One of the most important things for bridal retailers to keep in mind, is that online presence is as important as the actual brick and mortar store. It is the age of Google and the internet, and people are no longer finding their store by cruising around town. Brides are using their phone to figure out where they are going to buy their wedding dress, plain and simple.
It seems counter-intuitive to spend money on digital marketing when times are slow and money is tight. However, marketing is the one thing that improves store traffic when things are going slow. Digital marketing is specifically tailored towards getting more appointments.The more money that you spend on digital marketing, the more appointments you can get. Digital marketing can be extremely targeted and has measurable results, so you know exactly where your money is going.
The world of Marketing can be very complicated, and it’s hard to choose an effective method from all of the available options. To cut through the noise, remember one thing, digital is best. Radio, newspaper, and magazine ads are a thing of the past.
Google Ads
Google is where most of the magic of digital marketing happens. In fact, you probably got to this post through the aforementioned platform. Google is a search engine giant, who makes most of their money by selling advertising. They have an extremely complex and effective system for targeting ads correctly, but all you need to know is that newly engaged brides are using Google to plan for their big day. Keywords like “wedding dresses near me” or “bridal shop” are where the buying journey begins. The main goal to be at the top of the results page, because people on Google have high purchase intention, especially with keywords that include “near me”.
Google Ads operate on a pay-to-play system, meaning if you put money in your marketing budget for Google, you get to access advanced targeting features. These features include appearing near the top of the results page, something that takes years to attain with SEO.
Google Ads has advanced reporting features that allows you to see all of the analytics associated with the money you spend, and the ads you run. This allows you to understand exactly how your money is being spent, and how much it costs for you to see a conversion (appointment). Getting feedback this advanced is now commonplace, allowing you to justify and adjust the ads to improve performance. If you’d like a free analysis of your current campaigns, contact us today.
Retargeting
Have you ever searched for something on Google and then received an ad for it a day later? This is called retargeting, and paying for Google Ads gives you access to this feature. Think of the money spent as being a necessity, because it directly converts to more clients. So much so that even one extra sale can pay off the entire cost of the marketing campaign in one month.
We know that brides are making multiple appointments in 2020. You can dramatically increase your chances to bring back the lost brides by running retargeting
Facebook/Instagram Ads
Facebook is a social media platform that, along with Google, has completely changed what is possible with advertising. While Google allows you to put ads directly in front of people searching for particular keywords, Facebook allows you to put ads in front of people based on their interests and demographics.
Facebook and Instagram advertising is run through the Facebook Business Manager, a tool which gives you the ability to target individuals with high accuracy. For example, you can send an advertisement to someone who just got engaged, because you know they have just been inserted into the wedding dress market.
Facebook and Instagram are best used to advertise events that you are hosting in the near future. Trunk shows and sample shows aren’t common knowledge to the general public, meaning they won’t be searching for “trunk shows near me” on Google. However, if you put your event in front of a recently engaged bride in your area, there is a high likelihood that they will be interested in going. Facebook and Instagram have extensive friend networks, meaning if someone is interested in going to a sample show, they will try to get their friend to go also, commenting directly on your advertisement.
The 80/20 Split
The general recommendation for the budget percentage, is to have 80% of your ad spend dollars dedicated to Google Ads, because this is where you are going to get most of your appointments and interested buyers. The other 20% should be going to Facebook and Instagram to ensure that you are always having successful events. We have found that this split is optimal for filling up your appointment slots and getting more foot traffic into your store.
TLDR:
Use Facebook/Instagram ads to market your in-store events, and run general awareness campaigns on Google to capture the brides that are ready to buy.
Have questions/need help? Contact our team for a free month of Google, Facebook and Instagram advertising.
