Putting Music On Your Website

I don't know who came up with the idea of adding music to the background of a website when the home page loads, but if you're doing it I'm taking high-ground here to tell you it's a BIG MISTAKE.

First, music isn't used in marketing unless you're in the movie or music industry.

Second, the Internet is NOT TV. You can't and shouldn't "force" things on the brides who visit your website. I promise you, if you do, THEY WILL LEAVE.

OK, OK, I hear a few of you already: "But brides tell me they love my website..."

For every bride who tells you they like or love your website I'll bet 20 left without telling you anything.

5 Reasons You Should NOT Use Music

1) RESPECT

Respect thy bride/groom visitor: don't force things on them when they visit your website.

2) YOU'RE FIRED

A lot of brides planning a wedding will at work when they visit your website. "No..." you say, they wouldn't be doing that? Music is a great way to get someone fired. I'm guessing you won't get the inquiry if her boss is yelling at her for planning her wedding on company time again!

3) LOAD AND CRASH

No one wants to wait around for your music file to load. Music creates longer loading times and slow websites are the number one reason a bride will leave your website. Chances are it (your music file) will load about 2 minutes after they found your home page, BLAST on, and scare the cr*p out of her. There's a 50-50 chance you'll crash her browser too. Great first impression, hey?

4) IT'S THE INTERNET - NOT TV

Users should be in control at your website. Don't force things on people. It creates a bad first impression. You'll get better results from your website if you give people the information they came looking for FAST and let them choose the pages and features they want to use. You shouldn't do it for them.

5) NO VALUE

Music adds no value to your website experience. Absolutely NO VALUE. If you have things at your website that do NOT ADD VALUE to the user experience you are wasting your visitors time, testing their patience, and you will get fewer inquiries and lousy results from your website.

In very, very, very, very, VERY few instances can I justify using background music. Some DJs can get away with it, but that's about it.

Secret Weapons

Everyone is trying to figure out what Google is doing.

How do you get your website top ranked?

Why isn't your website showing up but your competition is?

Is Google Page Rank something that is critically important to your online marketing?

Google never really shows you who is behind the curtain or reveals how things work EXACTLY, but if you follow some of the discussions from Google-folk you get an idea of what they're looking for and can get "sort-of" answers to some of these questions.

Here is one of the blogs that I visit regularly and a resource I think is one of the most valuable in my "toolbox" - http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/

People often ask me "how important is it to have fresh content or do updates on my home page?

Proof positive that Google is watching websites for "freshness" in this post: http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/google-improves-search-for-fresh-documents/

Thinking...

Inquiries

It really drives me crazy, so I'm sure it drives you crazy too, to see a pile of inquiries come in one week and then few, if any, the next.

During the first four months of the year I think they should be pretty consistent.

In most major markets and in most categories, you probably should be able to pull 10 to 30 inquiries a week from your website - with a comprehensive Internet Marketing plan (including buying targeted PPC traffic). Maybe more.

But through the rest of the year, it's not unlikely to see them drop off.

It's normal, you're not alone, it's seasonal, and it's been that way for the ten years I've been in this business!

It's also a good reason to be VERY CAREFUL about using the Internet exclusively as your source of new business (i.e. integrate your online AND offline marketing to get the best results from both!).

Conversion

All the inquiries in the world are worth nothing without CONVERSION - turning the brides who visit your website into inquiries or sales.

Search Engine Optimization

Is getting TOUGH. I mean TOUGH. Getting a top position takes longer, is more involved, and especially at Google it's really frustrating.

You can do EVERYTHING right and still see little as a result.

One of the challenges at Google is that the competition is unbelievable. Keep in mind, someone has to FALL OUT of the top ten for you to get INTO the top ten.

And your website will need to be ready from A to Z with a comprehensive, managed, search engine optmization strategy. Meta-tags and a few keywords aren't going to get you much (in any competitive category or city).

Conversion Tip: Turning The Brides Who Visit Your Website Into Inquiries

BAD

You can have a website but BRIDES CAN'T FIND IT. You have a traffic problem.

WORSE (OUCH!)

You have good traffic, quality traffic (not quantity), you're even PAYING to advertise your website (http://www.weddingplanninglinks.com/), but the brides who find you aren't making inquiries. You have a CONVERSION problem.

There is no one-answer-solution to conversion problems but here's one way I used a rather simple techique to effectively turn more website visitors into inquiries. Yes, it works very well.

http://www.bookmoreweddings.com/members/278.cfm

* You must be a member of my Book More Weddings ADVANTAGE program to have full access to this information.

What is Web 2.0 and What Do You Need To Know About It

Web 2.0 is a phrase coined by a publishing/media company. It refers to the "socialization" of the Internet. It's real, it's here to stay.

Unless you live in a cave, you've heard about You Tube (http://www.youtube.com) and My Space (http://www.myspace.com) by now.

And who doesn't think Wikipedia isn't cool (http://www.wikipedia.com)?

Have you seen the Wedding Podcast Network (http://www.weddingpodcastnetwork.com)?

Don't leave out web-enabled cell phones and text messaging?

How does your website look when it's brought up on a cell phone?

Blogging, RSS feeds and news readers...

Wow...

I could write a book about it, and some have.

But what is it you need to know, as Wedding Professional, about Web 2.0 today?

1) It's real.

If the Internet was the Information Revolution then Web 2.0 might be described as people sharing information faster and more openly than ever before.

It's not about media companies being in control anymore. The USERS of the Intenet have control. When have you ever seen someone get control of something and then GIVE IT BACK. "Web 2.0" is here to stay.

Brides won't just be looking for you at your website*. They should be able to find you where they go - not where you want them to go.

* Actually, it's going to get harder and harder for brides to find your website. Both competitive issues and the socialization of the Internet will make it more difficult to find quality traffic and reach the local bride you want. You might want to make your way over to http://www.weddingplanninglinks.com.

2) It will impact your business.

If you take advantage of these shifts in technology and how people are using the Internet, especially people 18 to 35, you can acheive more online visibility for your business (search engine optimization value, overall online visibility, reaching your targeted audience).

If you don't take advantage of these things, and your competition does (and they are), you'll see your marketshare eaten away bit by bit. Maybe even chunk by chunk. Yes, it's that serious.

3) If you say "huh" when I'm talking about this you're heading for trouble.

Find someone to help you with these things and get to it fast. You're already behind if you don't have a blog, My Space site, or have videos up at You Tube.

Six to twelve months from now you'll be behind and strategically it will be much harder to catch up, if not impossible. On the Internet, it's always harder to catch up.

Wedding Industry News

NEW... Wedding Industry News Blog.

Wedding Industry news, events, who, what, where. Links to online resources. Stay informed and up-to-date. Easy to add to your RSS reader.

http://weddingindustrynews.typepad.com

Pay-Per-Click Madness

Pay Per Click Prices Got You Down?

Pay-per-click advertising is great. It works, it delivers measurable results, it's a great way to do research and figure out what brides are searching for and how many of them are searching for your keyword terms, and if it's not working for you you're probably doing something wrong.

But bidding for top positions can drive you crazy. There's always someone who bids up the price and forces you to ask the question "should I increase my bids?"

The answer is usually "no" (bidding up). Usually, anyway.

If it's any consolation, here's a list of top paying "clicks" I came across recently.

Leave it to lawyers to drive the price of things up - LOL.

I'm happy to see none of them are wedding related!

mesothelioma $84.08
mesothelioma attorneys $80.93
mesothelioma lawyers $69.04
malignant pleural mesothelioma $55.95
Asbestos Cancer $54.17
mesothelioma symptoms $53.66
peritoneal mesothelioma $52.27
trans union $51.91
lung cancer $43.12
search engine optimization $30.19
mesothelioma diagnosis $28.70
home equity loans $20.06

Online Wedding Planning Goes Mainsteam

Internet wedding planning is alive, well, and kicking. BIG TIME.

Ignore your online marketing or put it on the back-shelf and you'll be making a big mistake.

I hate to say "I told you so" but I've been saying this for more than a few years.

Not understanding this technology, how to use it effectively, or how it is changing and taking advantage of the changes... is no excuse.

97% percent of brides now use the Web in their planning, according to a recent research study by Questus (http://www.questus.com).

93% said they found ideas and brands there they wouldn’t have otherwise found.

The "echo boom" will create an even larger audience of bride/grooms, with a 22% projected growth over the next 15 years (Fairchild Bridal Group).

Today's average wedding costs over $22,000.

Traditional weddings are still the most popular.

85% will marry with a religious ceremony.

The average number of guests: 168

Personal Computer Growth Will Be Good For The Wedding Planning Industry

By the end of 2008, Forrester Research predicts, there will be more than 1 BILLION personal computers in use worldwide. Some of the fastest growing markets are Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

By 2013... 2 BILLION computers !!

What's driving this? Global demand, advanced and improving technology, and lower prices.

Priceless

Priceless.

That's the value of having a top ranked website at Google. And let's not forget Yahoo! and MSN.

So the question dancing around in my head today is:

"What's a top ranked website likely to produce in revenue?"

"What's a realistic return-on-investment?"

A top ranked website has many benefits. Sure, there's traffic. More traffic. But there is also a "credibility" issue. People searching trust top ranked websites. I know, I know, there's no reason to, but the fact is they do. Frankly, that fact makes my skin crawl.

And make no mistake, they ARE the first sites people click on (the first five site listed probably take 80% of the clicks). The majority of people click on organic links (left side of page) vs. sponsored listings, around 80-20%.

How much does it cost to get top ranked?

Probably, somewhere between $3000 and $10,000 - depending on the competition.

How long will it take?

Chances are six to eight months - in any competitive category. That assumes a VERY well optimized website.

Will it pay for itself or better? Only you can answer that based on your margins?

I'm comfortable saying a wedding vendor that is top ranked should book 50 to 100 more jobs per year as a result of a top ten position. That assumes your website can convert a bride/visitor into an inquiry and you can turn an appointment into a sale.

Take your average sale: _________________ x 50 (the low end of my estimate).

Those are some pretty nice numbers if you're a wedding photographer, wedding caterer, limousine service, a wedding consultant, or a wedding minister.

AND IF YOU ARE NOT TOP RANKED...

Take the same calculation and that's what you're losing to your competition (or a portion of those sales).

There are a few assumptions here:

Assumption #1) There are people searching for you and lots of them. There are two ways to find out if people are searching for your keywords/phrases and approximately how many: Google Adwords.

Assumption #2) Your website can convert a visiting bride/groom into an inquiry. Most can't. Most don't.

Assumption #3) Again, you, or your sale staff, can turn appointments into sales.

EMAIL Is Not A Legitimate Follow-up Sales Tool

I hate to say it, but you have to hear it.

EMAIL IS NOT AN EFFECTIVE OR LEGITIMATE TOOL FOR FOLLOWING-UP ON INQUIRIES FROM YOUR WEBSITE !!!

If you get an inquiry from your website.

If you use email (or an autoresponder) to follow-up

And that is your only follow-up.

And you don't pick up the phone and call the person who made the inquiry...

Stop and ask yourself "why am I in this business."

Or... ask "who can I hire to do follow-ups and sales for me."

EMAIL is no longer a legitimate pre-sales tool. Sure, it works sometimes, but it's the times when it doesn't work that is the problem. And everytime it doesn't it costs you sales.

So your competitor who is probably getting the same inquiry as you and who picks up the phone and calls a bride who made the inquiry, on the same day, maybe within minutes of her making it - is going to get the sale.

I Know You Want It... But You Can't Have Everything

"HELP CHRIS... we love our new website and just spent $5000 on it. It has FLASH and it's soooooo nice. But we're not getting any inquiries and we can't find it at Google anywhere."

Design vs. Functionality

If I had a $1.00 for everytime I heard that this year, so far, I'd be in the Caribbean today on vacation.

What do you want? A website that looks just the way you want or a website that actually can be found in the search engines and can convert a bride who finds it into an inquiry?

A designer/programmer will give you what you want. I guarantee it.

But it's not REALLY what you want.

So that's the question today and I think the answer is... you need a website that brides can find and one that generates inquiries (i.e. conversion).

No inquiries, no sales. No sales, no business. No business, no need for a website.

Designers mislead business owners all the time. I'm sorry, but that's how I see it. They don't tell them that there are SERIOUS problems with most website designs "that look great" and that if you don't incorporate search engine friendly features, along with conversion related features, you're website won't show up anywhere near the top of Google, Yahoo!, or MSN and the brides that do happen to find you will probably not make inquiries.