"Like"

Last weekend, I was in my first wedding in Richmond as one of my friend's bridesmaids. When the big day finally arrived, it started with chaos, appointments gone wrong and a very stressful bride with her bridesmaids doing whatever they could to comfort her (I love you!!). Once we arrived to the venue, we quickly started getting ready. Then suddenly, the photographer arrived! I had totally forgotten about this important part, I mean who else was going to take those cheesy photos of us after the ceremony. With a day full of shambles and whatnot, the photographer began to tell us stories of her own wedding and all the struggles that came along with it. Eventually, she ended with the a good note of it being such an amazing day at the end. When I eventually asked my friend where she had found the photographer, she told me that her new husband had actually found her through Facebook. At first, for some reason I was taken back by 1. she had let a guy choose her photographer and 2. how easy it was for him to find someone on Facebook! I had forgotten how easy it is now to have your small business as a Facebook page and get friends and family members to refer you. I guess if I think back to the 90's when one got married, they would look for the trusted Yellow pages book and hounded over the hundred of entries for photographers. Facebook has great features that can link different types of social media networks together and create awesome sights for small businesses, like one's website, Twitter, and Flickr account.

This is so crucial for today's wedding market. It seems like very day more and more younger couples are taking those steps of commitment. And we all know know how likely it is for them to open a yellow book. FAT CHANCE. With a generation so influenced by what their peers are "tweeting" about or "liking" on Facebook, it's great to have a strong presence in social media in general. Younger consumers depend on unbiased opinions that a Facebook page or review can provide. Social media has also opened up a greater "word-of-mouth" effect for decision makers in allowing others to share their experiences.

So if you have a small businesses and if haven't already, I HIGHLY encourage you to create a Facebook fan page. You'll never expect the amount of business this can generate. Oh and if anyone is getting married in Richmond, you should check them out! (They definitely helped calm our nerves a little that day)!