Go with the People You Know

I promise you. I will get better at this blogging thing! We're pretty regular in the AO offices with keeping the AtlantaOccasions.com blog up-to-date, but allotting the time to spend on my marketing rants and raves has been somewhat of a challenge! Heather 2.0 is coming along.. but it needs some upgrades for sure. ;-)

Anyways, I've been getting a lot of requests for advice from my advertisers and industry contacts recently regarding my take on new bridal shows or other advertising opportunities springing up out of no where for wedding vendors. So I'll just answer everyone as a group here. I hope that whether you're in Atlanta or in Arkansas, this advice will be helpful for anyone.

I'm in sales and I make A LOT of calls. I can guarantee you that I'm not the only magazines calling wedding vendors about advertising. I bet as a wedding vendor it can seem pretty overwhelming to weed out the good vs. the bad and finally settle on the best marketing avenue for you. After all there is no secret recipe or magic trick to finding more business, but if you're marketing budget is limited, as is most everyone's, that decision is going to be crucial.

My advice :: Go with who you know. People do business with people they know and when you do business with someone you don't know... well you just don't know. I'm not saying to not give people a chance, because I was once new and there are lot of people that gave me a chance. But ... they just didn't know. I worked my little tush off (and still do) to build the reputation of myself and my company and I'm quite dedicated to keeping it up.

When you are shopping options to advertise your business, go with who you know. Whether that's the local magazine who offers monthly networking luncheons (hint, hint... I'm sorry shameless self-promotion there.. it slipped), local bridal show producers, or even other wedding vendors or bloggers. Reaching out and partnering with the medias who are invested in your local wedding community is the first step to building your wedding business and connecting with your client. The Bride.

Buy Local :: Buy Atlanta. My advice is simple. In my opinion, there is no need to participate in a bridal event run by out-of-town companies when right here in your own town are THREE amazing bridal show companies (Elite Events, Bridal Extravaganza of Atlanta and Perfect Wedding Guide) that....

1. Know the market like the back of their hands
2. Have outstanding reputations of bringing all the brides you could ever want to their shows
   
3. Spend thousands of dollars in local advertising dollars to bring you those brides
4. And, are local Atlanta residents themselves.

Go green people! Support your local companies. There's no reason I can think of not to. I've participated in all of their shows (minus PWG, but I know they have an excellent reputation of bringing brides in) and they are swamped with brides. What else could you ask for?

Pay attention to who you know in your local wedding community and seek them out. They are the only people that hold the knowledge you need for your business. Local wedding-specific medias offer something FAR MORE VALUABLE than just an ad or booth that not many others can do. Things like a personal introduction to a venue where you've been trying to get on the preferred vendors list for months, or an opportunity for a speaking engagement in front of your peers, or insider knowledge about a new venue opening, or added opportunities to contribute promotional materials in swag bags at bride targeted events. I could go on!

Buy local, buy Atlanta... but buy from who you know. Sometimes I refer to myself of the Erin Brockovich of my company, because this business is just that personal to me.. just as her clients were that personal to her. Business is personal. I am Atlanta Occasions and Atlanta Occasions is Heather Vreeland. Whether you know me from our luncheons, a meeting, you're a client or we're just facebook friends.... I am without-a-doubt 100% percent invested in the Atlanta Wedding Community and my friends like Linda Surles of Atlanta Bride and Groom Planner, Tommy Vaugh of Elite Events, Donna Jakulski of Bridal Extravaganza of Atlanta, and Lei Lydle of AtlantaBridal.com (to name a few) are as well.

We're not here for a piece of the pie... we are an integral ingredient that make the pie possible. And we're here, doing what we do, for you. Period.

The Story of Me

There's an upcoming event in Atlanta for Wedding Professionals that's all about business plans. Although, the thought of writing one kind of brings one back to college paper writing days, my journey to Atlanta Occasions started as a direct result from my business plan so I have a special place in my heart for them... no matter what stage of your business. The irony is however, I didn't write the business plan for the current business I own...... so here's my story.

In 2006 I moved to Atlanta knowing no one and nothing about this city. I left behind a well established career in the Spa and Salon industry, but I knew that this new city had new experiences for me, so I wasn't looking for a job in the same field. Instead, I got a job at David's Bridal that paid a whopping $7/hr.... a far cry from my previous salary, but a clock-in and clock-out type gig with no responsibilities besides making sure the mirrors were fingerprint-less. Heaven.

While working there I found an opening for a Spa Director position at a Medical Spa near my house and ultimately left the hourly job for a career back in the spa world. While it was tremendously rewarding, it wasn't ME. I'm terribly assertive and a go-getter.. My way or the highway type person and I knew I had the desire to be an entrepreneur, I just didn't know in what fashion.

Everyday on the way to work I would pass this super cute old Antebellum home just outside of my neighborhood. Restored and currently outfitted as a restaurant, that place had been for sale since I moved to the big ATL. One day I said, "I think that place would make a great event venue." The next day I viewed the property with the realtor and the day after that I began putting together what would end up to be the thickest, most well thought out business plan for "Bear Creek Manor" (that's what I was going to name it), a new wedding and special event facility in Hampton, GA. I spent months planning, researching, acquiring financing, meeting with contractors and when it came down to closing the sale... those people just wouldn't take my low ball offer. So, I walked away from the project. By this time I had quit my job and was left soul-searching for where I was meant to be.

I went back to my business plan thinking "what the heck am I going to do with all this now?" I got to thinking about how I was going to market the facility in the first place. How would I reach the Henry County bride. Metro Atlanta is so large, how could I have ever really made this new venue stick out in the sea of facilities online. I just had this thought, spark, idea... call it whatever, that made me wonder why Atlanta, or any other major metro area, doesn't have a website where someone can narrow their search by region and county. Something that gives us Henry County businesses, our own spot in the limelight. And because one didn't exist... I decide to make it myself.

From that moment on I immersed myself into what was now known as AtlantaOccasions.com with no business plan, prior planning, major research or financial backing. Fast forward two years and I now have a very successful AtlantaOccasions.com AND an Atlanta Occasions Magazine that's morphed a tad bit from my original inspiration, into something even cooler. I have made mistakes along the way, nothing of too much determent to my biz, but things that had I forseen in my initial pre-planning would have saved me big bucks along the way. Had I paused to create a new plan for this idea I had been inspired to created by my initial business plan, I may have made different decisions that could have quite possibly saved me time, heartache and money-honey.

Everyone needs a little pause and focus time in their business. Time to stop, smell the roses, reflect on what you've created and reanalyze your path. Maybe you're headed in the right direction, or maybe the currents are moving and so should your business. You'll never know, unless you give yourself the time to think it through. Business plans do not make or break a business but they do force you to completely analyze your business from every facete and angle. They point you in the best direction and serve as a guide to keep you on that path or highlight new paths that you may not have considered.

Atlanta Wedding Professionals have the opportunity to do just that in a few weeks. A course completely designed for the bridal industry business plans is coming to Atlanta. I encourage you to seek out more info the Sage Wedding Pros are offering and consider what a class like this could do for your new, established, or in need of some TLC business. For more details click here.

I do this a lot. Some may say too much, but keeping a keen eye on your business and your market keep you tuned into the reality which surrounds you. Many people think that I have a glamorous publishing background, and sadly it's just not so. I'm on my way there though. What I did have was inspired thought and the guts to act on it. Sometimes, that's all you'll ever need. ;-)

How's your business going? Is there advice, questions or new marketing topics you'd like to see discussed that would help you succeed?

Your Marketing Engine Mechanic

Three years ago (October of 2006 to be exact) I attended a BNI meeting in Stockbridge Georgia after I first moved to Atlanta. I didn't know anyone but looked the group up on the internet and found the chapter near my house. At that event I met several people, collected business cards, etc. A few months later I hired an Accountant, Kim Maxwell, who I had met at the group and she has been my accountant ever since. But what's unique about this story is, in the clump of business cards I collected at that one meeting, there was a card of a electric company I had pulled out and stuck on my refrigerator after the meeting. Just a few weeks ago, January of 2010... 3 years later, I needed to add an electrical outlet in my home office, passed the fridge, remembered the business card I had saved and wah-lah.... called Mr. Johnny Classen up and booked him to come out to my house.



While he was here he said.. "I noticed you have one of my cards on your refrigerator, have we ever done business before?" and I told him, nope, not yet.. but I met you at that BNI group and have been holding onto your card until I needed it. He was shocked! His response.."Well I guess that group actually did work."

Go figure. In his case, the response he received from attending the event wasn't necessarily immediate, but it did lend him a new client. You never can tell exactly what marketing you're doing is going to attract clients, but having multiple options and avenues only increases the odds... because they all work better together.

You see, marketing is like the engine of a Mercedes. The parts, all brand spanking new, work just fine, but alone don't produce the end desired result. Put them together and listen to that baby purr. Now think about marketing as an engine. Your collateral pieces (i.e. parts) do function on their own to a certain extent. Yes, your website may have your phone number and services on it, but what good does it do until someone actually logs onto it. Same goes for business cards. So what you ordered 1000 of them. If they don't get put into the hands of a bride at a bridal show, they don't work. BUT, combine those collateral parts to make a marketing engine and each one will drive the other even further towards your desired end result... new clients. Just think, if your car is designed to run with six spark plugs but you unplugged two, chances are that car would still run, but not very well. So you can image the type of results you can expect if you try to run your marketing engine with only half of the parts... it'll run, just not like that Mercedes. Do you see where I'm going with this?

So what are those parts? Things like: business cards, print advertisments, website listings, client referrals, trade shows, editorial and pr coverage, billboard, radio, flyers, rack cards, networking, business meetings, signs on the side of your car, websites, blogs, social media, promotional materials, sponsorships, donations, raffles, yada yada yada. The more parts, the more refined engine.

Listen, what I want you to take from this is that the advertising parts of your marketing engine do work individually, they are just less effective when used alone... like spark plugs.

Image if Johnny would have gone to that networking event without a single card.....or maybe, had a bunch of cards, but never attended a networking event.

Buying more than just an AD

Walmart is good for one thing. People watching. No wait, two things... midnight runs to buy the movie Twilight when you realize you can't stream it live from Netflix (yes, that really happened).

I used to shop at Walmart. I admit. I was single, broke and starting my fresh new career and on a budget. Every time I went grocery shopping I would get so frustrated because Walmart never had the fresh produce I was looking for. I'd inevitably have to go to a second store to complete my list, walk into Publix and be immediately greeted by every single person on their floor when I was just there to get lettuce. I got so fed up of making multiple trips, and so attracted to a smile and the question "Can I help you find anything?" that I decided it didn't matter how broke I was, I didn't mind paying .29 cents more for Lean Cuisine when I could always be guaranteed a pleasurable shopping experience. Hence..."where shopping is a pleasure" came from.

Your media relationships can often be compared to the relationship you have have with your local grocer. Do you buy your groceries at Walmart or Whole Foods? Are you looking for the cheapest price no matter what you miss in the process? Or, are you willing to pay the price for quality, service and an all around pleasant experience.

Just like bananas, an ad is an ad is an ad (plus or minus basic demographics and coverage details). Mostly, it's where you buy the ad that truly makes the difference. Some medias are going to offer you the quickest, cheapest ad. While other medias, who may be less likely to budge on the final price, offer the same ad, but bring "intangibles" to the table that far increase the value that ad is actually worth. It's the difference between shopping at Walmart and Whole Foods.

Ask yourself, do you want to stand in one of three (out of 30) open checkout lanes for 20 minutes at Walmart or do you want to buy local, buy organic and peruse the colorful aisles, sipping the latest imported wine (that has happened), at Whole Foods? There is a HUGE difference.

I begin each of my new client meetings by asking a bit about their business like what marketing efforts they use, what works, what doesn't, etc. Recently, I've been hearing a lot of "oh and we do that magazine because their ads are so cheap...... "

Um, Houston, we have a problem.....

Why do you want to buy the cheapest ad? You're not buying pantyhose or plumbing supplies. You're buying new business!!!! Do you really want to risk that new business or the future success of your own with the cheapest gig in town? Are you okay with an attitude of "I ran your ad what more do you want"... or do you want to know your marketing dollars are buying you more than just the paper?

If you're looking for the Whole Foods shopping experience, the intangibles you should look for from your media partners are things like networking opportunities, connections, events, marketing advice, sponsorships, referrals, introductions, etc. It's not just about the ad... rather the ad package.

When it comes time to buy an ad or renew, these are the things you should consider in your advertising investment as well. Because, if you enjoyed the intangibles, then those need to be weighed evenly with the direct inquiries received from the ad too. It's likely they're a package deal. If you pull the ad, the intangibles will go right along with it.

Make a left into Walmart rather than a right turn into Whole Foods (okay, that would never happen in real life, they're rarely on the same corner, but you get it) and the end result of your shopping experience will be entirely different. Same goes with your media choice.

Marketing, in general, is a long term investment and your media relationships should be too. Think lasting and reliable, then come up with ways you can utilize the perks of your purchase. Partnerships are two way street. If you haven't connected recently with the media you're doing business with, get in touch and get the most out of your investment.

What ways has your business benefited from a solid media partnership?

Getting accurate answers to "How did you hear about us?"

Let's just get one thing straight.

It's not the job of your potential customers to keep track of your marketing efforts, it's yours. So don't leave their response to the question "How did you hear about us?" open for interpretation. The response should be pretty simple. Comparing your marketing plan.. it was either.. your print ad, your online ad, a friend, or recent PR coverage, etc.

Assuming your new client is a bride.... Give the girl some options. Do you think that after looking through a handful of magazines, perusing thousands of web pages .. when a she finally picks you to contact.. she's going to remember where she saw you ? NO.. help a sister out and give her obvious options.

If you can list the options that you KNOW you are doing.. why wouldn't you? Are you expecting or rather hoping to hear something different?

On the example below, I compare a before and after contact us page. The before leaves an open ended, fill in the blank option on the "Where did you hear about us?" line. The second has been modified to guide the the new client towards possible options. The switch is simple and may lend more precise results. Instead of leaving an opened ended option, where they could quite possibly not even fill it out, listing all the possible avenues where she COULD have heard of you just may jog her memory and help you keep better tabs on your marketing.

A good way of rearranging that question would be, "We market our business across multiple platforms so, knowing where you found us helps to streamline our marketing plan and keep costs low. Could you tell us each avenue you saw our advertisement or heard about our company?"

Then, list them with the opportunity to check multiple options.

If you leave it up to the client to tell you how your marketing is working you're not going to get the feedback you might expect. After all, she doesn't know how important it is to you, she's just worried about what's important to her. So tell her. It may seem lengthy or long to you but it's your money. Do you want to know what works or always be left wondering?

How do you keep track of your marketing efforts?

Heather 2.0

I'm turning over a new leaf, launching a new version of myself, morphing this blog into a soapbox of sorts (still with all the great marketing advice, plus more) and rearranging how I function on a daily basis.

Heather 2.0 comes with all the great features of Heather 1.9 but with greater control, discipline and work/life boundaries to help the entrepreneurial extraordinaire build her media empire while not destroying her personal life. ;-)

Features you'll grow to love with Heather 2.0:

• Limited Business Hours :: I have a tendency to be open & available 24/7. Which makes me feel like I never catch a break. Not good. The 2.o update includes scheduling my time, clocking in and clocking out, sending the phones to voicemail after hours and turning the auto-responder on until I return.
• Structured Schedule :: no more flying by the seat of my pants. Office days, meeting days, limited social networking. FAMILY time.
• Inbox Zero :: Process my email to ZERO each time I check it. Which means, I won't be checking my email every 5 seconds, rather select times a day that I can dedicate my time and attention and process them, instead of scan. Delete, delegate, archive, respond, defer.
• Business Blog :: Marketing and advertising are my passion, but along with that comes a whirlwind of ideas and advice that may not necessarily fall into those categories. So, although, I do still believe that "advertising makes the world go 'round," I'll be including other topics too.
• Funneling the avenues in which I can be reached :: I love Twitter and Facebook, but I can't manage those inboxes in addition to my email. So, if you follow or friend me, try to contact me at heather@atlantaoccasions.com if you want to talk biz. I use my social networks primarily for business, but not necessarily as a point-of-contact. You'll get a quicker response from me if you reach out via email.

That's the gist of it for now. There's bound to be bugs and hiccups. I'm hoping, posting it for the whole-wide-world to see, just might help me be more disciplined and follow through.

Happy New Year! ;-)

By the way, I totally stole the phrase "Heather 2.0" from my friend Ben Vigil. ;-)

Print is Not Dead People. Period.

This post is a no-brainer. It's deadline week for me and I'm swamped. So, I'll just pass on this absolutely fabulous video I found online about truths regarding magazines.

Watch and Learn.....