New to the forum

[riversidewedplanner]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the forum and I just wanted to say hi and I look forward to our chats.

[Kacie_bride]

Hello and welcome.

[riversidewedplanner]

Hi and thanks

[The Wedding Diva]

Welcome!!

I look forward to getting to know you!

[WhiskeyGirl]

Welcome!! Please feel free to tell us about yourself and let us get to know you!!

[riversidewedplanner]

I am a wedding and event coordinator in riverside county California. I worked for a company in LA county for over eight years and in February they closed their doors for good. so I made the decision to start my own company. However, all the pictures of my work belongs to them and they were a small company from the start never wanting to expand. So I feel as though I'm starting over. We were never online and never used the internet but not me I want to use it to start my company right. Any advice?

[The Wedding Diva]

The internet is going to be your best friend. Brides no longer go to the Yellow Pages first to find their wedding needs. Generation Y is creative and smart-- and they are very computer savvy. With the internet, brides can search for and compare many brides without ever having to call or visit them. Because they see so many vendors every day in their email box, in their browser, it is imperative that we stand out-- that we offer something new to attract and hold their attention.

Again, I look forward to chatting with you soon! I HTH.

[riversidewedplanner]

What did you do, to stand out? I'm in the process now of trying to design my website and I'm not really all that computer saavy. I bought software to help me but it is so very hard to understand. I am extremely organized and already have a few weddings but advertising is quite expensive. Any advice?

[dawnscake]

Welcome to the boards!
When I started out, I did my web site first. Once I had that done, I tried to find as many wedding sites as possible to link to. I also did this with local sites. I did mostly free ones, but a few were paid links with referrals. If you would like a list send me an email & I would be happy to help! Good Luck!

[The Wedding Diva]

I'm sorry I'm just seeing this! I would definitely work on getting your web presence out there-- usually that is the first and last stop for brides. Look for free advertising, but I would avoid all of those that require that you must put a banner or link on your home page. Have a discreet links page, as you do not want people to LEAVE your site and possible visit your competitor, and thus give them YOUR business. Also, personally, and this is not against anyone who does this-- I just feel like it is unsightly to have all of the animated banners and such on a homepage. It takes away from the professional image that is mandatory if you want a bride to entrust her special day with you. She has to get that feeling immediately, you remember the saying about first impressions ;) As far as how I stood out-- for one, I had a good web presence; I offered detailed services that others did not and I wrote a good copy for my site and ad work to make the client feel like they knew me and felt secure in meeting with me. The rest is just closing the deal!

[brewsells]

Welcome to the board!!