News and insider tips from WeddingDates

WeddingDates generates leads for wedding venues and suppliers across Ireland and the UK for dates they have available to sell. Generate, Manage and Book more weddings with WeddingDates

[weddingdatesnews]

2015 Wedding Survey: Reputation Leads, But Romance Follows

A newly released survey of over 600 brides and grooms on WeddingDates.ie and WeddingDates.co.uk aimed at discovering the venue booking habits of engaged couples. 

“Valentine's Day weekend is the leading occasion on which couples up and down the country get engaged,” noted WeddingDates CEO Ciara Crossan. “Hotels and other venues will be keen to seduce these loved-up couples in the months to come, and market intelligence from these survey results can help venues build a strategy to attract them.”

When it comes to selecting a venue, 63% of couples visit fewer than 5 venues, highlighting the importance of pre-sales marketing to get on the all-important short list. In the next bracket, 29% visit 5 – 10 venues, while only 3% go the full wedding monty and tour 15 or more locations. When it comes to the decision to book, a whopping 69% of couples are booking hotels from three to five stars for their big day, while 16% choose a country estate and 10% choose a castle, restaurant or marquee.

WeddingDates CEO Ciara Crossan commented on another significant trend revealed by the survey. “Almost half of all brides now do their wedding planning online, using wedding websites and social media like Pinterest and Instagram,” she noted. “And while June has long been believed to be 'the' month for weddings, our survey found that July and August are much more popular with today's couples.”

The survey found that the long-held hotel tradition of discounting dates outside of these months was unlikely to sway a couple, with 57% of couples reporting they would not be incentivised away from their chosen date. Just 21% would be open to off-peak discounts, 15% to mid-week rates, and 7% in a short availability discount for bookings less than six months out.

Despite the changes in modern wedding trends, romance is far from dead, however: when deciding on a venue, a location with sentimental meaning for the couple was the biggest consideration at 34%. 

Couples pinpointed inflexibility, pushiness, hidden costs and slow responses as the main issues encountered when searching for their perfect wedding venue.

Conversely, 30% of couples reported that they were positively influenced by a venue's reputation, with only 18% naming cost as the key deciding factor. And 7% cited the events team as the major deciding factor in their decision on where to book.

“That's a number hotels can build on,” advised Crossan. “While you may not be able to move your venue to a couple's ideal location, the strength of your events team, the promptness of replies, and the free perks you can offer to couples are all assets hotels and venues can strengthen as part of their sales offering.”

ABOUT WEDDINGDATES

WeddingDates (http://www.WeddingDates.ie & http://www.WeddingDates.co.uk) is a free online service that helps couples across Ireland and the UK to find their dream wedding venue. The company was established in 2008 and now serves 350,000 unique visitors each year. For more information or for media inquiries, contact Ciara Crossan on 00353 87 9577733 or at [email protected]

Media assets for print and web including full statistics, a survey infographic and individual, illustrated stats panels are available for download at http://wdat.es/1IS5o13

[weddingdatesnews]

Why You Should Be Using Pinterest to Connect With Couples

It wouldn’t be news to you if we said there is a greater shift these days towards online booking (that is why WeddingDates is here after all!). In a world where everything is available to us 24/7, newer business tactics must include forms of online marketing in order to avoid getting left behind.

Facebook and Twitter are the prime choices to connect with potential customers, but for more granular results (i.e. potential brides and grooms), every wedding venue worth their salt will know that Pinterest is full of low hanging fruit and potential bookings.

  What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is basically an online “pin-board” where you can group photos together on “boards”. Think of it like a scrap book; photos can be of your property or found online linking back to the original source. Great news right? The even better news is that there are so many other ways you can utilize Pinterest for your business.

  A Visual Aid For Meetings

Your Pinterest boards can be brought into “real life” with a variety of mood boards of your venue, which you can produce when couples come in for their show round. Print out images and DIY onto a blank canvas to create montages that will appeal to your prospective brides and showcase the hotel in the best light. Or if you prefer to keep everything digital, simply bring an iPad along with you to freely scroll through wedding inspiration.

  Keywords and SEO

Pinterest can provide the opportunity for business to show their areas expertise and credibility in their area. But as well as this, Pinterest can provide you with more backlinks to your website, which can be a crucial SEO ranking signal and can increase your visibility by linking images back to your site and using relevant hashtags in your description.

  Streamline The Journey to More Bookings

According to Mashable, shoppers referred to a website via Pinterest are 10% more likely to purchase a product or service. This can only tell us that Pinterest can potentially be viable source to increase bookings from your website. Pinning photos from your WeddingDates listing or other booking sites you use may be just another way to increase traffic flow and income to your business.

  Pinterest Tips For Any Pro

Create an interesting profile in line with your venue’s brand strategy. Make it informative and be sure to link to your site and other social media.

Find out what your competition are doing. What type of boards do they have up? How many pins have they uploaded? Are they very active? Maybe there is a way you can improve on what they are already doing. Optimise each pin with file names that contain your keywords and descriptions that use hashtags. For example, our WeddingDates Pinterest contains boards from geographical locations listed on our site with keywords for that location as well as linking to our venue's WeddingDates listing. 

Four Seasons tracks increases in followers, repins and likes and visits to their site, digital magazine and blogs. They use this data to figure out what’s popular on Pinterest and then create more content like it.

Lastly, always link back to relevant source material. Have you recently renovated? Maybe you have just launched a new package. Either way, keep fans updated and document real life events in your venue. Be active! Comment, like, share other boards and use it as a means of reaching out to a potential couple.

  Pinterest Accounts That Are Doing it Well

Like any effective social media, Pinterest is more about having a conversation that is relevant to your fans rather than simply posting boards of the latest offers you have available. Try to think like your potential bride and imagine what they would be interested in seeing float through their Pinterest account. Also, there are plenty of other businesses who are really making the most out of Pinterest, below are some of our favourites:

Four Seasons Hotel

 Starbucks 

 Etsy 

What are you waiting for? Get Pinning! Check out our WeddingDates Pinterest for inspiration. 

[weddingdatesnews]

Stephen Morton-Prior writing in C&IT about creativity in Events Management and standing out from the crowd. Great read!

[weddingdatesnews]

Filling your hotel Monday - Friday....win more Conference Business

Planners are changing the way they look for and find suitable Conference Hotels and Venues.  

Ciara Feely, Conference Converter has devised a program to share her insider tips and knowledge with hoteliers like you helping them convert more Conference Business. "I interviewed Shawna Sucklow for my book recently, she is the President and Founder of SPIN- an association for Senior Meeting Planners. She highlighted some excellent points on how hotels communicate with Conference Planners. They no longer "believe" traditional messages generated by the hotels marketing department.  They are looking for authentic marketing- marketing that has meaning to them and is generated by people they trust - their peers, other hotel guests, Conference Delegates and other Conference Planners." So how does a Hotel Sales and Marketing Team go about creating this "believable" sales and marketing collateral?  Here are 2 easy ways to create "social" marketing material that converts and wins more conference sales. 1.  Tell your story about how easy it is to run a conference or event there.   How do you document what conferences are held at your hotel,  do you have plenty of testimonials or quotes from attendees, do you have short video clips of the events or at least the set up of them? Effective Marketing is not about shovelling facts into a brochure or website page.  It's about telling the brand story, the story of your clients and indeed the story of the staff Conference Planners will be working with. 2. Create your brand story and marketing material around this - Have a video testimonial of a Conference, Meeting or Event Planner telling their story of how a conference went right after the event.  Capture them when they still have the buzz and energy, ideally when they are still in the conference room.  They are telling your audience how great it was working with your team and how easy it was to run an event there.  Put this video on your website, on the top of the conference page so it is the first thing they click on. Promote it on YouTube, Vimeo, your Facebook page, LinkedIn Company page and Twitter.   So the next question is how do you get Planners and Delegates to generate the content for you?  Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are very effective tools to drive believable marketing.  You then need to convert them to sales.  We have put together a Webinar just for Hotel Sales and Marketing Teams on "How to Build Your Facebook Presence to Attract the Conference Planner".   On this webinar you will learn -

6 Techniques to build an Audience of Conference Planners now!

Exactly what mistakes to avoid... and there are quite a few

How to Convert Facebook Fans into Conference Clients.

We just have a few places left.  We can only accommodate 100 people on the webinar. To get the edge on your competition, sign up today.  This is the link.  

http://www.conferenceconverter.com/june-webinar-sign-up

I will be interviewing Facebook Expert Jenny Brennan of the Doable Social Summit.  On the webinar she is sharing exactly what will get the Conference and Event Planner's attention on Facebook.   We will also give you a free template to plan your activities.

See you on Thursday.

All my best. Ciara

P.S.  If you miss the webinar on Thursday, we will send you a copy of the webinar so you can listen back to it at any time for a month.  You must sign up by lunch time on Thursday to avail of this offer though.  We won't be repeating this webinar again for 9 months.

Ciara Feely Cahalane Creator of The Conference Converter System™

[weddingdatesnews]

Could This New Trend Increase Wedding Bookings?

It’s that time of year again folks, wedding season! While it’s all hustle and bustle from here, the summer season isn’t always considered as a time for high-volume wedding enquiries. Despite this, summer months are a huge opportunity for wedding guests (i.e. your future clients!) to collect ‘inspiration’ for potential wedding venues. So many potential customers tend to build up a lot of trust with venues by attending other weddings, providing venues the opportunity to sell by recommendation. But what if there was a way to capitalise on that?

  Many hotels in the U.S. are now discovering that they could increase wedding bookings by offering couples additional incentives. Hotel loyal programs are more commonly popular among visitors who can earn points that can be redeemed with free stays, discounts on amenities or a number of possible prizes. 

  Hoteliers for larger brands are now taking this incentive and learning that offering points to wedding planners and potential couples could be a selling point that will offer huge revenue potential.

Taylor Short, hotel management researcher at Software Advice mentioned:

“Using loyalty points to attract more wedding business is a newer tactic, but hotels are just now discovering that offering points to wedding planners specifically can encourage them to recommend your property to more brides or grooms.”

“One of the most effective incentives for brides or grooms is to offer an anniversary package that allows them to use points for a recreation of their wedding dinner and a free stay, driving additional business to your hotel.”

“When promoting your hotel’s wedding services on social media, take advantage of the more visual-based platforms like Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram. Posting high quality photos of a recent wedding at your venue with information about the loyalty program and a link to a wedding landing page is an essential that shouldn’t be passed up on.”

  This is an amazing way to build on brand loyalty. Conversely, what if potential couples to your wedding venue could build upon and earn points towards their own wedding? Whether these points go to the actual wedding day or after, the potential for strategising a ‘weddings reward’ system is pretty much endless!

  This reward system may be in the early stages of development in the U.S. but the revenue potential is definitely interesting. Whether or not this trend will eventually cross over the pond will prove even more so.

Image via Flickr

[weddingdatesnews]

Why "The Fold" is so important and what you need to know now!

The concept of “The Fold” is usually associated with broadsheet newspapers, ie. News that is placed “above the fold” is the most important, with attention grabbing headlines. While this is nothing new to most of us, now in this digital age does this concept apply to website content? And if so, how? The notion of “The Fold” is highly relevant to all of us when trying to attract customers and get them to take some action on the information we have provided. Jakob Nielsen estimates that, “…web users spend 80% of their time looking at information above the page fold. Although users do scroll, they allocate only 20% of their attention below the fold.”

What you can do NOW to ensure you are getting 80% of users attention:

Update your calendar on WeddingDates - We rank our search results based on which clients most recently logged in and made an edit to their calendar. Update regularly (we recommend a minimum of once a week) to nab the coveted top spot in your county and be the first venue that prospective brides see when they do a search.

Review the placement of the WeddingDates calendar on your own website- is the calendar sitting underneath all of your marketing text? Is it in a sidebar? Do you have to click another link to get to it? If you answered yes to any of the above, then we strongly suggest having a review on the placement of the calendar. Results have shown that calendars placed above the fold in a prominent position (not hidden in a sidebar that might be overlooked) get better click throughs and more enquiries than those which require a lot of scrolling or navigation to find. We allow you to use multiple instances of the calendar – so feel free to place on ALL your weddings pages!

Make use of the valuable real estate “above the fold” on the WeddingDates homepage by taking a banner ad or by getting your Venue on our coveted Homepage Feature slider! Many of you have these as part of your packages but slots are available to buy each month if you want to “takeover” our homepage.

[weddingdatesnews]

How to Make The Most Out of Your Facebook Page

    For many businesses, Facebook is very much the hub of where your customers learn about you. From how you reply to comments to your posts and tone of voice – Facebook and other social media channels can be a great touch point of customer service for a lot of people. Facebook is not only a great opportunity to reach out to your clients, but it’s a place to build relationships, create brand awareness, and sometimes, even win over sales. Since Facebook is a huge opportunity for your couples to experience the real you, it’s important that you bring across the right message to those potential customers. Here are a few tips on making the most out of your Facebook page.

    Photos

    Eye-catching photos are proven to receive more engagement than plain text, videos or link posts. Not only can photos receive more likes and comments than a plain text status update, but the right photo can give your customers a real insight into your hotel. Getting more personal by using staff or ‘behind-the-scenes’ photos can be a great way to bring personality to your brand and wedding venue.

    Content

    Your Facebook fans won’t consist of potential wedding couples exclusively, but it could be a significant number. Do you have a Facebook schedule and strategy to keep your posts varied? Do you find your posts are often focused on overnight stays or daily food specials? Moderate what is receiving more likes as well as what time of day receives more engagement. If that turns out to be later on in the evening, it may be worth scheduling posts at that time (as well as throughout the day).

    Text

    Although photos tend to be top engagers when it comes to Facebook, great copy is still just as important. Keep your posts short, snappy and friendly. Many marketing and social media experts that say Facebook post should be as short as a tweet (140 characters). And although text should appear shorter, it’s also important to consider your tone of voice when updating your status. Remember, you’re not writing these posts as you, but as a company brand. Consider what the personality of that brand is each time you post as well as what is appropriate for it.

    WeddingDates App

    Since so many engaged couples spend a lot of time on Facebook (the average mobile user checks their phone once every 10 minutes), it is worth considering if you can capture enquiries here too. Do you have our WeddingDates app installed? If not, it’s very easy to do yourself. Or, drop us a line/pick up the phone and we can help you!

    Updates

    Although your About, Description, General and Basic Information may not seem like a priority when it comes to your Facebook page, this is where your potential customers will learn more about you as well as using this information as a means to contact you. If this information is inaccurate, it will not only look unprofessional but it may be a roadblock for them to contact you.

    Other useful links:

    Facebook Tips For Hotels:

http://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-tips-hotels/

How to schedule a Facebook Post:

https://www.facebook.com/help/389849807718635

Tips for Creating Engaging Facebook Posts:

https://www.facebook.com/business/a/online-sales/page-post-tips

[weddingdatesnews]

Give your WeddingDates Description some love

    When it comes to matters of the heart, the written word can often convey something special that isn’t tangible in person. That is why punchy and effective marketing text is so successful. This is especially true when it comes to your WeddingDates listing. In our last blog post, we mentioned how a great description in your listing can be like painting a picture with words. Your text, if compelling, will not only leave a lasting impression, it can also give your potential couples a sense of your venue without ever entering your front door. Give your WeddingDates description some well-deserved love with these simple tips.

    Use Vocabulary That Creates Desire

    Whether you’re trying to create a sense of value for money, prestige or simply promoting a new package, using colourful wording can really brighten up a description. We all know that when a couple become newly engaged, they are pretty much on top of the world. They are drawn to romantic and pretty language like a moth to a flame and everything around them is seen with rose tinted (and heart shaped) glasses! Captivate the imaginations of your potential couples with keywords to make them fall head over heels with you.

    Be personal.... What is your USP?

    Using words like ‘you’ where possible can really drive home the message to your potential couples. Add a personal touch to give them that perspective of experiencing your venue first hand. The key is for your description to have carefully thought and considered rather than just reusing the same text that appears on your website, wedding packages and Facebook page. What is it about your wedding venue that makes you unique? You know the best qualities of your venue better than anyone else, make sure to let your couples know too!

    Objectively Proof Read Your Description

    Once you have written your description, visit the website as if you are a couple looking at your venue for the first time. Check for any spelling/grammar errors. As well, take a second to get into the mind frame of a bride or groom-to-be. Do you feel compelled to find out more about the venue? Do you feel a desire to submit details into the enquiry form? If not, think about the reasons why. Have you written too much text? Is the language too informative (i.e. unromantic)? Getting a second person’s perspective can always be helpful.

  Check back to our post about perfecting your WeddingDates listing here.

  Here are some other great blogs with marketing copy tips:

http://www.martinshervington.com/how-to-write-awesome-marketing-copy/

http://www.copyblogger.com/good-copywriting/

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/good-copywriting-practices-list

Image via Flickr

[weddingdatesnews]

Tips For Making Your WeddingDates Listing Perfect

We have found our top clients at WeddingDates are those who create a romantic environment in their listing. Our couples can fall in love with you venue without even meeting you as they enquire for an available date. Here are few quick and easy ways you can make your WeddingDates listing perfect.

    Images

    Did you know that you can upload up to 20 images to your listing? Photography has a huge emotional influence when it comes to choosing a wedding venue. Make your imagery enticing for your audience by adding your beautifully photographed wedding reception area or a photo of a happy couple. Have you photos of your gardens that you can upload? The key here is to show off your best assets. Do you have a stunning photo of your banqueting suite? Show it off!  Try to keep it all wedding related, making sure ‘their big day’ is at the forefront of your couple’s minds.

    Paint a Picture with Your Words

    Great marketing text can really make a difference when it comes to leaving a good impression. Spelling and grammar are paramount but it’s also important to remember that you can really captivate someone with a few simple words. Romantic and vibrant language can paint a glowing picture of your venue without them ever entering it. Remember that who are writing to is a newly engaged couple… They want to feel inspired and excited!

    Keep Your Information up to Date

    Still promoting 2013 brochures on your listing? It’s time to do a big spring clean! Remove any mention of 2013 from your page (unless you’ve won a WeddingDates award of course!). Needless to say, couples aren’t interested in offers that are no longer available and outdated information may leave a bad impression. Instead, why not mention any special offers you are currently running? We have found that 40% of couples are influenced by price when searching for a wedding venue.

    Update Your Events

    Have an event coming up? Wedding fairs and showcases are prime opportunities for a couple to really get a feel for your venue. Update your events as much as possible and we will do our best to spread the word on social media.

    Customise Your Generic Email

    Each time a couple enquires about a date, they will automatically have an email from you sent to them. We have also found that our most successful clients have utilized this part of their listing by making the email as personal as possible. Mentioning a person in your venue who will get in touch with them directly really adds a level of personality and gives your couple a chance to connect with you. This is also a great opportunity to mention any upcoming events that you could invite them along to.

    Stay tuned for more insider tips and news!

Image via Flickr