checkout is another popular online selling tool which has grown in popularity the last couple of years. Definitely worth looking into as well.

Has sharing your features online worked out for you and your company? Let me know. Have some concerns? Lemme know your thoughts

Jet

Jet Kaiser saved up enough money to by his first camcorder at the age of 14 and he's been creating films ever since. He eventually created the Indianapolis-based, Jet Kaiser Films where he collaborates his with his lovely wife, Dani. Together they produce cinematic, story-rich, "motion pictures for those in LOVE™ "

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Cue the Jaws music…. There is something coming to a market near you. If you haven’t seen it already it will be there soon enough. It will come without warning, when you least expect it. And it will cost you money. Will it help you grow your business? Maybe… Will it hurt you? Maybe… What is it? Cue the scream…. It’s the Venue Brochure!!!!! Watch my video to learn all that you need to know about this trend making its way into a wedding market near you. This video will help prepare you and guide you through the process so that you can make an educated decision about whether or not to participate in this marketing tool that is being used by the venues where you are a Preferred Vendor.

TarynP

Taryn Bills attended Arizona State University and graduated Cum Laude from the Walter Cronkite School of Broadcast Journalism. She worked in community relations at the Phoenix NBC affiliate, then moved on to an account executive position for Infinity Broadcasting where she discovered her passion for Sales and Marketing. After 3 years she left radio for a 3-year stint in pharmaceutical sales, during which time she and her husband started Serendipity Videography. She has served as the sales and marketing director of award winning Serendipity for 6 years as well as with their baby sister company Simply Cinema. When she is not busy growing her own businesses, she offers marketing and consulting services for various companies who need assistance in growing their brand and increasing their sales.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook