Should You be Advertising?
Over the past few months, the questions I have been asked have evolved. Because, after people took time to help their clients change their plans, there has been this sort of journey business owners have been on. From starting with an almost immediate need for help communicating with clients to then questioning whether or not to continue with marketing, this experience (like business) has been layered. So today, I wanted to peel back another layer and share some advice to help you decide whether or not you should be actively advertising your business. And, as you read on, remember—there is no right or wrong answer. This is simply a tool you have in your marketing toolbox and my goal is to help you feel more confident about knowing when to pull it out!
Listings
“Should I keep my listings up in marketplaces?” In a nutshell, yes! Whether we are asking about paid or free listings on marketplaces like The Knot, Wedding Wire, Style Me Pretty, etc. the main reason I think it is smart to keep advertising on these sites can be summed up in 3 letters—SEO. One of the major benefits of having a listing on these sites is the fact that you are associating your business with one that is far more established and (in nerdy tech-talk terms), has much more domain authority. For example, when you first started your business and the internet didn’t really know you yet, when you searched for your business, do you remember what came up in the search results? Very likely, you saw your Facebook page and Instagram page at the top of the list. And, the reason for that is because Google knows and trusts those larger sites because of their history, so it ranks them as more relevant. This concept holds true for marketplaces and whether someone searches for your business name or a more general keyword, The Knot’s links are most likely to be the ones put in front of them. Think of it as hitching your business’ wagon to theirs.
If you haven’t set up free listings on marketplaces you think your ideal clients might be on, now is the time to do that. And, if you have paid listings, I would think long and hard before canceling because some wedding blogs are experiencing a significant increase in readership right now due to most of us seeing a spike in our screen time. So, log into your account to review your analytics and, if the number of eyeballs on your listing and click-throughs to your website are holding steady (or up) I would keep it.
Update: Even though increased screen time may be returning to “normal” levels as the pandemic wanes, we are in the midst of a spike in the number of weddings taking place. The “wedding boom” means there are more couples searching for professional wedding vendors since 1984—and they are searching on the internet.
Retargeting Ads
Remember all those times I have mentioned installing the Facebook tracking pixel on your website? It’s time to think about using it and running some retargeting ads on Instagram. What are retargeting ads? They are those ads that seem to follow you on the internet. And, yes—you can do that.
The Facebook pixel keeps track of the people who have visited your website and social media profiles. So, when it comes to a tool that can help you keep your brand top of mind with people who are even lightly considering you, this is a powerful one. You set these ads up in the Facebook Ads Manager (where you created the pixel for your business) and right now is a good time to consider running ads to retarget people who:
Visited your Instagram profile
Saved one of your Instagram posts
Visited the service and/or contact page of your website (these might be the same people who initially found you via a listing!)
These ads do not (actually should not) feel salesy. So, when you are sitting down to create them keep in mind that the goal is simply to keep your brand top of mind and increase consideration—they are not meant to go for the hard sell.
UPDATE: It is harder to retarget people with ads because of Apple’s recent iOS update.
Social Media Ads
There are ads like retargeting ones that you run to a “warm” audience and then there are ads that you run to a “cold” audience. And, while sometimes your advertising goal and message might be similar, these ads are being served to people who don’t know you and you, therefore, need to approach them from a different angle. If you want to run these ads, here are some concepts you can play with:
Create a multi-image ad with 5-8 images from your portfolio with a CTA to get inspired for their wedding; have the ad click through to your portfolio page
A brand video with a CTA to meet you; have the ad click through to your about page
A video clip from a clients wedding, sharing part of their review with a CTA to see how you can help; have the ad click through to your services page
Pro-tip: Have I got your wheels turning? If you need help and/or want to work with a Facebook advertising expert, Jaymie Tarshis or Christie Osborne are your people!
