Social media sites have
become a goldmine of information for soon-to-be brides & grooms. One of my
favorite wedding planning websites, The Knot, has certainly strategized their
public relations campaign to “stay ahead of the game” in relation to their competitors.
Every now and again The
Knot will post about the newest trends in bridal in an email, on their website,
in their magazine, and on social media sites. Whether speaking about flowers,
gowns, centerpieces, or hairstyles, the company is dedicated to creating a
competitive advantage through the early detection of expectations from the end
consumer. According to Steyn, this tactic “giv(es)
the organization the autonomy to concentrate on achieving its mission” (p.2).
The motive of staying the trendiest wedding planning website certainly spreads
a message. However, it also creates a stronger brand because the representative
is creating user engagement by constantly updating new information to the
different sites and asking for feedback.
For example, below is an
image of today’s Facebook post by The Knot. You will see the hyperlink above
the image.
If you click on that
link, it will bring you to a landing page on The Knot’s website that talks
about the topic posted on Facebook. See below!
Neat, huh?
The Knot is also a
regular user of using social media to link communication between the website,
vendors, and the bride and groom. The company makes interaction(s) with
consumers as direct and personalized as possible.
The Knot’s usage of
social media represents a strong public relations understanding. However, their
placement of brands and ads reveals that the company is utilizing cooperative
partner funding from other bridal professionals. Their marketing, social media
and public relations strategies are clear representations of their brand and
their vision. Their usage of integration marketing communications is consistent
and daily. However, their personalized pages, countdowns and inspiration boards
engage the customer and create the overall Internet planning experience for
brides and grooms-to-be.
How do you feel about their website? Are you engaged with The Knot? Or is it just not meant to be?
The Knot
The Knot's Facebook Page
B Steyn’s Contribution of Public Relations to Organizational Strategy (2007)
The Knot's Facebook Page
B Steyn’s Contribution of Public Relations to Organizational Strategy (2007)
Very interesting take on strategic communications and social media Amanda. I am not engaged (yet!) so I cannot say I follow the knot. However, I had heard of the brand prior to reading your blog. I have seen wedding "countdowns" on friends Facebook pages, sponsored by the knot. I've admired Pinterest links that reference back the knot. However, I would not say I'm engaged with them...
ReplyDeleteFrom a strategic communication standpoint, it does seem that the knot is practicing integrated marketing and communications. Their message, pages and information are consistent regardless of what information source one references. But do you feel that their strategy only works for audiences who are planning their wedding? Or do you think it can draw anyone in, such as the hopeful future brides/grooms?
I ask because while I am not planning a wedding at the moment, I do not know that I would have ever considered using the knot as a source of information; it just does not come to mind and I am not really aware of them. However, I should be their target market because I've been in a committed relationship for many years and the next step will be having a wedding. So I'm their future market.
Hi Kate,
DeleteI had never heard of The Knot before my older got engaged three years ago. However, between the time of her wedding and my engagement, I had stopped using the site because I was not interested in planning my wedding until I had an engagement ring on my hand.
So in regards to your question to if I believe that their target audience is only to those planning a wedding, I would have to say that brides & grooms-to-be are definitely their target audience. They do have regular posts about engagement rings and the perfect engagement stories, but their main target audience is definitely geared towards people who are planning their wedding or are part of the planning.
Although you may not have been aware of The Knot before, if you type "wedding planning" into Google, The Knot's website is the first search option that pops up. They also have a magazine that is dedicated to all different areas of each state.
From what I have seen, there aren't many wedding websites that are geared to people who aren't engaged yet. But then again, those people typically aren't ready to search for and book vendors yet. As their future market, do you think that you would use a website that was geared towards people who want to get married in the future? Trust me, there is a lot that goes into planning a wedding - all the way down to picking out the color of the candles. It may never be too early to start planning!
To answer your questions "do you think that you would use a website that was geared towards people who want to get married in the future?", my answer would be yes. I don't know if I would use it personally, but recent experience tells me there is a market for it.
DeleteFor example, check out one of my Pinterest boards "someday for when I say I do." I am not the only one I know who has a "dream wedding" board. Now if a representative from the knot were to consider me in their target market, they would discover that I have a very high probability of getting married in the near future; I've been in a committed relationship for 6.5 years and we've discussed it. However, I know many of my friends using Pinterest to create dream wedding board are not in relationships. Yet they are using that social media platform to dream away. And when the time comes, they will have a point of reference. So I wonder if there is a way for the knot to consider this idea into their strategic communications plans, especially with using social media?
Pinterest has certainly shown that there is interest in wedding planning for people even if they aren't getting married. Etsy.com has partnered with Pinterest so that people can purchase the things that they like, that are available on Etsy.
DeleteSome subjects just seem like a perfect fit for Pinterest. Wedding planning is definitely one of them. When I think wedding planning I think lots of pictures, flyers and things that I can grab on to visually. I imagine the re-pin/follow rate could go sky high with this subject.
DeleteI agree, George!!! There are so many ideas on there!
DeleteHi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteAs you know (since we talk about our weddings every day at work!) I am engaged as well. The Knot is very helpful - especially for a future groom like me who does not want to sit back and do nothing. I also knew nothing about weddings prior to planning my own. Social media is key to their engagement with users especially since people in their 20s or 30s are very active on social media. Steyn also says that an organization will meet its economic goals by building relationships with those that the company needs (p. 1). This is especially important with a wedding planning website since it is so targeted. The Knot must build relationships with future brides and grooms for a relatively short customer lifecycle (the duration of the engagement). The knot seems to have mastered this relationship building by engagement through its social media channels.
Hi James,
DeleteAs you know, planning has so many i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed. We have said to each other in the past, "Once classes are over and our weddings happen, what will we have to talk about?" Well, I think that The Knot has us covered.
I just passed the 4 months mark prior to my wedding and I already started receiving emails from [The Nest], The Knot's sister company. There are tips in there for how to furnish my home on a budget and other great household suggestions.
When Stephen and I are ready to start a family, The Knot's other sister company, The Bump, will be there to help me plan the new addition to our future family.
Once we start a family, I am not sure if I will still have time to search for "how to's" in planning! Until then, The Knot is making sure that they are there to help me with the next major moves of my life.
Basically, the Knot as a whole has perfected the art of engaging and retaining their users! I did not know about The Nest or The Bump, but I am sure they are just as helpful as the Knot is. As soon as users have exhausted use of the Knot, they are then reached out to participate in these new web communities. It was smart of this company to create these sites to retain users.
DeleteI think so! Maybe our friend, Kate, had a point though to her post above. Maybe The Knot should create a site dedicated to dating couples. It could help them find places in the area to go out on dates, long-distance dating advice, getting ready for an engagement and more. Hmm...interesting concept!
DeleteYour blog, and post, are really interesting. I am an old timer and have been married for a awhile...before social media was even a concept. Something like The Knot would have been invaluable in my wedding preparation. What I think is cool about it is how they seem to take advantage of the best that social media has to offer. It appears that many of the concepts that Steyn discusses are put in to practice by this organization.
ReplyDeleteDo you see anywhere that the knot could improve its communication strategy or where they may have some shortcomings in that regard?
You site and post are well done. Nice work.
Hi George,
DeleteThank you for the kind feedback! I enjoy the way that The Knot is utilizing social media. They are also found on Pinterest and Twitter. I would probably own hundreds of wedding magazines had it not been for the Internet. Speaking of magazines, The Knot also has a quarterly bridal magazine that target specific areas of each state. I wonder if the Internet is hurting the wedding magazine business.
At first I was a little concerned with how I would apply the concept of wedding planning to this class. Then I realized that wedding planning is and industry in itself - and a great money making industry at that!
My recommendation to The Knot would be to have more interaction with social media users. They have great posts that request feedback and opinions, but I don't think that I have ever seen a conversation had between The Knot and users online. Relationship building is key in strategizing public relations.
Hi Amanda- Since reading your blog, I've started exploring the knot's website, twitter and Pinterest pages. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed by a couple things: the ease of using it, the visuals and the simple messages. It's very user friendly.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, I was in the store last night picking up some last minute items before Winter Storm Nemo hit and I noticed the display of bridal magazines. This got me thinking. Prior to the internet and social media, if a newly engaged woman wanted to plan her wedding, she referred to one of these magazines. In the present, she has a wealth of information available through websites like the knot or social media websites like Pinterest, which may lead her back to the knot anyway. But I wonder-how are the traditional magazines surviving? I visited a few magazine websites such as Contemporary Bride, but it is not nearly as user friendly or eye-catching. Are they potentially partnering with the knot?
Hi Kate,
DeleteThe Knot actually has their own bridal magazine which is segmented to specific areas of each state. For example, I just received my The Knot magazine in the mail yesterday and it is geared towards Northern NJ brides.
I believe that the use of the internet is hitting the magazine companies hard. However, I think it is important for The Knot to maintain their presence in the printing world rather than only covering the Internet.
Hi Amanda. I am happy you are focusing on wedding planning in your blog this semester! I often get caught up on Pinterest looking at wedding related photos and wish the site was around a few years when I was planning my wedding. There have been plenty of times when I've asked friends what colors/flowers/dresses they were planning for their own wedding, and out comes their phone with a whole board of wedding related pins.
ReplyDeleteI often used The Knot for wedding inspiration, but its link with Pinterest takes the the site to a whole new level. A few years ago, the easiest way for me to save all of my favorite photos from The Knot website was to copy and paste pictures into Word and print out the page. If only I had an iPhone and a Pinterest account!
From a strategic standpoint, social media has allowed The Knot to become an even bigger presence in a bride's life. She doesn't have to visit the website to browse pictures, but can see The Knot on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, etc. The Knot makes it easy for brides to keep track of their wedding inspirations and share them with friends (and strangers). Social media helps The Knot create a much stronger bond with brides, which is especially important for a web-based company.
As a bonus, as mentioned above, The Knot can continue their strong relationship with brides after the wedding, throughout different life stages. The Nest and The Bump sites have the same platform and features, just with a different focus.
Hi Courtney,
DeleteBelieve it or not, I had to copy and paste my flower inspirations from Pinterest and The Knot into a Microsoft Word document so that I could bring them to the florist. However, that is my fault for not condensing all of my inspirations in one spot!
I use the internet for everything bridal - from the candles that I will be using as centerpieces, to seeing what hotel other brides have booked for their guests. I am all over the internet and social media for tips, advice and research!
Courtney, since you've been married, have you utilized their other sites like The Nest and The Bump?
I have visited The Nest and get email updates, just like with The Knot, but do not use it regularly. When you're planning a wedding it is all consuming so The Knot is perfect, but it is not as easy to get lost in the other sites once you get back to real life. I have read some of their info on how to buy/sell a house recently. The articles are fairly information and try to explain things in a way everyone will understand. In general, I think The Nest is just as comprehensive as The Knot.
DeleteHi Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI have heard of The Knot before but I have never been on the website until I saw your post. The website really seems to have everything listed off to the side from flowers to cakes and even the honeymoon! I am not married but have been in multiple weddings and I can tell you this site would have been a gift for some of my friends had they known about it. Since it’s supposed to be the most important day of your life, their communication to the public is crucial. They target is specific: people who are engaged to be married. Not everyone is going to get married or wants to so I feel like if they are not ahead of the game they will lose people to their competitors. All I can think if are bridezillas who will not give them a second chance. Asking for user feedback is important and great communication. It really allows a company room to improve to provide better service for their customers. Being that you have used the site, is there anything you would recommend to them? Something that would make wedding planning easier, that they may have not thought of yet?