The following is an excerpt from the upcoming two-hour free WedLock Blogging Webinar.
It’s on January 31st…we’re giving away a free iPad2 during it…and you really should save your seat now.
So...read any good blogs lately?
I often hear from wedding pros that they WANT to blog. They know it’s crucial to their business marketing plan…but they just can’t think of what to blog about.
Luckily there are many things you can blog about, if only you are prepared. Heck, I’ll prepare you with one right now!
There’s a topic that is not only easy to write about but one that your brides will LOVE to read about. It’s called The Real Wedding.
How many weddings do you work each year? Do you realize you can milk at least 3-4 blog posts from each wedding?
Simply, easily, and in a way that will make your brides love your blog so much they actually circulate it to their friends?!
In my January 31st webinar, I will go over a whole list of blogging thought-starters and tips. Two hours worth.
Here’s just one:
~ Most wedding pros have a ‘kit’ of some kind they take to every wedding. Whatever yours is, add to it a small notepad that’s JUST for your blogging purposes. It’s important this just be for blogging ideas and nothing but. (Because scrawling a note or two into your longer “To Do” list is a sure way to never read that note – or write that blog post.)
~ Next, during a quiet time at the reception when you’re chatting with guests and bridal party, ask them if they wouldn’t mind giving you a quote or two about what they thought about the wedding, the bride, the food, etc. Tell them you want to feature them in your blog. People love to have their name ‘in lights.’
~ Once they have raved about the wedding in general, move on to specifically ask them about YOUR particular part of the service. Most folks, once they are already in gush-mode, will think of something nice to say about your flowers, your catering, your DJ’ing, etc.
Extra Credit: Try to get a quote from one or more of the parents of the wedding couple. Why is this extra important? Because when you later blog about these people, you will have an even more engaging, emotional story to tell in your post.
Once it’s published, simply email a link to that blog post to your bride. Thank her again for allowing you to be a part of her special day and tell her you blogged about it. Explicitly ask her to Facebook about it and send it to her folks to read.
Chances are, the parents could be flattered enough to pass that link around to their friends. And, more importantly, to recommend you to those friends once their kids get engaged!
That’s just one tiny sample of the big blogging webinar that Wedlock will be putting on January 31st.
Save your seat here now, and you could enter to win a free iPad2!
Great blogging tips Jayne. Blogging doesn’t have to be time consuming or stressful. Simple ideas such as using photographs from a wedding or a testimonial as you stated,as well as questions you are asked everyday, items brides specifically mentioned in their testimonial of you, the list is ongoing!
Exactly, Lynn! You don’t need to write a phone book every time you blog. In fact, quite the opposite. This is exactly the kind of stuff we’re going to review (including real life examples) at the webinar. Are you going to be there, Lynn?
Dear Jayne,
Being new to the Blog World but experienced in planning weddings ( over 5 years now! ) I have appreciated very much your suggestion .
This is my new blog http://www.italianweddingtales.com if you wish to take a browse.
Great post. There are absolutely no excuses for not posting at least one new article each week on your blog. None. You will not find new topics to write about if you are not looking for them. It’s called “paying attention.” New wedding ideas are everywhere! Don’t tell me you don’t have the time. You NEVER have time to do the things you don’t really want to do. Make time. Set aside a little time each day to explore new ideas for your blog. It takes a real commitment! It’s worth it!
If you want some ideas, check out my wedding blog. It gets an average of 175 to 200 hits per day and peaked at 382 one day. Why? Because I post something NEW every 4th day. Articles written by Larry James are available for reprint on your blog. Just be sure to follow the rules (there is a link to the rules on each post).
If you have a topic to contribute that is not in the index or a new slant on that topic, let me know. I have “guest authors” contribute there stuff too. There are more than 225 articles to choose from. You may want to pass the word to your brides and grooms. 
http://CelebrateIntimateWeddings.wordpress.com
Celebrate Love!
Larry James – 480-998-9411 – Cell: 480-205-3694
Scottsdale, AZ
Award Winning Wedding Officiant, Professional Speaker, Author & Relationship Coach
Dear Jayne,
Thank you for your helpful blogging tips. I am an online wedding favors and invitations provider. I look forward to your webinar on January 31.
Great advice! As a pro wedding blogger, I would also add one tip. Consistency is key to building an active and engaged community(no-pun intended.) One that comes back to your blog every day. But let’s face it, sometimes you’re too busy or too tired to publish. To help fill in those gaps, create a Master Editorial Calendar.
First, look at a yearly calendar and identify any seasonal or holiday ideas that you can prepare ahead of time. Then think of your “ever-green” ideas, such as tips, tricks, and advice that you can plug in anywhere. Spend a few weekends writing these posts and schedule the seasonal posts in the back-end of your blog. Save the ever-green posts as drafts. That way, you’ll never miss a seasonal trend, and if you ever get burnt-out or too busy, you’ll have your back-up posts ready to go.
If you’re just starting out, I recommend having several weeks worth of posts ready to go before publishing your first post. If you’re already blogging, but struggling, ask some colleagues to guest post for a week or so while you catch up.
I find getting people to guest post on your blog is a great way to relieve some of the pressure to write and it’s also a great way to reach out to colleagues and build your professional network. If your a planner ask a photographer to guest post on finding the right photographer for a brides style. If your a photog, ask a planner to post about styling a tablescape. Cake bakers can ask florists to write about edible flowers, and so on. The possibilities are endless.
I generally also have a monthly calendar where I schedule posts and real weddings as many as eight weeks out. I tend to write on the weekends and schedule my posts for the entire week. When I’m feeling uninspired, those evergreen drafts I have sitting around have saved my bacon.
Well, hello Christine. AKA – smart person commenting on our blog!
Thank you so much for your lengthy and informative comment. I too am a superfan of thinking about blogging and scheduling and calendars AHEAD of time. I love having a list ready to go. I call them Blogger’s Block-busters, and yes…they have saved my own bacon more than once, as you said.
Now I’m off to go check our *your* blog. Thanks again, Christie, for taking the time to comment! Please keep reading and adding your thoughts!
Hi Luz! Thanks for reading and taking the time to post a comment. I love reader feedback.
And I look forward to meeing *you* on the Jan 31 webinar. Do you have a blog set up already? I’m going to check out your URL right now and see…
Hi Larry!
Great comment, great site. (This, ladies and germs, is how to post a comment! I hope Larry gets some traffic from it, because he was smart to make it so easy to get to his site.)
Curious – what’s the thinking behind every 4th day? Hitting that magic formula is something I know my readers struggle with. Love to get your thinking about the 4th day thing…
Alessandra,
Your blog is making me drool! Now I want to go to Italy, like, yesterday
Thanks for reading and commenting. Keep blogging. You’re on the right track!
Atlanta Wedding Photography I know that blogging is one of the best ways to get your Google listing up in the organic. I just feel that I have nothing important enough to say that would keep an interest in reading further. Not much of a creative writer. Never was in school. Reading and looking at your blogs may motivate me enough to get something together. I guess I will star small and work my way up to blogging everyday. Maybe one to two a week. Thank for all the great information.