Today's Bride Announces 20th Anniversary!

It was 1989 when, as newlyweds, my wife Denise and I embarked on a new, yet novel idea of educating newly engaged couples on the unique and dynamic wedding planning process of Northeast Ohio with a “printed wedding consultant” and creating Cleveland, Akron, Canton and Youngstown’s first regionalized bridal publication, Today’s Bride Magazine.

As we celebrate our twentieth anniversary, I cannot help but reflect upon and thank the hundreds of businesses and tens of thousands of brides-to-be who have made us the #1 wedding guide over these past many years. Most notably, I have the sincerest and deepest appreciation for those businesses that have advertised in every issue of the Greater Cleveland and Akron/Canton versions of Today’s Bride Magazine since day one: American Commodore Tuxedo, Studio South Photography, Sheraton Suites, Reeves Cake Shop, Nelson’s Photography, Rosewood Carriage Service, Rustic Hills Country Club, American Federation of Musicians, Miller’s Party Rental Center, Jerry Clay Photography, Country Lakes Party Center, St. Michael’s Woodside, Tuxedo Junction, and Cirino Photography.

With the superb skills and talent of our dedicated staff, Today’s Bride has evolved into a full service, multi-dimensional bridal resource and marketing provider that has become the industry leader in print, bridal trade shows and on the internet. Our continued success depends on the success of the many fine companies that advertise with Today’s Bride Magazine & Bridal Shows. I encourage every reader to allow these companies the right to earn your business and, in return, they will provide the best products and services for your celebration. More importantly, let them know you saw their advertisement in Today’s Bride.

In closing, I want to express my fond admiration to my wife Denise for making Today’s Bride Magazine and, more importantly, our marriage a successful adventure for the past twenty years. Her support, drive, determination and vision will certainly assure us another memorable twenty-plus years and beyond.

Thank you for choosing Today’s Bride Magazine to help plan your wedding and best wishes for a bright future together!

Jim Frericks, Editor

Today’s Bride Magazine

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

While not surprising, recent polling data show more and more couples turning to the internet for wedding planning assistance.

The good news is that these same brides-to-be still rely on bridal magazines as much as ever before. Available at their finger tips at a moments notice, all-color bridal magazine are full of terrific pictorials showing everything from wedding color trends, decorating ideas to new gown fashions as well as the best in cake and floral designs (and everything in between).

There is one fact that must be made very clear. This new generation of brides-to-be relies heavily on images/pictures to convey their wants & needs. It is much easier to point to or reference a photograph to relay what the bride wants for her wedding rather than verbally expressing them, especially since she is not an expert in the appropriate terminology used by professionals. Ask any seamstress, florist or cake baker.

Even during this slow economy, couples are still getting married

Marriage licenses for 2008 held steady - compared to last year – with the Greater Akron/Canton area seeing an INCREASE (+30) while the larger Greater Cleveland metropolitan area experienced a -1% decrease (-131) of applications.

These are very encouraging numbers with many wedding businesses upbeat about their 2009 bookings thus far.

While many segments in the economy are down, the bridal industry is bucking the trend.

Survive Tough Economic Times - Advertise!

How is your small to medium size business expected to survive during these difficult economic times? One word. Advertise! I know what you’re thinking… “What else would Jim suggest”? But it’s true. Every financial and marketing study ever written on the subject reveal that companies which maintain or even increases their marketing efforts during slow economic times are not only able to persevere during the bad times but THRIVE in the good times upon its inevitable return.

How is this possible? Assertive companies that advertise during slow economic times accelerate the increased market share potential by taking advantage of their competitor’s suspended or conservative “wait-and-see” marketing approach. Your business should never be willing to simply forfeit its hard earned position in the marketplace by allowing your competitors the opportunity to catch-up or even worse, erode your hard earned sales and customer base. If so, your competitor will already have the increased awareness and exposure in place when the economy returns to a more favorable condition. In addition, this company will most likely be able to outspend its other competitors now due to the (new) sales it was able to generate in your advertising absence.

As a business owner, an unfortunate reality is that you must constantly keep your company’s name, product or service out in the public eye because you never know when a new (or previous) prospect may be in need of your services. As Michele Pariza Wacek from BusinessKnowHow.com reminds us… “It’s not your target market’s job to remember you. It’s your job to remind them you’re here and would love to have their business”.

The Fountain of Youth is the Bridal Industry!!

Recently, I’ve had discussions with numerous longtime business owners who are beginning to feel as if they are “losing touch” with today’s bride-to-be. For reasons they cannot fully explain, most are growing concerned (and frustrated) that sure-fire sale strategy that once served them so well are not producing the same results.

The sad truth, I explained, regarding the selling cycle of the bridal industry is that, as business owners, we continue to grow older while our customers remain the same age, at around 25 years old.

Business owners must adapt “old” sales tactics that better relate to - yet again - another new generation of brides-to-be that THEY identify with but more importantly, prefer to utilize. Specifically, businesses need to “speak the language” of their clientele. Update and enhance business websites. Email your customers (but not too much). Text message your customers. Hire or sub-contract work with younger, like-minded employees that can relate (i.e. “speak the language”) to your potential customers.

Demographic Data For More Effective Marketing

A fellow bridal show producer from Washington D.C. forwarded a terrific website which allows you to view vital demographics data specific to any ZIP CODE in the United States. Culled from the US Census Bureau, this information might help you sell your products & services across town or across the country more effectively. Punch in any zip code and instantly find out the community’s break down of race, age, sex, education, household income AND martial status.

Whatsmore, you can do side-by-side comparisons with other communities to see how each other measures up with one another.

Here’s the site: http://zipskinny.com/

VoiceMail Messages

In sales, it’s rare to actually talk to a business owner or key decision maker on my first, second and sometimes third telephone call attempt. Thus I’m relegated to voice mail purgatory. Ironically, it appears that my clients are on the telephone calling THEIR customers at the very same times I’m trying to call them – at least that is what I tell myself!

With over 25 years experience, I’ve never discovered the secret of leaving the “must-call-him-back-immediately-before-the-offer-ends” voice mail message that every sales executive seeks. Trying to encapsulate a ten-minute presentation into a :15 or :30 second sound bite is virtually impossible. The only faithful telephone message I’ve been able to master is reciting, as succinctly as possible, the time, day, date and my telephone number – twice – in those precious few seconds.

Repeating my telephone number twice allows my prospect (unless they have a photographic memory) the time to find a spare piece of paper and workable pen to copy my ten digits down the second time through without having to replay my telephone message over and over again.

Some telephone messages left on my voice mail, especially by the younger text messaging generation is a blur of numerals, running together as if to form a new word… “Please call me at 'eigheentfoursixtyonetwonine’ right away”. Click. Huh? “Somebody show ME how to replay my telephone messages!”