Bridal Industry Advice: an Insider's Tips for Brand Exposure

Over $120 billion dollars are spent by soon-to-be newlyweds on items needed leading up to and after a wedding. It is an incredible industry to become a part of and one that welcomes tradition and trend. Not sure where to start or are looking for a new way to get coverage for your product? Pierce Mattie PR (www.piercemattie.com) can help you sort through the clutter with some advice on how to get your brand better exposure in the vastness of the bridal industry.

Something Old, Something New. If you don't have the budget for advertising your product in long lead bridal publications such as Brides and Modern Bride, seek out their editorial calendar to find an upcoming theme they are working on that you may fit into. Whether your brand is targeted for traditional wedding fare or along the modern & trendy aspect, offer an idea surrounding your product that tells a story that will resonate with the reader. Wedding planning advice, ideas on DIY, how to find the perfect gown/florist/honeymoon destination and so on are always a hit with brides to be. Just be sure to follow the rule of thumb of sending press 3-4 months in advance. Hot Bridal Magazines: Brides, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, The Knot, InStyle Weddings.

Something Borrowed. Renting a tux is no longer the only thing that is being borrowed for the big day; brides are also taking part in this wedding tradition, but in a whole new way. Just as celebrities don borrowed jewelry and other items for their walk down the red carpet, brides are seeking out retailers who also have a rental option available for their accessory needs. Bag Borrow or Steal (www.bagborroworsteal.com) is one such retailer that allows jewelry rental from such names as Vera Wang, Miriam Haskell and Chanel to handbags from Rafe New York and Badgley Mischka for as little as $10 a week. Developing a rental option for your products and starting the buzz in-store and through your local media will quickly have brides generating word of mouth press for your brand that can be as simple as friend to friend or through posting on wedding forums spreading the word to other brides.

I do—green. Offering DIY advice on how couples can maximize their budget using environmentally friendly ways of giving new life to an old product is one such way to get your brand noticed in the green aspect of the bridal industry. The interest in green weddings has exploded in the last year and Portovert Magazine (www.portovert.com) answered the call to assist brides and grooms with creative ideas to evoke a sense of elegance at the wedding with very little environmental impact. "When Portovert launched in January 2007, we became the voice of glamour in the green movement, showing brides and grooms that green doesn’t have to mean giving up on the idea of a spectacular wedding," said Megan Yudes, Editorial Director of Portovert, "All brides are looking for ways to stretch their budgets. We’ve been able to do this by showing them how to be creative fixing and recycling items found throughout their surroundings and incorporating these elements into their nuptials in a way that will garner positive attention and make them feel good about using these cost saving measures for the good of the environment."



I do—dot blog. Just as blogs are being used to generate press from everything from fashion to beauty to food to technology, brides and grooms are also using blogging as a way to communicate with their family and friends about their big day. They are also soliciting advice on anything from which cover band or DJ is the best to getaway choices for their honeymoon. There are also many niche bridal blogs that offer advice on DIY to suggestions for catering and favors. Get involved in the conversation by contacting the blog owner with details about your brand as it would relate to their blog. Be sure to read the "About" page, as well as, the first 1-3 pages of the blog in order to get a good grasp on its voice and preference. Should the blog owner, whether niche blogger or bride and groom, post information about your product, it will be there for the life of the blog and can be found for future brides & grooms to discover. Hot Bridal Blogs: Manolo for the Brides, Bridal Blog by Cassandra Bromfield, The Bridal Bar, Weddingbee.

Bridal from the Runway. It's no secret that brides come out in droves for Wedding Expo's and runway shows; about a third of all brides planning a wedding make it to one or more bridal shows each year. They want to know their options, learn about all aspects of planning their wedding and which companies can provide the most value for each dollar spent. Participating in a bridal expo will certainly give you more exposure to your local market, but organizing an event yourself will help you control the message of your brand. Putting together an expo whether one that is small in-store or one that is grand at a larger venue, will allow you to invite vendors to participate that compliment your product, not compete with it. Once you have the event details secured, a website set up and the event well promoted, invite the local media and press to attend making yourself available for an interview as an expert in the bridal industry. It is important to make sure you take the press mentions and add them to your website to bring dimension to your brand and position yourself as a leader in the bridal industry.