David Fiske Affiliate Marketing & Web Development

In my Confetti Wedding Planning book, it says a bride takes on average 250 hours to plan her wedding. But given that wedding co-ordinators work office hours and my other half works roughly the same, it would be difficult to get any venue sorted quickly. So I've leant a hand and have been doing the venue research. It's taken me 4 solid days but we seem to be getting somewhere.

Nevertheless, there are a couple of things I've noticed about wedding venues that will help your Internet business.

Here goes!
 
1. Where's The Prices?

The average wedding (again according to Confetti costs around £15,000. We thought we'd go nowhere near that but it's surprising how close we are. However, finding prices is as difficult as extracting teeth from someone with a fear of dentists.

First, you have to request a wedding pack. That 'sells' the best bits about the venue. Then you have to request the prices. This is a waste of time and resources in my opinion. Refer back to my wants and needs post and you'll understand that they are trying to sell a 'want' service which is why prices shouldn't matter. But they do!

Tip for both merchants and affiliates:
Display prices clearly and don't make visitors have to fight for them. On the Internet, you're just a click away.

2. Thanks For The Prices. What's Not Included?

So I've battled to get half a dozen price lists. But it's not simply a question of adding up a handful of prices. Oh, no - that would be too easy. You also have to read the small print to see what's not included. One venue adds 5% as a service charge. Another doesn't include drinks packages in the price list.

Tip for merchants:
Let visitors see the total costs before they have to register. Don't force them to register to see how much it'll cost them

Tip for affiliates:
If you are comparing prices, compare like for like. If you know the delivery charges and VAT content (if applicable),tell your visitors.

3. Hidden Options

I ruled out a venue due to their minimum numbers being excessive. We are opting for a small family wedding and reception meal. So forcing us to pay for 100 guests when only 20 are going to be there seems daft. Anyway, I emailed my wedding contact just to keep them in the picture, letting them know that we have ruled them out.

Within 5 minutes, she responded with a price list and details of how they can cater for us. They are now one of our preferred venues. But had I not have emailed them, I would never have known about this option.

Tip for merchants:
Help your visitors by informing them of the best deals for a product. If you can afford to throw in an extra, do it. Visitors may rule you out because they find you too expensive but if they knew you were offering a free accessories pack, that may be enough to convert them.

Tip for affiliates:
Work with your visitors and help them (as far as possible) to get the bet deal. If you can help showcase the best deals for particular products, you can convert more leads. For example, if you advertise Wii's, don't just show the basic console package and be done with it. How about "for just £50 extra you'll get ...."

I think that's it for the time being. No doubt I'll have a moan about something else later on but if I do, I'll relate it back to affiliate marketing. 2 for the price of 1 - a story and some helpful tips!