loop - autumn 2010

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loop We asked thousands of brides-to-be the questions you wanted answering...! UKbride Success Stories Mistakes you could be making Keeping you in the... The Newsletter for UKbride Clients 1st EDITION FREE TO UKBRIDE CLIENTS ONLY Act now Take the correct steps to increase your profits with your UKbride Online Web Package 250 free loc al le ads Have you claimed yours yet? FreeWedding MARKETING Advice Ouch

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Page 1: Loop - Autumn 2010

loop

We asked thousands of brides-to-be the questions you wanted answering...!

UKbride Success StoriesMistakes you could be making

Keeping you in the...

The Newsletter for UKbride Clients

1st EDITION FREE TO UKBRIDE CLIENTS ONLY

Act nowTake the correct steps to

increase your profitswith your UKbride

Online Web Package

250 free local leads

Have you claimed

yours yet?

Free WeddingMARKETING Advice

Ouch

Page 2: Loop - Autumn 2010

02 Welcome to Loop/Alexa.com

WelcomeThis is our new quarterly newsletter tohelp keep our clients in the loop, withthe latest news and advice from thenation’s favourite wedding website,UKbride.

My name is Ian Bagley and I am theSenior Customer Service Manager forUKbride. It’s my responsibility toensure that my team and I give youthe best service possible. This is acommitment I make to you now; ifyou need to talk to me, or have anyconcerns, please send me an emailand I will get back to you as soon asI possibly can.

This newsletter’s job is to help forgethe relationship between website and client. UKbride has hundreds of clients and this newsletter enablesus to provide additional advice to helpimprove response.

It’s important for you to carefully readall of the pages of this newsletter, asthere are very useful nuggets ofinformation to help increase yourchances of obtaining bookings fromUKbride’s 160,000 members.

May I take this opportunity to say‘welcome on board’, and reassure you that you now have a caring, professional support team behind you.

Ian BagleySenior CustomerService Manager

[email protected]

Founded in April 1996,Alexa Internet grewout of a vision of Webnavigation that is intel-ligent and constantlyimproving with theparticipation of itsusers.

Alexa is owned by thelarge corporation,Amazon.com. They arelocated in a place ofunparalleled beauty,the Presidio of SanFrancisco. But it istheir skill of trackingwebsites that hasmade them a household name acrossthe World.

UKbride is ranked as the number onewedding website in the UK. Here we lookat some of the top websites in the UK asyou may wish to promote your businessthere too.

It may seem like madness on ourbehalf to promote our competitors, butwe’re here to give you honest advice. Of course, it’s madness to rely on one marketing strategy alone... you know, you shouldn’t have all of your eggs in one basket!

You can check out the ranking of yourwebsite simply by visiting www.alexa.com

and then search for your website. You’ll be presented with two figures;one is where you are ranked in the Worldand the other is your ranking in the UK(which is, we assume, of more relevance).

You can then compare your site to otherwebsites. This gives you a real good feel ofcompetitor websites and can help you takeaction as to how to improve your site.

You can compare; traffic rank, page viewsper user, time on site and bounce rate —‘bounce’ is where a visitor looks at a singlepage of a website then leaves immediately.

Below is a chart of some of the highestranked wedding-related websites inthe UK. It would make sense to at leastpromote your business with the top three!

Jan 2010 March 2010 April 2010 July 2010

Top wedding websites in the UK GB Ranking GB Ranking GB Ranking GB Ranking

1 ukbride.co.uk 6396 2089 909 775

2 Confetti.co.uk 2260 2271 2006 2075

3 Hitched.co.uk 2218 3116 2480 2686

4 youandyourwedding.co.uk 1822 1733 1724 4018

5 weddingchaos.co.uk 6587 7224 6380 9870

6 guidesforbrides.co.uk 13629 12708 14295 12565

7 redsevenleisure.co.uk 20513 15190 9336 15812

8 bridesmagazine.co.uk 17135 12704 13121 19049

9 onewedding.co.uk 13153 16289 12053 19340

10 thebridalwearcompany.co.uk 19520 17018 17637 20262

= Up from the previous figure

= Down from the previous figureThe numbers refer to the position of the wedding websites against ALL websites in the UK.So, UKbride is the 775th most successful website in the UK, according to Alexa.com.

Monitoring your competitors’websites with the help of Alexa.com

Page 3: Loop - Autumn 2010

In the Loop/New Appointment Setting Service 03

IN THIS LOOP02 - Welcome

04 - Improve don’t moveHow to improve your resultswith your Online Package.

06 - Out of the loop?We look at common mistakes made with UKbride Online Packages.

08 - Keeping you in the loop?Let us give you a little helpwith some common sensemarketing advice.

10 - Loop the loop?Don’t just take our word for it... our clients give ussome honest feedback!

Keeping us in the loopPlease send us your feedback to...

[email protected]

UKbride’s AppointmentSetting Service...

Claim 250 freeleads now!!!As a thank-you gesture for becoming a client of UKbride, wewould like to give you a list of 250 brides-to-be in your area.

To claim your leads we ask that youupload our ‘UKbride ApprovedSupplier Rosette’ (pictured above) onto the home page of your website.

To do this, simply log on to UKbrideand follow the instructions on yourSupplier Home Page.

If you’re still not sure, give us acall and we will guide you throughthe process without using techno-babble; call us on 0800 112 3 112.

Here at UKbride HQ we are often foundsat around the table in the board roomscratching our heads, trying to improveour huge website!

This is where my role as SeniorCustomer Service Manager really comes into play. Of course, I am happyto resolve any issues that any client mayhave on an individual basis... but toresolve issues and improve our serviceen-mass is something that I really relishand this is possible using the latest technology and head scratching!

Okay so this is our new baby; Appointment Setting Service (we won’tuse A.S.S for short). Basically we’rebuilding into the system a simple wayfor brides to communicate with ourclients (you). We will send out — on your behalf and on a regular basis — a message to all of our members inyour chosen marketing area.

The message will read as follows... ‘Do you want us to arrange an appointment with... [Your business name]they are only X miles away from youand are interested in talking to youabout your wedding?’ If a bride clicks onthe ‘Yes Please’ button, an email is automatically sent out to you that will include relevant details of the wedding(including the date and her town/city).You will then be able to accept or rejectthe appointment. If you accept, we willgive you all of the details of the member.

As ‘Loop’ goes to press we are in theprocess of rolling out this new feature andit will, initially, be totally free of charge.You will be given the option to opt outof this service if it’s not for you. Anyquestions or suggestions, please fireaway... [email protected].

Ian BagleySenior Customer Service Manager

(Above) A visual of the new Appointment Message (in yellow) which will appear on the home page of the brides’ wall. You don’t need to do anything; we will send theappointment message out to all members within your chosen catchment area for you!

Page 4: Loop - Autumn 2010

04 Improve Don’t Move

Simple steps to improve response to your online marketing campaigns...

Step 1Keep it freshEveryone has that annoying friend, in real life, who likes totalk only about his or her favourite subject? You know... the one who, no matter what the subject of the conversation, somehow goes back to their particular topic?If you don’t keep your ‘Online Advert’ fresh on UKbride,you’re that same person... We suggest that you changeyour advert every two to three weeks.

Step 2Keep brides informedSpreading fresh news on UKbride about your business iseasy and quick. Lets imagine you are a wedding photographer; are you going to a local wedding fair in twoweeks time? Have you let anyone know? Okay let’s seewhat we can do...

a) - Use your ‘Shout Out’ - this is the green envelopemessage on your Supplier Home Page. “I am going

to the White Hart Wedding Fair on Sunday 22nd August,why not pop along? It’s free to attend and I can show you a selection of my photographs, I am offering a 15% discounton the day. Here’s one of my photos...” Then attach a highquality eye-catching photograph. Remember your ‘Shout Out’ will appear on the home page of thousands of brides-to-be in your chosen catchment area. The messagewill appear instantly and will stay there until the membernext logs in.

b) - Use your ‘Leads’ - Each month you will receiveleads from UKbride. Don’t send out leaflets to all of

those, as some may not be getting married for two years,so your leaflet may be lost. Group the members accordingto their wedding date, then keep adding to the groupseach month with the fresh leads we send you. Those whoare getting married within one to two years can receive asimple invitation... “Bring along this Invitation and I will giveyou 15% off your wedding photography if you book with meat the White Hart Wedding Fair on the 22nd August ”

c) - If you have opted in to receive members’ ‘Emails’ from UKbride then you now need to do a simple

email campaign; “If you are interested in seeing my photo-graphs at the White Hart Wedding Fair on the 22nd Augustclick here.” (We will discuss clickthroughs and email cam-paigns in a future edition of ‘Loop’). If you would like to buyemail addresses for the leads that we send you or if youwould like to buy a larger list of brides-to-be, call our hot-line on 0800 112 3 112.

Ian says...“Let us do the work!”Of course we understand you are busy,that is why we set up the ‘Account Manager Programme’, for just £10 + VATper month we will look after your entirecampaign. If you would like us to set upyour account, send out your weekly‘Shout Outs’ and amend your ‘OnlineAdvert’ plus loads more, call us on thehotline 0800 112 3 112

Page 5: Loop - Autumn 2010

Improve Don’t Move 05

Take time out of yourweek for MarketingIn this current economic climate you haveto stay ahead of your competitors. As theowner of the site I’m still shocked whenour clients forget to do their ‘Shout Out.’We know when our clients last logged onto the site; for some it has been months!

Okay, look at it this way; imagine youhave booked a series of 12 adverts inyour local newspaper. You send the copyfor your advert in to the chirpy telesalesrep and you say you want to send afresh new advert each week... but you forget. Twelve weeks later you will havepaid for 12 adverts but you only had one.What a waste of money...!

Here is your weekly check list...

4 Send out a new ‘Shout Out!’with a photo which helps you to standout (a picture paints a thousand words).

4 Upload any new Photographs you may have into your ‘Gallery’. This is a big benefit for our members to see exactly what you sell/do.

4 Change your ‘Online Advert’ with anew message and a new photo (seeover for more tips with your advert).

4 Create a new ‘Blog’, this is like anonline diary of what you have been up toin the past week. This helps Google findyour ‘E-Stand’. The ‘Blog’ box is underthe green envelope ‘Shout Out’ box.

Targeted Marketing!Too many wedding businesses advertisein their local newspaper, perhaps only inthe classified section, and perhaps onlyspending £20 a week. But that is over£1,000 a year!!!

100% of UKbride’s members are actuallygetting married, in your local newspaperaround 1% - 2% are getting married. Thisis simple maths; 60 million people live inthe UK and there are 250,000 weddings.

This mathematical equation applies to allmedia which isn’t wedding targeted;Yellow Pages, Yell.com, Local Newspapers, National Newspapers,Local Radio and even Television!

King of the Hill, Top of the List,Head of the Heap, ‘A’ Number One...UKbride can monitor how well yourcampaign is working. We know howmany impressions you receive (this is how many times each elementof your online campaign is displayedon the screen) and most importantly,how many clicks you receive.

Each click means an opportunity to make money!

We also know through studyingSuppliers’ Statistics that those at thetop of the Supplier Page with their‘Premier Listing’ receive many moreimpressions and clicks than those atthe bottom of the list (I know, it’s notrocket science!).

This is great if your business is calledAbacus Florists, but not so good if youare called Zulu Florists as the listing isin alphabetical order.

However, the great news is we canput you towards the top of the pagewith our ‘Priority Listing Scheme.’

Here’s how it works; when you join UKbride you automatically have aPriority Listing of one.

You can pay an additional £10 + VATper month to have a Priority Listing oftwo. This means that you will be aboveall of those with a Priority Listing of one.

I know what you’re thinking; ‘This is beginning to sound more andmore like Rocket Science!’

No... we just have more experienceusing the site to achieve marketingsuccess for our clients.

Call our friendly team and we explainand arrange this for you, the numberto call is 0800 112 3 112. Julian Wilkinson

Managing Director

Page 6: Loop - Autumn 2010

06 Out of the Loop

Your ‘Online Advert’ is the powerhouse of your onlinemarketing suite. It’s constantly appearing all over the site, throughout the day. It certainly has the most impressions (number of times seen on the screen). So it’s important that it’s right... right?

UKbride currently achieves more than 10 million pageimpressions per year. Clients who choose a 25 mile radius can see their ‘Online Advert’ achieving more than 60,000 impressions per year. A 50 mile radius is around 100,000 impressions per year on average. Obviously it will depend onhow populated your area is; a 25 mile radius in Scotland willbe much lower than in Central London, for example.

So, we know that your advert will pop up on the screenthousands of times every year, but encouraging a bride toclick on the advert takes some skill.

UKbride currently has over 500 businesses subscribingaround the UK (not bad since we only re-launched the site in January 2010), and everyone is competing for business. UKbride aims to ensure that there are not too many wedding suppliers in the same area.

You also know that we are in the middle of a recession, it’stough for you and it’s tough for couples getting married. Since the average cost of a wedding is £16,000, we havefound that there are a lot of bargain hunters out there. So adverts that display discounts are achieving better clickthrough rates than those without... makes sense!

Logos of your business or the name of your business are big‘no-no’s’ and achieve poor clicks. Let’s look at the logic;John Johns Photography, Steven Stevens Photography orPeter Peterson Photography. As a bride-to-be you haveprobably never heard of any of these businesses before(because you have never planned a wedding before), whichone would you choose? Exactly, you don’t know anythingabout them yet.

The best results by far are achieved by adverts that contain the word ‘Free’ in the heading. Like ‘Free Entry to our huge Wedding Fair’ or ‘Free Engagement Photograph”or “Free Wedding Cake Tasting’.

We have also noticed that adverts with a small amountof text, or a photograph that is unclear will achieve poor clickthrough rates, as will those with spelling mistakes.

We don’t like to blow our own trumpet, but it has to be saidclients who have opted for their account to be managed byus achieve better results than those without. Why? Well, because we never forget to send the ‘Shout Outs’ and wekeep your campaign fresh by updating and changing thecopy on a regular basis.

For best results...Give away something Free of charge

Don’t just use your business name as the title

Mention a discount in the heading

Use an eye-catching and clear photograph

Use a full description in the body text

Don’t use your logo as the picture

Ensure the click goes to a relevant page on yourwebsite (not simply your home page)

Have your account managed by UKbride

Clickity ClickMaking your Online Advert Work for you...

4 6

This advert will benefit from loads ofclicks every month as it has “Free” in theheading, a discount for UKbride mem-bers, an eye-catching photograph, andit shows that the photographer has 25years of experience... notice that a business name hasn’t even been used!

This advert will achieve a poor clickthrough rate as nobody knows whoJohn Smith Photos is, so the logo won’thelp either. The word give is spelledwrongly which shows a lack of professionalism... there’s not enough information which demonstrates laziness.

Page 7: Loop - Autumn 2010

Out of the Loop 07

01 - You have never even logged in toyour account!

Within 7 days of taking payment we willhave set up your account and emailedover your login details.

How to fix it: Search through youremails for UKbride, you will then findyour Welcome Email. Then, simplyfollow Reuben’s clear instructions!

02 - You have set up your ‘E-stand’but you have not activated it!

Many of our clients take their time toset up their ‘E-Stand’, upload theirphotographs and write interesting copy,but don’t activate their ‘E-Stand’ whichmeans no one even sees theircampaign. It’s worth a double check!

How to fix it: Login, click on ‘E-Stand’and click on the tick box next to‘Activate Website’ and then click on‘Update’.

03 - You have set up your ‘OnlineAdvert’ but you have not activated it!

Just like your ‘E-Stand’, if it’s notactivated our members won’t be able to see it.

How to fix it: Login, click on ‘OnlineAdvert’ and click on the tick box next to‘Activate Advert’ and then click on‘Update’ at the bottom of the page.

04 - You forget to send out your‘Shout Out’ on a weekly basis!

The ‘Shout Out’ is one of the mostpowerful elements of your OnlinePackage and yet so many of our clientsare simply too busy to log in everyweek, or they forget.

How to fix it: Simply set aside 10 minsa week to keep your account fresh orcall UKbride on the Hotline number at

the back of this newsletter and book anAccount Manager, they are only £10 +VAT per month and they can look aftereverything for you!

05 - You haven’t claimed your 250free local leads!

If you support UKbride by placing an‘Approved Wedding Supplier Rosette’

on the home page of your own websitewe will give you 250 free local leads.

How to fix it: Log in, and on your Supplier Home page you will see a boxon the left hand side of your screenwhich says ‘250 Free Leads’; click on itand follow the simple instructions. If you are not that ‘techie,’ give us a calland we’ll guide you through it.

Ouch 5 mistakes you may bemaking with UKbride

Page 8: Loop - Autumn 2010

08 Keeping you in the Loop

Option Description Times Selected The Percentage

Register office 1264 13%

Church 3443 36%

Hotel 1448 15%

Country house 1173 12%

Castle 470 5%

Abroad 731 7%

Other 1043 12%

9572 100%

Option Description Times Selected The Percentage

Saturday 11,790 51.3%

Sunday 1066 4.6%

Mid week 3292 14.3%

Not sure yet 6850 29.8%

22,998 100%

Option Description Times Selected The Percentage

youandyourwedding.co.uk 1719 5.7%

hitched.co.uk 1197 3.9%

confetti.co.uk 2491 8.2%

weddingguide.co.uk 398 1.3%

onewedding.co.uk 115 0.4%

weddingchaos.co.uk 142 0.5%

None of the above 23,003 75.6%

Some of the above 1357 4.5%

30422 100%

75.6%have not joined anyother top weddingwebsites in the UK

(only UKbride.co.uk)

Saturdayis still the main day

couples marry... 1,000sdo choose other daysthough, so don’t

miss out!

36%are still havingtheir Wedding Ceremony in a Church

We asked 30,422 brides-to be...Which other Wedding Websites have you joined as a member?

We asked 22,998 brides-to be...Which day are you getting married?

We asked 9,572 brides-to be...Which type of venue are you getting married in?

Ian Says

With every edition of ‘Loop’ we will reveal new poll results to help you steer your businessin the right direction. Why not send us a question you want answering by our members?

Send your question to [email protected] and the best ones will be asked andprinted in the next edition of Loop (produced quarterly throughout the year).

Our Survey Says...We asked thousands of brides-to-be the questions you wanted answering...!

Page 9: Loop - Autumn 2010

Making theMost of PressReleases...

UKbride’s Editor, Rob Davis, says using pressreleases wisely can enhance your marketing andgive you lots of free publicity...!

If you’re reading this column,chances are it’s not because ofthe (rather dull) heading, or thelengthy first paragraph, or

because you believe the Editor ofUKbride has something interestingto say... it’s far more likely you’ve no-ticed the picture first, and have beendrawn to the article because of it.

The old adage of a picture telling athousand words still rings true, andin the age of digital cameras andPhotoshop, it’s a huge mistake notto supplyarrestingimageswithyourpressreleases...in fact, not doingso is one of the keyreasons Editors suchas myself may binyour press release instead of giving youpride of place in theirnews sections, resulting in a loss offree publicity for your business.

It’s crucial your press release standsout above the rest - I received 350press releases last month, yet haveonly 20 news stories to find... so howdo you make sure your story is in thetop 20? Well, here are my five tips:

Do: Include a photograph - everyone has a digital camera nowadays, so use yours! We’re not looking for perfect images,but you MUST show us happy, welcoming looking staff at work in professional-looking situations with

tidy premises... make your photosreflect the professionalism of yourbusiness, make your photograph tellthe story and be creative! Images aremuch rarer than press releases, so illustrated press releases are muchmore desirable to Editors!

Do: Ensure there’s a point to yourpress release - just telling us aboutyour business with no real angle isdull, but making your story relevantto a particular month or giving it astrong news agenda makes it into a

much more legiti-mate news story.

Do: Ensure yourfirst paragraphattracts strong

reader attentionbut expect it to be edited

- your second paragraphshould say what, why,when, who and where;News Editors ALWAYSchange the first paragraphbut are less inclined tochange the second.

Do: Ensure your story is ofan appropriate length - it’s better to

write 100 words and have 100%used than 1,000 words and have90% of your story deleted!

Do: Ensure you’ve checked yourstory for mistakes - a poorly draftedstory can look like too much hardwork to a busy News Editor!

Follow these rules and you’re much more likely to see your pressrelease on UKbride - free publicityisn’t as rare as you might think... unlike flying pigs...!

FREETip

Ian Says...

When sending us a press release please bear in mindthat our Editor receives over 350 press releases a month.

To stand out from the crowd, supply a photo,100-150 words, and ensure it’s interesting and accurate!

Every day, hundreds of brides-to-be discoverUKbride and join. When they join we ask fivequestions to help us take our website in the

right direction.

We’re happy to share this knowledge with all of ourclients because we want you to be successful andwe want you to see the benefit of a continuedrelationship with UKbride for many years to come.

We do have a ‘Poll Questions Scheme’ for clientswho wish to ask a question and buy the results ofthe question.

Here’s how it works...

Let’s imagine that you’re a Cake Shop selling wedding cakes with prices starting from £1,000. That means you’re looking for brides-to-be withlarge budgets. We already know how much ourmembers are planning to spend on their wedding,but we can be even more specific...

How much are you planning to spend on your wedding cake?

a) Less than £100

b) £101 to £500

c) £501 to £1000

d) £1,001 plus

You can then buy all of the information we haveabout the brides who answered ‘d’. It’s a moretargeted way to purchase leads. These leads arethen yours to keep and to use time and time again.Minimum purchase £1,000 + VAT. Within reasonyou can ask any question you want... why not call0800 112 3 112 to find out how we can help you with targeted leads.

In the next issue of Loopwe reveal these results...Are you planning to attend a localwedding fair?When you choose your wedding photographer,which is the most important factor?Which colour of wedding dress are you mostlikely to choose?How much of your budget have you set asidefor your wedding cake?

Page 10: Loop - Autumn 2010

Does UKbride really work? We believeso, and our customers do too. Eachmonth, we meet one of our customersto discover if… and more importantly,why… UKbride is working for them.

Wedding cake creator and sugar-craftartist Dawn Blunden has been tradingfor 30 years in total, and for sevenyears at her current premises.

Baking and embellishingaround 200 cakes eachyear. But with each takingan average of 40 hours— 130 hours for her mostfamous customer, HRHPrince Charles — she haslittle time for marketing.

It’s a good job, then, that her UKbride account manager can take care of that for her!

Q You’ve years of experience,good ‘word of mouth’ reputation

in the area and a full order book… do you still need marketing?

A Oh absolutely! Every businessneeds to ‘keep their name out

there’ and besides, whilst word ofmouth is valuable it only works in yourimmediate area or where your existingcustomers come from. Nobody can becomplacent, and advertising — whendone properly — can reach furtherthan your existing area of business andensure your order book starts to fill up for the following year too.

QWhere did you market your business

before UKbride and how successful was it?

A I never used to advertise in

newspapers and magazines unless they were

offering a really good deal. I always ended up designing my

own adverts because they turned out to be generic and very poor when others designed them, which was ahassle... it’s really expensive and response is hit and miss.

Also, so few of the people reading localnewspapers are getting married that itwas only a fraction of their readership

that I needed to target. I never advertisein telephone directories because I don’tuse them and don’t know anyone elsethat does either; people these days usethe internet or services like 118 118.

QWhat was your initial impression of UKbride?

A The initial advice was good, andthe product seemed to make

sense. People in my target age group(20-30) are fluent in things like Facebook and the internet.

What really appealed is that unlike local newspapers or telephone directories or my Facebook page, Iknow that 100% of the people who see my UKbride advertising are gettingmarried, and 100% of them are in my chosen 25 mile radius.

The cost is no more than a mobile telephone tariff each month — andthat’s considered an essential businesstool too — and because it’s a consistent payment it’s easy to incorporate into your budget...so there are no big, unexpected bills.

10 Loop the Loop

A Cake Maker byRoyal AppointmentPrestigious customer for cakemaker and sugar craft artist really was the icing on the cake!Dawn Blunden — cake maker to royalty and thecreator of HRH Prince Charles’s wedding cake upon his marriage to the Duchess of Cornwall — is a UKbride advertiser who wants to spend moretime baking & less time in front a computer and cut her advertising spend at the same time...

Case Study

“My e-stand is another ‘shopfront’ - the footfall of which is brides,all of which are in my area!”

“My e-stand is another ‘shopfront’ - the footfall of which is brides,all of which are in my area!”

Page 11: Loop - Autumn 2010

11 Loop the Loop

Q How does UKbride work for you in practice?

A My UKbride e-stand functions as an additional ‘shop front’ — one

whose footfall is entirely composed ofbrides, all of which are in my area.

My ‘story’ stays the same but I’m takingnew pictures all the time; I can upload newphotos whenever I like, and it can directthem to my website or Facebook page.

However, I’m very very busy so I have a UKbride Account Manager — this ensures my copy and pictures stayfresh and my shout-outs to 1,000s ofbrides in my area are always done — I hate being stuck behind a computer Ipersonally wouldn’t use UKbride unless I had someone looking after it for me.

Each month, I religiously send out my brochure, business card and a personal letter to brides with the leads I receive from UKbride. I can alsokeep an eye on when they’re gettingmarried; too far in the future or toosoon and I don’t bother mailing themthat month.

QWould you recommend UKbride to others?

A Yeah, definitely… it’s a good concept. However, you really do

need an Account Manager. It’s easy toneglect the site when you’re busy baking or completing customers’ cakes,which is, let’s face it, the whole point ofthe business. You need to put the effortin and keep taking photographs, ensure you or your Account Mangerkeeps your site copy fresh and makeuse of the leads you receive… the system will allow you to show brides-to-be what you do, but whatyou’re showing them has to be goodas well, or you’ll get a poor response.

Q Anything else we should know about UKbride?

A One thing I have been impressedwith is the customer service.

You do get regular phone calls; the company doesn’t just sign you upand run. My service is bespoke, everyone appreciates good customerservice, I offer my customers good service so I appreciate the fact that I getgood service from UKbride too.

Don’t just takeour word for it...“UKbride.co.uk is an excellent site for brides —it’s informative, interactiveand well-thought-out. Its advertising packagesare great products. We experienced a huge upturnwhen we first went on...”

Gary Wells, Lumsden Wells,

Stationery

“UKbride has great traffic,and our account manager,Cathy, is very attentive andinstills great confidence...we’ve certainly no complaints about the site or our response.”

Will Stern, Maximise, Hen & Stag

“I’ve already had two jobsfrom UKbride... I’ve foundIt’s important to be activeon the website. I can offer advice on the forum,and I’m able to produce mailshots easily.”

Dave Smith, First Lincs Limos, Wedding Transport

“The site is a great idea —it enables us to market the business solely tobrides-to-be, and only tothose in our area... whichmeans we only market our business to a relevant audience... and that makesa great deal of sense.”

John Moore, Moore & Scrupps, Quality Jewellery

Page 12: Loop - Autumn 2010

Hotline 0800 112 3 [email protected]

CALL OUR HOTLINE NUMBERBELOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO...

Receive some helpwith your

Online MarketingPackage

Buy a list ofbrides-to-be

Buyemailsof brides

Promote yourbusiness inour WeddingMagazines

Promotea wedding

fair

Increase yourmarketing

area

Book anAccountManager

Receive250 Freeleads

Recommenda friend

to UKbride