February 3, 2025 • 18 mins
Join us as we sit down with Jessica Bishop, the inspiring founder of the Budget Savvy Bride, who transformed her personal wedding planning blog into a go-to destination for budget-conscious couples. Discover Jessica’s journey and her innovative strategies to grow a brand from scratch without spending a fortune. Learn from her experience of juggling a full-time job while reinvesting in her blog. Aspiring wedding professionals will gain invaluable insights on building businesses sustainably, underscored by Jessica’s remarkable achievement of selling over 250,000 copies of her best-selling book through savvy network leverage.
Tune in to uncover cost-effective press and marketing secrets for wedding pros, featuring platforms like Qwoted, HARO, and Source Bottle that connect experts with journalists in search of insights. Social media, especially Pinterest, emerges as a vital tool for capturing attention and potential clients, with expert advice from industry leaders such as Megan Ely. Our conversation also explores the efficiency gained through social media scheduling tools, allowing wedding planners to save time while focusing on what truly matters. With Jessica’s insights, you’ll be equipped to maximize your reach and plan unforgettable weddings on a budget.
Jessica Bishop |
Website | www.thebudgetsavvybride.com
LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/jessicalehrybishop/
Instagram | @budgetsavvybride
Facebook Page | www.facebook.com/budgetsavvybride
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to Wedding Empires podcast.
I am so thrilled today tointroduce you to Jessica Bishop.
Thanks for joining me, Jessica.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Thanks so much for having me Super excited to chat
with you.
Now whereabouts in the worldare you?
So I actually am in Playa delCarmen, mexico.
Oh yes, very exotic.
Yeah, it's not bad.
I don't know if you can see thepalm trees out my window there
in the back.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
I can, I can and it's hot.
You've got the fan going.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I do.
Yeah, it's not winter here.
I mean it's winter, I guess,but it's not cold.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Well, everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Jessica
.
She is the founder of theBudget Savvy Bride, which is a
go-to resource for couples whoare planning a beautiful wedding
, but on a budget.
She's also a best-sellingauthor, media expert and host of
the Bouquet Toss podcast.
With over 17 years in theindustry, jessica has been
(00:57):
featured in the New York Times,washington Post, gma Brides and
more, proving that smartstrategies, not big budgets, are
the key to success.
So today she's here to shareher top tips on growing your
wedding business on a shoestringbudget.
We're going to dive into savvymarketing strategies, standing
out in a crowded market, andalso how you can land major
(01:19):
media features all withoutspending a fortune.
So if you're ready to make themost out of your marketing
dollars, this episode is for you.
So, jessica, your brand, theBudget Savvy Bride, has gone on
to really become a go-toresource for couples.
What inspired you to start itand how did you grow it into
such an internationallyrecognized brand?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yeah, well, I mean, I think I came at it in a way
similar to probably many weddingpros getting into the industry,
sort of like born out ofsomething I went through in my
own planning process.
You know, there was at the timein 2008, when I started in the
States.
It was kind of the beginning ofthe recession at that time and
I was freshly out of collegeworking a very entry level job
(02:04):
and ended up engaged in planninga wedding on you know, very
limited resources and, due tothe state of the economy at the
time, like both my partner andI's like families weren't really
in a position to help us mucheither.
And so we were like we stillwant to have this wedding.
We still want to, you know,have all the people that matter
to us there.
How are we going to do this ina way we can actually afford?
(02:25):
And so I actually started thebudget savvy bride sort of as a
personal journal, like apersonal blog about my own
wedding planning process, justsort of gathering ideas and
inspiration along the way, andit grew really organically and
by the time the wedding rolledaround it had been like a year
of blogging and people were likewhat are you going to do now
that your wedding's over.
(02:45):
Like this is so helpful, likeyou should make this a resource.
So that was really what spurredthe idea and, yeah, it's pretty
crazy that I'm still here doingthis all these years later, but
I love it.
I love helping couples and justshowing them what's possible
within their budget and helpingevery couple you know have a
beautiful wedding, no matterwhat it is they have to spend.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Right, I must let you know.
So the listeners with ourpodcast aren't usually couples.
They are wedding professionals.
So in this episode I thoughtwe'd pick your brain about how
you've managed to apply thoseskills to your business.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
So I guess, oh, I have like far and beyond.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
I mean you can't have a budget savvy you know
business without being budgetsavvy yourself.
So I guess in the beginning,why don't, why don't we talk
about what were the biggestchallenges that you faced in the
early days of kind of buildingthat business on a budget?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yeah, I mean, I think you know, starting out, you
know I used a free platform tostart the blog.
I used WordPresscom orwhateverorg I can't remember
which one is the free one and Ithat's how I started and the
audience grew and you know, overtime I decided like oh, I think
I'll actually buy a domain andlike host this thing and like
take it, take it somewhere else.
(04:01):
And so it was always sort oflike very measured, I think, you
know, putting in the effort,seeing the results and then sort
of like reinvesting as I went.
I didn't, you know, jump offthe deep end with no safety net
by any means, you know, and Idid run the blog for about four
and a half years on the side, inaddition to like a full time
job that I had like a day job asa graphic designer for many
(04:24):
years.
So I I always say I had sort oflike an investor, like in my
business.
I was working full time and Iwas dedicating like nights and
weekends and every spare, youknow, time I had outside of like
my social life into, you know,building the blog and building
the brand and getting myself outthere, and so I think that
really served me well, but youknow all along, even today, you
(04:44):
know no-transcript doing goodwork and you know, whether it's
(05:14):
creating content or or servingcouples, that that organic sort
of like word of mouth, or youknow, seo referral is a great
way to grow.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Great, and I know that there's a book that you've
done which sold over 250,000copies.
So what were the marketingstrategies with that?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Yeah, so, you know, by the time the book came out,
it was 2018.
So I'd been, you know, runningthe site for about 10 years.
I've built a pretty largenetwork of, you know, other
wedding publishers.
You know I always kind of jokelike some of my best friends to
this day, like personal bestfriends are people that I've met
through the wedding industry,other wedding publishers in
(05:57):
particular.
We have become very close overthe years and so when it came
time to launch my book, I reallyleaned into my network.
You know, I reached out to allof my contacts that ran
publications and I gave themgraphic assets, I gave them
copies of the book to give awayto their audience.
They shared about it on theirplatforms, on their websites,
their social media, and soreally really leveraging the
(06:20):
network that I've built and, youknow, giving them something
that they can use to give awayto their audience, to add value
as well, and so that was reallyhelpful in, like, the launch of
the book.
And, yeah, I can't say enoughabout, you know, creating great
relationships in the industry.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Okay, awesome, and I guess that's sort of was going
to lead me into my next question.
So I guess, how do you thinksmall wedding businesses can
effectively use contentmarketing without spending a
fortune?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yeah, I mean, you know organic SEO is really
powerful, and so you know anyanything you can do to learn
about keyword research.
You know what are your couplesactually looking for, what are
the problems that they have,what are the things that keep
them up at night.
You know, creating content thatreally answers their questions
(07:12):
and solves their problems isgreat.
Obviously, that can go fororganic written content, but now
, like with this new medialandscape, there's so many
opportunities to do that onsocial as well, whether it's,
you know, Instagram reels orTikTok or YouTube.
Video is huge for everyone, butespecially, you know, for
(07:33):
couples who are currentlyplanning.
So I think that's a great placeto go.
If I had to choose one at thispoint, it would probably be
YouTube, just because it isreally lent to that sort of like
SEO, sort of similar to howblogging was back in the day,
and it's just going to continueto grow.
So that's going to be a bigfocus for us this year as well.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
We love YouTube.
I love the shorts as well.
Now that's a new feature thatwe're sort of playing with.
It's great.
Yes, video is kink.
In addition to sort of whatyou've had going on with your
SEO, you have managed to get alot of press, like the New York
Times and GMA, so have you gotany advice for wedding pros that
(08:13):
want to get more press?
So have you got any advice for?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
wedding pros that want to get more press.
Yeah, absolutely.
You know I will say I've beenvery lucky.
You know I've been consistentlyout there putting out content,
helping people, helping couples,for close to two decades now at
this point.
So I do get a lot of likeinbound, sort of like inquiries
or press reaching out to me, butit wasn't always that way.
Right Like, everybody has tostart somewhere, and so you know
(08:36):
there are some great platformsthat you can take advantage of.
You know, at any level, at anystage of business that I really
like to look at are there's onecalled quoted and it's q w o t e
d quoted.
And yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
It's fantastic.
So they, you know, reallyconnect publications, pr
(09:00):
representatives or PR agenciesand experts together like in one
place, and so a lot of timesyou'll see you know an editor
from the Knot or Brides or theWashington Post or the New York
Times is looking to speak to anexpert about XYZ, and you can go
on Quota and you can create afree profile.
(09:21):
You can put you know, all sortsof like tags and information
about yourself.
If you're, you know, a floristor a wedding planner or you own
a venue or whatever the casemight be.
You can add all those sorts ofdetails to your profile and it's
sort of like will alert you.
It'll send you email alertswhen there's a relevant press
opportunity that fits yourexpertise, and so that's a
(09:42):
really great place to getstarted.
I've gotten some reallyfantastic press mentions through
that platform.
It's free to sign up and it'sfree to have a profile.
I still use the free versionmyself, like I said, very savvy,
always trying to do it asaffordably as possible.
But they do have premiumfeatures and I think if you pay
for the premium version you canrespond to the press inquiries
(10:05):
faster, so there's a chance thatyour response to the journalist
could be seen first, if you'relike the first person to respond
.
So if you feel like that'simportant, that's great.
You could always try it.
But I've been writing for acouple of years with the free
version and it's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Have you got any other websites like that, or is
that the only one that you use?
Speaker 2 (10:30):
So there's other platforms as well.
I'm not sure if this one isactually still around, but there
was one called Harrow help areporter out.
If it is still around, that'sanother great one to utilize.
They would send out sort oflike blasts with like a list
that you could look at and seeif there was anything relevant.
I really like quoted because Ifeel like it's a little more
(10:50):
they do the work for you by, youknow, only sending you things
that are relevant to you.
And then you know there's somegreat folks within the industry
itself.
You know Megan Ely with OFDConsulting.
She has a wedding PR sort ofagency and they share amazing
press opportunities with peoplein their collective, which is
great as well.
(11:11):
I love Megan and all that shedoes to help wedding pros get
out there too.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
I happen to know of a good one called Source Bottle,
which is very similar.
It's spelled S-O-U-R-C-E SourceBottle and they send out sort
of call outs on particularsubjects that you can subscribe
to and you can respond and pitchyourself for stories and things
like that I was going to say.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Another thing I would recommend is you know, look at
the publications that arewriting about weddings.
Often, you know, look at whothe writers are from the New
York Times or the WashingtonPost, or Brides or the Knot.
Follow them on LinkedIn, like.
Sometimes, those journalistswill post that they're looking
for an expert to speak to abouta story, and so really don't
hesitate to utilize social medianetworks, especially the ones
(12:01):
that are made for more likeprofessional, like networking,
like LinkedIn.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Now what about for sort of marketing and business
growth?
Have you got any tips aroundfree or sort of low cost tools
that could help weddingprofessionals in that way?
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yeah, I mean.
So my recommendation to allwedding pros is to be submitting
your work to be published right.
There's many weddingpublications out there not quite
as many as there used to be.
The media world has beenthrough some changes in recent
years, but finding, you know,the publications that are
aligned with, like the customersor clients that you're, you
(12:38):
know, looking to connect with,is a great thing to do.
And then, you know, submittingyour actual real wedding
features to be published inthose places is typically free.
You know there are somepublications that charge or that
only you know offer features tovendors who are, like, paying
members of their directories orthings like that.
(12:59):
Sorry, my light is likeflashing, I don't know what to
do.
For example, the Budget SavvyBride we don't have exclusivity
when it comes to the realweddings that we'll feature.
You know you don't have to be apaying member of our directory
in order to do that, and it's agreat way to get exposure to
couples, not just on ourwebsites, but also on our social
media channels as well.
So that's something that Ithink all vendors should be
(13:23):
doing, no matter if you're thephotographer, the wedding
planner, florist or the cakebaker.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
We actually interviewed Megan Ellie, I think
last episode or the one before,and yeah, she's incredible.
Obviously she is.
She gave us some excellent tipsabout getting yourself
published.
So this is good, you know, Ithink.
I think we're definitely kindof covering this at the moment,
which is great.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Yeah, well, and also social media as well.
Right, like, obviously you canbe posting on Instagram, on
Pinterest.
Pinterest is a huge one, Ithink, especially for brides.
It's such a visual platform.
Brides are already going thereto sort of make their visual
vision boards for their wedding.
So putting your stuff out there, making sure it's keyword
optimized, especially for yourlocal area, is a great place to
(14:08):
start and it's completely free.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
I guess, when wedding professionals have reached a
point where there is someprofits and they're thinking
about reinvesting into marketing, have you got any tips around
what you think would be the mosteffective channels for that?
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yeah, I mean when it comes to like paid advertising
or spend on those sorts ofplatforms.
Is that what you mean?
Yeah, I mean, I think Pinterestis huge.
Honestly, you know you canboost your reels, sure, you can
get them in front of more people, but at the end of the day,
like, are they going to go toyour link in bio and click on
your website?
Maybe not, but Pinterest.
(14:43):
Every pin, every image that youupload to Pinterest has a link
attached to it, and the clickthrough to your website is going
to be much higher percentagechance than a platform like
Instagram.
So that's definitely what Iwould recommend.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yeah, the SEO is incredible with Pinterest.
It truly does turn up in searchresults in a way that you
wouldn't imagine.
Does it, and a lot of people?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
use Pinterest as a social or as a search platform.
You know they will go toPinterest and they'll type in
blue bridesmaids dresses or, youknow, hydrangea wedding bouquet
, and you know, just as if itwas like Google image search,
and so there's just so muchpower and really building your
presence on that platform.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
All right.
Final question for you If awedding pro had $500 to invest
in marketing, how would yousuggest they spend it for the
best return?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Well, if you don't already have a paid Canva
subscription, I cannot recommendit enough.
I'm such a huge Canva fan girl.
I actually went to school forgraphic design.
I got a BFA in graphic designand I barely opened the Adobe
programs anymore.
I'm in Canva all day, every day.
You can create all sorts ofthings.
You don't have to have designskills, but you can get
(15:58):
templates and customize it foryour brand, your business, with
your colors, your photos, all ofthe things.
And having the paid subscriptionreally isn't that crazy.
I think it's maybe like $120 orsomething like that a year.
I personally have a team planand so that's, I think, what I
pay for mine.
But and it's just, it's sopowerful you can even schedule
social media posts right rightfrom it.
(16:19):
So I think that's a greatinvestment If you're not using
(16:42):
another social media schedulingtool and working weddings and
all of that is a better use ofyour time, right?
So anything you can use toschedule or automate is huge, I
agree.
I agree Work smarter, notharder, like being savvy, is all
about being resourceful andmaking the most of what you have
, whether it's planning yourwedding or running your business
.
So I'm always trying to helpeveryone find ways to do things
(17:05):
the savvy way.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
I love it.
So, guys, if you want to checkout Jessica and her amazing
business, the Budget Savvy Bride, that is the website,
thebudgetsavvybridecom.
You can also find her onLinkedIn, also on Instagram and
Facebook, and I'll pop the linksinto the show notes.
Thank you so much, jessica, forjoining us.
It's been a pleasure spendingthis time with you and getting
(17:29):
these tips.
I think also, it's probably agood place for people that are
wedding planners to go and havea look for some money-making not
money-making, but money-savingideas for clients that might be
trying to save in particularareas.
Right, go and have a lookthrough the website and get some
ideas.
Well, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
You're welcome and if you'd like to join us and find
out more about Wedding Empires,our website is WeddingEmpirescom
.
We're also on Instagram andTikTok at Wedding Academy Live.
Thanks, guys.
Welcome back to Wedding Empires podcast.
I am so thrilled today tointroduce you to Jessica Bishop.
Thanks for joining me, Jessica.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Thanks so much for having me Super excited to chat
with you.
Now whereabouts in the worldare you?
So I actually am in Playa delCarmen, mexico.
Oh yes, very exotic.
Yeah, it's not bad.
I don't know if you can see thepalm trees out my window there
in the back.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
I can, I can and it's hot.
You've got the fan going.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I do.
Yeah, it's not winter here.
I mean it's winter, I guess,but it's not cold.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Well, everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Jessica
.
She is the founder of theBudget Savvy Bride, which is a
go-to resource for couples whoare planning a beautiful wedding
, but on a budget.
She's also a best-sellingauthor, media expert and host of
the Bouquet Toss podcast.
With over 17 years in theindustry, jessica has been
(00:57):
featured in the New York Times,washington Post, gma Brides and
more, proving that smartstrategies, not big budgets, are
the key to success.
So today she's here to shareher top tips on growing your
wedding business on a shoestringbudget.
We're going to dive into savvymarketing strategies, standing
out in a crowded market, andalso how you can land major
(01:19):
media features all withoutspending a fortune.
So if you're ready to make themost out of your marketing
dollars, this episode is for you.
So, jessica, your brand, theBudget Savvy Bride, has gone on
to really become a go-toresource for couples.
What inspired you to start itand how did you grow it into
such an internationallyrecognized brand?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yeah, well, I mean, I think I came at it in a way
similar to probably many weddingpros getting into the industry,
sort of like born out ofsomething I went through in my
own planning process.
You know, there was at the timein 2008, when I started in the
States.
It was kind of the beginning ofthe recession at that time and
I was freshly out of collegeworking a very entry level job
(02:04):
and ended up engaged in planninga wedding on you know, very
limited resources and, due tothe state of the economy at the
time, like both my partner andI's like families weren't really
in a position to help us mucheither.
And so we were like we stillwant to have this wedding.
We still want to, you know,have all the people that matter
to us there.
How are we going to do this ina way we can actually afford?
(02:25):
And so I actually started thebudget savvy bride sort of as a
personal journal, like apersonal blog about my own
wedding planning process, justsort of gathering ideas and
inspiration along the way, andit grew really organically and
by the time the wedding rolledaround it had been like a year
of blogging and people were likewhat are you going to do now
that your wedding's over.
(02:45):
Like this is so helpful, likeyou should make this a resource.
So that was really what spurredthe idea and, yeah, it's pretty
crazy that I'm still here doingthis all these years later, but
I love it.
I love helping couples and justshowing them what's possible
within their budget and helpingevery couple you know have a
beautiful wedding, no matterwhat it is they have to spend.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Right, I must let you know.
So the listeners with ourpodcast aren't usually couples.
They are wedding professionals.
So in this episode I thoughtwe'd pick your brain about how
you've managed to apply thoseskills to your business.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
So I guess, oh, I have like far and beyond.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
I mean you can't have a budget savvy you know
business without being budgetsavvy yourself.
So I guess in the beginning,why don't, why don't we talk
about what were the biggestchallenges that you faced in the
early days of kind of buildingthat business on a budget?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yeah, I mean, I think you know, starting out, you
know I used a free platform tostart the blog.
I used WordPresscom orwhateverorg I can't remember
which one is the free one and Ithat's how I started and the
audience grew and you know, overtime I decided like oh, I think
I'll actually buy a domain andlike host this thing and like
take it, take it somewhere else.
(04:01):
And so it was always sort oflike very measured, I think, you
know, putting in the effort,seeing the results and then sort
of like reinvesting as I went.
I didn't, you know, jump offthe deep end with no safety net
by any means, you know, and Idid run the blog for about four
and a half years on the side, inaddition to like a full time
job that I had like a day job asa graphic designer for many
(04:24):
years.
So I I always say I had sort oflike an investor, like in my
business.
I was working full time and Iwas dedicating like nights and
weekends and every spare, youknow, time I had outside of like
my social life into, you know,building the blog and building
the brand and getting myself outthere, and so I think that
really served me well, but youknow all along, even today, you
(04:44):
know no-transcript doing goodwork and you know, whether it's
(05:14):
creating content or or servingcouples, that that organic sort
of like word of mouth, or youknow, seo referral is a great
way to grow.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Great, and I know that there's a book that you've
done which sold over 250,000copies.
So what were the marketingstrategies with that?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Yeah, so, you know, by the time the book came out,
it was 2018.
So I'd been, you know, runningthe site for about 10 years.
I've built a pretty largenetwork of, you know, other
wedding publishers.
You know I always kind of jokelike some of my best friends to
this day, like personal bestfriends are people that I've met
through the wedding industry,other wedding publishers in
(05:57):
particular.
We have become very close overthe years and so when it came
time to launch my book, I reallyleaned into my network.
You know, I reached out to allof my contacts that ran
publications and I gave themgraphic assets, I gave them
copies of the book to give awayto their audience.
They shared about it on theirplatforms, on their websites,
their social media, and soreally really leveraging the
(06:20):
network that I've built and, youknow, giving them something
that they can use to give awayto their audience, to add value
as well, and so that was reallyhelpful in, like, the launch of
the book.
And, yeah, I can't say enoughabout, you know, creating great
relationships in the industry.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Okay, awesome, and I guess that's sort of was going
to lead me into my next question.
So I guess, how do you thinksmall wedding businesses can
effectively use contentmarketing without spending a
fortune?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yeah, I mean, you know organic SEO is really
powerful, and so you know anyanything you can do to learn
about keyword research.
You know what are your couplesactually looking for, what are
the problems that they have,what are the things that keep
them up at night.
You know, creating content thatreally answers their questions
(07:12):
and solves their problems isgreat.
Obviously, that can go fororganic written content, but now
, like with this new medialandscape, there's so many
opportunities to do that onsocial as well, whether it's,
you know, Instagram reels orTikTok or YouTube.
Video is huge for everyone, butespecially, you know, for
(07:33):
couples who are currentlyplanning.
So I think that's a great placeto go.
If I had to choose one at thispoint, it would probably be
YouTube, just because it isreally lent to that sort of like
SEO, sort of similar to howblogging was back in the day,
and it's just going to continueto grow.
So that's going to be a bigfocus for us this year as well.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
We love YouTube.
I love the shorts as well.
Now that's a new feature thatwe're sort of playing with.
It's great.
Yes, video is kink.
In addition to sort of whatyou've had going on with your
SEO, you have managed to get alot of press, like the New York
Times and GMA, so have you gotany advice for wedding pros that
(08:13):
want to get more press?
So have you got any advice for?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
wedding pros that want to get more press.
Yeah, absolutely.
You know I will say I've beenvery lucky.
You know I've been consistentlyout there putting out content,
helping people, helping couples,for close to two decades now at
this point.
So I do get a lot of likeinbound, sort of like inquiries
or press reaching out to me, butit wasn't always that way.
Right Like, everybody has tostart somewhere, and so you know
(08:36):
there are some great platformsthat you can take advantage of.
You know, at any level, at anystage of business that I really
like to look at are there's onecalled quoted and it's q w o t e
d quoted.
And yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
It's fantastic.
So they, you know, reallyconnect publications, pr
(09:00):
representatives or PR agenciesand experts together like in one
place, and so a lot of timesyou'll see you know an editor
from the Knot or Brides or theWashington Post or the New York
Times is looking to speak to anexpert about XYZ, and you can go
on Quota and you can create afree profile.
(09:21):
You can put you know, all sortsof like tags and information
about yourself.
If you're, you know, a floristor a wedding planner or you own
a venue or whatever the casemight be.
You can add all those sorts ofdetails to your profile and it's
sort of like will alert you.
It'll send you email alertswhen there's a relevant press
opportunity that fits yourexpertise, and so that's a
(09:42):
really great place to getstarted.
I've gotten some reallyfantastic press mentions through
that platform.
It's free to sign up and it'sfree to have a profile.
I still use the free versionmyself, like I said, very savvy,
always trying to do it asaffordably as possible.
But they do have premiumfeatures and I think if you pay
for the premium version you canrespond to the press inquiries
(10:05):
faster, so there's a chance thatyour response to the journalist
could be seen first, if you'relike the first person to respond
.
So if you feel like that'simportant, that's great.
You could always try it.
But I've been writing for acouple of years with the free
version and it's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Have you got any other websites like that, or is
that the only one that you use?
Speaker 2 (10:30):
So there's other platforms as well.
I'm not sure if this one isactually still around, but there
was one called Harrow help areporter out.
If it is still around, that'sanother great one to utilize.
They would send out sort oflike blasts with like a list
that you could look at and seeif there was anything relevant.
I really like quoted because Ifeel like it's a little more
(10:50):
they do the work for you by, youknow, only sending you things
that are relevant to you.
And then you know there's somegreat folks within the industry
itself.
You know Megan Ely with OFDConsulting.
She has a wedding PR sort ofagency and they share amazing
press opportunities with peoplein their collective, which is
great as well.
(11:11):
I love Megan and all that shedoes to help wedding pros get
out there too.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
I happen to know of a good one called Source Bottle,
which is very similar.
It's spelled S-O-U-R-C-E SourceBottle and they send out sort
of call outs on particularsubjects that you can subscribe
to and you can respond and pitchyourself for stories and things
like that I was going to say.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Another thing I would recommend is you know, look at
the publications that arewriting about weddings.
Often, you know, look at whothe writers are from the New
York Times or the WashingtonPost, or Brides or the Knot.
Follow them on LinkedIn, like.
Sometimes, those journalistswill post that they're looking
for an expert to speak to abouta story, and so really don't
hesitate to utilize social medianetworks, especially the ones
(12:01):
that are made for more likeprofessional, like networking,
like LinkedIn.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Now what about for sort of marketing and business
growth?
Have you got any tips aroundfree or sort of low cost tools
that could help weddingprofessionals in that way?
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Yeah, I mean.
So my recommendation to allwedding pros is to be submitting
your work to be published right.
There's many weddingpublications out there not quite
as many as there used to be.
The media world has beenthrough some changes in recent
years, but finding, you know,the publications that are
aligned with, like the customersor clients that you're, you
(12:38):
know, looking to connect with,is a great thing to do.
And then, you know, submittingyour actual real wedding
features to be published inthose places is typically free.
You know there are somepublications that charge or that
only you know offer features tovendors who are, like, paying
members of their directories orthings like that.
(12:59):
Sorry, my light is likeflashing, I don't know what to
do.
For example, the Budget SavvyBride we don't have exclusivity
when it comes to the realweddings that we'll feature.
You know you don't have to be apaying member of our directory
in order to do that, and it's agreat way to get exposure to
couples, not just on ourwebsites, but also on our social
media channels as well.
So that's something that Ithink all vendors should be
(13:23):
doing, no matter if you're thephotographer, the wedding
planner, florist or the cakebaker.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
We actually interviewed Megan Ellie, I think
last episode or the one before,and yeah, she's incredible.
Obviously she is.
She gave us some excellent tipsabout getting yourself
published.
So this is good, you know, Ithink.
I think we're definitely kindof covering this at the moment,
which is great.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Yeah, well, and also social media as well.
Right, like, obviously you canbe posting on Instagram, on
Pinterest.
Pinterest is a huge one, Ithink, especially for brides.
It's such a visual platform.
Brides are already going thereto sort of make their visual
vision boards for their wedding.
So putting your stuff out there, making sure it's keyword
optimized, especially for yourlocal area, is a great place to
(14:08):
start and it's completely free.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
I guess, when wedding professionals have reached a
point where there is someprofits and they're thinking
about reinvesting into marketing, have you got any tips around
what you think would be the mosteffective channels for that?
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yeah, I mean when it comes to like paid advertising
or spend on those sorts ofplatforms.
Is that what you mean?
Yeah, I mean, I think Pinterestis huge.
Honestly, you know you canboost your reels, sure, you can
get them in front of more people, but at the end of the day,
like, are they going to go toyour link in bio and click on
your website?
Maybe not, but Pinterest.
(14:43):
Every pin, every image that youupload to Pinterest has a link
attached to it, and the clickthrough to your website is going
to be much higher percentagechance than a platform like
Instagram.
So that's definitely what Iwould recommend.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yeah, the SEO is incredible with Pinterest.
It truly does turn up in searchresults in a way that you
wouldn't imagine.
Does it, and a lot of people?
Speaker 2 (15:05):
use Pinterest as a social or as a search platform.
You know they will go toPinterest and they'll type in
blue bridesmaids dresses or, youknow, hydrangea wedding bouquet
, and you know, just as if itwas like Google image search,
and so there's just so muchpower and really building your
presence on that platform.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
All right.
Final question for you If awedding pro had $500 to invest
in marketing, how would yousuggest they spend it for the
best return?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Well, if you don't already have a paid Canva
subscription, I cannot recommendit enough.
I'm such a huge Canva fan girl.
I actually went to school forgraphic design.
I got a BFA in graphic designand I barely opened the Adobe
programs anymore.
I'm in Canva all day, every day.
You can create all sorts ofthings.
You don't have to have designskills, but you can get
(15:58):
templates and customize it foryour brand, your business, with
your colors, your photos, all ofthe things.
And having the paid subscriptionreally isn't that crazy.
I think it's maybe like $120 orsomething like that a year.
I personally have a team planand so that's, I think, what I
pay for mine.
But and it's just, it's sopowerful you can even schedule
social media posts right rightfrom it.
(16:19):
So I think that's a greatinvestment If you're not using
(16:42):
another social media schedulingtool and working weddings and
all of that is a better use ofyour time, right?
So anything you can use toschedule or automate is huge, I
agree.
I agree Work smarter, notharder, like being savvy, is all
about being resourceful andmaking the most of what you have
, whether it's planning yourwedding or running your business
.
So I'm always trying to helpeveryone find ways to do things
(17:05):
the savvy way.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
I love it.
So, guys, if you want to checkout Jessica and her amazing
business, the Budget Savvy Bride, that is the website,
thebudgetsavvybridecom.
You can also find her onLinkedIn, also on Instagram and
Facebook, and I'll pop the linksinto the show notes.
Thank you so much, jessica, forjoining us.
It's been a pleasure spendingthis time with you and getting
(17:29):
these tips.
I think also, it's probably agood place for people that are
wedding planners to go and havea look for some money-making not
money-making, but money-savingideas for clients that might be
trying to save in particularareas.
Right, go and have a lookthrough the website and get some
ideas.
Well, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
You're welcome and if you'd like to join us and find
out more about Wedding Empires,our website is WeddingEmpirescom
.
We're also on Instagram andTikTok at Wedding Academy Live.
Thanks, guys.
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