Ahhh The Elusive Bride.  You know who I’m talking about….the bride that always has her smart phone in her hand, gathers her information from blogs, tweets, podcasts, Facebook and my favorite…word of mouth.   Along with an overload of information and thousands of ever-changing mediums in which to consume it; you (as a wedding professional) and the bride are also attempting to navigate through uncertain economic times, which sometimes makes concrete wedding planning  problematic. So how do wedding professionals successfully connect with and let The Elusive Bride know how they can help them plan their perfect wedding?  Talk to them! Face to face!   FaceTime, a consulting firm for the events industry, compiled the top reasons why businesses should participate in events that put them in direct connection with their direct market. So take a quick peek at these seven tips that will give you more traction.

The tips

1. Design your booth early and do a trial run.

You need to know what is going to be in your booth and what distinctive features it will have so you can use that information to design all the other bits that go with a successful show. Consider traffic flow and the surrounding vendors in your plan.

2. Use a distinctive feature from your booth design in your sales collateral.

Put something memorable in your booth and then have that same thing on your printed material and your after show email layout.  A great example is for a bridal salon to use a very hot, unique gown in the very front of the booth, say red for example. It may not be the gown you sell the most of, just something that will stick in bride’s memories. Then when they see that same gown on your sale material they will remember you. Your unique design feature can be an unusual cake, or centerpiece, or a remarkable print; anything that stands out.

 3. Create good signage. Just setting your business cards out is not enough.

Your sign has to be large and distinctive. If your show allows it, consider paying to have yours hung from the ceiling of the convention hall. Be sure to tie that image into your sales material too.

 4. Most show promoters do a good deal of pre-show publicity across a range of media.

Get with the show promoter about getting a spot on their TV exposure or writing an article for their website, blog or any print outlets that are covering the show in the weeks running up to it.

 5. Do your own pre-show publicity.

Send out a press release if you are doing anything noteworthy at the show like participating the fashion show, giving show day discounts, or showcasing a new product or service.   Talk about it in your social media outlets like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and your blog. Send out a pre-show email blast and/or postcard inviting bride specifically to your booth.

6.  Catalogue what the crowd is doing and do something different.

If all the sugar artists in your area fill their booth with 3 or 4 full size cakes make one larger than life dummy and than a wall of centerpiece size cakes that are all different. Get some vertical shelving  and fill the shelves with different thing that you do: cookies, small cakes, examples of sugar flowers and put something amazing on that top shelf that will be seen above the crowd.

Are all the florists doing a major statement piece arrangement in the center of their booth? Do a variety of smaller, more realistic ones. A client of mine gets a corner booth and takes down the outside wall. On that point she puts a 7 foot tall wrought iron tree hung with bouquets and boutonnières. Smaller arrangements and tabletop décor line the back wall, again going vertical with stands. They are grouped to go with the various bouquet styles. Trust me, that tree draws a lot of attention. Brides first see it as a whole and then start discovering all the parts that make it up. If a bride zeros in a particular bouquet, she can show her ideas for centerpieces that go with it.

7.  Use unique follow up ideas If you are looking for follow up ideas, send in an accomplice to sign up.

Seriously.  The only way to know what kind of follow up your competition is doing is to get on their list. Find an employee or friend or daughter of a friend and have them sign up for services in your category. Use an email address that can be forwarded to you. Once you know what they are doing,  do something different.

Some of you may think this all sound a little shady. If I were telling you to go steal their ideas I would agree with you; but I’m not. I’m telling you to do this kind of research so you can zig when they zag. Marketing is about making you stand out from the herd. If you are doing the exact same thing as everyone else you are just going to blend in. Be outrageous, be flamboyant, be uniquely, marvelously YOU!

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Cheers to your success!