Free Marketing?

In a world of give and take it is hard to find good options for getting your name out there without having to pay a lot of money. This is especially hard when you are just starting out. We are a small company and doing all we can by word of mouth and our friends. We also have our website, and craigslist (which can look so cheap), and we now Bridal Tweet (yay!). But just wondering if anyone had any other good suggestions for two eager wedding videographers and a photographer trying to get some gigs and their name out there?

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Permalink Reply by Capcatchers on December 30, 2009 at 11:48am

join weddingwire.com vendors as well
get a facebook page and a twitter page

thats a start!

good luck

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Permalink Reply by Stylish Affair"s By Mickey Long on December 30, 2009 at 12:05pm

Promote!! Promote!! Promote!!

I think this is the same question all of us have asked one time or another,and still asking! Your doing the right thing
have patience and keep spreading the word.. Cause as you know when your first starting out.there is nothing in the budget r to market and advertise. Wedding Wire .. Free. wedding mapper.com Facebook ,search on line wedding site and eventually you will come a crossed a few site you can advertise for free

Best Regards,
Mickey Long
STYLISH AFFAIR'S
Weddings and Social Events
With A Creative Flair!

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Permalink Reply by Sweet T Studios on December 31, 2009 at 2:11am

Well one way I know of to meet more videographers and photographers is definitely bridal shows. Used to help out with the photographer my friend worked for and we met a lot. Then it was kind of competition, but you get to know them and it really helps. I mean, how could not seeing another artists style help you in your art, and videography and photography are definitely an art, with a need to be inspired.

I'm definitely gonna try some of the suggestions here. Thank you so much for all of your suggestions. If you have any more advise for us just starting out, please let me know. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by WeddingMediator on December 31, 2009 at 11:10am

Thanks, Candis, for your suggestion. I've been reaching out to local vendors volunteering to be their 'slave for a day' to get some more hands-on experience and really understand what it's like to do the job.

One more tip...listen twice as much as you talk. People are starved for attention these days so being someone who cares and listens without pressing your own agenda means you'll be very popular.

Happy New Year!

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Permalink Reply by Teresa Huntley on January 4, 2011 at 11:59am

Only problem with this...Bridal shows are VERY EXPENSIVE! As a vendor, they are the most expensive shows I do. They charge a lot of money for a very small space. I don't know why they have to be so expensive!

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Permalink Reply by Sophia Buenfil on January 17, 2011 at 11:45am

The reason Bridal Shows are expensive is because the producer spends a lot of money producing and marketing the show. Most vendors are not aware as to how expensive it is to produce these shows (rent the venue, pipe & drape, insurance, licenses, marketing, etc.) There are many shows that are not expensive and produce great results. Bridal Showplace in Southern CA has booths starting at $250. The last Queen Mary show held on 1/9/11 had 1,000+ brides on the leads list that vendors received. All that for the booth cost of $250. You just need to shop around for the best values in Bridal Shows.

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Permalink Reply by Teresa Huntley on January 17, 2011 at 1:25pm

That is a great price! Most of them here in OH are around $650 for 5 x 8 space. Some of them are even up to $1500 for a 5 x 8 space. Crazy!

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Permalink Reply by Alicia Luckett on December 31, 2009 at 10:10am

Talk to local event planners. Be professional, they need people like you !

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Permalink Reply by Sweet T Studios on December 31, 2009 at 5:28pm

So after my search last night where all I did was look for sites to market freely on, I have to say Bridal Tweet blows most of the others out of the water. I'm going to definitely do some research into places around here that I can go and introduce our company. I had thought of the idea of snail mailing, but didn't really know where to look for that so the suggestions of venues and wedding planners really helped too. Kind of can't wait to try these.

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Permalink Reply by Heart and Soul Events on January 1, 2010 at 12:14pm

Wedding Wire is another fab site. You should be listed there. Feel free to connect to me on that site! Happy New Year!

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Permalink Reply by Debbie Rivera on January 2, 2010 at 12:50pm

I recently read a great article that will be a big help to you as far as videography. As more and more couples are inviting less guests, hotels and venues are trying to find value added ways to get weddings booked. 1)Some have offered live streaming for guests that cannot attend and that is where you come in to partner with the location in adding this service. 2) Along this same lines, how about offering to attend a few weddings and photograph and video for the hotel or venue to show brides before and after and promote the location then afterward by giving the location your video and images where they can see your great work first and then ask to be on their preferred vendor list always with the mindset that you have to give to receive. 3) Another idea is to partner with local wedding planners and offer to do a video ( with the couples permission) at an upcoming wedding that the planner can use to showcase weddings that she has helped plan. This same concept will work for florist, designers, rental companies, linens, DJ's, musicians, entertainers, and so on. I hope this helps. I wish you success and love your willingness to learn. You will have to let me know if any if these ideas worked. If so, I have a lot more to share as well. Champagne Wishes

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Permalink Reply by Couture Cake Jewelry LLC on December 3, 2010 at 4:52pm

Debbie, I love your suggestions! My son and Daughter-in-law have a small videography business and I will definitely be passing along these great suggestions to them.