Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

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Archive 2011 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

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p.1 #1 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

Quick question - is this award given to everyone?

It goes like this:
11:00am - they send me the email letting me know I was given an award.
11:15am - swing by Facebook and at least five other friend photogs have the same award.
11:16am - commence scratching my head. They are all awesome photogs, to be sure, orobably better than I - but makes me wonder if its more of a marketing ploy by WW?

If I'm thinking about this all wrong straighten me out, will ya.

Jan 25, 2011 at 04:28 PM

maxwell1295
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p.1 #2 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

My opinion: Marketing ploy

No fraking way they only give that "award" to only 5% of their listed vendors. Heck, I think they give it to ALL of their vendors. I got one with only 5 reviews.

That being said, I blasted it on FB and Twitter.

I figure it can't hurt to put it out there...

Jan 25, 2011 at 04:30 PM

mosier
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p.1 #3 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

maxwell1295 wrote:
My opinion: Marketing ploy

No fraking way they only give that "award" to only 5% of their listed vendors. Heck, I think they give it to ALL of their vendors. I got one with only 5 reviews.

That being said, I blasted it on FB and Twitter.

I figure it can't hurt to put it out there...

+1

Jan 25, 2011 at 04:32 PM

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p.1 #4 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

I figure it can't hurt to put it out there...

Hey man - that's what you should do. If they are going to give those out to market themselves, you should be able to use it to market yourself too.

Jan 25, 2011 at 04:32 PM

Tony Hoffer
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p.1 #5 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

Yeah, I got one too... Pretty shady if you ask me. I put a listing on there a few years ago but have never updated or done anything. I have a few good reviews, that's about it.

Not posting it.

Jan 25, 2011 at 04:33 PM

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p.1 #6 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

Tony Hoffer wrote:
Yeah, I got one too... Pretty shady if you ask me. I put a listing on there a few years ago but have never updated or done anything. I have a few good reviews, that's about it.

Not posting it.

Tony, you're probably already at the point where the benefit of this 'award' would be pretty miniscule, if any was to be seen.

I am guessing from what Allan said and my own experience that all you have to do to get the award is have 5 positive reviews, but I could be wrong.

Jan 25, 2011 at 04:37 PM

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p.1 #7 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

I saw a few of my friends who got it, and I think with everyone getting one, it's not that special, but a way for you to advertise and spread the word for them. But hey, it's working eh?

Jan 25, 2011 at 04:45 PM

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p.1 #8 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

I got one as well... that means I am in the Top 5% of Wedding Professional Nationwide

Jan 25, 2011 at 05:28 PM

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p.1 #9 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

I got one, and I am pretty much the worst.

Jan 25, 2011 at 05:31 PM

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p.1 #10 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

But...but does that mean you are not in the top 5 percent of wedding pros nation wide if you don't get one

I remember this last year as well on facebook.. it was like every single photographer "won" this award. Obviously you win it by existing on their website. It's like every kid who plays little league gets a trophy at the end of the season...just for playing.

Jan 25, 2011 at 05:37 PM

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p.1 #11 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

It's the same as the " The Knots Brides Choice"... I got both of them, it loses it ummph because so many others have it. I won't be posting mine.....

Jan 25, 2011 at 05:43 PM

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p.1 #12 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

PhotoDude79 wrote:
It's the same as the " The Knots Brides Choice"... I got both of them, it loses it ummph because so many others have it. I won't be posting mine.....

but the question is ..... how many brides know that the knot or wedding wire does this?

Jan 25, 2011 at 06:00 PM

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p.1 #13 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

I'm pretty sure we had this same conversation last year.

My news feed is totally plugged with people winning the WW "Bride's Choice Award". Of course, any given bride probably doesn't experience the same thing because how many wedding vendors is she likely to be friends with at once? It's definitely annoying though. And that 5% number has got to be a crock unless their website is clogged with false/dead listings. Of course, I didn't get one... I only have four reviews.

Jan 25, 2011 at 06:13 PM

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p.1 #14 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

Ziffl3 wrote:
PhotoDude79 wrote:
It's the same as the " The Knots Brides Choice"... I got both of them, it loses it ummph because so many others have it. I won't be posting mine.....

but the question is ..... how many brides know that the knot or wedding wire does this?

I will book with or without it..... If I get a award it is because I earned it. Not to be a marketing vehicle....

Jan 25, 2011 at 06:31 PM

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p.1 #15 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

I just say saw how angry that looks.... I'll fix it with this...

Jan 25, 2011 at 06:33 PM

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p.1 #16 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

After I got this award last year, and then had all the air let out of my tires when I saw everyone else posting it on facebook, I did some research. You have to have 3? or 5? good reviews within the last year. I did a local search of all the photographers on wedding wire, and did the math of who actually got the award, and I think it was like 10% that were listed got the award. I was amazed at all the BAD reviews a lot of my local competition got. So when I got it this year, heck yeah I just posted it! Brides seem to love it, and I think it's at least half legit.

Jan 25, 2011 at 06:37 PM

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p.1 #17 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

The site is full of no-review listings, so perhaps someone with 4-5 reviews will, regionally speaking, be in the top 5-10%, based solely on reviews received (this is my deduction of how it works)

I have no reviews, I don't use weddingwire, I never get leads from there even though I have a listing, so I'm not in the "top 5%"

Jan 25, 2011 at 06:43 PM

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p.1 #18 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

Fail. As Tony mentioned already, it works for togs who post it up and their clients see it. Its meaningless. A scam at best.

Realistically speaking though, everyone in 'business' has to find a means to reach out to alternative markets. I find this is a means used by most of these wedding directory sites.

Its a shame really, but whatever. I am sure many businesses are getting their money's worth because of this.

Ideally I would not post it myself.... Realistically I would.

Question is, am I an idealist or a realist?!

Jan 25, 2011 at 06:43 PM

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p.1 #19 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

Well it links to my reviews. I'm damn proud of my reviews, and I don't think they are meaningless.

Jan 25, 2011 at 06:49 PM

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p.1 #20 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

I've received the 'award' since 2009. I have 4 reviews and have updated my site once.

Jan 25, 2011 at 06:49 PM

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p.1 #21 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

I am making a Knotty Wire Award.

Only top 5% of FM members are eligible.

Please post this elite and marketable badge on your blog.

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Jan 25, 2011 at 06:52 PM

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p.1 #22 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

photolove84 wrote:
Well it links to my reviews. I'm damn proud of my reviews, and I don't think they are meaningless.

That's exactly what I did when I posted to FB. I changed their link to a link to my reviews. I only have 5, but their decent reviews. Funny thing is I only have the WW reviews because I needed some third party reviews to be accepted as a vendor on another site. They specifically mentioned WW as a source of those third party reviews. My listing on that site has links to my site and to my WW reviews.

I'd say the reviews themselves (being that they're from actual clients of mine) definitely carry some weight with prospective clients that see them. The "award" from WW may help as far as reaching FB fans, but I doubt it's going to have that much influence over whether a client books or not...

Jan 25, 2011 at 06:59 PM

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p.1 #23 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

maxwell1295 wrote:
photolove84 wrote:
Well it links to my reviews. I'm damn proud of my reviews, and I don't think they are meaningless.

That's exactly what I did when I posted to FB. I changed their link to a link to my reviews. I only have 5, but their decent reviews. Funny thing is I only have the WW reviews because I needed some third party reviews to be accepted as a vendor on another site. They specifically mentioned WW as a source of those third party reviews. My listing on that site has links to my site and to my WW reviews.

I'd say the reviews themselves (being that they're from actual clients of mine) definitely carry some weight with prospective clients that see them. The "award" from WW may help as far as reaching FB fans, but I doubt it's going to have that much influence over whether a client books or not...

I absolutely agree. I have 18 reviews, so far, all perfect 5s. I have received so many compliments on that in initial inquiries. They don't mention the award, just what people are saying. I think they carry a lot more weight then when photographers just post a page on their website of random quotes when people have no reason to believe you didn't write them yourself.

Is wedding wire's "research" to find the top 5% of professionals the most accurate? Of corse not... but it's showing photographers that had clients that were happy enough with their services to write something nice about them, and that's not meaningless or worthless imo.

Jan 25, 2011 at 07:12 PM

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p.1 #24 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

Does anyone actually take site seriously?

Jan 25, 2011 at 07:21 PM

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p.1 #25 · Wedding Wire: Bride's choice awards

RyanFlynn wrote:
Does anyone actually take site seriously?

Depends on who you ask I think. Togs - prolly not; but the brides seem to like that site, and sites like it.

Jan 25, 2011 at 07:32 PM


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