{"id":276328,"date":"2016-10-13T04:07:21","date_gmt":"2016-10-12T17:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.easyweddings.com\/au\/pro-education\/25-zero-budget-marketing-ideas\/"},"modified":"2016-10-13T04:07:21","modified_gmt":"2016-10-12T17:07:21","slug":"25-zero-budget-marketing-ideas","status":"publish","type":"au-pro-education","link":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/pro-education\/25-zero-budget-marketing-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"25 zero-budget marketing ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n You might\u00a0stock the most unique wedding products of the highest quality at\u00a0unbeatable\u00a0prices<\/a>, but without marketing,\u00a0you have no buyers. Hiring wedding marketing specialists can be a hefty investment for small businesses, so\u00a0before you go blowing your\u00a0budget on full-service\u00a0agency fees, try your hand at some\u00a0of these super effective and *free marketing ideas that (mostly) won’t cost you a cent:<\/p>\n Often one of the most frightening and yet equally rewarding forms of wedding business marketing is networking<\/a>. This could be attending\u00a0wedding expos<\/a>, women’s business events, small business seminars, Easy Weddings’ free supplier nights, or wedding-themed Meetup<\/a> groups. If just the thought of talking to strangers makes your heart race, follow this\u00a0introvert’s guide to powerful networking<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can also expand\u00a0your network of\u00a0fellow suppliers by adding them to your Pro-Network on your Easy Weddings profile. This shows prospective customers how connected you are with other wedding vendors, increasing your credibility and building trust in your brand.<\/p>\n Create\u00a0a spreadsheet and start brainstorming\u00a0all the wedding\u00a0blog\u00a0ideas<\/a> your business can\u00a0cover, including: DIY videos<\/a>, real weddings<\/a>, wedding planning tips<\/a>, how-to’s<\/a>, listicles, before & afters, industry news, company announcements, milestones and product releases.<\/p>\n Once you’ve decided on your topics\u00a0and created a schedule\u00a0for publishing across your website and social media, follow these\u00a010 tips to get your business\u2019 blog rocking<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In addition to self-publishing blog posts\u00a0on your own website, consider writing for other non-competitive wedding businesses and platforms.\u00a0Publishers are always looking for relevant, entertaining and\u00a0educational content<\/a>\u00a0to share with their audience so look for publications your customers read, understand the types of stories and angles they tend to write about, then submit your story ideas\u00a0for approval with some high-res pics to sweeten the deal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Easy Weddings<\/a> publishes stories on real weddings as well as wedding how to’s, tips and trends. If you have a story you think might be suitable for our readers please send it\u00a0to content@easyweddings.com.au<\/a>\u00a0so we can take a look!\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals; they can dramatically reduce your cost per lead while significantly increasing your closing rate for sales. When a recommendation has come from a trusted source, customers are\u00a0more likely to purchase from the referred source\u00a0than risk buying from an\u00a0untried competitors, so setup a referral campaign and\u00a0invite more customers to recommend\u00a0your business<\/a>.<\/p>\n Use email marketing to announce your referral campaign and let past customers, associates, friends and family know about they exciting perks\u00a0they’ll receive for putting in a good word.<\/p>\n Don’t underestimate how much you really know about your business and how valuable sharing this information can be. Speaking at industry events and expos helps build your profile and positions you as a leader in your field.<\/p>\n Seek out smaller local community events to\u00a0hone\u00a0your public speaking skills first if your delivery is a bit rusty, then when you’re confident on the stage and you’ve got your act down pat, move onto the larger, more targeted wedding events.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This type of guerrilla (non-traditional) marketing involves piggy-backing off what’s hot\u00a0in the media right now and\u00a0using it to lure or engage customers. Using Pokemon GO for business is one recent example of riding the wave, which allows businesses to take part in a global phenomena on a local level.<\/p>\n Royal weddings<\/a>, celebrity news<\/a> and seasonal events like Valentines Day<\/a> are also easy waves for wedding businesses to attract\u00a0customers with timely content and innovative marketing ideas.<\/p>\n This is another\u00a0type of guerrilla \u00a0social media marketing whereby businesses\u00a0jump on a trending hashtag<\/a> and join the conversation.\u00a0<\/span>For example,\u00a0if Richie Strahan from #TheBachelorAU proposes with a ring similar to one you stock, post a picture of your ring across social media using the official hashtag.<\/p>\n Similarly, if\u00a0<\/span>the winning lady wears a dress, shoes, earrings or other accessory that you stock, let viewers know they can purchase it from your store by adding in the official hashtag to maximise exposure.<\/p>\n If you’re a makeup artist, you could create a DIY video tutorial to help your followers get the look of the winning contestant for their big day.<\/p>\n Word of warning:<\/strong>\u00a0this tactic should be used\u00a0judiciously- brandjacking can\u00a0backfire brilliantly<\/a>.<\/p>\n Team up with non-competing suppliers on an\u00a0event or educational series. A florist, venue, planner\/stylist, decorator, photographer, videographer and\u00a0a transport\u00a0company, for example,\u00a0could team up and run a workshop for brides on boho styling tips, planning the ultimate Spring wedding<\/a>, or\u00a0organising the perfect\u00a0vintage-themed ceremony<\/a>… the options are endless!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n1. Network<\/span><\/h2>\n
2. Start blogging<\/span><\/h2>\n
3. Write guest posts<\/h2>\n
4. Ask for referrals\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
5. Speak at industry events<\/span><\/h2>\n
6. Ride the wave<\/span><\/h2>\n
7. Social media brandjacking \u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
8. Collaborate <\/span><\/h2>\n