The Wedding Business Magazine October 2018

Oct ober 2018

Amy Shey J acobs shares her career st ory and how she brings an event t o l if e.

We chat t o Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan about t he f ut ure of video com m unicat ion.

"No m att er w hat you do, your job is t o t ell a st ory." Gary Vaynerchuck

In This Issue..

Our Cont ribut ors From t he Edit or

4- 6 8

Quot e of t he Mont h

10- 11

#WEDFEATURE w it h Am y Shey Jacobs

12- 19

#WEDPR w it h Meghan Ely

20- 25

#WEDx w it h Tracy Butt erf ield

28- 31

#WEDEDU

32- 37

#WEDVENUE w it h Lindsay Lucas

38- 41

Our Favourit e Things

42- 43

#WEDEXPERT w it h Kellie Daab

44- 47

#WEDPRO w it h Diann Valent ine

48- 51

#WEDBIZCOACH w it h Em m a Et heridge

52- 55

Gett ing Personal t he Right Way w it h Video w it h Christ ie Osborne

56- 61

Top Tips

62- 67

#WEDSOCIAL w it h Shannon DePalm a

68- 71

Video Com m unicat ion w it h w it h Eric S. Yuan

72- 75

#WEDSEO w it h Kat hy DalPra

76- 83

YouTube f or Bosses w it h Sunny Lenarduzzi

84- 87

Q&A

88- 89

#WEDINSPIRE Wit h Kylie Carlson

90- 97

#WEDPROMO w it h Heidi Thom pson

98- 101

Video Market ing Tips w it h Meryl Snow

102- 105

Show case

106- 109

#WEDLEGAL w it h Christ ina Scalera

110- 113

Video Tut orials and Live St ream ing w it h Sarah Cam pbell

114- 117

Rinse, Wash, Repeat w it h Angela Proff itt

118- 121

Video Market ing w it h Andreas Hauke The Publishers

124- 127 128

Contr ibutor s Em m a Et heridge Em m a is t he f ounder of The Wedding Biz Coach and support s w edding- prenuers t o grow t heir w onderf ul w edding businesses by t eaching real- lif e, pract ical, act ionable st rat egies t hat w ork.

Websit e: w w w .w eddingbizcoach.com

Heidi Thom pson Heidi Thom pson is t he best - selling aut hor of Clone Your Best Client s and t he f ounder of Evolve Your Wedding Business. She specializes in business and m arket ing st rat egy f or w edding prof essionals.

Websit e: w w w .evolveyourw eddingbusiness.com

Kat hy Dal Pra Kat hy t akes t he overw helm out of SEO, sales and w ebsit e conversion so w edding businesses can t urn m ore curious visit ors int o high paying client s.

Websit e: brideappeal .com

Kel l ie Daab Kellie Daab, Wedding Business Archit ect , and f ounder at iDo Collect ive is a w edding indust ry t hought leader, aut hor, and business st rat egist .

Kellie helps event indust ry prof essionals creat e brands t hey love, st rat egies t hat w ork, and processes t hey love!

Websit e: w w w .idocol l ect ive.com

Lindsay Lucas Lindsay Lucas, Wedding Venue Business Consult ant and Founder of Lean On Me Event s, is passionat e about helping venue ow ners build a st rong f oundat ion f or success, coaching t hem on how t o creat e a sust ainable venue in an ever evolving m arket .

Websit e: w w w .l eanonm econsult ant s.com

Mart ha Tobyn Mart ha Tobyn is Brand Manager f or t he Int ernat ional Academ y of Wedding & Event Planning, Designer and Co- edit or of t his m agazine, and is also t he Founder of Wedding Planning and St yling st udio Anem one.

Websit e: w w w .anem one- st yl e.com

Meghan Ely Meghan Ely is t he ow ner of w edding PR and w edding m arket ing f irm OFD Consult ing. Ely is a sought - aft er speaker, adjunct prof essor in t he f ield of public relat ions, and a self- prof essed royal w edding ent husiast .

Websit e: w w w .of dconsult ing.com

Tracy But t er f iel d Tracy Butt erf ield is a t rust ed Wedding Indust ry Ent repreneur. Founder of WEDx, nat ional t raining f or w edding prof essionals and t he Four Count ies Wedding Aw ards. Ment or and Speaker. She is Direct or of Developm ent f or t he acclaim ed NAWP- UK Websit e: w w w .w edx.co.uk Shannon DePal m a Shannon DePalm a is a m oney m indset coach f or f em ale ent repreneurs. She built and sold her f irst w edding business in 2 years and believe every w om an should have an am azing relat ionship w it h m oney.

Websit e: w w w .shannondepal m a.com

Christ ina Scal era Christ ina Scalera is t he att orney + f ounder of The Cont ract ShopÂŽ, a dow nloadable legal t em plat e st ore f or w edding prof essionals. You can f ind her and her legal t ips via video in t he Law Law Land Facebook group.

Websit e: t hecont ract shop.com

From the Editor KYLIE CARLSON

Light s, Cam era, Act ion! That 's t he t hem e f or our Oct ober issue of t he Wedding Business Magazine and as m any of you w ill know I'm a HUGE video m arket ing fan and have em braced it f or bot h t he Academ y and m y ow n creat ive ent repreneur brand. Wit hout a doubt video has dram at ically increased t he bott om line of m y business and given m y nam e, w ork and personalit y so m uch m ore visibilit y t hat has proven invaluable bot h t o t he Academ y and m y ow n brand, kyliecarlson.co I've absolut ely loved putt ing t his issue t oget her and don't f orget t o check out m y f ull art icle on St oryt elling Video Market ing under WedInspire Just in case you're w ondering w hat all t he video f uss is about I w ant you t o t hink about t his. If one pict ure is w ort h a t housand w ords, t hen how m uch is a video w ort h? The answ er is 1.8 m illion w ords, according t o t he expert s. And t hat huge visual m essage doesn?t fall on deaf ears. Online video engagem ent is t he fast est grow ing and m ost eff ect ive m arket ing t ool. Brands and individuals w ho use video cit e a m arked increase in SEO, view ership, m essage recall and act ion.

So t im e t o dive in and get yourself 'Vid Educat ed' and don't f orget t o let m e know w hen you've done your f irst video so I can com e and support you and cheer you on.

Kyl ie x

The Styled Shoot Team L'AMOUR, LA VIE ET TOI WEDDING SHOOT -

Phot ography: Sum m er Rain Phot ography: Venue: Earlando St yling and Decorat ion: Azure Weddings and Event s Whit sundays Make Up: Joanne Drom gold Makeup Hair: Whit sundays Wedding Hair Lounge Cat ering: Peach and Pear Event s and Cat ering Dresses: Anna Dut t on Cout ure Flow ers: Flow er Hut Whit sundays Models: Kat hryn Robb and Laura Morgan Tanning: N.E.W Tanning Airlie Beach

Quote of the Month

?

We're oper ating in a world where one good video can lead to a massive social following.

MIKE HENRY

?

# WEDFEATURE AMY SHEY JACOBS, CHANDELIER EVENTS

Fresh off of planning and designing t his year?s Knot Gala, Am y Shey Jacobs is one of Nort h Am erica?s leading event planners and designers.

No st ranger t o event s in t he lim elight , Am y has cont ribut ed t o t he planning of hundreds of live t elevised event s on Oprah, NBC?s Today, E!, MTV, VH1, CBS and m ore. In t his issue, she shares t he evolut ion of her career, as w ell bringing t he client ?s vision t o lif e, even in t he m ost seem ingly im possible of sit uat ions.

When did you realize you w ant ed t o st art your ow n com pany?

My experience in t he w edding w orld w as launched w ay back in 2000 w it h m y f irst career m ove out side of agency PR. I jum ped int o a litt le- know n com pany at t he t im e called, "The Knot ? w hich had just recent ly becom e it s ow n URL. Yes, I w orked at one of t he f irst independent URLs. I w as w orking in PR, but on t he brand side. And I w as really int erest ed in m aking a shift int o edit orial and t he ?dot - com w orld? at t he t im e, and The Knot is w here I landed. So I st art ed t here as a really young PR associat e w it hin t heir sm all t eam and built t heir t eam over t he course of t he next decade int o The Knot t hat it becam e in t he public sphere.

I w as producing The Today Show Wedding series and Oprah w eddings, The View w eddings, and w orking very closely w it h t he am azing Carley Roney, a t rue t railblazer in w edding. When I had m y son, I w ent back t o w ork, and it w as all fabulous and w onderf ul? w it h t he except ion t hat

m y son w as 3 pounds w hen he w as born. Suddenly I f ound m yself in t his quandary of, "I love m y job, but I w ant t o have m y cake and eat it , t oo." Which w as largely being able t o just ref ocus and re- shift m y 24 hours of m y day, and t o be able t o accom m odat e doing it all. Because I like t o burn t he candelabra and in m y lif e, t hat m eans t he w hole chandelier. I don't burn t he candle at bot h ends, I just light t he w hole t hing on f ire and keep it af lam e. It 's a gent le balance, but it 's m y balance.

And so, I didn't really ever leave The Knot w it h t he int ent ion t o w rit e a business plan and st art a business. In fact , I st ill w ork w it h The Knot t o t his very day. But t hey w ere so incredible and reconf igured m y job role t here a consult ant ? special ops, I suppose. I built out t heir PR t eam , and I w orked w it h t hem on special project s w hile enjoyed being w it h m y baby. When m y cont act s f rom m y days in t he m edia w orld f ound out t hat I w as a f ree agent , t he calls st art ed t o com e: "You know how t o produce t he w edding like a producer. And you've got great t ast e, w ould you w ant t o plan t his person's w edding?" Or, "Would you plan m y w edding?" Or, "Would you help m e launch an ice cream brand??

So at t he t im e, I w as open t o w hat I'd call like a big, giant f reelance gig - and I st ill f eel t hat w ay som et im es t o t his day. My ent repreneurial jum p- off point w as not very clear at t he beginning. It w as a lot m ore of just say 'yes' t o t he opport unit ies as t hey cam e m y w ay. And t he f lexibilit y t hat I w ant ed at t he t im e t o be able t o have m y cake and eat

"The True Nort h of doing your ow n PR is f iguring out your "So What ?? Why should people care? What m akes you diff erent ?"

it t oo, really allow ed f or m e t o ref ocus m y schedule f rom not even a 9 t o 5. It w as like a 6 t o 12, 7 days a w eek. I likened it t o Sw iss cheese.

Like f illing in t he holes w it h f un project s, because I never w ant ed t o st op w orking. I just w ant ed t o change t he w ay I did w ork. And t hankf ully, w hile m y son never slept t hrough t he night , he did nap (a lot ) so I w orked in bet w een diaper changes and m om m y- and- m e classes.

And so over t he course of t im e, as our new norm al f ell int o place, I st art ed t o t ake on m ore and m ore project s. And about 2 or 3 years int o t he new chapt er of m y career, I w as enjoying being a m om and planning w eddings and t aking on PR project s and really int erest ing event s and TV segm ent s. I got a call f rom a producer over at The View, w ho had put m y nam e in t he running t o plan Lisa Loeb's w edding? t he cat ch? In 3 w eeks. I loved w orking w it h Lisa and her husband Roey. We planned t heir w edding in record speed? and I f ound out t hat I w as going t o be f eat ured in People Magazine.

It w as at t hat m om ent t hat I recognized it w as t im e t o really put a brand nam e on m y business, rat her t han just m y nam e. At t he t im e, m y experience w it h The Knot and m y int uit ion t old m e t hat t aking advant age of t hat opport unit y w ould be really im port ant ? t hat being in t he public eye m eant it w as crucial t o launching som et hing bigger t han just m e. I really st art ed t o t hink about w hat a larger brand w ould look like, and w hat t he com pany w ould look like, and w hat t he nam e should be.

I t ook a leaf f rom t he t ree of The Knot brand st ory. That t hey nam ed t hem selves ?The Knot ? inst ead of Weddings.com . Because t hey alw ays knew t hat t hey w ant ed t o really be bigger t han just w eddings. And so f or m e, Chandelier w as an out grow t h of t hinking about w hat really represent ed t he w ay I plan an event ? I like chandeliers, I really do: but it 's m ore of t he act of hanging one and creat ing som et hing f rom not hing, and m aking an airplane hangar look like The Plaza Hot el, or t urning t his const ruct ion zone I am current ly sitt ing in int o a f ully- lit , f ully- pow ered event space f or 600 people in t he next 24 hours.

For m e, it 's t he act of hanging t hat chandelier. Then, how w e put it all t oget her and f use t oget her t he diff erent elem ent s: inspirat ion, t he nut s and bolt s brass t acks, and t he budget . I really like t o look at event s holist ically.

What advice w ould you give t o t hose in your indust ry t hat are looking t o elevat e t heir w ork t o att ract m ore press?

Well, I t hink it st art s f rom t he f undam ent al quest ion of, "So What ?" The True Nort h of doing your ow n PR is f iguring out your "So What ?? Why should people care? What m akes you diff erent ? You can describe w ho you are and w hat you do, but if som eone says, "So w hat ?" are you prepared t o answ er t hat quest ion? And answ er it very point edly.

When I give t alks, I oft en speak about branding yourself in t he PR space in t he w edding w orld. It really com es f rom being able t o t alk about w hat m akes you unique, w hat your background is, w ho your audience is, w hat your edge is and your expert ise. You need t o cult ivat e t hat elevat or pit ch in a w ay t hat 's very specif ic and very t elling of your ow n brand narrat ive. And t hen, it 's not enough t o know your pit ch? you?ve got t o put t he f ear aside and go out and w ork your net w ork. While PR oft en relat es direct ly t o press? gett ing your nam e int o ink in a m agazine, or on a w ebsit e, or on a blog, or on TV? is m uch larger t han t hat now. It 's really about m obilizing your inf luencer net w ork. Whet her it 's your client s, ot her vendors, ot her people w it hin your com m unit y? and even your m om and your aunt , everyone w ho know s you and can t ell your ?So What ?? on your behalf are one of your inf luencer asset s. You just need t o prepare t hem t o go out and t alk about you!

What w ould you say has w orked best f or you in t erm s of building your client base?

Weddings are a w ord- of- m out h business. My client s com e best qualif ied w hen t hey com e f rom a ref erral. I w ould even argue t hat Inst agram is w ord of m out h. You?ve got t o be f ocused on t he st ory you're t rying t o t ell, and select t he w ork t hat you've done? and you?ve got t o have ot hers sending new client s your w ay. Don?t be af raid t o brag

about yourself, but also be hum ble. And do your research, get out t here and read. You have t o act ually t ake t hat f irst st ep. You have t o be able t o have your "so w hat ?? dow n pat so you can easily answ er t he quest ion "so w hy should som ebody w ant t o hire you?? w hen it com es your w ay so t hey?ll w ant t o w rit e about you, t alk about you or hire you.

How w as t he Today Show w edding diff erent f rom ot her w eddings you've planned? Did you f eel m ore pressure since t he event w as t elevised?

I w as really delight ed t hat t hey t asked m e w it h planning t he w edding.

In som e w ays, it w as really a unique challenge because I did not have a lot of int eract ion w it h t he act ual bride and groom . They w ant ed t o be surprised? and so did t he t elevised audience!

For m e, a signat ure of m y event s is t hat t hey're very personal. I didn?t have t he good f ort une of t im e, locat ion or privat e discussions t o get t o know Kyle and Jordon? but I w ant ed t heir w edding t o f eel uniquely t heirs (even t hough m illions of view ers w ould be sharing t heir day w it h t hem). And so t herein lied t he challenge of not know ing t his couple at all, and not even know ing m uch about t hem ? ot her t han t hat t heir favorit e color w as purple, and t hat he proposed over a spicy t una roll.

So, I put t oget her essent ially 20 quest ions t hat I knew w ould give m e keyw ords and ideas I needed t o ensure t hat t he w edding t hat t hey w ere going t o w alk int o, w as going t o be t heir w edding. And assuredly, it w as! And t hat ?s w hy t here are no t w o Chandelier event s t hat are t he sam e. For m e, m y event s have t he sam e t ast e level, and t hey have t he sam e m ult i- sensory experiences ? but t hey all look diff erent because t hey are alw ays an out grow t h of som eone else's st ory.

Anyt im e I'm planning an event f or t elevision - like w hen I planned Bet henny's part ies f or Real Housew ives of New York - - I am grat ef ul t hat I have a keen fam iliarit y w it h w hat t he back of house product ion needs are going t o be. The light s are diff erent , and t he m usic has t o be cleared m usic - w hich is never m uch f un. And t hey have all of t hese requirem ent s w hen t hings are on t elevision t hat don't necessarily

com port w it h t he f un t hat you norm ally have in a privat e part y on a Sat urday night . Because of m y unique background and underst anding in t hat , I really t ry and give zones t hat w ill give t elevision crew s w hat t hey need t o be able t o m ake it w ork f or t heir t elevision needs ? but also give zones f or t hese client s t o act ually enjoy event s t hat are real part ies. They're not just part ies f or t elevision. I t ake pride in f iguring out t hat f orm ula!

How have you grow n f rom your f irst ever event ? Tell us about t he evolut ion.

As m y business has evolved, I've really grow n in m y sense as a designer and a creat ive direct or. I'm not a f lorist . I am not a light ing designer. But I know a lot about each of t hose specialt ies (and each elem ent I t ouch). I know enough t o know exact ly w hat I w ant ? w hat I see in m y m ind and w hat I know m y client s w ill love, and I design and hire vendors f rom t hat place. Whet her it 's t he w edding or a brand act ivat ion or Mit zvah - I'm alw ays looking t o creat e an environm ent , an experience? and a f loor plan, t im eline, and t eam t hat ?s going t o w ork.

I'm designing The Knot Gala w here I'm leading t hat creat ive vision and a m assive t eam of vendors. To be here now is so grat if ying as it show s I?ve grow n as a creat ive direct or in t he space w it h long- cult ivat ed relat ionships w it h t he best vendors in t heir f ield.

So w het her t hat 's a w edding at The New York Public Library, or creat ing a pop- up rest aurant in t he Anaheim Convent ion Cent er? w e operat e t he sam e w ay at Chandelier Event s. Giving f irst class service t o m y client s, rolling up m y sleeves t o f ind creat ive approaches t o im possible scenarios and t he t ried- and- t rue expert ise t hat com es f rom having persevered t hrough every sit uat ion t hat could possibly go w rong. And I have t he conf idence t o know t he right t hing t o do because I?ve lived t hrough t he t im es I've said "yes" and t hen regrett ed it . And being hum ble enough t o know t hat you st ill don't know everyt hing. The older I get , t he m ore I ask quest ions about it . But on t he f lip side, I generally know w hen som et hing's a good idea? and w hen som et hing's a bad idea.

What ?s alw ays st ayed w it h m e is t he em ot ional elem ent of m y approach. For m e, every Chandelier event has t o have t hat fairy dust , t he goosebum p- inducing m om ent s. Perhaps t hat 's root ed in m y t elevision experience, perhaps it s w ho I am as a person or an art ist : but am alw ays looking t o m ake people laugh or m ake people cry or give people t he goosebum ps. I just keep f inding new w ays t o do t hat f or m y client s. And it get s m e every t im e!

What quick t ips could you share about how t o really bring a client 's vision t o lif e?

I t hink it 's a com binat ion of being super- prepared, know ing w hat you're doing, and gett ing int o t he unenjoyable boring paperw ork of m aking an event blueprint st rong. And t hen ? suspending your disbelief, and saying, "Anyt hing is possible."

From t here, you can w ork backw ard and m ake it as beaut if ul as you ever w ant ed it t o be, as long as it m eet s t hose requirem ent s and t hat budget . It ?s like building a hom e: if you know t hat t he f oundat ion is st rong, you can build t he kit chen and inst all t he m ost beaut if ul Viking Range? and know t hat it 's going t o be hooked up t o t he gas and cook t he m ost beaut if ul f ood. And you'll have your m arble count ert ops and you'll have t he beaut if ul chandeliers. But you have t o really have t hat blueprint and be w illing t o do t he hard, not so prett y w ork at t he beginning. And so I t hink t hat t hat is f undam ent al t o bringing people's w ild decisions t o lif e.

And t hen, it t akes a cit y. You have t o cult ivat e your t eam . And I w ork so closely w it h so m any t alent ed com panies and individuals. And if I can give t hem w hat I w ant , and w hat t he param et ers are and w hat t he budget is, I can inspire t hem t o creat e t heir ow n art w it hin t hat . And t hen support t hem in t hat , and do t he right m at chm aking bet w een t he vendor and t he client . And t hat is a beaut if ul part of t he business in and of it self !

Int erview by Meghan Ely

w w w.chandelierevent sny.com

# WEDPR Wedding indust ry prof essionals are st rong, resilient , hardw orking people. No opinions here, just fact s. How ever, I t hink w e?d all be f ooling ourselves if w e said t hat w e didn?t appreciat e praise f rom our peers, right ? Indust ry aw ards are like golden t icket s in t hat sense, but how can you ut ilize a ?w in? f or your business as a t ool t o increase brand reput at ion?

What an aw ard m eans f or your business An indust ry aw ard is oft en overlooked as a w ay t o advance your com pany and shine a spot light on your st rengt hs in com parison t o your com pet it ion. But really, w hen you brow se t hrough t he credent ials of a com pany, don?t t heir aw ards speak louder t han t heir t est im onials?

Am y Abbott of Amy Abbott Event s says t his is especially advant ageous w hen it com es t o upping your reput at ion w it h current and pot ent ial client s. ?When people see t hat you have been recognized or nom inat ed f or an aw ard, it helps t o est ablish your posit ion in t he f ield and it helps t o gain m ore credibilit y.?

Sandy Ham m er of AllSeat ed seconds t his, saying, ?People t end t o appreciat e and hold you in higher regard w hen t hey see ot hers do, t oo.

Receiving an aw ard show s high regard f or your brand.?

Increasing your indust ry value Winning an indust ry aw ard not only boost s your brand reput at ion w hen it com es t o client s, but your peers as w ell. According t o Heat her Rouff e of At las Event Rent al, aw ards ?put you on t he m ap and prove t hat you?re relevant .? They give you m ore st able f oot ing in an ot herw ise sat urat ed indust ry. In t urn, w inning an aw ard can act ually help t o increase your com pany?s m om ent um , and you?ll f ind t hat your peers are looking at you as m ore of an expert t han you w ere bef ore.

Industr y Awards and Br and Reputation

BY MEGHAN ELY

Top Tips Realizing indust ry aw ards can play a crucial role in your m arket ing is only t he f irst st ep. From t here, you m ust consider w hich ones are t he best f it f or your brand and overall business goals.

When in doubt , sim ply ask yourself- w hat has t o happen w it h t his in order t o consider it a success?

From t here, organizat ion is key. Pinpoint t he t op aw ards you w ant t o f ocus on and m ark your calendar accordingly so you?ll be one of t he f irst t o know w hen t he call f or subm issions is announced.

When a call goes live, w e t ypically like t o m ap out every single det ail t hey m ay require upf ront in a w ord docum ent , t o ensure w e give ourselves am ple t im e t o gat her all of t he necessary com ponent s. While a w rit e up about a recent event m ake t ake an aft ernoon, t here are ot her fact ors (and people!) t hat com e int o play w hen you need t o gat her t est im onials, banquet event orders and prof essional im ages.

And above all, t ry and f ind a hook- som et hing t hat w ill really m ake your subm ission st and out . A gorgeous celebrat ion sim ply isn?t enough. Be ready t o share t he challenges and any int erest ing t idbit s t o ensure your subm ission is as com pet it ive as possible.

Prom ot e your achievem ent St aying hum ble is one t hing, but don?t be shy w hen you receive t hat recognit ion! Being proud of your accom plishm ent s is never som et hing t o be asham ed of, and it can really give you a leg up w hen it com es t o f ut ure business.

Megan Velez of Dest inat ion Weddings Travel Group not es t hat t hey share t heir w in via social m edia and even in t heir em ail signat ures. ?We also announce all aw ards in our int ernal agent new slett er, so our specialist s are aw are of t heir ow n accom plishm ent s and can help prom ot e t he w in as w ell.? The com pany does t his f or any nom inat ions t hey receive as w ell, using t heir online presence t o att ract cust om ers and agent s t o vot e in t heir favor.

Indust ry aw ards are m ore t han just accolades on your w ebsit e or (hum ble) bragging right s. Spending t im e on applicat ions and subm issions is w ort h t he ret urn on invest m ent w hen you?re able t o reap t he benef it s of becom ing an indust ry leader w it h a st rong brand t o boot !

Words by Meghan Ely

LEARN HOW TO PLAN, STYLE AND DESIGN STUNNING WEDDINGS J UST LIKE THE ONES YOU?VE BEEN PINNING ON PINTEREST. Are you highly organised and a nat ural planner? Are you looking t o launch a career t hat allow s you t o be creat ive and m ake t he m ost of your great eye f or t he det ails?

If you are design orient at ed, creat ive at heart and love t he idea of w orking w it h colour, f lorals, dĂŠcor & light ing you have f ound t he perf ect course. For t hose of you w ho are looking t o design your w ork lif e and be in cont rol of your career by being t he boss of your ow n business t hen t his course also covers t he f undam ent als of launching and running a successf ul business.

Diploma in Wedding Planning, Styling and Design

To f ind out m ore cl ick here t o visit our w ebsit e and choose your local region

# WEDx We are now at a point w here our brands visibilit y is m ore im port ant t han ever bef ore. Wit h t he evolut ion of t he sm art phone, people?s expect at ions are m uch higher. Having a w ebsit e and social m edia presence is essent ial and now it ?s all about our f ut ure client s gett ing t o know us and our personalit ies bef ore t hey buy f rom us, but how can w e best achieve t hat ? Video and live st ream ing. By using video, you w ill boost organic engagem ent and st and out in f eeds t hat are f ull of t ext . If you choose t o ignore video, you?re doing your brand a disservice.

So w here do you need t o be?

YouTube ? It ?s t he f irst - place people go f or videos w it h 1.9 billion logged in users visit ing m ont hly. Tim e t o st ep up.

Facebook ? The use of video here has shaken everyt hing up. Wit h 8 billion average daily view s and 100 m illion hours of video w at ched per day Facebook has risen t o t he t op in t he social m edia video landscape.

Inst agram - 50% of businesses on Inst agram produce a st ory. Wit h 75% of users t aking act ion, you don?t w ant t o be m issing out .

And, of course, t he plat f orm you ow n; your w ebsit e.

It?s time to put your br and in the spotlight

BY TRACY BUTTERFIELD

Using a sm art phone is ideal f or live st ream ing your BTS or updat es in Inst agram or Facebook st ories. How ever, if you w ant t o produce planned and polished prof essional videos t o show case you and your w ork t hen invest in a videographer. They w ill plan and shoot t he f ilm , capt uring and highlight ing t he best t hat you and your brand have t o off er. They w ill edit it f or you, and add t he correct t it les and sound.

Posit ioning t he f inished video on your w ebsit e, post ing snippet s t o your social m edia and on YouTube w ill allow f ut ure client s t o see your personalit y shine out , show t hem your expert ise and your passion f or w hat you can do f or t hem . Good use of video can really get t hose excit ed couples t o know, like, and t rust you. We all know people buy people, in any business, and in t he w edding indust ry even m ore so.

Here?s an exam ple t o help underst and t he pow er of live st ream ing, it s reach and engagem ent com pared t o w ritt en post ; back in July 2017 (w hen lives st ream ing w as in it s infancy com pared t o now) I w ent live, in t he UK, on Facebook w it h t he t opic and t it le ?How t o do? a Facebook live? I received em ails f rom as far af ield as Aust ralia w it h 13k view s, not bad f or a ?quick? helpf ul live st ream ! Just im agine if t hose w ere your prospect ive client s.

If you w ant t o creat e your ow n videos t hen look f or som e t raining. I const ant ly cham pion cont inued prof essional developm ent and suggest t aking a st ruct ured approach, f ind w orkshops and sem inars t hat w ill help you t o be t he best you. In t he w edding indust ry w e are excellent at collaborat ion so speak t o a videographer, a venue st ylist and hair and MUA w hose w ork you love and see w hat you can do t oget her. Above all, m ake sure you and your brand are seen as t he st ars you t ruly are? is t hat Hollyw ood calling?!

Words by Tracy Butt erf ield

# WEDEDU Every m ont h w e share t he lat est w orkshops, conf erences and educat ional event s w e hear about f rom across t he globe.

ACADEMY FLORAL WORKSHOP Dat e: Novem ber 10t h- 11t h, 2018 Locat ion: Warw ickshire, UK Websit e: w eddingacadem y.lpages.co/ f loral- w orkshop

ENGAGE!18 MEXICO Dat e: Oct ober 22nd- 25t h, 2018 Locat ion: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Websit e: engagesum m it s.com / engage18m exico

CURATED BY HEART WORKSHOP Dat e: January 16t h and 17t h, 2019 Locat ion: Ham pshire, UK Websit e: w w w.kat ecullen.co.uk/ curat ed- by- heart

THE SPECIAL EVENT SHOW Dat e: January 8t h- 10t h, 2019 Locat ion: San Diego, Calif ornia Websit e: w w w.t hespecialevent show.com

DWP CONGRESS Dat e: March 27t h- 29t h, 2019 Locat ion: Dubai, UAE Websit e: w w w.dest inat ionw eddingcongress.com

UK AFRICAN WEDDING AWARDS Dat e: Decem ber 9t h, 2018 Locat ion: London, UK Websit e: w w w.ukaf ricanw eddingaw ards.com

NACE EXPERIENCE 2018 Dat e: July 22nd- 25t h, 2018 Locat ion: Palm Springs, Calif ornia Websit e: w w w.nace.net

As alw ays, t he NACE Experience conf erence exceeded expect at ions and present ed a great opport unit y f or net w orking, educat ion, and com m unit y grow t h. What alw ays st ands out about NACE Experience in part icular is t heir com m it m ent t o m ast er level educat ion, and t his year did not disappoint .

Host ed in Palm Springs, CA and prom ot ed as ?an oasis of creat ivit y, connect ion, and celebrat ion,? t he conf erence f or cat ering and creat ive event part ners w as exact ly t hat . This year w as ext ra special f or NACE?s 60t h anniversary, w it h a lineup of speakers, including Academ y Advisory Board m em bers Meryl Snow and Christ ie Osborne.

Each t opic w as incredibly unique and w ell- researched, and it m ade f or great discussion during evening net w orking event s.

This year's addit ion of t he net w orking roundt ables brought a new dim ension t o t he conf erence as colleagues learned f rom one anot her.

Once again, Wedding Int ernat ional Prof essionals Associat ion (WIPA) t eam ed up w it h NACE t o creat e an indust ry panel, t his year discussing m ast er level challenges f or event pro vet erans. Providing a discussion about st ruggles f or even t he m ost w ell- seasoned pros w as w ell- received.

I?m already looking f orw ard t o next year?s conf erence, t his t im e in Cincinnat i, Ohio! The conf erence w ill be held f rom July 14- 17, 2019 w it h m ore inf orm at ion t o com e ? hope t o see you t here!

Phot ography Credit : Rand Larson w it h Morningst ar Product ions.

Words by Meghan Ely

WEDDINGWIRE WORLD Dat e: July 30t h and Oct ober 15t h, 2018 Locat ion: Washingt on DC and Dallas Websit e: pros.w eddingw ire.com

I w as honored t o att end WeddingWire World DC and WeddingWire World Dallas t his year, bot h em pow ering one- day conf erences w it h am ple opport unit ies f or int eract ive w orkshops and indust ry educat ion t hat ?s w ise beyond it s years. While bot h WeddingWire World event s w ere m irrored in branding and overall st ruct ure, each had it s ow n incredible energy and w elcom ing at m osphere t hat carries on f rom year t o year.

The DC conf erence alw ays houses high spirit s, being t he f lagship locat ion of t he WeddingWire World series. There w as a f ull day of educat ion t hat f eat ured t opics ranging f rom sales t o cont ent creat ion t o pivot ing your business t o a broader audience. The 360- degree st age gave t he space a m ore int im at e f eel, despit e having hundreds in att endance. Throughout t he day, t he Mead Cent er dazzled att endees w it h f ood and beverage opt ions, none of w hich ever disappoint ed.

Dallas w as just as jam - packed w it h creat ive and st rat egic business st rat egies, f eat uring WeddingWire educat ion expert s as w ell as speakers such as Jacqueline Nw obu of Munaluchi Bride Magazine.

The conf erence w as host ed on t he 48t h f loor of t he st unning Tow er Club w it h a gorgeous view of t he cit y. The day w rapped up w it h a recept ion w here att endees m ingled and net w orked, and t here w as no short age of conversat ion st art ers w it h t he am azing lineup of t opics t hroughout t he day!

Words by Meghan Ely

5 New Year s Resolutions For Your Wedding Venue

BY LINDSAY LUCAS

# WEDVENUE New Years resolut ions have a t endency t o get m e f ired up. There's just som et hing about a clean slat e or f resh st art t hat m ot ivat es m e t o crack open a brand new planner and st art goal planning. It 's t he sam e f eeling I used t o get at t he beginning of every school year. While I believe in and encourage m y client s t o pract ice cont inued goal sett ing t hroughout t he year, I do t ake t im e t hroughout t he holiday season t o st art putt ing som e organizat ional plans in place. It helps m e t o st art t he new year off on t he right f oot aft er t he chaos of t he holidays.

As business ow ners, it 's in our nat ure t o keep st riving f or im provem ent and never sett le. So here are 5 resolut ions t o consider if you're a w edding venue ow ner or m anager.

Resolut ion #1: Get m ore personal. Your w edding venue is t he locat ion of your client 's m ost special day, w hich m akes you kind of a big deal. I know, it 's easier t o hide behind your business. But , your client s w ill have a bett er experience if t hey know w ho is behind t heir w edding venue. Give your venue a face - your beaut if ul face! Tell your st ory, vow t o connect m ore, and share your ?w hy" w it h your client s, and even your vendor f riends. Your brand is m ore t han business, it 's personal t oo!

Resolut ion #2: Show up on social m edia. We all know by now t hat social m edia is a pow erf ul t ool and w ill be your biggest asset f or gett ing you in f ront of your t arget audience. But , it 's oft en t he t hing t hat get s pushed t o t he back burner w hen you're busy act ually running your venue.

Building on t he above resolut ion, prom ise t o show up m ore on social m edia t his year. Aside f rom sharing your st ory, w ho you are, and w hy you t ook t he leap w it h your venue, you should also share every possible updat e you can (yes, even t he sm all ones). Every t im e you post , your couples get excit ed ? t hat ?s how you?ll get t he likes, com m ent s and re- shares. Why? Because w it h every post , you?ve built a connect ion. In no t im e, social m edia w ill becom e second nat ure!

Resolut ion #3: Make f riends w it h local vendors. Net w orking should alw ays be an ongoing goal! Build a com m unit y of vendor f riends and t ake care of t hem . When you?re just st art ing out as an event venue, t here w ill be a lot of t hings you need help w it h t hat your vendors are happy t o off er. Need great phot os f or m arket ing m at erials? Your vendors can creat e an am azing phot oshoot f or you. You?ll need help in gett ing t he w ord out t hat your venue is now accept ing event s. Vendors w ill sing your praises and planners w ill bring you t heir client s. Well- respect ed vendors w ill gladly lend a hand, so m ake sure as soon as you?re able, you ret urn t he favor by giving t hem business or social m edia m ent ions.

Resolut ion #4: Opt im ize, opt im ize, opt im ize. Make 2019 t he year of opt im izat ion and get your business running f law lessly. To do t his, you need a reliable client m anagem ent soft w are t o have your back by helping you st ay organized, drive sales, t rack progress, and im press your cust om ers. Luckily, t here are so m any opt ions out t here t hese days f or w edding prof essionals and creat ive ent repreneurs t hat you'll be able t o f ind t he perf ect f it f or your business needs easily.

Resolut ion #5: Be proact ive. It 's said t hat unsuccessf ul people m ake decisions based on t heir current sit uat ions but successf ul people m ake decisions based on w here t hey w ant t o be. This is t he diff erence bet w een being proact ive versus react ive. It 's som et im es diff icult f or business ow ners, especially venues, t o pull t hem selves aw ay f rom w orking IN t heir business but w hat w e need m ore t han anyt hing is t o w ork ON our business. We need t o w ork on t hose higher level t asks t hat are going t o m ove our business f orw ard inst ead of t reading w at er w here w e current ly are. In order t o be proact ive in your business I'm challenging you t o f ind 30 m inut es t o one hour a day t o dedicat e t o t aking baby st eps f orw ard. This m ight m ean t hat you w ake up bef ore t he sun or go t o bed w ay aft er t he rest of t he w orld goes t o sleep but in t he end you and your business w ill be bett er f or it .

I believe in your f riend and am cheering you on t hroughout 2019. Let 's m ake it our best year yet !

Words by Lindsay Lucas

OUR FAVOURITE THINGS

In each issue w e share w it h you som e of t he t ools w e can't do w it hout , t hings w e've f ound w hen researching and som e gem s w e've been t old about by ot hers. They m ake our lives easier and save us huge am ount s of t im e w it hin our w orking lif e. In som e cases t hey are just great Apps t hat w e love t o play w it h. Enjoy!

This m ont h w e are sharing som e of f avourit e t ool s f or creat ing prof essional and engaging video cont ent .

QUIK Developed by GoPro, Quik is a quick video edit ing app f or m obile phones. It off ers a w ide variet y of eff ect s and f ilt ers t hat m ake your video look prof essionally edit ed.? quik .gopro.com

KINEMASTER Kinem ast er is an advanced video edit or t hat brings t he f unct ionalit y of a f ull- f ledged video edit or t o t he m obile.? w w w.k inem ast er.com

FUNIMATE Funim at e is a popular video edit ing app including 15 video f ilt ers you can play around w it h. f unim at e.com

LAPSEIT Lapseit let s you capt ure m esm erizing t im e- lapse videos w it h just your phone. w w w.lapseit .com

FLIPACLIP Flipaclip is an anim at ion app t hat let s you do sim ple anim at ions. f lipaclip.t um blr.com

Live Video for Marketing Master y

BY KELLIE DAAB

# WEDEXPERT How m any t im es have you said, "I w ish m y pot ent ial client s could see just how how I w ork on t heir w edding day!"? Well, now t hey can! Live video can radically change how you m arket your business. That 's w hy learning how t o use Facebook Live t o st rat egically t arget and sell t o pot ent ial client s is an incredibly im port ant skill f or m odern day m arket ing.

Going live is incredibly easy. You just push t he butt on. People do it all t he t im e. At concert s, part ies, w hile cooking, or jogging. We've seen lot s of not so great w ays t o use Facebook Live. But , w it h a litt le planning, st rat egy, and a lot of courage you can leverage Facebook Live f or t urning view ers int o dollars.

Just use t hese 3 easy t ips.

MAKE A PLAN There's not hing w orse t han w at ching a live video w it h no point .

Rem em bering t hat view ers are att ract ed t o st ories and st ories att ract buyers you w ant t o m ake a plan bef ore ever pushing t hat live butt on.

Det erm ine exact ly w ho you're t alking t o. Bullet point w hat you're going t o say and in w hat order you'll present your cont ent . Having a general plan w ill help you t o keep your view ers longer and encourage t hem t o engage w it h you as you go along.

GET STRATEGIC Going live is a w ast e of everyones t im e if you're not doing it w it h clarit y and int ent ion. Bef ore sharing a live video be sure t hat you know w hat t he m essage is. What are you selling? Why should t hey care about it ?

Next , every video should close w it h som e kind of call t o act ion. It could be sim ple like f ollow m e on inst agram . It could sw ing f or t he f ences w it h a book us now (every once in a w hile). But t he goal is t o carry t hem int o a relat ionship w it h you t hat goes w ell beyond t hat one video.

JUST DO IT I t hink I st ole t hat one f rom a brand w e all know but it 's very t rue. Many t im es w e hold ourselves back f rom going live because w e f eel uncom f ort able. So paint t he barn. Put lipst ick on t he pig. Make your envirom ent look good. And get t o w ork! The m ore you get in f ront of t he cam era t he bett er you'll get at it and t he easier it becom es next t im e!

You'll also be able t o st art m easuring t he result s of your videos so t hat you can get even m ore st rat egic about how you'll use t hem m oving f orw ard.

If you have a good grasp of t hese t hree t hings get st art ed w on't f eel so diff icult . Then bef ore you know it , you'll have an ent ire arsenal of t ech t ools, client s m ent ioning your Facebook Live videos, and an increase in f ollow t hrough on t hose calls t o act ion!

Go get visible!

Words by Kellie Daab

# WEDPRO WITH DIANN VALENTINE

Television host Diann Valent ine w ears m any hat s as a successf ul ent repreneur, aut hor, w if e and m ot her. When she?s not busy w it h her Bravo TV show To Rom e For Love, she?s planning luxurious celebrat ions around t he globe. In t his issue, Diann shares how video has posit ively im pact ed her career.

How has video m arket ing played an inst rum ent al part in your grow t h over t he years?

Our video short st ories have been a m uch bett er f orm of m arket ing versus im ages or even client t est im onies. Not hing com m unicat es our luxury brand bett er t han act ually w at ching an event com e t o lif e and t hen seeing t he f inish product all w it hin a 2- m inut e short f ilm .

In t erm s of branding, w hat are your t op t ips f or ensuring t hat your brand rem ains consist ent f rom one m edium t o t he next (i.e. TV/ video t o phot o)?

A Digit al Cont ent Creat ive Brief should be est ablished f or your cont ent capt ure and t hen shared and discussed w it h everyone responsible f or creat ing t he cont ent . It is crit ical t hat everyone underst ands t he t onalit y and m essaging t hat you are t rying t o convey so t hat t here w ill be overlap in t he st oryt elling process and it w ill be obvious by rat her view ing a short f ilm , IG post or phot o album t hat t here is cohesiveness bet w een all m edium s.

Phot ography credit : Joshua Dw ain Phot ography and Pharris Phot os

How is t he use of video diff erent t han phot os w hen it com es t o m arket ing your services?

Short f ilm s are bett er st oryt elling t han just im ages. While im ages are great and can convey t he f inished product , a short f ilm brings t he view er int o t he process and gives t hem an inside look as t o how t he m agic w as creat ed.

How did you know t hat t elevision w as som et hing you w ant ed t o pursue? In w hat w ays has it relat ed back t o your ot her services, and how has it been advant ageous in t erm s of m arket ing yourself ?

My w ork on t elevision has est ablished m y brand as a leading expert in t he luxury m arket . I have been validat ed by m any diff erent net w orks and program s w here I know m y pot ent ial client s are w at ching.

How have your m arket ing t echniques shift ed/ evolved since you f irst began your business? What advice do you have f or ot hers in t he indust ry t hat you w ish you?d know n?

Absolut ely. My biggest advice t o anyone is t o st ay on t he cusp of t echnology and how digit al cont ent is evolving. I do not t hink it ?s necessary t o know how t o do everyt hing but one should be know ledgeable enough t o spot great new t alent and educat ed enough t o have an int elligent conversat ion w it h a cont ent creat or about t he vision of your ow n brand. Never leave t his st oryt elling solely t o t he cont ent creat or. It ?s your com pany and your brand so ow n t hat responsibilit y.

Anyt hing else you?d like t o add?

Const ant ly educat e yourself. Att end digit al cont ent conf erences.

Subscribe t o or read digit al cont ent m agazine. Pay att ent ion t o w at ch your colleagues are doing or st udy t he digit al cont ent of com panies you love and learn f rom t he t im e, eff ort and m oney t hey have put int o building t heir ow n digit al cont ent st ories.

diannvalent ine.com

"My biggest advice t o anyone is t o st ay on t he cusp of t echnology and how digit al cont ent is evolving."

8 Video Ideas to get You Star ted

BY EMMA ETHERIDGE

# WEDBIZCOACH Using video in your w edding business is oh so pow erf ul f or m any reasons. The key ones f or m e are visibilit y and t rust . Allow ing your brides t o see you and your product s helps t hem t o build t rust in your brand and t rust is w hat w ill m ake your brides ult im at ely buy f rom you.

Video helps you build t his t rust m uch quicker t han w ords ever can.

Using video in your m arket ing is now m ore accessible t han ever, w it h Facebook Live and Inst agram St ories helping t o break dow n t he ?It m ust be perf ect ? barrier.

In t his art icle, I w ant t o t ackle one of t he biggest t hings t hat I know st ops m any of m y client s in t heir t racks w hen it com es t o gett ing visible and doing video and t hat is ?I don?t know w hat t o t alk about !?.

Trust m e w hen I say you are an expert in w hat you do. No doubt about t hat . BUT you don?t t hink you are. You w onder ?Who am I t o t alk about t his st uff, w hat do I know, w hy w ould brides list en t o m e or w ant t o hear f rom m e? What w ill m y com pet it ors t hink about w hat I am saying ? am I w rong, w hat if people laugh at m e??

I am here t o t ell you, all t hose self- t alk com m ent s are com plet ely nat ural and, being honest , even t he m ost conf ident of people have t hese w obbles every now and t hen. But you are an expert in w hat you do, your brides do w ant t o hear about w hat you do because it w ill help t hem t o plan t heir w edding and t hat is w hat t hey need help w it h.

Brides buy f rom suppliers because t hey eit her don?t have t he know ledge or skill of how t o do som et hing OR t hey do not have t he t im e. So, you have lot s of know ledge in your head about w hat you could t alk about across your business.

Whichever t ool you are going t o use t o st ep int o t he w orld of video, w het her it be w it h a Facebook Live Show, an Inst agram St ory or a m ore ?polished? series f or You Tube and your w ebsit e, you do w ant your videos t o have purpose. It m ust share som e inf orm at ion or solve a problem .

To get you st art ed, here are som e ideas of videos you could do: 1. Do a ?Hello and w elcom e? int ro video sharing w ho you are and w hat you do 2. Share a t op t ip!

3. Answ er your m ost asked quest ion f rom brides 4. Do a ?t his is w hy I do w hat I do? st ory 5. Share a behind t he scenes ? it m ay be w hat you are up t o t hat day, w here you are w orking f rom , w hat you are w orking on, a shot of your st udio, your packaging et c 6. Talk about a product or service 7. Talk about a recent blog post or social m edia post 8. Share w hat you are doing ? off t o a consult at ion, sett ing up a w edding, at a w edding fair The easiest w ay int o video ? Inst agram St ories Inst agram St ories is one of m y all- t im e favourit e w ays of using video in your business t o build t hat all im port ant know, like and t rust fact or w it h your brides because it is t he easiest w ay t o dip your t oe in t he

w onderf ul w orld of video and it is a great w ay of gett ing conf ident w it h video. One of m y favourit e t hings t o w at ch on Inst a St ories is w here people show w hat t hey are w orking on. I love t his because it get s people excit ed about w hat you off er. If you off er a product , it show s t hat it is handm ade & m ade w it h att ent ion t o det ail and it gives a f lavour f or w hat it is like t o w ork w it h you. If you off er a service, your brides need t o know YOU m ore t han anyt hing else because t hey need t o f eel conf ident in you and t he service you off er.

The perf ect video recipe is in t hree part s: An Int ro ?Hi, It ?s Em m a, Happy Monday!?

A t opic ?Today I am w orking on som et hing super excit ing, so I t hought I w ould give you a sneak peek...?

The end ?So t o join m e or read m ore head t o t he link in t he bio by clicking just above here! Have a w onderf ul Monday beaut if ul lady!?

Think about how you buy.

I bet you are m ore likely t o buy som et hing t hat you can see t han not .

Your brides are t he sam e. So be brave, give it a go and you w ill see t he benef it s.

If you w ould like som e m ore help w it h gett ing int o video, you m ay w ant t o sign up f or m y f ree 5- day Inst agram St ories challenge t o get you st art ed >>> htt p:// bit .ly/ inst ast orieschallenge You can do t his so break t he f ear and do it . I dare you.

Words by Em m a Et heridge

GETTING PERSONAL THE RIGHT WAY WITH VIDEO WITH CHRISTIE OSBORNE, MOUNTAINSIDE MEDIA Christ ie Osborne is t he ow ner of Mount ainside Media, a com pany t hat helps event indust ry prof essionals brands develop scalable m arket ing st rat egies t hat brings in m ore inquiries and leads. Christ ie is a nat ional educat or w it h recent speaking engagem ent s at NACE Experience, WIPA and t he ABC Conf erence.

How t o Add Personalit y t o your Social Media Channels w hile Maint aining a St rong and Focused Brand Presence Modern couples don?t just value t he look of your product or excellence of your service, t hey also look f or personalit y and charact er f rom vendors and brands ? som et hing t hat gives t hem insight int o w ho?s a part of t heir w edding process.

It m akes sense, especially w hen you consider a role like a w edding planner, w ho?ll be w it h t hem at t heir w edding f or t he ent ire day. And t hat ?s not including all t he t im e spent collaborat ing bef ore t he event !

As a vendor, you can show w ho you are via great phot ography or w rit e snappy blurbs and post s, but one easy and very personal approach is t o incorporat e video int o your social m edia. Hearing you speak, w at ching you m ove, seeing people int eract w it h your product or service - it doesn?t get m uch m ore revealing online t han t hat !

At t his point , you m ay be t em pt ed t o st op reading. Maybe you?re int im idat ed by t he t echnology, or don?t t hink you look good on video.

Maybe you f eel like you need t o get all dolled up, putt ing on a face f ull of m akeup and a prett y dress bef ore you hit record. Perhaps you even t hink you need t o hire a prof essional t o m ake a good im pression.

Not t rue!

It has never been easier t o creat e int erest ing, f un or inf orm at ive videos, and w hat people expect t o see has never been m ore casual or f orgiving t han now. In a day and age w here people post videos by sim ply holding a phone above t heir head and pushing record, or even just ?send?, your videos can reach your audience w it hout needing superior product ion values or planned script s t o capt ivat e your cust om ers.

When considering w het her you can or should use video in your m arket ing rem em ber t hese t w o new online realit ies: It ?s Doesn't Have To Be Perf ect : Audiences no longer expect highly produced, perf ect video, especially on social m edia. In fact , it ?s oft en bett er not t o be so polished on social m edia; m illennial audiences read t his as aut hent ic. It also has t he added benef it of requiring less prep t im e. No set s required!

It Doesn't Have To Be Forever. You can use Live Video or St ories, w hich can be t em porary and expire im m ediat ely aft er you?re done or w it hin 24 hours. This allow s you t o pract ice and get m ore com f ort able w it hout long- t erm and em barrassing consequences. ?If it ?s on t he int ernet , it ?s t here f orever? doesn?t apply across t he board any longer.

But t he m ain reason t o choose video f or your m arket ing is how w ell it show s personalit y. Pot ent ial client s w ill get a f eel f or w hat you are t ruly like.

Anot her bonus is a choice of w hat t ypes of video t o w ork w it h t o f it your ow n st yle and pref erences. There are t hree m ain opt ions:

Video you creat e in advance and t hen upload. This has t he added benef it of being able t o bat ch cont ent , especially w hen it ?s t he hight of Wedding season and you barely have t im e t o breat he!

Live video (available bot h on Inst agram and Facebook). These are videos you record and deliver live. This has t he added benef it of being able t o produce it ?on- t he- f ly.?

St ories. These are 15- second (SnapChat - st yle) videos delivered t hrough t he Inst agram or Facebook St ories f unct ion and t hat disappear aft er 24 hours (unless you add t hem as a ?highlight ?). St ories are so sim ple, it can just be a pan of t he venue set up. You don't even have t o t alk!

That opens up a w hole w orld of creat ive out reach. To get you st art ed here are a f ew com pelling video ideas.

LIVE VIDEO & STORIES: Video venue t ours Behind- t he- scenes: Your product process, solving w edding day problem s, vendor int erview s, det ails, venue t ours and vignett es on t he w edding day (upload/ release AFTER t he guest s have seen t he det ails).

Pro t ips f rom you or your t eam .

CURATED VIDEOS: Use Anim ot o t o creat e recaps and m ashups f rom real w eddings. Use prof essional phot ography.

Use Anim ot o t o creat e roundups of inspirat ion and ideas, curat ed f rom blogs and w ebsit es around t he w eb Sneak peeks of upcom ing cont ent , such as blog post s or f ut ure live videos.

PRE- RECORDED VIDEO: Ask videographers if you can dow nload t he video f rom Vim eo and re- upload it t o Facebook nat ively w it h proper credit . Or ask t hem t o upload it on t heir Facebook Page and you share it .

Video can f eel int im idat ing t o consider w hen you t hink about your social m edia plan, but don?t let t hat st op you. Your younger couples are looking f or not just w hat you do but w ho you are - it ?s a part of t heir planning process.

Through video you can reach t hem t o let t hem get t o know you bett er and be ready and prepared t o do business w it h you. From a social m edia algorit hm st andpoint , video cont ent is delivered t o a larger percent age of your online audience. And w hile nearly everyone has som e presence online relat ively f ew vendors have em braced video and m ade t he m ost of it , so you can set yourself apart f rom t he com pet it ion. Wit h all t he t ools at hand and t he right clim at e f or being your creat ive and aut hent ic self, now is t he perf ect t im e f or ready, set ? act ion!

Words by Christ ie Osborne

m ount ainsidem edia.com

Top Tips Fr om Industr y Exper ts WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR ENGAGING WITH YOUR AUDIENCE WHEN IT COMES TO LIVE- STREAMING?

Kat e Cullen, Ow ner of Kat e Cullen says...

Live videos are alw ays great f or engagem ent and are a great opport unit y t o show your client s 'behind t he scenes' of you w orking real w eddings or event s. Don't be af raid t o show unf inished w ork or your individual processes. Asking f or people's opinions live or asking quest ions is a great w ay of gett ing m ore people t o int eract and t heref ore rem em ber you and your services/ product s.

Louise Beukes, Founder of BLOVED Blog and BLOVED Hive says...

The success of lives is in t he planning! To get m axim um visibilit y schedule it in advance and let your audience know w hen you'll be live and w hat t opic you'll be covering so t hey are m ore inclined t o t une in! If you're host ing a Facebook Live, set up a calendar event and invit e your f ollow ers,I f ind t his result s in m ore view s and bett er engagem ent on t he Live.

St ick t o one t opic per live, and m ake a list of key point s bef ore you go live. Use it as a prom pt t o m ake sure you cover everyt hing you w ant t o say, and don't st art ram bling off on a com plet ely diff erent t angent .

Pract ise, pract ise, pract ise. When you f irst st art host ing lives you w ill f eel aw kw ard and self- conscious, but t he m ore you do (and t he m ore posit ive f eedback you get ) t he m ore conf ident you w ill get .

And f inally, ASK f or engagem ent ! If you w ant t o know w hat your view ers t hink about w hat you're saying - ask! Do t hey have any quest ions? Do t hey underst and w hat you're saying? Live videos are a very easy w ay t o creat e a t w o- w ay dialogue!

Top Tips

Britt ny Drye, Founder + Edit or- in- Chief of Love Inc. Magazine says...

It 's im port ant t o m ake sure you have a st rong connect ion and t hat it 's not overly noisy or w indy. Not being able t o hear t he cont ent is t he quickest w ay t o lose f ollow ers on a live st ream !

Also pract ice m akes perf ect ! This is a new plat f orm f or m ost of us, so it m ay f eel aw kw ard at f irst , but t he m ore you do it , t he m ore norm al it w ill f eel.

Sarah AlMugham is, GM Founder & Co- Ow ner of Q8Planner says...

Talking about t he m ost im port ant subject f or your client s (exam ple f ixed budget ), f ind a new and HOT t opic or t rends.

Julia Jackle, CEO and Co- Founder of Creat ive971 says...

Keep act ive w it h relevant cont ent t hat let s your audience f eel w hat you are off ering f or t hem .

Engage in repet it ive videos/ sm all ecourse f or t opic xyz w it h sm all assignm ent s.

Chezelle Rodriguez, Ow ner of CD Weddings says...

When I go live, I usually w ait a f ew m inut es unt il I have enough people on t o view m e. I alw ays say hello t o w hoever is in m y live st ream and t ry t o com m unicat e as if I w ere having a conversat ion w it h t he view ing part y. I t ry t o keep it as aut hent ic as possible.

Aleisha McCorm ack, Founder of Bridechilla says...

Feeling relaxed, not like you are present ing f or t elevision and t rying t o be overly polished but inst ead having a chat w it h f riends. Being conversat ional and engaging, asking quest ions, acknow ledging w hen view ers log on or react w ill let t hem know t hat you know t hey are t here.

I alw ays m ent ion t hat 'I realise som e people m ay be w at ching in replay and even if you can't be here w at ching live, I alw ays t o read and reply t o t heir com m ent s', so even if t hey aren't w at ching live, t hey f eel like t hey are a part of t he conversat ion.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF LIVE- STREAMING? WHAT HAS IT DONE FOR YOUR BRAND VISIBILITY & OVERALL EXPOSURE?

Daw n Kubicek, Founder of Leaders In Digit al says...

Your audience can see exact ly w hat you do and learn about your brand/ off ering. Also Facebook/ Inst agram share not if icat ions bef ore hand sharing your brand logo. You can also ask view ers t o subscribe t hrough out so t hey alw ays get alert ed. Last ly in general video perf orm s higher and people are m ore likely t o build t rust quickly in your brand.

It has helped t o increase aw areness on a m ass scale w it hout having t o pay f or advert ising. Of course t he planning st rat egy is required - but t he result s show how benef icial t his is. Tim e w ell spent !

Dalia MacPhee, CEO of DALIA MACPHEE says...

In an environm ent t hese days w here so m any realit ies are m anipulat ed, live st ream ing helps t o keep t hings real. Consum ers t hese days are m ore loyal t o brands t hey f eel a "connect ion" w it h, and live st ream ing really helps t o include t he cust om er int o our w orld so t hey f eel a part of w hat is happening. It is one t hing t o show im ages f rom a phot o shoot , but t o t ake t he cust om er w it h you int o t he act ual product ion w hile it is happening m eans so m uch m ore, and t hey are m ore apt t o int eract aft er t he fact .

Caroline Khoo, Creat ive Direct or of Nect ar and St one says...

1. you get t o connect w it h your audience in a w ay t hat you m ay not norm ally get t o.

2. Share a side and st ory of your brand t hat m ay not be visible t hrough ot her m edium s.

3. Connect s you t o t he audience out side of your count ry, if your brand has an audience t hat ext ends past it s shores.

Overall, doing a f ew lives and FB lives has increased brand visibilit y.

Michelle Anderson, Direct or of Com plet e t he Look says...

The biggest advant age of live- st ream ing is connect ing direct ly w it h our audience on a level t hat is generally unachievable in t he day t o day running of our business. It provides our audience w it h t he opport unit y t o be a part of our creat ive w orld and be inspired t o t urn t heir dream s int o a realit y. The ot her signif icant advant age is t hat w e reach a w ider audience t hat is not accessible t hrough norm al advert ising channels off line.

Louise Beukes, Founder of BLOVED Blog and BLOVED Hive says...

Going live helps you connect on a personal level w it h your audience. It 's one t hing t o w rit e am azing w eb copy and creat e beaut if ul im agery but hearing you speak, your body languages and personalit y w ill help you t o build a great relat ionship w it h your ideal client s m uch m ore quickly. Lives allow you t o get a huge am ount of inf orm at ion across in one go - w het her you're t alking about how t o creat e a m oodboard or coordinat e a w edding day supplier t eam - you can cram far m ore t ips and advice int o a 10 m inut e live t han a 1000 w ord blog post .

Kat e Cullen, Ow ner of Kat e Cullen says...

It f eels m ore aut hent ic as it rarely is 'Inst agram perf ect ', your audience can see you as a real person w it h real client s. It 's anot her great w ay of creat ing connect ions w it h pot ent ial client s as t hey w ill f eel like t hey know you a litt le bett er once t hey've seen you at w ork, t alking and engaging w it h t hem . I f ind show casing m y product s is oft en easier in video t han it is w it h say a single Inst agram im age- you can show m ovem ent and t ext ure in an easier w ay. I def init ely not ice a rise in sales of a product I have int roduced on Inst agram live.

Dalia MacPhee, CEO of DALIA MACPHEE says...

In an environm ent t hese days w here so m any realit ies are m anipulat ed, live st ream ing helps t o keep t hings real. Consum ers t hese days are m ore loyal t o brands t hey f eel a "connect ion" w it h, and live st ream ing really helps t o include t he cust om er int o our w orld so t hey f eel a part of w hat is happening. It is one t hing t o show im ages f rom a phot o shoot , but t o t ake t he cust om er w it h you int o t he act ual product ion w hile it is happening m eans so m uch m ore.

# WEDSOCIAL Did you ever dream of being a celebrit y? I t hink half of you (I'm looking at you phot ographers!) w ill say oh god no and m aybe half of you (possibly t he w edding planners?) are like yes. Well now is your t im e t o ready and shine. Trut hf ully, video can be so m uch f un, if you go w it h right m indset . In t his art icle I'm going t o t alk about m y 3 m indset t ips t o have f un, be aut hent ic, and conf ident on cam era.

Tip #1: Just be you, your cust om ers w ill m eet her / him event ually.

Bef ore I st art ed doing live videos, I used t o use m y "new s voice" t hat 's w hat I called it . It w as m y voice or show t hat I w ould put on w hen t he live butt on appeared. I don't know w here it cam e f rom and w henever I f inished doing a live video, I w ould be exhaust ed. It 's exhaust ing w earing a personalit y or t rying t o be anybody but yourself.

How can you be m ore of yourself on cam era? I allow m yself t o m ake m ist akes, if t he t ech fails or f lops, no problem , if I drop t he phone, no problem m ist akes happen. If your client see you handling m ist akes w it h grace, t hey w ill im m ediat ely f eel connect ed t o your aut hent icit y and connect w it h your quicker t han your "new s voice".

Tip #2:There are no rules t o being you. I t hink m ost of us put t hese rules on ourselves, like w e have t o f ilm our videos in our off ice, w e have t o f ilm our videos w hen w e have m ake up on, w e have t o f ilm videos w it h t his or t hat . What if you t hrew all t he rules out t he w indow ? It 's okay you can, t rust m e.

Throw all t he rules out t he w indow t hat you set f or yourself and t hrow all t he rules out t hat said you have t o do it a cert ain w ay t oo. I've f ound, it 's hard t o be consist ent w hen you have so m any rules about w here and w hen you should f ilm . Your f ocus should be on just being

Tips to have fun, be authentic, and confident on camer a.

BY SHANNON DEPALMA

consist ent f or t he f irst f ew m ont hs and st art adding in any procedures you w ant t o add in event ually.

Tip #3: You know w ay m ore about w hat you're t alking about t han ot hers w at ching. Do you ever f eel like som eone is going t o pop on your videos and say you're w rong about x, y, or z? Yup, I've been t here! But t he t rut h is, people are w at ching you because you're an aut horit y on a t opic. They are list ening and f ollow ing you t o hear m ore about w hat you know. Ow n your aut horit y, you know w hat you're t alking about , share it , people w ant t o hear it .

Video can be such a gam e changer f or your business and t he best w ay you can do t hat is t o be yourself and be so f reaking conf ident , t hat you have f un w hen you press t he go live butt on.

Words by Shannon DePalm a

VIDEO COMMUNICATION WITH ERIC S. YUAN, ZOOM

Eric S. Yuan is t he f ounder of Zoom , t he leader in m odern video com m unicat ions. Globally recognized f or his ingenuit y, Eric w as added t o t he Business Insider list of t he 52 Most Pow erf ul People in Ent erprise Tech in 2017. In t his issue, he shares t he f ut ure of video com m unicat ion and how it w ill play a signif icant role in business.

Tell us about t he evolut ion of Zoom - how did you bring t his concept t o lif e?

I f irst envisioned Zoom w hen I w as a f reshm an in college in China and regularly t ook a t en- hour t rain ride t o visit m y girlf riend (w ho is now m y w if e). I det est ed t hose rides and used t o im agine ot her w ays I could visit her w it hout t raveling ? t hose daydream s event ually becam e t he basis f or Zoom .

I cam e t o t he U.S. in t he m id ?90?s because t he int ernet , w hich I knew w as t he w ave of t he f ut ure, hadn?t yet t aken off in China. I arrived in Silicon Valley in 1997 and joined Webex, w hich at t he t im e w as a real- t im e collaborat ion com pany w it h about a dozen em ployees. The com pany grew very quickly and w ent public w it hin several years of m y arrival.

In 2007 Webex w as acquired by Cisco and I becam e Cisco?s Corporat e VP of engineering, in charge of collaborat ion soft w are. I oft en m et w it h cust om ers, and in m y conversat ions w it h t hem learned t hey w eren?t happy w it h t he current collaborat ion solut ions, including Webex. Cisco w as unw illing t o change it s collaborat ion st rat egy, and I f irm ly believed I could develop a plat f orm t hat w ould m ake cust om ers happy, so in June of 2011, I decided it w as t im e t o m ake t he video com m unicat ions solut ion I im agined during m y college t rain t rips a realit y.

More t han 40 f ellow engineers f ollow ed m e in m y new vent ure. We launched t he Zoom plat f orm in early 2013. Now, a litt le m ore t han f ive years lat er, w e?re host ing over 45 billion annualized m eet ing m inut es and our cust om er base includes 58% of t he Fort une 500.

This issue, w e're f ocused on t he pow er of video m arket ing. How is video shaping how w e do business in 2018 and beyond?

Video com m unicat ions w ill cont inue t o shape and im prove how w e do business and be a pow erf ul m arket ing t ool in 2018 and beyond.

For exam ple, video com m unicat ions can play a crit ical role in building t rust in business. Consider how w e int eract t oday: co- w orkers, part ners and cust om ers across all indust ries and depart m ent s rarely w ork only w it h t he person right next t o t hem . More oft en, t hey are collaborat ing and com m unicat ing across off ices and even st at es. The t rust built f rom seeing a t eam m at e, client , or part ner everyday isn?t t here if you?re just em ailing or t alking on t he phone. Video com m unicat ions plat f orm s like Zoom provide face- t o- face com m unicat ions t hat allow relat ionships in long- dist ance business t o f lourish.

Looking int o t he f ut ure, advanced t echnologies w ill f urt her expand t he role of video com m unicat ions in business. For exam ple video com m unicat ions plat f orm s using augm ent ed realit y could allow businesses t o share, m anipulat e and int eract w it h 3D virt ual hologram s in real- t im e. Just im agine: w edding planners m ight use

augm ent ed realit y in video t o w alk client s t hrough a virt ual f loor plan of a venue, or a baker m ight use it t o present a 3- D represent at ion of a cake.

What advice do you have f or t hose just st art ing t o incorporat e video int o t heir ow n business?

Organizat ions just st art ing t o incorporat e video com m unicat ions int o t heir businesses should select t ools t hat are easy- t o- use, aff ordable, reliable, and accessible. An ideal video com m unicat ions solut ion let s t eam s m eet face- t o- face, w herever t hey are locat ed- - even if t hey are on t he road - - and m axim izes int eract ivit y and collaborat ion f or all t ypes of t eam w ork, including int ernal and ext ernal m eet ings, large t eam m eet ings and even all- hands event s. Screen sharing, rock solid video, and support f or m obile devices should be t able st akes.

Much of t he w edding indust ry is heading int o t heir off season- w hat book w ould you recom m end t hey t ake on bef ore t hings get busy again? ?The Speed of Trust : The One Thing That Changes Everyt hing? by St ephen M.R. Covey. It drives hom e t he fact t hat t rust is not ?a nice t o have,? t hat in fact , it ?s int egral t o t he speed and success of your business. We?re really f ocused on t his at Zoom - w e know t hat video increases t rust , so w e believe everyone should be doing business on video.

Zoom is know n in part icular f or it s great w ork cult ure and you yourself are a big proponent of m aking sure you hire t he right m em bers t o add t o t he t eam . What hiring t ips do you have f or t hose w ho are adding m ore t o t heir t eam?

In m y experience, great em ployees are self- m ot ivat ed people w it h a passion t o do som et hing big. The business w orld is changing rapidly, so you have t o like t o learn new t hings, new t echnologies, and new skills all t he t im e, and it t akes self- m ot ivat ion t o do t hat . I t ypically ask int erview quest ions t hat help det erm ine if som eone is self- m ot ivat ed, such as f inding out t he last book t hey read.

A great w ork cult ure st art s w it h hiring. Caring is Zoom's core value, so w e help ensure t hat Zoom is m ade up of caring people during t he int erview process. We evaluat e candidat es on w het her t hey em brace caring and can deliver happiness f or ot hers by asking t hem t o describe a recent inst ance w hen t hey exhibit ed care f or or delivered happiness t o som eone.

Anyt hing else you'd like t o add?

Yes! I?d advise everyone in business t o st ay f ocused on m aking t heir em ployees and cust om ers happy on a day- t o- day basis, w het her it 's by sending a gift or f low ers, publicly acknow ledging som eone w ho has done a great job, f ollow ing up w it h som eone about a concern t hey had, and so f ort h. Wit hout t heir happiness you can?t achieve success.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

zoom .us

TouTube SEO For Planner s

BY KATHY DALPRA

# WEDSEO If you?re t hinking of diving int o video m arket ing, t hen YouTube is a plat f orm you just can?t ignore. Considered t he 2nd largest search engine by sources such as Search Engine Journal, it ?s a gold m ine of f ree t arget ed t raff ic.

There are 3 m ain w ays t o garner view s and t raff ic f rom YouTube: Direct ly f rom a YouTube search Through a w ebsit e t hat has em bedded your YouTube video Via Google?s regular organic searches w hen t he video appears t here (see #4 below) The t opic of YouTube SEO is m assive and t here is a lot t hat goes int o ranking a video w ell. St ill, you don?t have t o be a video SEO jedi t o sim ply get st art ed reaping t he benef it s.

St art w it h t hese t ips and t ake im perf ect act ion t ow ard m ore f ree organic t raff ic right aw ay.

HOW TO TAP INTO YOUTUBE TRAFFIC If you look at t he m ost popular videos on YouTube, you?ll not ice a t rend.

The t op videos t hat consist ent ly get view s, shares and com m ent s t end t o fall in 2 cat egories: Ent ert ainm ent (ex. hum or, m usic, dishing on celebrit ies, int erview s et c.)

Educat ion (how t o t ut orials, recipes, t ips, docum ent aries) While you can cert ainly publish videos in ot her cat egories, such as inspirat ional, you?ll have t he best chance f or att ract ing view s and w ebsit e visit ors if you st ick w it h w hat w orks best on YouTube.

Here are a f ew video cont ent ideas: 1. DIY PROJECTS When w e w ork w it h client s t hat hire us f or f ull- on w edding SEO, w e oft en produce highly prof essional do- it - yourself t ut orial videos f or t hem t o get f eat ured by our m edia part ners. In t he process, w e also publish t hose videos t o t he client ?s YouTube channel t o t ap int o t raff ic t here t oo.

2. TIMELAPSE VIDEOS Som e of m y favorit e w edding planning client s in t he past have creat ed st art - t o- f inish t im eline videos of t he ent ire w edding day set up process t o show off t heir incredible design and st yling skills. These videos are fascinat ing and very ent ert aining t o couples w ho m ay not realize how m uch goes int o pulling off a w ell- designed affair.

3. VENUE TOURS Make a list of local venues you have w orked at or w ould love t o w ork at . Then, call t o see if t hey?d be open t o lett ing you do a video t our of t heir propert y t hat you can prom ot e t o your audience. They?ll probably say yes because w ho doesn?t w ant f ree m arket ing? Opt im ize your video f or t he venue nam e and locat ion, plus t he w ord ?t our? or ?review ?.

4. VENDOR INTERVIEWS If you w ork w it h local suppliers you really love, int erview t hem ! Then, opt im ize t he video f or t hat com pany?s brand nam e and locat ion. When couples search f or t hat vendor, t hey m ay just st um ble upon your video in Google?s regular search result s like t his?

Bonus Tip: Include t he w ord ?review ? in your video t it le t o bring in even m ore pot ent ial t raff ic.

5. BEHIND-THE- SCENES & BLOOPERS Let ?s face it . As a w edding planner your w ork can be very involved and fascinat ing som et im es, especially w hen design, decor select ion and ot her f un act ivit ies are involved. So w hy not f ilm t he process?

Whet her you go DIY- st yle w it h your ow n m obile phone or get prof essional and have a videographer peer cover a day- in- t he- lif e of you w orking, you can creat e video cont ent f rom t he w ork you conduct every day. Wit h a litt le edit ing and personalit y, t his can be very ent ert aining f or your prospect s and w in t hem over w it h your charm .

Get creat ive about how you opt im ize your video because t he point , aft er all, is t o drive t raff ic f rom t opics people search on. Tit les like ?How w e select w edding decor on a budget ? or ?Wat ch m e craft a w edding design board f rom scrat ch? could creat e inst ant int rigue.

6. REAL WEDDING VIDEOS Ask t he videographer if you could post t he short highlight video of your client ?s w edding on your ow n YouTube channel - giving credit , of course.

Wat ching t he st ory of ot her people?s w eddings can be bot h ent ert aining and inspiring t o your prospect s.

Opt im ize t hese t ypes of videos in a w ay t hat w ill draw t he right t raff ic.

Use keyw ords such as t he nam e of t he venue, t he t ow n or region, t he season of t he w edding et c. Don?t just nam e your videos aft er t he couple?s nam e because no one is searching f or t hat !

7. CLIENT TESTIMONIALS Have couples on t he f ence? If t hey are researching you bef ore inquiring or if t hey have recent ly m et you and just haven?t m ade up t heir m ind yet , one of t he t hings t hey?ll probably do is research review s f or your com pany. So w hy not m ake it easy f or t hem and put client video t est im onials in f ront of t hem? Sure, t here are st ill t hird- part y review sit es t hey can look at , like WeddingWire, but video t est im onials bring in a w hole new level of t rust as t hey see real couples on screen sharing t heir experience.

These can be recorded by t he client on t heir ow n phone, so you don?t have t o get t oo fancy. As long as t hey use good light ing or record out doors, it w ill probably be good enough. Opt im ize t hem f or your com pany nam e + ?review s?, like t his: ?ABC Planning Com pany Review s: Jason & Jill?

HOW TO FIND VIDEO KEYWORDS I?ll be giving you a f ew opt im izat ion t ips in t he next sect ion and one of t hem is ut ilizing keyw ords. But bef ore you can add keyw ords t o various places in YouTube, you f irst need t o know w hat your keyw ords are, right ?

Here are 3 sources f or f inding t arget ed keyw ords t hat m ake sense f or your cont ent : 1. Go t o htt ps:// keyw ordt ool.io and click on t he t he YouTube t ab. Type t he t opic of your video and subm it . You?ll get a w hole list of keyw ords t hat are used by people in YouTube.

2. Nat urally, YouTube is t he best source of keyw ord research. YouTube?s search f ield (look at t he t op) has an Aut o Suggest f eat ure. Just st art t yping in your generic t opic and t he search bar w ill suggest relat ed t erm s.

3. YouTube channels of com pet it ors and publicat ions in t he w edding space can provide you t ons of keyw ord ideas t oo. Sim ply visit a popular channel in your m arket place or in t he w edding indust ry at large and click on t heir channel. Click ?Videos? and t hen sort by Popularit y t o see w hat get s people?s att ent ion best .

HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR VIDEOS This is a m assive t opic, so m y t ips aren?t exhaust ive, but if you just execut e t hese you?ll be w ay ahead of t he curve.

Put your m ain keyw ord in t he video f ile nam e (ex. w edding- color- t rends- 2018.m p4).

Speak your keyw ords in t he f irst f ew seconds of t he video and m ent ion ot her keyw ord variat ions and synonym s t hroughout as w ell.

Put your keyw ord in t he video t it le; m ake it t he f irst w ords of t he t it le if possible.

Fully ut ilize your video descript ion space w it h hundreds of charact ers; m ake it rich, helpf ul, inf orm at ive and include your keyw ord once early in t he t ext . Add in keyw ord variat ions and synonym s t hroughout as w ell.

Drive act ivit y - view s, com m ent s, shares, em beds? anyt hing t hat show s YouTube t he video is building buzz. You can direct ly ask f or com m ent s in t he video it self or place a call t o act ion inside t he video descript ion.

To drive t raff ic back t o your w ebsit e, include a link in your video descript ion back t o t he blog post , port f olio it em or relat ed resource on your w ebsit e. It m ust be relat ed and relevant or YouTube m ight see it as spam m y and review your account . Also, it ?s not a bad idea t o have your w ebsit e address list ed in t he f oot er or header of your video in every f ram e as a w at erm ark or overlay so t hat it ?s cryst al clear how view ers can reach your w ebsit e.

Words by Kat hy DalPra

YOUTUBE FOR BOSSES WITH SUNNY LENARDUZZI

Sunny Lenarduzzi is an indust ry expert , assist ing ot her ent repreneurs in elevat ing t heir business and capit alizing on t heir niche t hrough t he use of YouTube. She has t ried and t rue st rat egies under her belt t o increase m arket ing and exposure, and she loves t eaching ot hers how t o grow t hem selves and t heir businesses w it h her course ?YouTube For Bosses?.

Bef ore w e dive int o t hat can you give us t he background on Sunny, w ho you are, w here you cam e f rom and w hat experience you had prior t o launching your YouTube Channel?

I am a f orm er journalist t urned ent repreneur, and even t hough I have host ed count less show s and report ed at t he Olym pics, YouTube w as t errif ying f or m e! I st ayed behind t he scenes in m y m arket ing business and loved helping m y client s spread t heir m essage w it h social m edia, unt il one day I hit capacit y w it h m y client s and had t o f igure out a solut ion. I decided t o answ er one of m y client s' FAQ's via a YouTube t ut orial and had basically no subscribers on m y channel at t he t im e. I uploaded it , sent it out t o all of m y client s and w as shocked t o see 2,000 view s on t he video t he next day! That w as m y big light bulb m om ent t o t ap int o t he pow er of YouTube's search f unct ionalit y in m y business. 3 years, 200,000 subscribers and 10 m illion view s lat er ? everyt hing has changed.

Sunny, you?ve been absolut ely killing it on your YouTube Channel and you also help ot her w annabe YouTubers, including t he CEO of t he Academy of Wedding and Event Planning and publisher of t his m agazine, Kylie Carlson, t o m anage and grow t heir channels. But t he big quest ion is w hy YouTube? What att ract ed you t o t his plat f orm and w hy do you t hink you?ve had such great success?

YouTube is unlike any ot her plat f orm in t he sense t hat it w orks f or you all day everyday, if you do it right . It 's w hat I like t o call "view s w hile you snooze". I have videos t hat are 3 years old, but are cont inuing t o generat e hundreds of t arget ed leads f or m e every single day. It 's about creat ing cont ent t hat your ideal cust om ers are searching f or, opt im izing t hem in t he right w ay and t hen ranking t hem on t he f irst page of YouTube so you are being discovered by new client s all day everyday.

What secret s can you share w it h us w hen it com es t o YouTube? How do you get people t o w at ch your videos above ot her people off ering sim ilar cont ent ?

It 's all about using your unique int el t o your advant age! I oft en get asked if it 's t oo lat e t o st art on YouTube, but it 's not ! Your ideal cust om ers are searching f or solut ions t o t heir quest ions and answ ers t o t heir problem s all day everyday, you just have t o show up and answ er in your ow n unique w ay. You get people t o w at ch your videos by answ ering or solving w hat t hey're looking f or.

Is t here a m agic f orm ula you use t o ensure your videos are f ound and w at ched?

Yes! It 's a f our st ep process of researching t o ensure you're creat ing cont ent t hat your ideal cust om er w ill care about , f ilm ing and edit ing your videos in a w ay t hat m akes t hem short and t o t he point , uploading and opt im izing w it h t he inf orm at ion YouTube needs t o rank your videos in t he right spot s so you'll be discoverable t hrough search and dist ribut ing t o your ot her plat f orm s t o drive engagem ent t o your channel t o increase your visibilit y.

Let ?s t alk algorit hm s, m et rics and analyt ics, now t here is a sexy subject . How im port ant are t hese t hings t o your success on YouTube?

Super im port ant , but t hey can be overw helm ing! So, I keep it sim ple.

Focus on creat ing cont ent and really paying close att ent ion t o w hich videos get higher view s and velocit y w hen you publish t hem . Those are clues. Those clues w ill t ell you w hich kind of cont ent resonat es w it h your audience m ost and t hat t ells you t o m ake m ore videos like t hat !

As you know, t his m agazine is dedicat ed t o t he w edding indust ry and m any of our readers w ould LOVE t o be doing video m arket ing and t o launch t heir ow n channel on YouTube, but lit erally don?t have any idea w here t o st art . What t ips and advice can you give t hem?

St art by list ening! Pay att ent ion t o w hat your ideal cust om ers are asking you on a regular basis. And m ake a list of all of t he skills you've m ast ered in your t rade. Writ e t hem dow n and you'll have your f irst list of video t opics ready t o go!

Sunny, if you w ere a w edding planner w hat w ould you do on YouTube t o get not iced?

I w ould f ollow all of t he st eps I m ent ioned above and f ocus on w hat m akes m e diff erent ! Is it your branding, your qualit y of w ork, your locat ion, your st yle? What ever m akes you unique is w hat you w ant t o f ocus on!

As w e m ent ioned earlier you?re w orking w it h our publisher Kylie t o help her grow her YouTube Channel w it h your program YouTube f or Bosses. Can you t ell us m ore about t he program and how it w orks?

Kylie enrolled in YouTube f or Bosses and she is now w orking w it h us in our Aut horit y Accelerat or and she's killing it ! She has f ollow ed every st ep dow n t o t he det ail and she's reaping t he rew ards in channel grow t h and list grow t h! Honest ly, w e've helped over 2,000 people crush it on YouTube and if you f ollow our process and apply our cust om ized advice, you w ill succeed. We have a lot of t est im onials t o prove it !

Here?s t he deep quest ion f or t his int erview, how has YouTube changed your lif e?

In every im aginable w ay. I w ent f rom being behind t he scenes f or 5 years t o having an audience of over 3 m illion in m y f irst year on t he plat f orm . It blow s m y m ind t o t his day. Every speaking gig, m edia m ent ion in places like Forbes, Fast Com pany and Ent repreneur has com e f rom people discovering m e on YouTube. I don't have any clue w hat m y lif e w ould be like if I didn't st art , but I know I w ouldn't have achieved even a quart er of t he success I've been able t o achieve because I did t he w ork.

What are your t op 5 t ips f or building a successf ul YouTube Channel in t he w edding indust ry?

Focus on w hat m akes you diff erent ! Def init ely brand your channel like a business, and st art w it h t his checklist : htt p:// sunnylenarduzzi.com / yout ubechannelchecklist .

Make videos based on FAQ's f rom your ideal cust om ers, and leverage your em ail list or social plat f orm s t o drive t raff ic t o your videos. Also f ocus on delivering w hat your audience needs t o know, not w hy t hey need t o know it . Keep your videos short and t o t he point , t hat 's w hat your view ers are looking f or.

Int erview by Kylie Carlson

sunnylenarduzzi.com

This is t he sect ion of t he m agazine w here our Edit or, Successf ul CEO and Creat ive Business Coach Kylie Carlson answ ers your burning business quest ions.

In t his episode of #AskKylie w e t ackle t he f requent ly asked quest ion, "How do I f ind m y ideal client ?"

Click t he im age below f or t he Kylie's answ er.

Do you have a quest ion you w ould like t o #AskKylie f or an upcom ing issue?

If so t hen please send Kylie a m essage via t his cont act f orm .

Q & A

# WEDINSPIRE WITH KYLIE CARLSON

Stor ytelling with Video Marketing Video m arket ing is w it hout a doubt one of m y favourit e subject s and I've spent m any happy hours researching it and m aking it m y ow n.

How ever, I do realise m any of you f ind t he t hought of it quit e daunt ing so m y aim w it h t his art icle is t o help break it all dow n f or you and give you som e t ips t o help you com e up w it h cont ent and st art f ilm ing.

But bef ore t hat I'm going t o help m y cause by giving you som e great st at s and som e very com pelling reasons f or jum ping on t he video m arket ing bandw agon.

5 Quick St at s t o Make You Think By 2019, global consum er Int ernet video t raff ic w ill account f or 80% of all consum er Int ernet t raff ic Facebook generat es 8 billion video view s on average per day 55% of people w at ch videos online every day Social video generat es 1200% m ore shares t han t ext and im ages com bined People spend 3 t im es longer w at ching a live social video com pared t o one t hat has been pre- recorded Google also loves video.

Anot her int erest ing fact . You are 53 t im es m ore likely t o show up f irst on Google if t here is a video em bedded on your sit e.

Mobile users are also very suscept ible t o video m arket ing and YouTube recent ly announced t hat m obile video consum pt ion increases 100 percent every year.

Think about it . If w e?re st uck on how t o do som et hing w e eit her Google it or w e search on YouTube f or a video show ing us how t o do it . Video is dom inat ing t he int ernet and t hose t hat aren?t t aking part in it are m issing out on driving real t raff ic and enquiries.

So Why Should You Use Video as a Wedding Pro? Let ?s be real t he w ritt en w ord can only say so m uch. No m att er how m any w inky faces or ?lols? you add, your personalit y and general t one m ight not m ake it f rom screen t o screen. There?s alw ays t he chance of your w ords gett ing m isint erpret ed.

But t hen w e?re alw ays t elling you t o show off your personalit y and be your beaut if ul self, right ? So how can you f it all your personalit y and w isdom int o one page?

Sim ple. Video.

The one t hing t hat m akes video a t ruly out st anding t ool f or your business is how it creat es a bridge bet w een you and your readers.

Wit h video, t here?s a new elem ent of hum an t ouch t hat didn?t exist bef ore. Seeing your face, hearing your voice, and w at ching you boost s your t rust abilit y and likeabilit y. Your readers can inst ant ly get a sense of w ho you are and are able t o decide quickly if t hey w ant t o buy int o w hat you?re selling.

Search engines love video t oo because t hey're alw ays looking f or cont ent t hat keeps an audience engaged. Google ow ns YouTube and bot h of t hese like Pint erest are search engines.

Have you ever t hought about t urning your FAQs or blog post s int o video cont ent ? This is all really valuable cont ent t hat you know your ideal client w ill consum e. Just by uploading video cont ent ont o YouTube, you?re m uch m ore likely t o st art show ing up in search result s.

Video is also great w hen you just aren't in t he m ood t o w rit e.

Som et im es it ?s just t oo hard t o sit dow n and w rit e a blog, believe m e I f eel t he st ruggle all t he t im e. If you ever f ind yourself w it h som et hing t o say, but don?t know how t o put it dow n on paper, gett ing in f ront of a video cam era m ight just do t he t rick. Inst ead of w rit ing 1,000 t o 1,500 w ords on a subject , you can m ake a quick t w o t o t hree- m inut e video of you t alking about it . Get excit ed, get angry, or w hat ever your t opic m akes you f eel, and put som e honest w ords out int o t he Int ernet .

Whet her you?ve got a big announcem ent com ing up, you?re host ing a w ebinar, or even w hen you?ve post ed a new blog, jum p in f ront of your cam era and m ake a quick video t o post on social m edia about your new s. Let your f ollow ers ?m eet ? t he host s f or your w ebinar, give a f un preview of som et hing com ing soon, or t ell t hem w hy it ?s im port ant t hey read your new blog. Your videos can be t he perf ect litt le glim pse your audience needs t o get excit ed about w hat you have com ing up next .

But m ore t han anyt hing else it allow s you t o really be in t he m om ent .

We all live in a w orld of realit y TV and being absolut ely hooked on w hat w e t hink of as ?real cont ent ?. We w ant t o know w hat ?s going on in people?s lives and in business w e w ant t o know t he people behind t he brand.

Som et hing w e did recent ly w as t o send in our video t eam t o a w edding one of our t ut ors at t he Academ y w as t he w edding planner on. Of course, w e got perm ission f irst of all, but t his w as an am azing opport unit y f or us t o f ilm som e course cont ent f rom a real w edding ? so m uch m ore pow erf ul t han anyt hing w e could do in t he st udio.

You need t o be clever w it h t his t ype of t hing and if you t hink you have a client w ho w ould have no problem w it h you bringing in a videographer t o f ilm you ?doing w hat you do? behind t he scenes sett ing up t hen t his could be priceless f or your business. The point w it h video is t hat t here are no lim it s ? you?re only lim it ed by your ow n im aginat ion.

What t o Consider Bef ore Gett ing St art ed Bef ore you creat e any videos, it ?s im port ant t o nail dow n t he purpose of your video m arket ing. Wit hout t his, you could spend t im e experim ent ing w it h a video plat f orm t hat w on?t help you reach your goals. You can use videos t o educat e your audience about an im port ant t opic, highlight your services or product w hen launching som et hing new, or int erview ot hers in your f ield t o creat e insight f ul discussions. You can also use videos f or creat ing product dem os, giving st ep- by- st ep t ut orials, or review ing branded product s. The possibilit ies w it h videos are endless so choose a video cont ent t ype t hat f it s your goals.

Luckily, you can get st art ed w it h video w it h litt le t o no budget . While video product ion is im port ant , som e of t he m ost popular video creat ors and YouTubers st art ed w it h basic t ools and st ill creat ed high qualit y, ent ert aining cont ent . When you're ready t o invest in videos, st art by purchasing a good cam era, a high- qualit y m icrophone, headphones, and proper light ing t o help your videos t o st and out in a good w ay. (Am azon have som e am azing deals and if you w ant som e advice on w hat t o buy f or under ÂŁ100 t hen em ail m e and I can send you som e links) Also t hink about pre- recorded versus live. Are your ideal cust om ers m ore likely t o w at ch a video if it ?s pre- recorded so t hey can w at ch it w henever t hey have f ree t im e? Or w ould t hey rat her w at ch a live video so t hey can int eract w it h ot hers w ho are w at ching? The pref erences of your audience should dict at e t he video plat f orm you choose and it s f orm at .

While you don?t have t o spend your w hole day m aking videos, it ?s im port ant t o underst and how m uch t im e you have available in your schedule t o consist ent ly creat e video cont ent . This is w here creat ing videos in bat ches can really help. If you f ind you only have f our hours every m ont h t o devot e t o videos, you can use one hour t o out line your t opics and t he next t hree hours t o f ilm a f ew videos.

Putt ing Toget her a Plan f or Producing Videos One of t he f irst t hings you need t o do is f ind your ow n voice and consider your point of view. Know w hat angles you w ant t o t ake on t hings and have a dist inct voice t hat is consist ent . If you?re a dest inat ion w edding planner t hat specialises in luxury w eddings f or t he discerning client , t hen don?t st art m aking videos about DIY Brides and Mason Jars. Just like any ot her f orm of m arket ing video requires you t o be aut hent ic, on brand and t o have a voice t hat resonat es w it h your audience.

Next up I suggest m aking a list of 25 video t opics t hat you t hink you could speak on. I know it sounds like a lot but t rust m e w hen I say you?ll soon st art t o run out . If you w ant t o m ake good videos t hat hold t he att ent ion of your audience, t hen you need t o have a cont ent plan and t hat st art s w it h t he subject t it les f or your videos. Sure, you can t alk about t hings t hat are current but t hat soon runs dry. Think about all t he pain point s your pot ent ial cust om ers have and use t hat as a st art ing point . What quest ions do t hey alw ays ask you? Could you t urn t hat int o a series of FAQ videos?

Planning is hard w ork and t here is a reason f or t hat ? it is t he planning t hat w ill m ake being on cam era easy. Each video you creat e should have a point and t hink of your videos as st ories, each one requiring a beginning, a m iddle and an end. When I sit dow n t o plan out t he cont ent f or m y YouTube Channel I plan out 3 m ont hs? w ort h of videos.

That is 12 separat e videos of around 5 m ins each in lengt h ? it doesn?t sound like a lot but t rust m e a 5- m inut e script is quit e long.

But t o m ake t his easier I do m y research. I look t o ot her creat ive ent repreneur educat ors t o see w hat t hey are t alking about and w hat subject s of t heirs get a react ion. No, I don?t copy t hem because m y cont ent is alw ays going t o be diff erent f rom t heirs but it gives m e m y st art ing point and m akes creat ing m y video t it les t hat m uch easier.

I t hen use t he st oryt elling m et hod t o w rit e t he script . I sit dow n and w rit e m y plot . What is t he point I w ant t o get across in m y video? How w ill I int roduce it ? What ref erence point s do I w ant t o m ake and how w ill I bring t he video t o an end? The rest is t hen just f iller.

One of t he biggest reasons people st op doing video, or really any kind of cont ent m arket ing, is due t o t he fact t hat t hey don?t plan. My advice is t o plan 2 m ont hs in advance and t o execut e 1 m ont h in advance.

Trying t o w rit e or f ilm under pressure w hen t he ideas aren?t f low ing is so hard, but w hen you have a cont ent plan t hat allow s you t o be t w o m ont hs ahead of yourself it is so m uch easier.

For m e because video m arket ing is such a big part of w hat I do I plan a litt le f urt her ahead t han t hat and usually have 12- 16 w eeks bat ched at a t im e because t his also allow s m e t o plan all m y m arket ing, blog post s, em ails, FB and IG w ell in advance. This really helps w hen I'm busy and t ravelling or w rit ing course cont ent and don?t have t im e t o spend on t his t ype of t hing. I can be organised and have it all scheduled w ell in advance.

Now I am not f or one second saying I'm am azingly organised all of t he t im e, but I have learnt t hat scheduling is m y best f riend and allow s m e t o be consist ent ly producing good qualit y cont ent all of t he t im e because I am never creat ing under pressure, it is absolut ely t he w orst t hing you can do.

So, if I?m going t o t urn you all int o cont ent superst ars I need t o give you m y 5 st eps t o a good cont ent plan: One Year Plan: In one year w hat do you w ant your brand t o be know n f or? Writ e t hat at t he t op of your cont ent plan. Consider t his a m ission t hat all your cont ent should drive t ow ard.

Higher Level Subject s: Think of all t he higher level subject s t hat you can t alk about in your business. Aim f or 5 t o 10.

Topics: Now t ake each of t hose subject s and creat e a list of all t he t opics you can t alk about . It is bett er t o have t oo m any t han t oo f ew.

Associat e: Go t hrough every piece of cont ent you have creat ed or are t hinking about creat ing and associat e it w it h a subject and a t opic. It ?s ok if som e pieces of cont ent associat e w it h m ult iple t opics.

Schedule: What is your ideal publishing schedule? How oft en do you have t o develop and creat e cont ent ? How oft en do you w ant t o publish?

So, t here you have it . I really hope I have given you a com pelling reason t o st art doing video m arket ing. I can prom ise you t hat it isn?t going anyw here fast and t hose w ho have jum ped on t hat bandw agon are really sett ing t hem selves apart f rom t heir com pet it ors and enjoying so m uch m ore success w it h t heir cust om ers.

If you're not already subscribed t o m y YouTube Channel here is t he link and if t he idea of video m arket ing is f eeling just a litt le bit overw helm ing t hen m ake sure you join m y Facebook Group because I share lot s of advice, t ips and t ricks t o help you plus lot s of ot her business advice.

Words by Kylie Carlson

w w w.k yliecarlson.co

# WEDPROMO Inst agram is a fant ast ic m arket ing t ool f or w edding prof essionals but as w it h any social net w ork, som et im es you?re not sure w hat t o post . I?ve rounded up all sort s of Inst agram inspirat ion f or you and broken t hem up int o 9 diff erent cat egories so you?ll never have t o w onder w hat t o post on Inst agram again! #1 Behind The Scenes What does it look like behind t he scenes of your business? You m ay t hink no one cares but people love seeing t hat st uff ! Show t hem a peek behind t he curt ain and inject your personalit y int o it . Aft er all, people hire people t hey know, like and t rust and how can t he f eel like t hey know, like and t rust you if t hey don?t get t he opport unit y t o see you f or w ho you are? #2 Quot es Everyone loves a good quot e and t hey w ork SO w ell on social m edia.

Share quot es t hat you know appeal t o your ideal client and you?ll be surprised how m any people double t ap t hem ! #3 Client Feat ures Social m edia isn?t all about you, it ?s about your pot ent ial client s and your exist ing client s t oo! By post ing phot os w it h your client s, of your client s or sharing som et hing t hat t hey post ed you allow your pot ent ial client s t o see w ho you w ork w it h and see if t hey?re a good f it f or you.

Plus it ?s a great w ay t o prom ot e your w ork in an indirect , less in- your- face w ay.

9 Content Ideas For Instagr am

BY HEIDI THOMPSON

In t his podcast episode, Marie Burns Holzer t alks about how she books 2- 3 w eddings f rom Inst agram each m ont h w it hout running ads and a lot of her post s are client f eat ures. #4 Cont ent Prom ot ion If you?re w rit ing blog post s, publishing podcast s or videos, off ering an opt in of som e kind or creat ing any sort of cont ent you have t o prom ot e it and Inst agram is a great place t o do it ! Be sure t o put t he link t o t hat cont ent in your bio and t ell people t o click it . Bonus t ip: Use a link short ener like Bit .ly so t hat you can t rack t he clicks! #5 Funny Post s You probably already know how great f unny Inst agram post s. Who doesn?t love t o laugh? If you can m ake people laugh and have it pert ain t o your business or t he indust ry as a w hole, t hat ?s a w in- w in. #6 Engagem ent Boost ers These post s are f un because t hey exist t o engage your f ollow ers and t o get t hem t o part icipat e by com m ent ing, t agging som eone or sharing t he post . #7 St at ist ics/ Fact s Our indust ry has SO m any int erest ing st at ist ics & fact s. Som e of t hose fact s are ?Did you know ? t ype post s f ocused on t hings like t he w ay diff erent cult ures approach w eddings or t he long hist ory of w eddings t hat w e have t o draw upon. St at ist ics are int erest ing and help your ideal client underst and t he indust ry bett er. There are count less inf ographics laying out st at s about t he w edding indust ry and you can alw ays m ake your ow n!

#8 Quick Tips Quick Tip post s are diff erent f rom Cont ent Prom ot ion post s because t hey deliver t he value direct ly in t he post . They?re quick, easy t o digest and t ake act ion on and help your ideal client . #9 Cont est s/ Com pet it ions/ Giveaw ays You don?t have t o look f or long on Inst agram bef ore you f ind som e kind of cont est or com pet it ion. They can be a great w ay t o expand your reach beyond your exist ing f ollow ers. You can direct people t o com m ent and choose a w inner f rom t he com m ent ers or direct t hem t o a part icular page t o ent er.

If you?re a visual person like m e and like t o see exam ples of post s t hat f it int o t hese cat egories, you?re in luck. I?ve com piled 36 diff erent exam ples of post s t o inspire you. Just click here t o dow nload your guide!

Words by Heidi Thom pson

VIDEO MARKETING TIPS WITH MERYL SNOW, SNOWSTORM SOLUTIONS

Wit h nearly 30 years in t he special event and cat ering indust ry, Meryl Snow is on a m ission t o help businesses get on t heir ow n pat h t o success, t raveling t hroughout Nort h Am erica t raining client s in t he areas of sales, m arket ing, design and branding. Meryl w as one of t he f irst t o em brace video m arket ing in t he special event s space and t oday, she shares how video helped build her brand, along w it h her t op t ips f or success.

So how did video m arket ing init ially play a role in your success?

When I w as f ocused ent irely on m y cat ering com pany Feast ivit ies, print advert ising w as essent ially your only opt ion f or gett ing t he w ord out about your com pany. The int roduct ion of video w as an absolut e gam e changer- it opened up so m any doors t o prom ot ing your com pany.

This w as especially a big deal in t he special event s indust ry, because w e are so visual. We t ook f ull advant age- as w e saw it as a big st ep f or building our brand. We enjoyed sharing lif e behind- t he- scenes w it h people- t hey just f ound it all so int riguing.

This w orked w ell not only leading up t o t he event - but aft er as w ell. We st art ed doing quit e a bit of video at our event s, and w ould send along a branded version of t heir event s t o client s, as our w ay of saying t hanks.

Can you expand on how it s elevat ed your consult ancy com pany Snow St orm Solut ions?

I?m an indust ry speaker w ho keeps busy on t he nat ional circuit , so incorporat ing video int o m y prom ot ional st rat egies w as an organic st ep f or m e. I essent ially creat e cont ent every t im e I w alk out on st age, so now, I can pull port ions of m y t alk and use it a num ber of w alks online- f rom social m edia post s t o direct m arket ing. Over t im e, t his st rat egy helped build m y credibilit y, as w ell as m y reput at ion, as a t hought leader am ong m y peers.

You have been a big proponent of Facebook Live since it s incept ion.

How has your brand benef it ed f rom Facebook Live over t im e?

Facebook Live allow s m e t o show t he hum an side of our brand- I?m not just alw ays pushing m y w ares. And ult im at ely, t here is alw ays a f ocus t o w hat I?m doing, even if it ?s sim ply show ing off m y beekeeping and t he chickens. There is a relat able qualit y t o m y cont ent , w hich I t hink people enjoy.

And t he sam e t im e, I?ve f ound t hat w hen I go on Facebook Live, I can cat ch t he right people?s att ent ion and t hen t hat can lead t o ot her opport unit ies. I had one inst ance, in fact , w here t he program s chair f or a leading conf erence st art ed f ollow ing m y beekeeping and t hen she saw I w as a speaker, f ound m y w eb sit e and hired m e.

Facebook Live also lends accessibilit y t o m y brand. People see m e on t he big st age at nat ional conf erences and w hat Facebook Live does is gives t he view ers access t o m y day- t o- day.

What t ips w ould you give event prof essionals eager t o st art incorporat ing Facebook Live int o t heir ow n prom ot ional st rat egies?

Resist t he inclinat ion t o just pick up t he iPhone and st art t alking. You need t o m ap out w hat you?re going t o t alk about ahead of t im e, have your not es t oget her and consider doing a run t hrough. Yes, t here is an im prom pt u nat ure t o Facebook Live, but t he best w ay you can

m axim ize t he opport unit y, is t o have a plan going in. Aft er all, t here is not hing is w orse t han a long, draw n out Facebook Live, w it hout any subst ance t o it .

Your YouTube Channel is f illed t o t he brim w it h videos, ranging f rom culinary t ips and design inspirat ion t o your advent ures in beekeeping.

How do you det erm ine w hat t ype of cont ent you push out on t hat plat f orm?

I t hrow it t o t he w all and see w hat st icks. I haven?t really sunk m y t eet h int o YouTube as m uch as I w ant , but given it ?s ow ned by Google and one of t he largest search engines in t he w orld, I know it ?s essent ial. So, I t ake nearly all of m y videos and put t hem t here f or good m easure.

What w ill be your big f ocus in 2019 w hen it com es t o video m arket ing?

I'm absolut ely pushing m ore t o Inst agram . I t hink Inst agram's going t o be hott er t han ever- it ?s been really great f or business and allow s m e t o t arget m y audience.

You've launched The Triangle Met hod, a sales t raining syst em f or t he event indust ry. How does video play a role in t his vent ure?

The Triangle Met hod is a virt ual sales t raining plat f orm t hat relies heavily on t he use of video. The hope w as t o creat e a syst em t hat w as accessible t o anyone, anyw here.

Not everyone is going t o invest in having m e on sit e t o t rain t heir t eam and t here?s enough t urnover in t he indust ry, t hat it m ade sense t o creat e som et hing t hat can be used over and over again f or new em ployees. So, w e invest ed a great deal of t im e int o creat ing sales t raining video t hat lit erally t akes you t hrough every st ep of t he process.

Any f inal t ips f or our readers?

Be caref ul not t o over sat urat e- ot herw ise, people w ill t une out . I?ve f ound t hat it ?s bett er t o t ry your hand at t he diff erent m edium s and st rict ly st ick t o off ering solid cont ent .

Int erview by Meghan Ely

w w w.m erylsnow.com

SHOWCASE

The Shoot Team : -

Wedding Planning, St yling & Design: GiDo Weddings Venue: Asylum Chapel and AMP St udios Phot ographers: Thom as Art Phot ography and Meiluciai Fot ografai Videographer: Yulia Hauer Hair, Make Up and Beaut y: Queen V, May?s St udio, and MaĂŤ Hair Specialist Flow ers: Vicki?s Floral Designs Wedding Dresses: Sienna Von Hildem ar Cake and Sw eet Table: Vit a?s Delight s Love Lett ers: Doris Loves Invit at ions: Inked By Hand Bridal Shoes: Freya Rose London Jew ellery: Cryst al Daiva Bar and Drinks: Chot a Peg & Lim e Cat ering: Hand Made Food Magician: Jake Banf ield Band: The MiaCat s Models: Lina Novikait e and Leila Belgnaoui

# ROCKTHEPURPLELOVE We creat ed urban look w it h m odern t ouch w here w e included unique t ext ures, unexpect ed uses and t ypes of f loral arrangem ent s, greenery. We had som e m arble accent s m ixed t oget her w it h m et allic copper, used geom et ry including t he ult ra violet Pant one colour of 2018 and t oday?s t rends f or t he sw eet t able.

# WEDLEGAL Video is a great m arket ing t ool, but did you know it can also help you legally speaking? Here?s t hree w ays I use video t o help reduce liabilit y in m y ow n business.

1. Film explainer videos.

An explainer video w alks pot ent ial client s t hrough an overview of w hat it is like t o w ork w it h you, or t hrough w hat a port ion of your services are. These can be used t o build t rust , educat e t he consum ing audience or just build your conf idence in bot h your services and gett ing on video!

Plus, t hese are a great ref erence as you?re looking t o point pot ent ial client s in t he right direct ion- - it set s a st rong t one f or your w orking relat ionship t oget her, t hat you can t hen seal w it h a cont ract w hen t he t im e is right .

2. Film t ut orials f or client s/ cust om ers.

I use a f ree t ool called UseLoom .com t hat can record eit her m y face, m y screen or bot h t o show client s w hat I?m t alking about inst ead of w rit ing t hem a novel via em ail.

Oft en, client s can get conf used and no one likes a long list of t o- dos.

By f ilm ing a short t ut orial on som et hing you need your client t o do f or you, such as f illing out one of your f orm s, or show ing t hem t he diff erence bet w een t w o vendors t hey need t o pick f rom , it m akes it so m uch easier f or your client t o w ork w it h you. And w hen it ?s easy t o w ork w it h you, it ?s easy t o get along w it h your client s and provide t hem w it h a great experience.

3 Unconventional Ways to Use Video to Reduce Your Liability as a Business Owner CHRISTINA SCALERA

This is also a great w ay f or int rovert s t o com m unicat e m ore oft en using video because t hese t ut orials oft en don?t even need t o be anyt hing but a screenf low. Hellllloooo no m akeup!!

3. Use video as a t ool t o COMMUNICATE! Only t w o t hings w ill ever land you in hot w at er, legally (m oney and m is/ com m unicat ion). So if you w ant t o st ay out of jail and in t he good graces of your client s, m ake sure you?re com m unicat ing WELL and OFTEN. A great inf orm al w ay t o do t his is t o check in via video m essage on em ail, Inst agram or Facebook.

I like t o check in every now and t hen w it h new or exist ing client s, and t yping out m essages just t akes SO long. By sending a video m essage, I can personalize it and delight t he client . I also can com m unicat e m ore eff icient ly and m ore eff ect ively since video capt ures m y facial expressions and t one. Using video can help you avoid m iscom m unicat ions, and m ake it m ore likely t hat you w ill t alk m ore w it h your client s- - t hus, you?re less likely t o run int o problem s w it h t hem .

Which of t hese t hree t hings could you im plem ent t his w eek? Writ e t o m e @t hecont ract shop on Inst agram t o t ell m e w hat you chose t o w ork on!

Words by Christ ina Scalera

VIDEO TUTORIALS & LIVE STREAMING WITH SARAH CAMPBELL, INTRIGUE TEACHES

Renow ned designer and m ast er f lorist Sarah Cam pbell learned early on t hat video m arket ing has t he abilit y t o t ransf orm one?s career. What began as a love of sharing know - how t hrough video has since evolved int o Int rigue Teaches, w hich in part , off ers virt ual t ut orials and classes.

In t his issue, Sarah shares her journey, as w ell as her t op lessons learned along t he w ay.

When did you decide t hat you w ant ed t o expand your business and begin pivot ing yourself as a B2B expert in t he indust ry?

I don't know if I ever had a t im e w hen I t hought , "Hey t his is w hat I'm going t o do, I'm going t o be an expert !? I never consciously m ade t hat decision, it just happened nat urally.

I st art ed on social m edia, by sim ply sharing m y w ork. People w ould ask quest ions and, as I answ ered t hem , ot hers w ould ask m ore. Aft er spending hours and hours responding t o people, I realised, "There's a business here,? so I began recording m y answ ers int o video f orm at and off ering t hem f or sale.

What w ould you say are som e of t he advant ages of using video t o prom ot e your services and connect w it h your audience?

Videos help t o build a charact er and show off your personalit y. It off ers m ore ?lif e? t han a phot o! Wit h video, you can see t he expressions, t he

personalit y, and t he aut hent icit y. You can't fake it on video! Well, I guess if you're a good act or you can? but I'm not a good act or.

Video is real. Whenever you're sharing and t eaching, you w ant t o give aut hent ically so t hat you can connect w it h individuals in t he m ost eff ect ive w ay.

You have bot h B2B and B2C facet s t o your com pany- how do divide your t im e, balancing t he needs of bot h audiences?

I am not even going t o pret end t hat balance is easy. There are som e days t hat I sit back and t hink, "Oh m y, w hat am I doing?" But t hen I hust le and get it done. Organisat ion is t he best w ay t o m eet as m any needs as possible. That , and having a rock st ar t eam w orking w it h you!

I've got Jordan, m y com m unicat ions direct or, and Skyler, w ho does all of t he phot ography and videography. Then t here is Nat alie, our creat ive direct or. Bet w een t he f our of us, w e are able t o put our heads t oget her and pow er t hrough! That t eam w ork helps m e be able t o have t he t im e I need t o give except ional service t o m y client s. As a result , I can be personal w it h m y client s, and w alk t hem t hrough t he design process, holding t heir hand and being t heir f riend as t hey're planning t heir w edding!

It ?s no secret t hat you do a fant ast ic job w it h Facebook Live. Wit h t hat , w hat are som e of t he w ays t hat live st ream ing can be diff erent ?

When I record a video, I can prep, plan and organise bef ore I f ilm . This gives m e t he abilit y t o provide a calm and prof essional delivery. When I live st ream , it 's m ore of an open- book approach. There is a lot m ore room f or error, and it ?s a lot m ore real!

I f eel like people connect even m ore w hen you're live st ream ing, because everyt hing is on- t he- f ly and aut hent ic. Not only t hat , I've not iced t hat , w hen I do a live st ream , I get m ore hit s and m ore w eb conversions t han at any ot her t im e. This t ells m e t hat social m edia is m aking live st ream s a priorit y!

Whenever I f ind som et hing is w orking, I do m ore of it ! Live st ream ing creat es real conversat ions and real relat ionships. It allow s m e t o speak t o m em bers of m y audience one- on- one. When I record a video, I can't be one- on- one. I can't reach out , t alk t o som eone, and answ er quest ions. But w hen I'm live, I get t he chance t o int eract !

What ?s your very best t ip f or Facebook Live?

Be sure t o collect quest ions bef ore you're live! Put out a post , t elling everyone t hat you're going t o go live. Give t hem t he t opic ahead of t im e and ask t hem t o send quest ions. That w ay, you can w rit e t heir quest ions dow n, and w rit e som e not es so you don't get side- t racked.

I know w hen w e're f riendly and bubbly, w e t end t o get side- t racked.

This t echnique helps m e st ay organised in t he m om ent !

Is t here anyt hing you had t o learn t he hard w ay in t erm s of product ion, as w ell as m aking sure your brand t ranslat ed int o video?

Mist ake Num ber One: Make sure your cam era is f ully pow ered. You need a f ull batt ery pack t o record video.

Num ber Tw o: Be sure you act ually hit t he record butt on?

Num ber Three: If you are going t o go live, you m ust m ake sure t hat you're on a st rong int ernet signal. If your signal is not good, you?ll be t alking t o yourself.

Num ber Four: If you're not in self ie m ode, you need t o have your cam era on a t ripod! If not , your video w ill be shaky.

Num ber Five: If you're going live and t here's only one or t w o people w at ching, speak like t here are t w o t housand people w at ching! They w ill see you in w hat ever light you present yourself.

If you com e on and say, "Hey guys, t here's only t w o people here. Yeah, I don't know if t his is going t o be very good,? t hen you?re sett ing t hem up t o t hink it 's not going t o be very good. But if you com e on w it h a sm ile and say, "Hey guys, I'm excit ed w e're here," and you speak like you're speaking t o a st adium f ull of people, you're going t o capt ure t heir energy!

Int erview by Meghan Ely Phot o Credit s: Rakot eet Phot ography

w w w.int riguet eaches.com

RINSE, WASH, REPEAT WITH ANGELA PROFFITT

Wedding indust ry expert Angela Proff itt is no st ranger t o t he balancing act , bet w een planning, producing and designing event s f or her client s w hile also consult ing event prof essionals on t heir product ivit y.

Recognizing t he pow er of video, Angela w as eager t o incorporat e t his st rat egy but st aying t rue t o her expert ise, also knew she needed t o do so in a w ay t hat t arget ed her eff ort s f or m axim um im pact . In t his issue, Angela shares how she em braced t he "rinse, w ash, repeat " m et hod t o do just t hat .

What are t he benef it s t o rinse, w ash and repeat w hen it com es t o your videos? Why is t his a great cont ent t echnique?

First , I w ill say, I didn't com e up w it h it on m y ow n. I had a branding coach w ho knew t hat I w as crazy busy, but I loved helping people, and sharing t ips based on real lif e experiences. So, t he benef it t o doing it is t hat you really just have t o say it one t im e. And once you have your m essage dow n, t here's a f orm ula t hat you f ollow.

For exam ple, I like t o give t ips based on real experiences- w hat I w ould do diff erent ly and w hat I learned f rom it . So, t he w hole m et hodology behind it is t hat f irst w e do t he videos, t hen w e t ake t he audio f rom t he video t o m ake it int o a podcast . Then w e give t hat audio t o an edit or, w ho can m ake it int o a book, and t hen w e use t he sam e cont ent f or a blog post . We essent ially use it f our t im es.

How do you t w eak t he cont ent w hen you're doing it , t o ensure it 's not t oo repet it ive?

I'm a litt le unconvent ional, in t hat w e sit dow n t he f irst w eek of every Decem ber and t alk about t he f ut ure cont ent . We look at our calendar f rom t he past year and review our event s and w here I spoke. I m ake sure t o do t his w it h m y t eam is because t hey're going t o rem em ber t hings t hat I'm not . We?ll t hen run t hrough t he year t o m ake sure w e are not repeat ing ourselves.

You have m ent ioned t hat you love t aking t he st oryt elling approach t o your t eaching. What ?s one t im e in part icular w hen it ?s served your audience w ell?

My favorit e one is f rom som eone w ho w as w orking in a bar and spilled beer all over t heir lapt op. I w as so t hankf ul because she had list ened t o a lot of m y f ree videos on YouTube and had already backed everyt hing up as a result . She t old m e how she had used DropBox and Google Drive on our recom m endat ion.

And she shared, "If I had not st um bled upon t hese videos, I w ould have lost everyt hing." She ended up paying and com ing t o m y class t o f urt her learn m ore about how t o be product ive and using t echnology.

It ?s litt le t hings like t hat - real st ories f rom real people t hat ow n businesses and live t hat lif e of, "Oh, t hat 'll never happen t o m e." That 's w hy I'm very passionat e about t eaching.

When are t here t im es, if any - w hen you should avoid recycling t he cont ent ?

Aft er I do it t hose f our t im es, I kind of f eel like I'm done w it h it . You have t o rem em ber t hat I t end t o pref er using real st ories and experiences, so I don?t f eel like w e?d have t o recycle t hat m uch. At t im es, w e m ay ref er back t o it if t he subject m att er is appropriat e, or in line w it h w hat t he audience is looking f or, but t hat ?s it . And t ypically, once w e do t he video, t he podcast , t he book and t he blog - w e usually don't ever go back t o it .

What t op equipm ent , t ools, program s are essent ial t o having t his process of rinse, w ash, repeat ?

I w ill say t hat w hen I f irst st art ed doing t his, I did everyt hing m yself, and w at ched a lot of YouTube videos. But f or t he video t ip series, w e did hire a product ion com pany f rom t he beginning. We had t w o cam eras, f rom diff erent angles, an audio engineer and a direct or t o m ake sure I w as st aying on t ask.

For m e, having a t eam w ho is not in t he indust ry is really key, so consum ers w ill bett er underst and.

For equipm ent , I have a great light dom e, and it does m ake a diff erence, allow ing m e t o record during t he day and at night . I have a neut ral backdrop, w hich w orks w ell because I don?t have t o re- record t he video if I have a branding ref resh. I use a prof essional Yet i m icrophone as w ell. Ot herw ise, f or video, I w ould say you sim ply need your lapt op, or even just your phone. You can t hen use iMovie, w hich is very user- f riendly t o use f or edit ing.

As f or soft w are, w e t ypically pay t o host on Vim eo, and w e also pay t o host on an educat ional sit e as w ell as iMem ber360 as our m em bership program . When you add up all of our soft w are, w e use over 30. A f ew are f ree, only because I got in on t he bet a version very early on w hen I w as a support er helping t hem build up t heir com pany. But w e pay f or m any of t hem , w hich is all t he m ore reason it ?s essent ial t hat w e are able t o m onet ize our educat ion.

Honest ly, if I didn't have an account ant and in a business m anager, I w ould be bankrupt because I w ould be giving everyt hing, everyw here f or f ree. But t hey say t hat you?re invest ing your t im e and your m oney back int o t heir business, so you should m ake a prof it as a result .

Any t op t ips f or som eone w ho is st art ing t o consider video m arket ing, and t aking t hat st ep?

Don?t put your videos out t here, unless you are set up t o be able t o get t he analyt ics. It 's great t o have Google Analyt ics, w hich is f ree, and you can also look at YouTube analyt ics.

Anot her t ip is t o ask your audience. I m ay t hink som et hing is very benef icial t o t he audience, but t hen w e?ll go on Facebook or Inst agram and do a poll. I com e t o f ind is t hat t he audience picks som et hing t ot ally diff erent . At t he end of t he day, you've got t o know w hat your audience is looking f or.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

angelaproff it t .com

VIDEO MARKETING WITH ANDREAS HAUKE, HAUKE DIGITAL PRODUCTIONS

Andreas Hauke grew up in Vienna, graduat ing f rom t he Vienna Business School w it h a degree in m arket ing. In 20014, he m ade t he m ove t o Sout h Af rica, w here he grew Hauke Wedding Film s int o a w idely respect ed brand in t he indust ry. Today, Andreas is a keynot e speaker f ocusing on video m arket ing and ent repreneurship f or sm all business ow ners.

You're m aking your w ay t o Wedding MBA t his com ing Novem ber as an educat or. So can you f irst expand a litt le bit on w hat you plan t o cover?

I?m giving a t alk called ?The Tet ris Eff ect : If you Fit in, you Disappear,? w here I w ill elaborat e on how t o do business diff erent ly, especially w hen it com es t o video m arket ing. As you know, video is huge right now and if you w ant t o get int o it you?ll have t o be prepared. I?ll be covering essent ials like preparing your m arket ing st rat egy f or t he year, how t o get your cont ent t o st and out f rom t he crow d and how t o diff erent iat e yourself f rom your com pet it ors. That probably sounds like a lot , but t rust m e it is doable!

When it com es t o m arket ing f ilm m aking services, how is t hat diff erent f rom ot her w edding vendor t ypes?

As a w edding f ilm m aker w e have a huge advant age because our job is f ilm ing. Everyt hing w e do on t he day is recorded w hich gives us plent y of cont ent t o use f or our ow n m arket ing. The scraps t hat usually end up on t he edit ing room f loor, w e w ill f ind a w ay t o use t hose!

If I com pare it t o ot her suppliers, t hey t ypically have t o put a lot m ore eff ort int o eff ect ively m arket ing t heir services via video. Think about it , t he cat erer putt ing t oget her a beaut if ul f east has t o get a phot ographer or videographer t o shoot t heir creat ions, m aybe even a social m edia person t o curat e t heir cont ent and t he list goes on. We basically have t he abilit y t o show t hem w hat w e do on a daily basis, and as a result , w e have a lot of m arket ing m at erial purely by virt ue of w hat w e do. In fact , video m arket ing is m y num ber one prom ot ional t ool at t he m om ent . Obviously!

We w eren't in t his posit ion 10 years ago. Back t hen, t he int ernet w as t oo slow and you couldn?t dow nload videos, so people w ould assum e it w asn?t t hat im port ant . Now, if you don?t have any video cont ent about your com pany or som e sort of engagem ent , I t hink it is saf e t o say t hat you alm ost don?t exist . On t he int ernet t hat is!

Wit h t hat , I t hink t he biggest challenge is t hat som et im es ot her com panies w ill approach us t o hand out our w ork f or f ree, as w e have already shot t he cont ent f or t he client . And it ?s im port ant t o underst and t hat t his is our prof ession and w it h everyt hing w e produce, t im e is probably t he m ost expensive part of our business. Even if w e?ve f ilm ed it already, t here?s st ill a lot of w ork aft erw ards. The edit ing process is m uch m ore labour int ensive t han t he act ual shoot , even t hough you sw ap out being on your f eet all day f or being behind your desk.

How do you m ake sure, f irst and f orem ost , t hat your client s? w eddings st and out am ong ot hers? What ?s your process f or gett ing t o know t he couple, as w ell as t heir vision?

The cinem at ographers and t he phot ographers m ost ly have t o w ork w it h w hat t he planners and coordinat ors provide f or t he celebrat ion.

We have very litt le input in t elling t he couple w hat t hey should do on t heir w edding day. Our approach is non- int rusive on t he w edding day but w e do guide t he couple t o ensure w e get am azing shot s. That being said, w hen w e do get t o know t he personalit y of t he couple, w e can act ually express t hem t hrough t he edit ing, w hich is alw ays a big bonus f or all part ies involved.

How does it help t o know w hat m arket ing st rat egies your com pet it ion is doing? And how do you diff erent iat e yourself f rom t hem?

I w ould love t o sit dow n and w at ch ot her people's videos and ot her people's m arket ing st rat egies. But unf ort unat ely, I'm t oo busy and I ult im at ely have cert ain ideas in m y head t hat com e f rom cam paigns t hat m ight be not even relat ed t o t he w edding indust ry.

When it com es t o our w edding f ilm s, f or exam ple, w e t ake our inspirat ion f rom t he fashion indust ry, w hich is alw ays t hinking ahead.

So, if you w ere t o copy som eone else in t he w edding indust ry, I believe you?re already far behind because it def init ely w ould not be som et hing new.

The w edding indust ry t ypically get s it s inspirat ion f rom out side t he act ual indust ry, like f ilm s, fashion, art and cult ure so bear t hat in m ind w hen hunt ing f or #inspo.

Can you give us a sneak peek on w hat you?ll cover at Wedding MBA? Essent ially, I w ant t o give t he audience ideas on how t o st and out and creat e cont ent t hat is uniquely t heirs. People alw ays t hink t hat you just need t o have t his one prom ot ional video, t hat I t ypically call t his "t he f lagship video? and it is super im port ant !

And yes, w hile it is very im port ant t o have a f lagship video, it 's m ore im port ant t o have const ant updat es of w hat you do and how you do it .

There are act ually about 7 diff erent t ypes of videos t hat you should have in your m arket ing m ix, w hich you can updat e and ref resh as you go along.

What w ould you say are your brand ident it y do's and dont 's?

Don?t spread your w ings t oo w ide.

In t he beginning w hen I st art ed m arket ing m y services, I learned t hat you can get lot s of bookings if you t ailor your services t o specif ic

groups. So st ick t o your groups, def ine t hem w ell and really get int o t heir t hinking, and you'll be m ore successf ul. You can alw ays expand lat er and grow your service off ering t o appeal t o m ore people.

St art low and build up your brand and business. People som et im es ask m e, "How can a w edding f ilm be so expensive." Our prices w ere indeed above average com pared t o our com pet it ors and w e t ook a bigger risk of gett ing booked.

Aft er m eet ing Brett Florens, int ernat ionally acclaim ed phot ographer he t old us, "Everyone is f ishing in t he sam e pond com pet ing w it h each ot her. Why not f ish in a sm aller pond and f ocus on a diff erent t ype of m arket . It ?s all about qualit y versus quant it y."

And he w as so right . We now lim it t he w eddings w e shoot t o a sm aller am ount per year w it hout t aking a f inancial knock. And obviously you have t o m ake sure t hat you give exact ly t he service t hat you prom ised, because a higher price t ag beget s a higher expect at ion. Wit h f ew er client s you have m ore t im e t o f ocus on t hem and provide a t ruly prem ium service.

Int erview by Meghan Ely

hauke.co.za

The Publisher s The Int ernat ional Academ y of Wedding & Event Planning is t he global hom e of 7 online cam puses, each off ering, f lexible and int eract ive courses, f or passionat e individuals w ant ing a career as Wedding & Event Planners, St ylist s and Designers.

We are also deeply com m itt ed t o helping individuals w it h a desire t o launch t heir ow n businesses and are proud t o have been part of t he business success of m any of t he w orld's Wedding & Event prof essionals.

When you st udy w it h t he Academ y, you can st udy f rom anyw here in t he w orld, it 's as sim ple as connect ing w it h a Cam pus nearest you.

AU

GCC

NZ

SE ASIA

UK

SPANISH

USA