Category Archives: Social Media

Tips for Exhibiting at the 2016 Bridal Spectacular “Veils & Vino” Bridal Show

Posted on July 14, 2016 by | Leave a comment

It’s that time again! The 2016 Bridal Spectacular “Veils & Vino” Bridal Show is just around the corner where Las Vegas wedding pros will have the opportunity to meet with more quality brides than at any other bridal show in Las Vegas. Whether you are new or have been exhibiting for years, we have a few tips and reminders to help you get the most out of the show.

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Before the Show

You still have time to connect with brides before the show begins. Consider implementing pre-show promotions to drive brides directly to your booth and give them an incentive to book with you, such as:

  • Send out a pre-show email blast or postcard and ask brides to stop by to see you. You can also email personal invites with a special message or promotion you will be running during the show.
  • Share the Bridal Spectacular show schedule on your website and social media with a link to sign-up for an one-on-one consultation.
  • Post announcements on your social media channels asking your followers to visit you at the show. You can also run a social media contest or provide an exclusive social media offer for those who stop by. Use #BridalSpectacular2016 and #WedPro16 to save your couples $5 off admission.
  • Offer brides a special gift or discount if they come visit your booth.
  • Remember to include your booth number on all your pre-show communications, including emails, direct mail, ads, social media and your website.

Introducing BrideScan

BrideScan is the ultimate free mobile app that helps connect brides and wedding professionals during the bridal show. Brides will no longer misplace your business cards or hand-outs, as all of your information can easily be saved directly to a bride’s phone through the app. Simply follow these steps before the show:

  1. Encourage brides to download the FREE BrideScan App on their phone.
  2. When speaking with them at the show, be sure they scan your vendor badge so they can easily follow-up with you afterwards.
  3. Order your BrideScan Exhibitor Marketing Kit from Bridal Spectacular by August 10, and we will provide you with two BrideScan lanyards, a BrideScan sign and a packet to keep everything together and orgainized for use from show-to-show. Call 702-368-0088 for more information. We will set you up in the BrideScan system and you will receive an email with the information you need to fill out your profile and any special offers you want the engaged couples to see.

Bridescan-App-Ad

Make Your Booth Stand Out

Having a great looking booth with branded signage and handouts is vital to help you look professional and standout to brides. Be sure to create and order any booth materials in advance, including banners, business cards, brochures/handouts, signage, as well as a way to track your booth visitors.

To make it even easier for our exhibitors, Bridal Spectacular has teamed up with local advertising agency, Up All Day Creative Solutions, to provide you with an exclusive discount for custom designed marketing materials to help you get the most out of your show experience. Bridal Spectacular Show exhibitors get up to 50% off on all of your show marketing needs, including:

  • Booth Signage & Backdrops
  • Booth Flyers/Hand-Outs
  • Pre and Post-Show Emails
  • Pre and Post-Show Postcards
  • Social Media Contests

To learn more, please email deidre@upallday.com.

For more great tips on how set up your booth, take a look at the videos below:

Prepare Your Team

Once couples arrive to your booth, you will want to ensure you have the best team onsite to promote your company and answer questions. Keep the following in mind to prepare your team:

  • Arrive early and dress professionally. Allow more time than you think you need for your booth set-up.
  • Give yourself time before the show begins to network with the other exhibitors so you can refer attendees back-and-forth.
  • Have enough staffers on-hand so you are able to speak to as many brides as possible.
  • Bring booth staffers who are excited to be there and engage with the couples.
  • Give your staffers regular breaks so they don’t burn out. Also be sure to wear comfortable shoes.
  • Don’t hide in your booth or behind the tables! Stand (not sit) near the aisle to gain more foot traffic and appear more approachable.
  • Consider holding a contest to reward the staffers who bring the most qualified leads.
  • DO NOT start breaking down your booth until the show is over! The show will end on Saturday at 4pm this year and couples will stay until the very end. If you start breaking down early, you will deter the couples that are there until closing.

During the Show

The show is only two days, so be sure to make the most out of it! Of course, you could just hang out in your booth and hope the brides will come to you, but if you are proactive you will achieve better results. Consider implementing these strategies to generate more leads:

  • Get social with the Millennials! Post photos to your social media sites with couples and/or stream live videos from the show on Facebook Live or Periscope to build buzz around your booth.
  • Consider doing a raffle, offer a prize, or special show discount to reward brides for visiting you. This will also help draw more attention to your booth!
  • Give your attendees something enjoyable and fun to do, like an engaging demo to keep them more interested.
  • Run presentations or video loops on large video monitors and/or play music to liven up your booth.
  • In addition to giving away literature, also be sure to get the brides contact information so you can follow-up and send additional information afterward.

For more tips on the Do’s & Don’ts of selling at Bridal Show, please view the video below:

 After the Show

  • Follow-Up ASAP– It’s vital to maintain the momentum you built during the show and contact your leads while you are still fresh in their mind. Whether it’s an email, mailer or phone call, following-up right away is a great way to help your company stand out from competitors who may take weeks to follow-up with couples.
  • Have Patience- Do not expect all of your bookings to occur right away. Engaged couples come to bridal shows at all points in their planning process.
  • ROI- Keep in mind that this is an investment, and your return on your investment depends on you.

Remember, if you are proactive, bring your top team and implement just a few these tips, your show experience will be more successful, and more importantly, will lead to more business. Good luck and we look forward to seeing you all soon!

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Posted in Article of the Week, Bridal Shows, Sales & Strategy, Social Media, Trade Show 101

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Event Sponsorships are on the Rise in 2016 as Brands are Looking for Innovative Ways to Reach Consumers

Posted on January 20, 2016 by | Leave a comment

Now becoming an advertising staple for both big and small brands alike, experimental marketing and live events, such as the Winter Bridal Spectacular Show, are becoming bigger than ever when it comes to making a meaningful connection with your customers. In fact, Advertising Age reported that in 2015 U.S. promotion-agency revenue (which including events and experiential marketing) increased 5.8 percent over the prior year.

With online ad blocking rapidly on the rise and television viewership drastically diminishing, brands are looking for new and innovative ways to reach consumers. In an article published by Westwood One, one of the key findings they shared was that event sponsorships is the fastest growing marketing services segment for the third year in a row. The report projects event sponsorship is to grow 7.4 percent in 2016 to a projected $35 billion.

Event Sponsorships are on the Rise in 2016 1

A great example the article shared of how brands are utilizing live events and sponsorships to create innovative experiences and build lasting relationships with consumers was a special backstage event created for the Academy of Country Music Awards. Sponsors were immersed in all aspects of the event, including Advance Auto Parts, which provided a photo booth with music stars that brought in more than 4.4 million total social media impressions:

Event Sponsorships are on the Rise in 2016 2

Another sponsor of the event was the popular candy bar, Twix. The brand integrated its product in a fun and engaging way, which not only achieved direct product placement in the hands of its consumers, but it also attained a great deal of organic media reach and word-of-mouth via social media:

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With the Winter Bridal Spectacular Show coming up this weekend, think of ways that you can also better integrate your brand in an effort to create lasting connections with the brides and grooms. Whether it is holding a social media contest where you ask attendees to post photos at your booth using a special hashtag; creating a memorable handout, like wedding planner, that standouts and brides will continue using after the show; or perhaps it is an engaging demo that brides will want to share on social media because they had such a wonderful time — the possibilities are endless!

Keep in mind that couples will remember the companies who leave a lasting impression with them, so take a chance and try something new. After all, that is why it is called “experimental” marketing.

If you would like to read even more tips for how to create a successful bridal show, please read our blog: Get Ready for the 25th Anniversary Bridal Spectacular Show. Good luck and we look forward to seeing you all this weekend!

Photo Credits: Westwood One

 

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Posted in Article of the Week, Bridal Shows, Business Identity, Relationship Marketing, Sales & Strategy, Social Media

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The Importance of Content Marketing

Posted on April 3, 2015 by | 1 comment

With brides becoming more savvy and more competitors arising everyday, companies have had find more effective ways to reach their target market — this is where content marketing has come into play.

But, what exactly is content marketing? According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience to ultimately drive profitable customer action.

Content marketing has been successful because instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering ongoing, high-quality information to your consumers instead. Regardless of what kind of tactics you are employing, quality content should always play a significant role in each component of your marketing mix. And, if you create your strategy properly, all of these different tactics should work seamlessly together.

Content Marketing

Social Media

With the immense decrease in Facebook’s organic reach, creative content has never been more important. Social Media is not only the perfect way to show off your company’s personality, but also your content. Your posts should be strategic, tailored to fit each social media platform and its respective followers, and provide a high engagement rate. Keep this in mind when creating your social media posts:

  • Create content that’s engaging and shareable
  • People like to feel important, so let them be involved and ask questions
  • Once you have selected your brand voice, stay true to that personality and be authentic
  • If you don’t have the time or can’t think of something compelling to write every day, share other’s content or hire a marketing agency who can do it for you

Blogging

If you don’t have a blog or if it’s non-existent, then you really need to start changing your priorities! A blog will not only increase your SEO, but it will also give your brand more influence, create better customer relationships and drive more traffic to your website. Blogs also provide you additional content to share on your social media channels and in your email marketing. The only catch? People actually read blogs, so make sure your content is well written and thought out, provides relevant information, and stays true to your brand voice.

Emails & Newsletters

Having a robust email marketing strategy is essential these days. But, first things first, you need to build your database. Whether you use an email capture form on your website, hold social media contests, or collect emails at the next Bridal Spectacular Show, you need to give people an opportunity to sign-up first (offering incentives to sign-up is always a plus too!). Then once you have a solid database, be sure to provide your contacts with useful content, rather than just a myriad of sales pitches. Creating good, relevant content is the key to ensure you keep your brides tuned-in and not opting-out. Remember:

  • Opting-in to your email program should be easy to find and sign-up for
  • Send your contacts useful, shareable information
  • Don’t constantly hard sell to your customers

Public Relations

Creating and disseminating a press release is a great way to attract attention to your company that is essentially free. You could write a press release that talks about a seasonal wedding package, a new partnership, or the latest social media contest you’ll be running. Even if some publications don’t pick up your press release, any unique content on the web about your company is always great for SEO. You can also post your press release on your blog and social media channels to gain even more exposure — now are you seeing how everything works seamlessly together?!

Videos

The Millennial Generation has drastically changed the marketing landscape as we once knew it. People no longer have the attention span to watch TV commercials or listen to radio ads. Today, short videos showcasing your brand, valuable tips, or even how you set up for a wedding is the way to go. What’s better, videos can go on almost every social media platform these days and you’re not only limited to YouTube (though having a YouTube channel is still valuable.) Keep the following in mind when creating a video:

  • Keep it short and simple
  • Provide useful, appealing content
  • Think about the problems your brides might face and show how your company can solve those problems

As Las Vegas’ longest running regional wedding magazine and bridal show since 1991, Bridal Spectacular can help you reach your target market at prices every business can afford. Please call (702) 368-0088 for questions and more information.

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Posted in Article of the Week, Online Advertising, Social Media

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