How to Get 37,000 Wedding Fans

Happy 4th Birthday to BridalTweet!  I launched BridalTweet.com without any fans on April 10, 2009.  (Scroll down to fast forward and read my tips on how to get 37,000 fans on Twitter).  At that time, all I had was a BIG idea - to create a more open wedding community where vendors could have complete editorial freedom to write about their businesses and post photos for free.  That would lead to a place that brides could turn to for free advice, planning ideas, giveaways, local events and more.  I also wanted to offer free marketing tips as well as affordable advertising options to vendors because I knew there was a huge need for that.

I had a BIG idea and an overwhelming amount of motivation because I was also ready to leave my ten-year marketing career in the corporate world to live a more flexible lifestyle, start a family, and put my marketing talents to maximum use.  Not to mention - it had been a lifelong dream of mine to start my own business.  Four years later, BridalTweet is a thriving community with:

• 17,000 wedding community members
• 37,000 Twitter followers
• 10,000 Facebook fans and
• 3,000 Pinterest followers. 

Fans and followers are nice but they need to lead to a sustainable business model.  And in my case, they've helped me to attract 400 advertisers who currently participate in BridalTweet’s Preferred Vendor Program.  And 5,000 wedding vendors who have soaked up my social media tips by watching my free marketing videos.

It’s turned into a dream come true.  And to my biggest surprise – I’ve made many friends within this wedding community.  Friends like Jeff and Stephanie Padovani from Book More Brides who have become my mentors.  And friends like Beth Fruchtman of Forever Friends Fine Stationery who has advertised here since 2009.  Even big players like WedSafe - Wedding Insurance Specialists have been a huge supporter of our community.  

I’m truly blown away each day by BridalTweet’s members.  Thank you for all of your inspiring contributions whether that is through your 9,000 blogs, 60,000 photos, 1,500 discussions, interactions with 17,000 members, or thoughtful emails to me. You motivate me to continue to keep this community alive and thriving.   And hopefully you've noticed that I've put my heart and soul into this.  It has been a ton of work but well worth it. 

So, how did I do it?  I positioned myself as an industry expert by writing a weekly wedding blog for wedding vendors.  In addition, I built a strong following on Twitter and used that following to get the word out about BridalTweet.  I used Twitter to capture the attention of a large audience and I became influential in the wedding industry.  In fact, WeFollow.com ranks me as the #1 most prominent person on Twitter for the wedding planning category.  That ranks higher than even The Knot!

Why should you care?  Becoming influential on Twitter is bound to help your business too. It will create more opportunities for you and it will drive referrals for you.  And it’s something that anyone can achieve.

How can you succeed on Twitter?  The fact is that this is all really easy but the secret sauce is that you have to use these tips on a consistent basis.  You just have to keep at it.  So, here goes:

1. Think hard when creating your Twitter profile. Your profile is as important as your own website because your photo, username, and description are the first thing that your audience will see. It should look professional.  In Twitter, using your real name creates trust. Then, your username can be your business name. Make sure to link your profile to your own personal website. And don’t forget to personalize your Twitter background for a totally unique and branded look and feel.
2. List your Twitter address on your website, blog, business cards, etc.  This is an easy way to get more followers.  And when you list your address, be sure to tell people why they should follow you.  For example: Follow me to get wedding tips (or special offers, wedding ideas, etc.).  A big pet peeve of mine is when businesses just say 'follow me' without giving anyone a real reason to do so.
3. Follow 50-100 brides or wedding professionals per week.  Most people who sign up for Twitter create a profile and then don’t know what to do next.  After you create your profile, start to follow others. Approximately 20-30% of those people will follow you back.  You're probably asking yourself, how do I find brides or wedding professionals on Twitter?  The trick is to first go to other influential Twitter profiles like twitter.com/TheKnot or twitter.com/StyleMePretty.  Then, look at the people who are following those Influencers.  They will likely be brides or wedding professionals.  Follow 50-100 of them each week.  The key is to do this at a slow and steady rate but to be persistent about it.
4. Listen. Initially, listen to what people are saying. What is appropriate? How are others behaving? It is great to just observe and take it all in.
5. [Most Important]: Ask yourself - would my audience like this post enough that they would forward it on to their friends? You can post things like wedding tips, trends, wedding planning ideas, or special offers.  This will act like a magnet for followers (and bridal leads!).  You can even ask engaging questions to spur conversation.  Post items and comments that favorably build your professional reputation.  And don’t post things that are too personal or pointless.  In other words, don’t tell people what you had for breakfast.  Again, the key here is to do all of this at a slow and steady rate but to be persistent.  Try to post (or tweet) at least twice a day. 
6. Measure your results. Use Google Analytics (free) to see how much traffic Twitter is driving to your website each week.  And you can also use Bit.ly (also free) to shorten and more importantly, track urls within your tweets.  Tracking individual links will help you to understand what type of posts your audience is most responsive to.

The great thing about Twitter is that ANYONE can achieve these results.  The other great thing is that Twitter is free.  It offers an effective channel to build your reputation, humanize your brand, network and attract new bridal leads.  So, here are my last words of wisdom:  Your tweets (or posts) shouldn't be hard sales tools but instead they should be a mix of marketing and education to build your audience's trust.  The whole point here is to build trust and to encourage brides and other wedding professionals to want to work with you.

And how can you succeed at BridalTweet? My mission at BridalTweet is to help you grow your wedding business.  I want to personally thank you all for your inspiration, enthusiasm and support over the last four years.  Together, we're taking a REAL leadership role in shaping how the wedding industry can continue to connect and prosper. It is my hope that you have been inspired by the connections that you have made at BridalTweet.  Wondering how to use BridalTweet's free services to grow your wedding business?  JOIN NOW FOR FREE 

Thank you again for making this a fun and supportive wedding community,


Christine Dyer, Social Media Expert and Founder of BridalTweet