How to Get Featured on Nearlywed: A Guide for Vendors

Introduction

Nearlywed is proud to consider itself more than a magazine; we are a community of professionals dedicated to elevating the Michigan wedding industry and those who are an indispensable part of it. We value authenticity and realism above all and find genuine rarity in the pursuit of those characteristics.

Nearlywed has had an immeasurable impact on the Michigan wedding industry and plans to provide a consistent and exemplary customer experience as we promote the state from a national perspective. From our humble beginnings as Grand Rapids Bride, we have always placed our client experience first. We focus on making all aspects of wedding planning a breeze for our clients.

In her dedication to her brand and mission, our fearless founder, Kelly Stroberg, noticed a gap in the statewide Michigan wedding industry and thus launched the re-brand to Nearlywed; throughout this process we have maintained the individual integrity that sets us apart while simultaneously tackling our same goals on a larger scale.

Nearlywed has become a platform for Michigan based couples to connect with vendors based on location, budget, and category; utilize planning tools; and even submit their weddings to be featured as part of our community. These “real weddings” provide real-life examples for other Michigan-based couples to envision and inspire their own wedding celebration. This is the first platform in Michigan history to offer such services on a statewide scale.

Nearlywed is dedicated to Michigan’s local economy and recognizes the potential for growth in the wedding industry and its ability to filter capital back into local Michigan businesses. We have paid close attention to the consistent growth scale of the Michigan wedding industry and noted the insignificance of those growth percentages; we believe there is untapped potential to emphasize and utilize our Michigan-based resources on a larger scale and exponentially increase those numbers in the coming years.

Nearlywed intends to be pivotal in the Michigan-based wedding industry. Between local, statewide, and national marketing strategies, Nearlywed’s goal is to not only increase weddings in Michigan from local couples, but also to present Michigan’s potential as a premier destination wedding location. The result? A projected $340 million funneled back into Michigan’s economy from a mere 1% increase in overall wedding numbers over the already projected data.

The dedication, drive, and passion of Nearlywed’s team cannot be understated. For Michigan-based wedding vendors, this community is a stronghold of professionals ready to elevate Michigan’s wedding industry to an incomparable level of sophistication. Partnering with our brand will provide your own a unique opportunity to not only experience but also contribute to the growth of Michigan’s wedding economy.

Nearlywed offers several detailed packages designed to provide the foremost marketing experience for your company. We operate following “The Rule of 7,” which implies that it requires an average of seven interactions with a brand before a prospective client decides to take any sort of purchasing action (Forbes). Our seven marketing channels include our website’s digital directory, blog features, boosted social media campaigns, E-Newsletter advertising, print advertising, digital publication, and optional audience accelerators.

Digital Directory Listings

When partnering with Nearlywed, wedding vendors receive a featured page in our statewide directory listing. This directory includes an incredible filtering tool that allows site visitors to sort through vendors by geographic area, budget, category and key word. Digital directory listings are also linked to our “Real Weddings” tab if the vendor was used by one of our submitted couples, which provides another space in which the vendor receives promotion for their product. “Real Weddings” submissions also provide the opportunity for vendor products to be showcased in real-life scenarios and give prospective clients the chance to envision vendors in use during their own celebration. Digital directory listings will also be linked to vendor blog features and website blogs in which vendors are mentioned. Purchasing an advertising package with Nearlywed guarantees a one-year directory listing time slot.

Featured Blogs

Nearlywed’s blogs are designed with SEO in mind. This means we prioritize search engine optimization to ensure our blogs are meeting necessary requirements to appear as one of the first search results in Google’s search rankings. We employ a team of dedicated and knowledgeable writers who are experienced in emphasizing key words and phrases to optimize your blog or product’s visibility in internet algorithms. Appearing in top search engine results means your brand is reaching a wider audience and therefore more likely to increase in sales. We also ensure that our vendors receive top priority for mention in any related blogs, including using professional vendor photography to showcase venue, jewelry, attire, catering, and rental options as often as possible.

Social Media Ads

Nearlywed promotes your business through targeted, customized social media advertisements. Between platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok, Nearlywed’s brand boasts hundreds of thousands of followers, millions of monthly views, and impressive engagement numbers. Boosted advertisements run on both Instagram and Facebook to prompt further engagement in targeted channels. Social media advertisements can be run to promote a general vendor brand or a specific service, event, or destination.

Social Media Partnerships include in-feed posts on Nearlywed’s Instagram, TikTok and Facebook accounts. Post options include reels, stories, static posts, carousel posts and other social media specific content.

E-Newsletter Placements

Nearlywed has multiple advertisement channels including a curated weekly e-newsletter that is sent to our directory of local engaged couples living throughout the state of Michigan. Each one of our newsletters includes weekly recaps of online content, upcoming events, educational information, and most importantly, featured sections for vendors and partners.

Print Magazine

Nearlywed’s bi-annual (Spring and Fall) print magazine is published in a quantity of 15,000 hard copies that are a perfect combination of beautiful color photography, real wedding features, informational articles, and a sourcebook of local vendors. The print magazine can be purchased at an assortment of local Michigan newsstands, directly from Nearlywed’s website, received complementary through one of our many vendors, or found as distributed at local wedding shows and events.

Digital Magazine

The digital edition of each issue of Nearlywed‘s print magazine is a free resource available to couples through our website. This digitized version not only includes the same rich content as the print magazine, it enhances it through embedded video and animated graphics, which are features not achievable in print. Paid premium ad placements in our print magazine include those enhancements — as well as gallery links and other engaging and interactive features — in the digital edition of each issue.

Audience Accelerators

For advertisers looking to enhance their presence on all of our platforms, we offer optional audience accelerator options. This includes the possibility of purchasing back cover, inside back cover, inside front cover, and front of book half page, full page and two-page display ads in our print magazine. In addition, this purchase can include embedded video and interactive ads in the digital publication, and additional e-newsletter premium slots and social media campaigns.

Conclusion

Advertising with Nearlywed is easy, effective, and fun. We offer an incredible assortment of advertising packages for venues and services, as well as premium and programmatic advertising between the print and digital publication. Nearlywed stands apart from other Michigan-based wedding communities for many reasons, not the least of which is its team of dedicated, knowledgeable, and experienced industry professionals who are driven and passionate about changing the trajectory of the wedding industry and fueling the local economy at the same time. Our strategies are proven, and getting featured on one of our many marketing channels is as simple as choosing the right one of our multiple advertising package offerings to showcase your brand.