The Blogging Plan!

So my fellow bloggers, readers, and browsers as you know or may not I recently gave myself the challenge of blogging consistently. The first time I challenged myself to 30 days and only made it to day 13 this time I had challenged myself to 3 days a week, but yet I have skipped whole weeks at a time.

Since I feel that blogging is a great way to express your self, share tips, post knowledge facts, and more I have once again given myself a challenge that I look very forward to sticking to! 

This new challenge is called the 5 Day-Every Week Challenge. And it basically means that I will blog 5 days a week, Monday-Friday. I want my blog to excite you and want you to reply and leave even more feedback!

So I need your help. I want each day to have a meaning like "Tuesday Tip Day". I want to hear from you this weekend! Tell me what you would like to see posted, facts, jokes, more wedding/event related stories, new discoveries, etc! Share your thoughts and let it all out! By Sunday I will release a short post introducing the Five Dreamy Topics that will be discussed weekly and Monday will be the start of a whole new blog.

I may even change the background, make it more airy feeling? Thoughts! So share your feedback and tell me what you would like to see. Post it here in the comments section below or post it on my fb fan page!

ABC's for Marketing Part 3

Two weeks ago I started blogging about the ABC's to Good Marketing and today will finish up the alphabet.  The following tips that have been shared and will be shared today can apply to any industry. To refresh your mind visit the topics below: ABC's for Marketing Part 1 ABC's for Marketing Part 2 ABC's: M-Z M. Meet & Greet: Set-up lunch meetings, dinner meetings, coffee meetings with other professionals in your area that are you considering working with. This allows you to get a vibe for their personality and to learn more about each others business. If you suggest the meeting, then offer to foot the bill too depending on the location.

N. Networking: Your net worth is your network! Networking is a great part of doing business. It helps circulate your name and if you've made a good impression you often find yourself getting and providing referrals. Always bring at least your business cards and a smile! :-) O. Operation Back-Up: Drive around your new area. You want to become familiar with all the main routes as well as good back roads in case you find yourself in need of an alternative route. I know from experience how bad it is getting lost when going to meet a client or maybe a traffic jam has occurred. Know your surroundings and have a good back-up plan for getting out of a jam. Purchase a good GPS, it will be your lifesaver!! P. Phone Etiquette: When a prospective client calls you or another industry professional be sure to answer the phone in a quite area. Answer professionally and sound awake! Speak clearly and listen. Don't make the other person feel rushed, try to answer all questions right away. Ask open-ended questions. When ending the call, allow the other person to hang up first just in case they may have another question. Q. Quality not Quantity: As a professional you want to deliver quality work. Having planned a hundred weddings, but none were of good quality then they will not help you book more. Quality is always better than quantity, because quality work will always leads to referrals and more business!  R. Register Your Business: Starting a business is easy and so is registering your business. Learn about our local costs and become registered. This tells prospective clients and other professionals that your a professional business and that this is not just a hobby but a career. S. Social Media Marketing: Social Media Marketing has advanced greatly in the past 5 years. Social Media consists of Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and many many more networking social outlets. It allows you to reach your target market instantly and communicate with them. It requires  some skill, motivation, and will be time consuming. As a business it allows that personal connection with your audience, however you can hire someone to do your social media marketing for you.  T. Tell Your Story: I believe that every business has a story as to how they started. When meeting a prospective client, tell your story. It allows for a real-life personal vibe to enter into the meeting and surprisingly you will learn about others goals, while sharing yours. Don't tell all your secrets, but sharing a little goes a long way. U. Utilize The Resources: Resources are readily available at your fingertips. Many professionals do not utilize their resources (I am even guilty of it myself sometimes) Learn about local resources, learn how they can benefit your business and utilize them. A large quantity of these resources are FREE, which is an even better reason to utilize them! V. Visit Forums: Visit forums that are related to your industry and actually be an active member. This allows for open communication, collaboration, venting, and learning. Being a part of a forum community is great for a small business because it creates a family environment and also circulates your business name. The key to really benefiting is to actually be active and most often and comment on others post, not just posting about yourself. W. What's Your Niche?: Marketing is a great way to promote your new or current business. When promoting your business you want your audience to be able to tell you apart from your competitors. Whether it's your logo, business name, tag line, product, etc you should have a niche! Something that makes you special and different. At the consultation is when you should share why your different. In a saturated market  having a niche will be a great way to book the client's your desire! X. Experience Counts: Once you know you want to begin a career, get real experience. Do an internship or shadow a company. When you begin marketing, you will want to show that you have hands-on experience. Prospective clients entrust their important occasion to someone who has experience under their belt versus someone who doesn't. Y. Your Not Alone: Remember that your not the only one marketing your business. If you have a question or are unsure about something don't be afraid to ask. Not asking holds you back from exceeding, no matter how simple the question may be. Z. Zeal:  Be zealous, having a passion for something is awesome! Once you find your career choice, really show who you are. It's nothing better than someone who has zeal, drive, a desire to succeed! Make your mark and do it well.   I hope the ABC's to Good Marketing has helped you in some way. Whether you have heard them all before or not, it is always nice to get a little reinforcement. Do share with your colleagues and apply them to life in general. :-) Thanks for reading!

Get In Where You Fit In!!

April is booming with a plethora of networking events!! These great upcoming events are not to be missed and will be a lot of fun!! Here's a few of the many events taking place in the Northeast!! Beautiful Beyond Dreams, LLC will be in attendance at most of them, so if your attending be sure to find me and say hi!

April Networking Events!!

Soiree In The City

April 17th, 2011

2:00pm-5:00pm

(tickets still available!)

Lasagna & Jewelry: Premier Design Jewelry Party

April 23rd, 2011

3:00pm-5:30pm

(rsvp required via eventbrite)

Planners Pizzazz Pizza Party (Wedding Planners Only)

April 26th, 2011

6:30-9:30pm

(rsvp to attend)

The Bride, The Dress, The Venue

April 26th, 2011

7:00-10:00pm

(register to attend)

Annual "I Do Brunch 2011" (Wedding Planners Only)

April 30th, 2011

10:00am-3:00pm

(tickets sold out)

The events above are just a few of the great networking happening in the month of April! Try to attend at least one event and be sure to bring a lot of business cards, a smile and your personality and make a great impression!

:::Stepping Out In Style!:::

As you know this blog consists of many different topics that range from informational, educational, personal and so on. Recently I started a blog post series about the ABC's to Good marketing and I do plan to continue those series, but at a later date. I needed a change of pace, a pick me up in excitement of posting. So today's blog post is all about Sexiness!

A very fabulous event is approaching for Wedding Planners and it is called The I Do Brunch 2011, which is held annually by Ms. Linnyette Richardson-Hall and TeamDiva! This luxurious event is held in Savage, Maryland and is filled with excitement, learning, relaxation, socializing, and just a good ole time! This year's theme will be focusing on the accessories: Shoes & Bags!!! Below you will find some great shoes that hopefully will inspire you at add to your already fabulous collection. 

Fabulous Shoes!!

 ((Giuseppe Zanotti Rhinestone Peeptoe Pumps))

((Jimmy Choo Quito Snakeskin Shoe Boots))

((Badgley Mischka "Randall" D'Orsay Evening Pumps))

((Giuseppe Zanotti-Strappy Sandal w/ Rosettes))

The shoes above are listed without prices soley because the names speak for themselves, but don't worry I have you covered! Check out these awesome sites to find some georgeous shoes at some unbelievable prices! 

6PM.COM, High Heel Junkie, Bluefly, Zappos

Happy Shopping!! Hope to see you at the I Do Brunch 2011!!

ABC's for Marketing Part 2

Today we continue our ABC's to Good Marketing lesson! The last post talked about six ways you can market your business using alphabet letters A-G, today will tell you about five more using letters H-L! 

H. Host An Event: Consider holding an open house get together and invite event planners, venue managers, and significant vendors to it. Make yourself shine and really showcase what you can do! 


I. Identify Your Target Audience: Bridal shows are held often, so being able to identify your target audience will tell you which shows to sign up for as vendor. Look at local bridal shows to see which one would match your needs best. Some might not match your style or market. 


J. Join Organizations: Being apart of local and regional, and national industry organizations is an excellent way to market. This helps not only market to your clientele, but with other professionals, which is just as important!


K. Keep In Touch: Keeping in touch with past clients is a great way to market your new specials, discounts, referral programs, etc. Keeping in touch can be by saying "Happy Anniversary", "Happy Birthday", etc. This shows that you care and keeps you in the back of their minds! Keep in touch with your preferred vendors as well. 


L. Learn the Market: Knowing your market is important when having a business. Staying on top of trends, price changes, etc will allow you to completely educate your clientele when they are seeking your professional knowledge. 

The next two blog post's will complete the series of ABC's for Marketing! I want you to be able to receive some great marketing information, but I also have some great news about upcoming events and more that I would like to share, but do not want to interrupt our learning sessions! 

Up on Thursday will be ABC's for Marketing Part 3 and Saturday will be ABC's for Marketing Part 4 and next will be lots of great and exciting new updates! I hope you are enjoying and learning something too! :-D

ABC's for Marketing Part 1

Successfully marketing to your target market is crucial for any business. Over the next few posts you will learn 26 ways to successfully market your business. I hope you enjoy and do take notes! :-)

A. Address is Everything: Getting a mailing address in a good part of town is very important. You want a place that is easily recognized by your market.


B. Buy a Local Number: Get a local telephone number! It's just better.


C. Create a Portfolio: Get together a portfolio of well printed images from your past work. Put them in a great presentation case, be ready to show these images to event planners etc.

 

D. Do Your Research: Research is a wedding professionals best friend. When entering a new market it is important to become familiar with the top wedding and reception venues in the area. Visit them, find out what their policies are, and be able to talk in an informed way about them to your clients. Know the names of the important people at each location you visit. 

E. Everyone is Not Open: When new you want make appointments with anyone that will meet with you to show them your work. Not everyone will be open to this so take advantage the opportunities that present themselves. This is the time to "introduce yourself", not to solicit their endorsement nor to become a favored vendor.


F. First Impressions are Important: Your website, business cards, brochures sets are some of the first things that clients and other wedding and event professionals see before they meet you. Design great looking information packets, have them custom printed and ready for mailing or handing out. Design your packages and marketing materials to show VALUE.... not just art. **Many people do not know what art is worth.**

Next post will cover letters "G-L", it will be presented on Tuesday!