Tips for Getting Your Work Published on Wedding Blogs

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Being published is one of the best ways to get the word out about your brand.  In the wedding industry, this is especially true.  Brides love wedding blogs. They look at them all day and all night long. (and now they Pin to Pinterest what they love – because this is today’s bride. Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation (or Millennials))

So understandably, you need to have your work published across various platforms online and in print to reach your next clients.

I want to share with you a few really key things that will help you get your work published on wedding blogs.

  1. Make sure what you are submitting fits the media.  Meaning, if they have only published “vintage” type weddings, chances are they won’t publish your Four Seasons Black Tie Affair, it’s just not their readership.
  2. Don’t publish the work on your blog, facebook fan page or printerest, yet.  Editors want original and “never” seen before content to be published. If it’s been posted to your own social network (even just in part) your chances of being published drops.
  3. Most bloggers want exclusive content, so only submit work to 1 blog.  I know it can take a long time to get published, but the end results will be worth  it.
  4. Get permission ahead of time, not after the fact.  There is nothing that annoys bloggers more than back and forth emails.  Have all your ducks inline including: name of couple, vendor list, day of story, contact info of vendors and couple, and if you’re not a photographer, permission from the photographer.
  5. Be nice and be patient.  Bloggers get bombarded with requests to publish real weddings.  The bigger the blog, the longer the wait.  Your kindness will be appreciated and noticed – trust me.

I hope that helps – and if you have any more questions let me know.

Thanks,

V.

A Canadian Wedding Blog

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It’s been a crazy week for me because I finally launched a Canadian Wedding Blog – Champagne Sweets.

I had always wanted to start a wedding blog, but never really had the time, however things changed after I got married.  During my planning process, I became increasingly frustrated with the lack of wedding blogs for Canadians that were fresh and current.  Don’t get me wrong, there are a few really great ones – but not as many as there in the states.

I invite you to check visit Champagne Sweets, follow Champagne Sweets on Twitter and Like Champagne Sweets on facebook.

Thanks so much and have a great day!

Valerie

You Need a Goal in Social Media

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I remember one teacher at McGill in my Public Relations class who always said one thing about anything we ever did.  What’s the point?

What is the point of anything we do?  It’s a great question and any business, small or large, has to ask that question every single time they publish something.  So what’s the point of this post?
Great question, it’s about goals.  (which is a great tie into “what’s the point”)

Goals are mandatory.  Your Social Media strategy HAS to have; a goal, message, timeline and results.  Without having these essential things, you are just shooting darts at the wall hoping that one day you’ll hit a bullseye.
I recently read an article on ragan.com and Danielle M. Cyr, director of social media & senior PR account manager for Co-Communications, pointed out the 5 things your social media strategy can’t live without!

They include:
1. Quantifiable goals
2. Key message points
3. Clearly defined roles
4. A timeline
5. Success metrics

It’s easy to incorporate these 5 key things when you are promoting an event or product – we know what the point is.  However it gets foggy when it comes to everyday posting.  Just having a twitter account doesn’t fulfill the goal of being in social media (that is not a goal).  Growing a business, getting more clients, increasing awareness… these are goals that will give you and your business tangible results.

What is the point? What is your goal? How will you define success?

It’s time to set up your goals and objectives and to ask yourself “what’s the point” every single time.

-Valerie

You can read the entire article here on ragan.com

Outsourcing is Good – But…

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I recently read a blog post about how small business owners have really embraced outsourcing and they are outsourcing for everything.  I think that’s great.  Actually I think that’s amazing.

Things like accounting, a lawyer, a graphic designer… these are all things we really need and most of us can’t do this ourselves because we aren’t trained in those fields and we want to make sure we are doing it correctly.  Some business owners are even starting to learn more about social media by hiring a agency (hint, hint!) or they have started to outsource social media community managers (now one of the top growing professions in the world and those with experience are in top demand).  It’s great, because like I said, if you aren’t trained in it… it’s not as intuitive as you might think.

So my word of caution…. and this is marketing 101, when outsourcing make sure the beginning of your outsourced relationship is teaching your brand philosophy to the company that is doing the work for you.  There is nothing worse than hiring someone to run your marketing and social media and they completely miss the mark by posting something that just doesn’t fit.
Spend the time to teach before they run away with your brand and make you look bad.

Those are my 2 cents!

Accepting New Clients!

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It has been a wild 4 years since Valerie Windsor PR first opened its doors!  Although we are still new compared to most agencies, 4 years in social media is like a lifetime.  We are proud to have been one of the first social media and public relations agencies that specializes in the wedding industry in Montreal and in Canada.

Today I am so excited to announce that we are expanding and are now excepting new clients for 2012!

Please email me personally at: valerie (@) valeriewindsor.com
Looking forward to working with you!

Have a great day & Happy New Year!

Valerie

Happy New Years

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Well it’s January 2nd – so I may be a bit late in saying this, but Happy New Years!

I am a true believer that if you set a goal, eventually it will come true.  Everything in life takes hard work and dedication and for those of us who have done everything in our power to make it work, may 2012 be as successful as 2011 (and even more).

Happy New Years!