10 Tips On How To Gain Online Presence On Instagram For Wedding Suppliers

The most efficient way to reach soon to wed couples is still bridal fairs.  But, for a starting business like ours, it can be expensive especially if you are still working to generate sales.  The next option for wedding professionals is to promote on social media.  Although not entirely free, it generates popularity and convenient.

My first year in building the online directory for www.brideguide.ph gave me the opportunity to study my online presence as well expose myself with the accounts of wedding suppliers.

This experience allowed me to gain best practises on posting and shortcuts on gaining followers and engagement on my posts.

Weddings are very visual, and Instagram allows you to showcase products for free.

Tips On Using Instagram

1. Create a Business Account

Compared to a standard Instagram account, the business format has an added functionality wherein contact numbers, email, and locations are indicated.  It is best to complete this information, because the more you can be reached, the more secured your followers feel.

2. Link your Facebook account on settings.

This allows your IG posts to appear on your Facebook timeline instantly.  It saves you time on uploading photos and composing post description.  Its important to note however that tagging on Instagram is different on Facebook.  What I do, is edit the FB post immediately after, for proper tagging.

The text box for Instagram is also shorter, and only two lines appear on the mobile browser.  Make the first sentence of the description short and as attention grabbing as the photo.

3. Web Links does not function on IG.

Web links that takes your users directly to a website section does not function automatically on IG posts.  Instead, include that they visit your bio for the website link.

4.  Group your photos through hashtags

Unlike Facebook, Instagram does not have the functionality to create albums to group your photos.  This can be done by creating a unique hashtag, which you can type on the search box to generate the photos you tagged for future reference.  Something unique ensures that posts from other users will not be included.

5.  Use hashtags wisely!

I personally use a generic hashtag to describe the photo and narrow it down to the specific description.  This allows a wider audience at the same time capture those that are looking for specific
items.

6. Check your profile page.

Apart from your posts, your profile page is also your branding.  I would normally post in sets of 3.  You can group them in terms of colours or content.  This make your page look curated.

7. Use a variety of posts.

Compelling photo gets the most reach.  I defined compelling as something that appeals to the emotion.  Ask yourself how the photo makes you feel.  Cute and Funny photos are guaranteed to generate likes.  For variety, use videos and quotes.  You can convert photos to videos with an app called ImgPlay, and Quotes Creator includes a collection of quotes, background and styles you can
use.

In taking photos, especially of a product, make sure to capture its essence if you have access to it.  They to consider its background and lighting.  Snapseed is a good photo editing tool.  Its also best to provide a scale reference, like a popular item so your followers can grasp its size.  I have encountered photos with watermarks blocking the item.  This would be ok if your highlighting your brand, but generally, its the product that needs to stand out.

If you ran out of original material, try reposting.  Purchase the app called Repost for Instagram so you can take out the watermark, but still include the original caption in the description to acknowledge the source.  Don't get material from the same account.  Your users will just migrate to your source than follow you.  Instead, I follow hashtags and bookmark photos that appeal to me the most.  I try to alternate original with a sourced material.  Instead of choosing the most popular, I would opt for the most recent.  The most popular gets bookmarked more often than the recent ones.

8.  Use less text.

As much as possible, use short text on the photos and add more to the description.  If you are challenged to compress the thought, use smaller fonts.  Posts with less text gets noticed more.

9. Use IG Stories

Although, its only available for only 24 hours, It allows for more engagement through the use of questions, polls, rating, gifs, mentions and tagging.  Followers can also reach you through messaging.

You can now archive your stories through the use of highlight.  Use icons as your archive cover for a better appearance.

10.  Study your insights.

Insights provide valuable information on your performance and the behaviour of your audience.  You can check the time when you get the most engagement and whether your reaching your target market.  If you have a physical product being sold on an online store, you can reach more audience by promoting a specific post.  Promotions allows you to reach people who are not following you, therefore gaining followers as well.

If your budget allows, try to spend on advertising.  There was a time when all this functionality is available for free, and with the improvement of technology, developers will just figure out a way to monetise every opportunity.  Spend on it right now, because it will just get more expensive with time.

Top 5 Picks For Environment Friendly Wedding Gifts On Instagram

Wedding Favours have become an essential part of every celebration.  This is to show the couple's appreciation to your attendance.

For me, the best gift is something useful and unique.  Instead of giving a display item that just occupy space on shelves, there's no guarantee that it matches the house interiors and would just eventually end up in a bin.  Your event is best remembered with an item that they can use daily and is not readily available.  We also advocate saving the environment and encourages couple to gift responsibly.

Here's our top 5 picks of environment friendly gift items we found Instagram.

1. Potted Succulents

Green to Grow creates potted succulents that makes use recycled tin cans as containers.  Not only do they make a cute addition to your desk, its a step in helping the environment by recycling.

 

Find Green to Grow as one of our listed suppliers for souvenirs at www.brideguide.ph.

2. Bamboo Straws

Plastic straws contributes to wastes that harms our oceans.  @bambumnl creates bamboo straws that you can conveniently take with you anywhere.  By buying these products, you help in saving the environment and also helps support the communities that makes them.  Get yours for as low as 68 pesos per set!

Click on the photo or the link to get yours! Shop Now!

3. Hand Poured Soy Candles

Soy Candles have been proven to help you relax.  Not only to they help the environment than its paraffin counterpart, it also burns longer and produces less soot.  Illumine Living is selling these candles for only 175 pesos through our site.  Click on the photo or the link below to get yours.

Click on the link to Shop Now!

4. Leather Cord Organiser

Nowadays, among the items we can't live without are our gadgets.  Perfect Match Leather makes our life easier with a genuine leather cord organiser you can easily keep in your bag.  This small item complete with custom tags will go a long way.

Click on the photo to shop for this leather cord organiser for only 75 pesos through our site or by using the link below.  We accept Paypal, Debit or Credit Cards or Bank deposits.

Shop Now!

5. Laser Engraved Wood Products

For couples looking for personalised gifts, these laser engraved wood products by Monkey Business Printing and Souvenir Shop are better than their plastic counterpart.  You can choose from a wide array of items as low as 60 pesos!  Visit our website www.brideguide.ph or click on the photo for more details.

Please share this article to those who would need them or let us know of items you feel should be included in our list.

Learnings From The Digital Business Jumpstart By Derek Gehl In Manila

Its been a year since my online business www.brideguide.ph went live and I feel that I'm on a learning curve.  In spite of the fact that I'm gaining popularity through social media, they do not translate into sales.

In my pursuit of making improvements, I chanced upon the talk of Derek Gehl on Digital Business Jumpstart in Manila for free.

I signed up through their online registration without knowing who he really is and what to expect from the talk.

I just know that I need to change my strategies in order to create profit from the site and whatever information I could get about digital business would benefit me.

The talk provided so much learnings and  understanding of what I am doing wrong. I'm not going to dwell on the details but instead, just summarise it to my 3 take home values.

1.  Find a hungry niche market

I realised that the wedding industry is still very vague.  There's the wedding suppliers and the couples themselves.   Each has different needs and problems that I'm trying to solve.  I know now that in order to propel online, I need to clearly define my niche and to specifically identify corresponding needs and problems.

2.  Trusted Adviser

I made the mistake of creating a selling platform, without establishing relationships with my potential buyers.  This explains why my email marketing is not generating engagement.  I, myself is guilty of avoiding mails that sell products.  I like the idea of being a recommender instead of a seller.

3.  Web Development

It made me revisit my website and look at how my potential buyers experience it.  It emphasised on the importance of the landing page and to create an irresistible bait to get them hooked.

A lot more was shared throughout the day long seminar, and it ended with the encouragement to seek mentors to provide best practises and shortcuts.

I would have loved to sign up for the 1 year course, but currently I'm still financially challenged after retiring and investing on my platform.

I'm hoping that they accept a student loan!

A Year In The Life Of Bride Guide Philippines

Bride Guide Philippines, had been in my mind since 3 years ago.

I realised that by May of 2016 I am eligible for retirement and tried to weigh my options whether to stay with my corporate job as an Assistant Director for Sales and Marketing or pursue the path of Entrepreneurship.

My passion for events and wedding started even before that.  I would take on hosting jobs for supplementary income and tried my hands at event planning on my spare time.

After extending a few months in my day job, I decided to leave my company of 10 years to start my own business.

I know its a huge risk, but I cannot postpone my dreams any further.

The idea of an online bridal shop came, when I was asked to help plan the wedding of a former colleague based in Papua New Guinea.  They chose Boracay as their wedding destination for December 28, 2015.  Being based in Manila, I had to find a beach front resort that would accommodate them, during peak season and closed off dates because of the holidays.  I also need to make sure that the venue availability matches with the church schedule.  Search engines provided me with a list of hotels, but I still had to narrow it down to those that accommodate weddings.  I was finally able to book the church and Fridays Resort in Station 3.

Then came even more challenges, searching for the essential suppliers like Photographers, Makeup Artists, Flowers, Outfits etc.  I'm aware that this can be done by wedding planner, but a hands on bride could have easily done this given the right information.

Among the task that I do on my previous job involved monitoring Online Travel Agents, and it gave me the idea that booking for wedding suppliers should be as easy as booking for hotels online.  Online bridal directory had been in existence but it does not have the convenience of selecting the right supplier based on the budget.  I also realised that travel agent transactions were done manually in the past, and Wedding Agents must follow.

To get a better grasp of the wedding industry in the Philippines and establish connections, I joined my event stylist best friend Teddy Manuel in running the operations of his business after my retirement.  It gave me a better understanding of the brides behaviour from proposals to closing the deal up to the event execution.  I learned that Weddings are very personal and relationships with suppliers is essential for a successful outcome.

This become my take off in developing the site.  To make it convenient for brides but not take out the aspect of human connection to the suppliers.

In September 2017, I started building the site but eventually changed it just 2 weeks after going live.  The first platform I chose is not designed for selling so I changed it to a store format.

Our Facebook account, Bride Guide Philippines was created September 14, 2017 followed by the Instagram account 3 days after.  The website www.brideguide.ph currently being used went live on September 25.

As we approach our first year,  I would like to celebrate on milestones instead profit.  Our Facebook reached 7,606 followers, and 802 on Instagram.

Thank you to all the wedding suppliers, namely Vincent Duke Photography, Boy Kastner Santos, Weddings at Camp Benjamin, and Teddy Manuel  who took risk with me in taking the Wedding Industry into the Digital Age.

To our followers, WEE-Commerce The Wedding and Events, Electronic Commerce has arrived.

Thank you also to my partner and family for their patience and support.

The next year is dedicated on converting soon to wed couples to go digital.  I know that through God's grace, It will it happen.

Happy Anniversary to all of us!

Omar C. Palero
Developer and Owner


Logo evolution:

Meaningful Journeys at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila

Celebrating love through new heights

Experience moments brought by remarkable celebrations with Marco Polo Ortigas Manila’s Meaningful Journeys fair on 21 October 2018 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

The event fetes how love is celebrated at new heights, as it showcases Life’s every milestone with a curation of the finest elements that make up a meaningful occasion—from cuisine and  design to entertainment and cherished trinkets and souvenirs. Marco Polo Ortigas Manila is proud to work with some of the most well-respected personalities and organizations in bringing intimate festivities to life. These include Gideon Hermosa, Michael Ruiz, Teddy Manuel, and 7 Lily; photography experts and film producers Mayad Studio, Nice Print Photography, Chestknots Studio, Forevermine Wedding Films, and Baicapture Inc.; boudoir designers Jo Rubio and Francis Libiran; cake designers Pastry Bin by Penk Ching, Naked Patisserie and Cake Concepts; event organizers Kutchie Zaldarriaga and New Victory Trading; hair and makeup artists Winn Ramos and Mariah Santos; jeweler extraordinaire Matus; stationery and giveaways by Print Divas and Knotsville; beverage leader Moet Hennessy; musicians 3^rd Avenue and Bernie Pasamba; host Atom Ungson; bridal car services from Don Robert’s; and technical and production teams from B&K Professionals, LX Events Pro, and LST Mobile.

Registered guests will get to interact with both Marco Polo Ortigas Manila’s experienced events professionals as well as experience different activities during the day of the event. Select keynote speakers will also be on-hand to share insights for soon-to-weds regarding the journey towards happily ever after. Guests will also enjoy a boudoir showcase featuring unique bridal gown concepts.

Take the first step towards forever with Meaningful Journeys. To learn more about the hotel, visit www.marcopolohotels.com. Follow the Hotel in Facebook at facebook.com/MarcoPoloOrtigasManila or @MarcoPoloManila on Twitter or Instagram.

*           *           *

For more information contact:	Kristine Facto
	Director of Marketing Communications
	Marco Polo Ortigas Manila
	Tel: (632) 720-7777 loc 6314
	Mobile: (63) 917 823 5268
	Email: kristine.facto@marcopolohotels.com

Taking The Wedding Industry To The Digital Age

The Philippine Wedding Industry generates a multi billion pesos of sales annually. On an average, close to 500,000 couples get married yearly with an average spending of 350,000 pesos. In a span of 10 years, it has grown dramatically and has give rise to global popularity of local icons in the wedding scene. Event stylists are now going international with demands from foreign clients, and destinations extend beyond the Philippine shore.
It is with this premise that Bride Guide Philippines created a digital platform for wedding suppliers to expand globally by making its information and services available online. It runs on a mobile compatible format without requiring any downloads.

Through the website www.brideguide.ph, soon to wed couples can access a directory of suppliers grouped into the services they offer.

It also functions as a bridal shop with a variety of wedding and event related products sold online. All major credit cards are accepted with options for bank deposits.

The creator, Architect Omar Palero combined his knowledge on Group Buying Sites, and Online Travel Agents, to Event Planning/Styling and custom made the site to adapt to the local wedding scene. According to Omar, "The challenge right now is to convert the wedding market to go digital. To educate couples of the convenience of shopping and buying online." Among the advantages identified includes: 1. Budget Preparation. Seeing the best rates, couple can allocate their expense and efficiently prepare and track their budget. 2. Convenience. Through this platform, you can conveniently communicate or inquire without having to leave your desk or home. You avoid traffic, looking for parking spaces and having to sort through the leaflets and flyers you've collected which eventually would end up in the bin. 3. Save. The site offers, exclusive rates and promotions solely available to online clients. The site went live September of 2017 and went on a trial run until the start of 2018. Much of the effort during the first three quarters were to build the directory and get suppliers to sell. As it moves forward to the last quarter, the focus is now on driving traffic to the site and promoting directly to couples themselves. Catch Bride Guide Philippines this September 28-30, 2018 at the ABS-CBN Vertis Tent for the Getting Married Bridal Fair.