It is a proven fact that the majority of small businesses fail within the first 5 years of operation. I feel that one of the biggest reasons for this negative statistic is that most start-up ventures spend so much money on getting the business up and running that they leave very little in the kitty for advertising and promotions. After all, having a great business idea means absolutely nothing if people don't know you exist.
But let's face it, reliable advertising costs money and in most cases can set you back thousands of dollars. What's more, you don't even have any type of guarantee that the advertising vehicle you have chosen will actually yield any type of positive result. So is there actually a cost effective advertising solution that won't break the bank and produce effective results?
This is a question that most brand new business owners often ponder, but are so busy running their operation that they don't have all that much time to pursue the answer. What most people don't know is that nowadays there is a multitude of free advertising options on the net and these opportunities are growing all the time. With this being said however, having a wedding related business is a little bit more of a specialised industry. The problem with just advertising your wedding business on any free directory does have a high probability of rarely being found.
Let's face it, when someone is planning a wedding the first thing they would most likely search for is either a wedding planner or wedding directory. As a wedding related business it is in your best interest to be listed on as many of these wedding directory sites as possible. This way if someone is searching for a wedding related business of any sort. chances are they will find a wedding directory site that you have previously listed your business on.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Although there is a multitude of wedding directories out there, not all of them give you, or their prospective customers a pleasant browsing experience. Many of these sites are poorly built and offer very few options for both you and their customers. So what exactly are some things that a wedding business owner should look for when advertising on a wedding directory?
Asthetically Pleasing
Make sure that the site you are about to advertise on has a modern and user friendly design. There is nothing worse than browsing a messy and poorly built site which is a sure fire way to get rid of potential customers.
Multi Media and Upload Features
Look for sites that give you the ability to upload photos, videos, products and special offers. It is also important to look for wedding directories that allow customers to rate and leave reviews about your services and products.
Contact
Find websites that allow you to place all of your contact details such as phone number, email, website and location.
Customer Features
Try to find wedding directories that offer their customers free wedding planning tools. Also choosing a site that offers wedding related articles and tips is another great incentive for people to visit the site more often, which in turn gives your business more chance of being seen.
Free Advertising
Although the majority of quality wedding directories will not offer free advertising as such, there are some that do give businesses a free trial run. Make sure to choose a site that doesn't require any upfront credit card information or lock in contracts once your free trial period expires. A trial run with no strings attached allows you enough time to ascertain whether or not it is worth upgrading to a paid account.
You would be surprised at how many more enquiries your wedding related business will receive just by following this advice. There is really no need to spend large amounts of money on advertising that might not even work.
Author Resource:
If you are an Australian based wedding related business, and are searching for a cost effective advertising solution, I highly recommend visiting www.weddingrobot.com.au .. They offer a 2 month free no obligation advertising trial and boast a site with some impressive and modern features. They also provide their customers with some amazing wedding planning tools which are 100% free of charge.