How Couples Choose Their Wedding Suppliers.

I believe this to be true also
Bluehue

We did a survey of local brides and asked what the most annoying things that wedding vendors did was. They all said that not responding to emails was their number one complaint. I was surprised, but it was pretty unanimous.

According to the graph, the #1 method for finding a wedding professional is an internet search (57% vs. 56% for recommendations from family/friends).

I agree with Jason on this one. The article omits the primary way companies are selected.

My first job that lead to my second job (same company) was in yellow pages sales in the 1990's. The internet has replaced the yellow pages, but the same habits still apply.

A person wants information. Today they can get it immediately. They open their laptop or phone and do a quick search. Within minutes, they have every option their market has available. Just like in the old yellow pages days, they start at the top and start calling or emailing, noting any favorites farther down the line.

The person who responds first and gives clear, helpful, information, is always in the running if the style and budget allows. Those who don't respond are taken off the 'list" and all others remain, including the ones recognized as referrals. From this list, the client hones down the top favorites based on product and budget, professionalism, referrals, and that connection with the proprietor or representative.

The website will remain the first impression and the only way, except a referral, that will get a contact.

In old yellow page research, I have found that the same advantages of placement in the search results still applies. Peple only go down the search list until they get good answers and viable options.

So it is important to have a great site with plenty of good information and great placement in the searches, be prompt on your replies to emails and calls, and be the kind of person that the client can relate to in a professional manner.

I'd argue that they're both important, but that the deciding factor is going to be personal referrals. Finding someone online and getting a quick response is very important in starting out with a positive impression. But if they mention your name to their friends and they turn their noses up and say awful things about you then you're not going to get hired. I know of one person here who is really rude to people half the time and friendly the other half. I get a lot of brides who cometo me and tell me stories ( without me asking, so it must have been bad) about how rude this person was and that their friends had the same experience. When they get feedback from people they know and trust, that goes a long way in making their decision.

Two factors:

First, the total comes to 285%. Even if we took it as a breakdown, the numbers don't figure.

Second, all of those who hired their referred company still used the web to find the vendor and still shopped. By your own above statement, according to the stats, the web and referrals are 50/50. Statistically speaking, there could have bee 100% referrals with 50% going to another vendor. This data is not complete. Another factor... brides get many referrals. It is possible to have a referral for every vendor in the area. That way, the answer will always be a referral.

Just my 5 cents:

Statistics can go above 100% when respondents where allowed to mark more than1 answer, which was probably the case.
Although I have no desire to built a business, it is interesting that hardly any respondent finds their professional by an add.
Was the questionnaire scientificly proof? Or were the respondents found under the magazine readers, maybe a poll on their website? Then even the magazine readers themselves don't respond to the adds.

Well it is not my business.. I read to much... (like this forum so much)

Perhaps for ads in magazines, wedding web sites, and paid vendor directories, but it's unclear whether or not the 57% who used a search engine distinguished between organic results and paid ads (i.e. Google AdWords).