When it first exploded onto our computer screens, social media was initially spurned by the business marketing sector as a fad that would die out as quickly as it had appeared.
But they were wrong and social media has since become the darling of the marketing world who had to do a complete U-turn on their original assessment of its potential! Social network sites are now a vital part of any wedding marketing campaign and whilst they are still finding new ways to utilize them, there exist plenty of tried and tested techniques which yield fruitful results for wedding businesses.
It did take some time for marketers to fully understand the potential that social media could give.
Abandoning the traditional in favor of more virtual marketing methods was completely alien to many and these new sites where definitely an unknown quantity in terms of the time and resources they would take to prove their worth.
Utilizing the potential of the 'interactive web' has since become a major focus for any wedding marketing plan and is set to overtake the more traditional methods of printed advertising and media exposure.
What social media provides is something which could take an eternity by traditional methods - that is the potential to reach thousands if not millions of customers in the blink of an eye.
Remember when you post something online you are making it accessible to the entire global community, unlike a traditional magazine advertisement which would only be seen within the circulation of the magazine.
Sites such as Facebook and MySpace can also offer business a means to measure customer responses to their campaigns and to interact with them in way which was never possible before.
It isn't difficult to implement a social media marketing plan and it is one of the most cost effective methods of wedding marketing available, simply because for the most part it is free.
Experts are still finding new ways to make the most of it and as with any marketing strategy it will come down to trial and error as to the effectiveness of one form of social media over another.
Depending on your type of business you may find some sites give better results than others.
What you do need to do is identify which sites work best for your business and make sure you are utilizing everything they have to offer.
One problem for businesses using social media is that they fail to appreciate the technology which is available to them and how best to use it.
Social media allows you to breakdown the traditional barriers to communicating with your customers and instead allows you to develop 'relationships' by engaging with them and talking with them directly.
For a successful social media campaign you need to develop a wedding marketing strategy which places it at its core.
Take some time to familiarize yourself with online marketing techniques and explore the areas of your business you want promote and expand upon.