Why content is King (and how to get more)

There’s an old marketing saying that ‘content is King.’ And when it comes to your website or storefront, this saying has never been truer.

However, when it comes to marketing with millennials the type of content that you use is just as important as having more content available to potential customers.

Millennials are a visual market. They grew up in the era of digital cameras, live in the world of memes and gifs, and thrive through the various meanings and interpretations of different emojis. There’s a reason that visual platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest have taken off; they appeal to the creative and visual mind of today’s millennial. And as a result, your business needs to as well.

What sort of content should I focus on?

Luckily for us, the wedding industry is also a visual industry. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a venue, celebrant, car hire service or planner, there is something in every wedding that can be used to add visual appeal for your business.

Wedding suppliers who have up to 24 high-quality images on their storefront have been proven to attract better results than storefronts with less than 12. Because our average target market is a 27-year-old bride or a 28-year-old groom, you are appealing to a millennial market. So the more visuals they can see to add value to your services, the more likely they are going to be to enquire.

It’s true that some categories may have it easier than others when it comes to getting more content. Photographers and videographers are going to be able to find quality content for their website and storefront a lot easier than someone making wedding favours is. But the fact is that you can still optimise on your visual content no matter what category you’re in.

Can I just take photos myself?

The short answer to this is ‘yes’. However, when it comes to getting more content, you want to make sure that the images you are using are also representing your business brand in a strong light. Consider the type of images you are taking, the quality of the camera and how big those images are.

All images should be sharp, in focus, coloured correctly and make you proud of the product of services you offer, not embarrassed. If it doesn’t make the cut then don’t use it. The only thing worse than having less content is having bad content.

If you don’t think that the images you can take yourself are going to be appealing enough, then consider a professional photographer. This will not only make your images look even better, but it will also give your storefront or website more continuity through images.

So how can I get more content?

The key word here is relationships.

Whether you’ve got a great relationship with the couple or are building your relationships with other wedding suppliers, being able to work together on producing more content is ideal. Particularly seeing as you’re already working together for the big day anyway!

Ask your couples

When you’ve built a strong relationship with a couple there’s no harm in asking whether they mind you taking a few photographs on the day for your own use. This gives you a chance to photograph your products in an actual wedding environment, rather than just set up in your store or office.

For those providing a service on the day, asking whether you can have someone there to grab a few photos in the background is a good way to get snaps of you doing what you actually do. This particularly works for celebrants who can’t really take a selfie snap while they’re at the altar with the couple!

Network with other suppliers

We always recommend collaborating with other suppliers, and this is one area where you can collaborate to your advantage. Ask another supplier if they can take a photo of you with your product or offering your service on the wedding day to capture you in the environment.

Networking with photographers and videographers can be particularly beneficial for other categories who are looking to collect content. A photographer might be able to grab some great shots of your products or a lovely snap of a celebrant at the altar.

For photographers, this is also a great way for you to showcase content other than the couples are photographing to build further on your own portfolio.

Collaborate and set up a styled shoot

If getting content on the wedding day isn’t your thing, then consider setting up a styled shoot. Here you can collaborate with other suppliers, from florists, to hair and makeup artists, to dress designers, to cake makers. Work together on a theme and set up a styled wedding shoot that will benefit everyone.

This way you’ll all be working together to produce more content for each other, and can also work further to represent a specific theme or colour scheme that you really want to tap into.

Use social media

There’s no rule saying that you can’t use social media to collect more content for yourself. Setting up a hashtag for your business brand can help you keep track of posts on Instagram or Facebook that might feature your products or services.

You never know which guests or couple is going to snap the perfect shot of you doing your thing, so keep an eye out on social media to see what’s uploaded.

If you do find a good quality image that you like, make sure you get in touch with that person to see if you can use it before you go ahead and use it. Getting in touch with them for permission also gives you the opportunity to ask for the original image and receive a better quality photo to use.

This article originally appeared online here.