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5 Biggest Social Media Mistakes Wedding Pros Make

Wedding Professionals:

Social media is only a few years old. So, it’s no wonder why we’re still learning about it and still making mistakes. Janet Meiners reminds us of the biggest mistakes that we should absolutely avoid as small business owners in her article titled: The 6 Biggest Social Media Mistakes Brands Make. Here are Meiners’ points that I believe apply to our wedding industry:

Impersonal initial contact. The initial contact with a potential customer should be personable. To get a feel for what they are interested in and care about, read their blog, wedding website, Facebook Page and/or Twitter stream.
Not being willing to devote the resources to make social media work. Wedding businesses want to get involved in social media, but they don’t always put in the time and resources needed to make it work. Yes, social media takes time and commitment. However, the rewards are well worth it.
Ignoring your audience. Another mistake is to get involved in social media without actually getting involved. It’s like getting a phone but ignoring every call that comes in. It helps to think of each interaction as if the person is coming to your business and talking to you directly. Online, people aren’t physically going to your business, but they should be treated as if they are. It’s even more important because the interactions you have with them are often public. Their friends and others can see how you respond.
Not seeing negative feedback as an opportunity. Sarah Ward picked up dinner from a local restaurant and ate it at home. “I was totally disappointed with the meal and gave them some honest feedback on Facebook and Twitter. Instead of remedying it, basically they responded that everyone else liked it and that they can't please everyone.” She opened the dialogue to give them a chance to redeem themselves but was it didn’t work. They lost a customer. I find when most people complain it’s from an honest desire to see improvement. The people who don’t care just won’t go back—and they usually tell their friends. It’s better to address problems up front before it’s on Facebook, Twitter or Yelp.
Expecting big numbers and results fast. It’s not often that a brand explodes in social media out of nowhere with little other work or marketing. However, consider that you’re investing in building relationships. That takes time and a commitment. Large numbers don’t mean success but active relationships that align with your marketing strategy does.

What social media lessons or mistakes have you learned from? Please share your thoughts with our wedding community.

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Enjoy!

About This Blog: Christine Dyer is the Creator and Founder of BridalTweet. Christine has an MBA in marketing and shares over ten years of marketing expertise with the wedding community. In this weekly blog, you'll find advice on an array of wedding business topics such as how to market to brides, social networking, wedding PR, wedding sales, vendor networking, branding, pricing and much more. Please pass this news along to your own professional wedding network. To receive this advice in your email inbox each week, Sign Up for a Free BridalTweet Membership.

Comment by Greg Gordon on August 2, 2011 at 4:47am: 6. Not responding quickly is a huge mistake. I have received the best results when I have answered emails and phone calls asap.

Comment by Larisa Gurnick on August 2, 2011 at 5:28am: Thank you for an excellent post. Because of your unique position of being trusted by both the wedding professionals community and the brides, I would invite you to write a blog directed at the clients (brides, grooms, parents) to help them understand how they can use social media to their full advantage to research qualified vendors, get a feel for one's level of professionalism and qualifications. There is much more to finding the right vendor than price - level of responsiveness, availability and ability to answer questions intelligently being some critical ones.

Comment by Greg Gordon on August 2, 2011 at 5:51am: You are correct. There is A LOT to finding the right vendor. As an officiant, I am usually the last person chosen. I find this surprising because the "tone" of the entire ceremony is greatly influenced by the person officiating. Many couples simply look for the cheapest person they can find. They are truly amazed when I give them a list of services that I do provide. PLUS, my wife offers a whole set of other very valuable services on the wedding day that the bride and groom rarely think about such as timing, cue-ing and most importantly, filling-in for vendors who have defaulted - for whatever reason. Recently, she took the place for a cook who never showed because he was having heart problems. Without her, the reception dinner would have never occurred. I think brides get caught up in the excitement of getting married and forget about the small details which can have such a major impact.

Comment by Xceed Entertainment Inc. on August 2, 2011 at 6:35am: Excellent Post, we are hosting the following event at the Alexander Hotel Miami: http://xceedandthealexander-eorg.eventbrite.com/ ; may we use it to display on the plasma screens during our event? We will give credit to Bridal Tweet. Thank you.

Comment by Jonette Jordan on August 2, 2011 at 12:24pm: @Larisa, that's an excellent suggestion. Loved the post, Christine, and agree completely with the list.

Comment by Jody Serey on August 4, 2011 at 5:45am: Your observation about responding to a complaint is right on the button. A defensive stance -- or one that implies that the person voicing a criticism is somehow mistaken or ignorant -- is deadly, closes the door to any positive interaction, and guarantees multiple customers will be lost. People who are offended or who have had their feelings hurt talk a lot.

Comment by Reel Life Photos on August 4, 2011 at 6:26am: Spot on Christine! You need to see what is of interest to your FB contacts, and though you can't possibly participate in every thread with all of them every single day, showing you care and listen creates relationships. Not everyone who click LIKE on your page wants to be your friend immediately, but if you post public content that keeps them coming back, they will feel they know you, and trust you with their wedding (photography in my case). A client who is unhappy is a waiting for you to make them feel better. But first you need to find out what the problem is. One bride's mother once rang me up saying "Elaine, I am very unhappy"....why? "I really don't like the wedding album"...what is it you don't like..."There are no pictures of my sisters in it". I had to explain that the choice of images was down to the bride and groom , and that their perspective was different from hers. I offered to make her her own personal album - which she paid for - and then she was happy ... and so was I. Job complete! xx