This is the Transcript of the #WeddingMarket #Chat on September 5th, 2012 with Christy Weber editor of JuneBug Weddings. The answers were made on Twitter so responses will appear different.

This Transcript was sponsored by Wedding Marketing Online ( @WeddingIndustry ) at http://www.weddingmarketingonline.com

Christy Weber is Co-Founder and Executive Editor of JunebugWeddings.com. With her passion for photography, fashion, and all things wedding related, she oversees the editorial content for the Junebug website, including the enormously popular blogs, What Junebug Loves and Photobug. Christy is a highly creative strategic thinker, published author, and regular guest speaker at wedding industry events across the country. She holds a BFA in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts, studied photography at the Photographic Center Northwest, and prior to launching Junebug Weddings, she worked for many years as a successful wedding photographer and co-owner of Positive Light Photography.

 

Learn more about Christy Weber at JunebugWeddings.com

 

Join Our Wedding Market Chats For Wedding Professionals Every Wednesday at 10:00PST, 1:00EST, and 6:00GMT (UK time) with the #WeddingMarket Hashmark On Twitter. Learn something new to help your business grow every week. The chats are hosted by Wedding Market editor Julie Albaugh (@juliealbaugh).

Q1: How did you get involved with the @weddingindustry ?

A:  I was a wedding photographer for many years & love the people in our industry.

Q2: How did @Junebugweddings get started ?

A: My partner @JunebugBlair & I saw the need for a better way for wedding pros to differentiate themselves in the market & for couples to find the perfect wedding pros for them. We built Junebug to connect them!

 

Q3: What advice do you have for wedding pros that are just getting into blogging?
A: Find a good work flow system that helps you blog regularly. Edit your posts well for text & images, show only your best!

 

Q4: Where do you find inspirations for blog topics ?

A: Everywhere! Just like w/ weddings, inspiration can come from all parts of life. Anything you connect to can become a post.

 

 

Q5: How many times a week/month should you blog?

A: As a wedding pro, I’d say at least once a week. It can confuse/worry potential clients if you seem to have disappeared!

 

 

Q6: How do wedding professionals submit their real weddings to you?

A: A few different ways, but we have all the information about submitting here: http://su.pr/1ucjV8

 

Q7: How did you get involved with @DavidRobin Films on the Black Eyed Peas – The Time (Dirty Bit) – Wedding Parody Video ?

A: The couple submitted that video to us & we couldn’t resist sharing it! @davidrobin is brilliant – it really took off!

Q8: The @DavidRobin wedding video went viral.  How did you help with this video going viral?

A: We did our best to share it through social media, and PR, but it had a magic all of its own that people really loved! Also, we reached out to the photographers @callawaygable for the wedding photos & interviewed the couple for their story. Here is the link to the @DavidRobin video post on Junebug – so fun! http://su.pr/2HAFlE  .

 

See Previous #WeddingMarket #chat guest @DavidRobin talk about his viral wedding video http://ow.ly/dt7Id

 

Q9: What do you see are the most important social media tools for wedding pros?

A: Twitter is amazing for connecting with our professional community! For us Facebook is more about reaching couples and Pinterest is just huge for all of the above right now.

Q10: What advice do you have for new wedding pros getting into the business?

A: Learn from others! Be part of your local wedding community & gain the skills & experience you need for success.

Q11: What would like everyone to take away from this #WeddingMarket #Chat ?

A: This is such a powerful community & if we work together to innovate & collaborate we can keep the wed industry growing! Relationships & customer service are everything. Nurture & develop them!

#WeddingMarket Question: Should your blog content only contain information that is related to your line of business?

Answer: I think it should also give some insight into what makes you tick as an artist. Weddings are personal!

 

#WeddingMarket Question: What do you think of vendors working with freelance writers to geenerate content? Helpful? Frowned upon?

Answer: Readers know if content isn’t genuine or if it’s simply there to gain traffic rather than inform the reader.

#WeddingMarket Question: What are the most important elements you look for in your submissions? 

Answer: Good question! Quality of photos is always a top priority for us. Then we put ourselves in our reader’s shoes and ask, would we be excited to see this? Would we learn from it? Be inspired from it?

 

#WeddingMarket Question: We love the “Groombug” section of your website@junebugweddings! What is your most popular content for grooms?

Answer: Thank you! We love Groombug too. Most popular content for guys is all about wedding fashion & men’s wear!

 

#WeddingMarket Question: What are some tips for promoting a new wedding blog?

Answer: Make friends in the blogging & wedding community & collaborate. The best growth happens organically.

 

#WeddingMarket Question: What do you think was the most important thing you did to grow readership for your blog?

Answer: We reached out to other blogs, made relationships. Eventually we were written about & got to help each other.

 

#WeddingMarket Question: Can you share one of your favorite submissions, thus far?

Answer: Oh my-there are so many! We love to see weddings where couples truly express their own personal style. Meaningful!

 

#WeddingMarket Question: What’s the best way to incorporate your business into the blog without being overpowering?

Answer: Great question! Like we do, put yourself in your readers shoes & think about how your content is being received. Find a great balance that shows off what you do best, but also brings valuable information to your readers.

 

#WeddingMarket Question: Do you recommend any tips for other social media platforms, like pinterest?

Answer: Pinterest is an amazing tool and has really blown up. We use it all the time now. I think it’s smart to go where your clients are, and Pinterest is certainly becoming that place! Pin what you love & find inspirational. People are hungry for beauty & great info. Show your work & other’s.

 

#WeddingMarket Question: Can you share a bit about your (work) daily routine? What’s one of your favorite ways to stay organized?

Answer: Organization is a challenge, as all you other business owners well know! We try to streamline every change we get. We love tools like MailChimp, Batchbook, GoogleDocs, Freshbooks, etc. Great for small biz!

 

#WeddingMarket Question: As a wedding blogger, can you share 1 thing you would like to see change within the industry?

Answer:  We’d love to see more wedding professionals use/have access to top quality images to showcase their work. It’s so hard for businesses to communicate what’s amazing about a product, venue, etc. w/o professional images.

 

#WeddingMarket Question: Personality versus Professionalism. Can too much personality deter brides from your blog?

Answer: The question of too much personality is tricky because you are definitely selling yourself & want to share what makes you unique. Share personality but still be professional & keep their confidence in hiring you.

 

#WeddingMarket Question: What do you think about destination weddings? What is the trend?

Answer: We love destination weddings – they can create such a once in a lifetime adventure & bonding experience! I’ve had some of the best vacations of my life attending destination weddings in France & Mexico!

 

#WeddingMarket Question: What have you found to be the best method to reach couples using FB?

Answer: Regular posting of small bits of content that are fun & valuable for them. Visual inspiration always works well!

 

#WeddingMarket Question: What wedding trends are you seeing right now?

Answer: The trend for personalization is here to stay & is more an approach to life than just a wedding trend Couples today are looking for personal meaning & expression in everything they do.