MYRNA ON INSTAGRAM

“The wedding that wasn’t was to be my second and I am just so thankful that I finally found the right partner with whom I can share so much, that the size of the Big Day or, in fact, when it is, is

unimportant to me. I made an appointment at a local bridal boutique early on and when I have a clear picture of what is possible I will certainly head straight back there. The staff were lovely, so kind and helpful and knowledgable and didn’t push me to make a decision. The consultant has

phoned me several times just to see how things are going and I really appreciate that attention.”

“We had been saving for a couple of years to ensure that our Big Day was big in every respect and we have agreed that we will still go ahead with those plans whether we have to wait a year or more. No one is going to take my dream away, and that includes a designer gown that makes me feel like a princess. We’re lucky, we have a home and two very young children, so that special wedding day is very much the icing on the cake.”

“I can’t talk about this. I am close to tears most of the time. I just feel if I knew how things stood I could face up to them. I have my dress and my accessories and it seems that I try them on a good few times a week. I love them, and I want to wear them for my wedding day, not just in front of my bedroom mirror.”

WILDMEADOWPHOTOGRAPHY.CO.UK “We have a plan that I think will work perfectly. The money we had put aside to cover the cost of a wedding for 100+ here is now earmarked for a wedding abroad, next summer, on a beach, and we’ll be paying the fares and expenses for a small group to join us, provided travel plans can be made. We’re talking to English planners based in Portugal and are confident we’ll get there and have a brilliant time.”

GETTING THE BEST FROM INSTAGRAM

Instagram is the goto platform for brides. Myrna Daramy, the bridal industry communication guru in the US, suggests how you can build up your content strategy and see a difference in engagement

It’s been quite a year! With the entire world having to take a long pause because of the pandemic, it’s no surprise that the wedding industry has endured severe setbacks. Wedding dates had to be postponed, bridal vendors had to pivot, and bridal salons had to embrace technology to survive.

More specifically, technology has played a vital role during these challenging times, as it has been the lifeline that helped us all stay connected, continue to communicate, and maintain some sense of community.

Now that bridal stores – here in the US, that is – have started to reopen, the overall consensus from my clients is that Covid-19 has forced this industry to get very creative to continue servicing brides during this time. Whether or not digital marketing played a large part in your communications strategy before, store owners now seem to embrace social media to engage and communicate with their brides more than ever.

Instagram has more than 500 million active daily users with the single most popular age range of users between the ages of 25 and 34, followed by users between the ages

of 18 and 24; it makes perfect sense that it is the platform where brides hang out. I’ve always considered Instagram to be the hybrid of all social media platforms due to the diverse demographic of users and its many photo and video features, so it’s also no surprise that it would be the social channel of choice for bridal stores to engage with brides.

And despite your belief in thinking that posting everything and anything is better than not posting anything at all, I want to share a few tips and tricks that will make the best use of Instagram to help increase your exposure, create more engaging content, and build your audience faster than ever.

1 Revisit your bio and optimise it. It’s so easy to get caught up in the photos and captions so much that you forget about the most important piece of your Instagram profile. Your Instagram bio is important real estate so you should consider including the following: w A keyword for your business in the name field of your bio to increase the possibility of popping up in search results w A brief description of who you are, what you offer, and who you do it for in your brand voice w A branded hashtag that will