HEY, WEDDING PROS!! WHICH TYPES OF BLOGS SHOULD YOU ADVERTISE ON?
In my opinion there are 3 main types of wedding blogs with different 'advertising' categories. They are: High Traffic Blogs, Specialty and Niche Blogs, and blogs That Offer More Than Just A Listing. I feel there are different reasons you should advertise on each kind and I will outline those reasons below. Starting with...
High Traffic Blogs
IMO there are 3 main blogs that really stand out. 3 blogs that even your 2 year old and your 85 year old grandma have heard of: Style Me Pretty, Wedding Chicks, and Green Wedding Shoes. I don't believe there is a bride out there that hasn't stalked at least one of these blogs daily. That seems like the obvious reason to advertise on these, right? Wrong. While they may get the most traffic and the most eyes, my reason for telling you to become one of their advertisers is going to possibly surprise you. It's all about the badge, baby :) As brides search the web for wedding vendors to hire for their big day, they will be keeping an eye out for things that are familiar to them. If they see you are a Little Black Book Member, that is going to mean something to them. Big time. Not only will they be excited that you are affiliated with their favorite wedding blog, but they will know that an editor they respect and follow has approved YOU for their directory.
Specialty and Niche Blogs
As I like to say: It's not how much traffic a blog gets, but what KIND of traffic!! Specialty and Niche Blogs are huge right now and that's because brides are very concerned with the style and theme their wedding day will have. If a bride is planning a Mountain wedding, she is going to be searching on Google for Mountain wedding ideas and then she is going to find MountainSide Bride, a blog that focuses on beautiful 'elevated' weddings. That same bride will be interested in wedding vendors that specialize in the type of wedding she is planning. The bride who is planning a South Asian wedding will probably be following everything that Rubies & Ribbon posts and will be interested in the types of wedding pros who are seen and who advertise there. If you are a wedding vendor who likes to work on specific types of weddings or who has a niche/specialty and wants to find the perfect blog to be a part of, here is an amazing list of niche and specialty blogs. Choose the few that are right for you, and put your brand impression on them (in other words, become an advertiser)!
Blogs That Offer More Than Just A Listing
There are 2 blogs I know about that offer more than just a listing on a page. Those 2 blogs are Every Last Detail and Southern California Bride. When you think of an advertisement, you typically think "ok, I will put my brand, profile, and links on this blog and pray that a bride will see it" ... this is what advertising is. It's important to also find an advertising outlet that offers you a bit more. Lauren of Every Last Detail, and Damaris of Southern California Bride have started what I like to call campaigns or platforms. So, what does this mean? It means the blog editors are working FOR YOU. They are using their social media to promote your website link, they are putting together shoots where you get to show off your work, they are actively looking for ways to promote you beyond your ad on their blog. An advertising campaign with Every Last Detail or Souther California Bride will help you with your OWN search engine optimization and you should feel an overall 'boost' in your online and social presence.
Make 6 Online Impressions
They say it takes a bride or client seeing your brand or company name an average of 6 times before they will make the move to contact you or even click into your website. Making sure you are advertising on 1 (or more) out of each category of blogs listed above will take care of 3 of those and then from there you can submit your work to be featured to take care of the other 3.
Of course, I am just going off of my own experience with this advice. I was a wedding blog editor for over 7 years and it took me a while to figure out exactly what I wanted to offer to wedding professionals. All of the wedding blogs out there have something amazing to offer you, but it's up to you to decide which ones will serve you best :)
XO~ Heather
