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| November 2009 | Vol 2 Issue 10 | ||||||||||||||
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Getting "Engaged"...Engagement Season is Here! From Thanksgiving through just past Valentine's Day, we in the special event industry know what's coming - when brides and grooms fill the air with that happy question and answer - "Will You?" "Yes!" It's time to thoroughly "engage" yourself once again in the busiest wedding inquiry and booking time of the year. Are you ready? It's here! Preparing your club for this season is critical now more than ever, as the bridal market has proven the most "recession proof" of all catering target markets. Weddings are a great way to build your revenue and contribute to your business' overall financial health. Being "ready" for the phone calls, questions, bridal shows, questions, tours, questions, contracts and MORE questions is a great way to present a professional image and effectively capture your share of this market. To make sure that you are ready as can be, some planning is in order.
>> Print this article
"Patience is a bitter plant that produces sweet fruit."
- Charles Swindoll |
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| Tactics | ||
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Your Questions. . . Answered! From the webinar "Building the Perfect 2010 Marketing Plan" Our November webinar on Building the Perfect 2010 Marketing Plan received rave reviews (thank you!) as well as some thoughtful questions. Here are a couple of the questions you asked during the webinar. If you have more questions that you would like addressed, scroll to the bottom of the newsletter where you can submit questions and ideas for future newsletters. Q: Which social media vehicle do you think is most effective in attracting wedding business to a ceremony/reception venue? A: Of all of the marketing techniques being utilized, social media can be the most challenging as well as the most confusing, not to mention time consuming. First, I think it is important to define "social media". Social media is all about building relationships - real relationships, person to person. It is not traditional advertising or prospecting. It falls into a category all its own. The key is in the name - "social" media. Keep it social! Let those following you get to know the person behind the company name and/or title. As we know, some of the most effective prospecting/lead generating techniques are through referrals and relationships. Social media is simply another vehicle to increase the awareness of you as an expert and build a friendly relationship between you and your clients. Social media, which can include blogging, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Tumblr, should not be used to constantly "promote" yourself and your business. It should be used to share valuable content and insights. Be sure to link your followers on avenues such as Twitter and Facebook to your own blog or website as well - you never know when sites such as those will fall out of favor or become less popular, and it is beneficial to have your followers know how to connect with you outside of those sites as well. Using social media for building relationships to attract wedding or special event business is difficult to track unless you are crazy good at always asking where someone heard about you when they contact you via phone or email. Even then, they will not always know exactly where they saw you or heard about you. One good thing, though, is that it's free, so there is little to lose. Make sure your posts will appeal to brides/clients as well as industry professionals such as wedding and event planners. As for the MOST effective in attracting wedding business? Well, due to the difficulty of tracking as well as varying markets and targets, I wouldn't say any one vehicle is better than another. A well rounded media and awareness campaign is always the best bet. Also, in the essence of time, you can link your Twitter account to your Facebook and vice versa so that you are only updating one, not both, and the post appears on both. Other helpful tips... Stay legit! New FTC regulations for Twitter and Facebook go into effect December 1, 2009, so read up and make sure you are following the rules of "sponsored" comments, tweets or posts. www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm For more great tips on social media for the special events industry, Splendid Communications is a fantastic resource and overflowing with great info! www.thinksplendid.com Q: Should my marketing plan contain actions or programs that I do on a regular basis, or just special programs that I am using to increase revenue in certain areas? A: Great question! Marketing plans should absolutely contain those "ongoing" programs or advertising that you do year-round, every year. Why? Lots of reasons... First, it allows you to account for the revenue as part of the total amount you are trying to achieve, and provides you with a way to be accountable for it and track it. For example, let's say that you have tracked $100,000 of revenue on an annual basis that is directly accountable to an internet site that you advertise on. By including this in your marketing plan, you now know that the total of all your ongoing programs can be deducted from your annual financial goal. The remainder of that goal then must be accomplished through targeted, specific programming. >> Print this article
"Real life isn't always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only to survive but surmount our difficulties."
- Sara Ban Breathnach |
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| People in the News! | |||
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Congratulations to our new
Beverly Clark Certified Wedding Professionals: Carrie Mihaljevich, Catering Sales Manager & Wedding Specialist, The Queen Mary Hotel Rich Kovach, Private Event Director, Weymouth Country Club As well as gaining their certification, they now have the right to use a logo with their new designation on all marketing materials.
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| What Do You Want to See? | ||
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Send us your ideas for future newsletters and topics and we'll do our best to accommodate your request. >> Submit Your Ideas and/or Subscribe to our Newsletter |
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| Win 1 of 3 Free Webinars | ||
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Complete Survey and your name is entered into drawing to win one of three FREE Webinars of your choice.
Take Survey Here |
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| Webinar Series | ||
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#6 - Increasing Your Wedding & Special Events Revenues
Join us Online on January 20, 2010 at 11am PST/1:00pm CST/1:00pm EST (approximately a one-hour duration) Topics will include: Trend Alert - What's on the Horizon for 2010, Creating a Wedding Friendly Culture, Marketing, Advertising & Prospecting Strategies, Multi-Cultural Wedding Opportunities, Marketing Yourself as a Destination Wedding Hot Spot. To register or for more information >> Please visit our Learning Center 
#7 - Attracting the Destination Wedding Market
Join us Online on March 16, 2010 at 11am PST/1:00pm CST/1:00pm EST (approximately a one-hour duration) Topics will include: Becoming a Destination Wedding Hot Spot, Destination Wedding Trends, Creating a Wedding Friendly Culture, Marketing/Advertising/Prospecting Strategies, Referral Relationships, Upselling and Revenue Increasing Strategies. To register or for more information >> Please visit our Learning Center
#8 - Strategic Partnerships in the Special Events Industry
Join us Online on May 18, 2010 at 11am PST/1:00pm CST/1:00pm EST (approximately a one-hour duration) Topics will include: Building Vendor Relationships, Unexpected Partnerships, Increasing Revenue Through Strategic Alignments. To register or for more information >> Please visit our Learning Center |
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| Connect with Lynne | ||
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BeverlyClarkTraining.com |
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| Certification Course | ||
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All-new, 2009 Beverly Clark Wedding Professional Certification Course
Know the secrets to not only increasing your wedding revenue, but to creating the experiences that will leave your brides in awe! Pricing: $599.00 per person Please inquire about multiple person discounts. For more info & to register, please visit: >> BeverlyClarkTraining.com
"With more success comes greater problems along with greater ability to solve them."
- Mark Victor Hansen |
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| About Lynne | ||
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Editor in Chief Lynne LaFond DeLuca Lynne is the Sr. Vice President, Business Development and Education for Beverly Clark Hospitality Training. She is a highly regarded speaker in the special events industry and has written for industry publications including Boardroom and Catering magazines. Lynne has trained people around the world in the art of catering industry sales and operations. She has an absolute passion for what she does and for helping the people that she works with in the hospitality industry to perform at their maximum level. lynne@beverlyclarkenterprises.com More info on having Lynne as a Guest Speaker at your next industry event or sales meeting, please visit >> Beverly Clark Hospitality Training |
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| Resources | ||
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 Contact a Beverly Clark Representative about advertising on one of our websites. A strong internet marketing presence is a MUST today! T | 800.933.3434 E | info@beverlyclarkenterprises.com  For information on advertising in this newsletter please go to our: >> Newsletter ad information  Training and Certification For more information on the online Beverly Clark Hospitality Certification Program as well as live training, seminars and on-property consultation services please visit: BeverlyClarkTraining.com |
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| Credits | ||
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Top photo courtesy of Alec & T Photography |
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