Lately, the seminars I’m being asked to present, most often, are about blogging and new social media. It’s exciting to present. I always feel as though I’m filling an information void, but I’m still concerned.

The rate of change in internet-based promotional tools for wedding marketers and all marketers is evolving and shifting at warp speed. More than ever, one cannot rest on one’s laurels for any significant length of time. It is necessary to self-educate, attend local association meetings with real program content, take seminars, and go to regional and national conferences.

Yesterday, a business owner approached me after I gave a short talk on new social media. She expressed the desire to have me help her company build a blog and coach the company on other social media. Later in the afternoon, I took a few minutes to visit her website and see what presence the had. The website was circa 1999, and not very good at that.

Having a good website is not the future, it is a marketing basic. Having a company blog and a Facebook account is not state-of-the-art, it is current and basic in a marketing plan. Having a Twitter account is interesting, and still experimental, but you should have some knowledge about it. If nothing else, you should learn what it means to have a Twitter account, and follow some thought leaders.

The Challenge: Block time for continuing education and seminar/conference attendance.

It doesn’t matter whether you are comfortable with new marketing technologies or not. You must take a couple of  hours, every week, to familiarize yourself with, and experiment with, new marketing opportunities. In fact, if this is not your natural tendency, it’s even more important to do so.

The longer you defer updating your knowledge, the steeper the learning curve becomes. You may be saying to yourself, “I’ll just outsource this stuff.” Nonsense!! A lot of your best options are best handled by you. And, more important, if you don’t know the right questions to ask of a vendor, it’s near impossible to outsource effectively.

Here is your assignment:

Don’t lament that this is a chore. Celebrate the fact that if you do this effectively, and your competitor doesn’t, you’ll always be out in front.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: Andy Ebon, blogging, continuing education, national conferences, Online Social Media, seminars, wedding marketing, Wedding Marketing Authority, wedding marketing blog

Wedding Marketing Authority, Andy Ebon, takes to the road again, this time to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for two events organized by the Southern Wisconsin Chapter of NACE.

On Tuesday, April 21st, he will be offering up an afternoon seminar on Blogging Your Way To Business Success, and a chapter meeting presentation on Marketing and Selling to the 21st Century Bride.

For more information on both events, visit the NACE chapter website.

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: blogging, bride, NACE, seminars, South East Wisconsin NACE, Wedding Marketing Authority, Wedding Marketing Blogger, weddings

Wedding Marketing Blogger, Andy Ebon, is on the road again. This time he’s headed to the Pierpont Inn, in beautiful Ventura, California The view from the Pierpont is so picturesque, one can see the Pacific Ocean just a few hundred yards away.

Andy will be presenting a 2-hour blogging seminar, beginning at 3pm on Tuesday, October 28th to members and guests of the Ventura Chatper of NACE. That same evening, he will be giving a shorter 30-40 minute presentation about exploring New Social Media.

There is still space available, both for the seminar and the general meeting. For details, just visit the Ventura NACE website.

written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: Andy Ebon, blogging, Online Social Media, Pierpont Inn, seminars, Ventura NACE, Wedding Marketing Blogger