Category Archive

Wedding industry advice

Ever heard of this phrase “The WIC”? It stands for “wedding industrial complex,” and it’s the icky part of the wedding industry. The Offbeat Empire, however, is working to rock out a small niche corner of the wedding industry. For our fellow non-icky WIC types, we’re here for you with advice and guidance. Be sure to join our vendor newsletter for insider deals and best practices!

7 tips for search engine-friendly URLs to let Google make sweet love to your website

I get to see a lot of URLs pass my virtual doorstep in my dual editor/vendor relations roles. Almost everyone has some grasp of SEO and the tools that help us tread those nasty waters. But inevitably, I also see tiny ways we might be tripping ourselves up when it comes to SEO. And so often they are easy-peasy fixes. I’ll be talking about these strategies in a few posts, starting with one of the most basic: the slick and simple optimized URL!

Show-don’t-tell marketing: how to share your business story with integrity

I spent over a decade in the corporate marketing trenches before I founded the Offbeat Empire. If I learned anything from my time with Microsoft, Amazon, and The Seattle Times, it’s this: the best marketing is just about telling a story. Really, all you’re trying to do is share stories that potential clients might be interested in and might see themselves in… all with the hopes that those potential clients will themselves become a part of the story.

As a writer, however, I know that it’s all about SHOWING (not telling) your stories. Don’t just TELL people about your business’s new products or values — SHOW them.

“I had a 38,000 dollar return on investment from advertising with Offbeat Bride”

Tax season doesn’t normally bring me many smiles, but in the case of this testimonial from an Offbeat Bride advertiser… somehow tax season doesn’t seem so bad…

Offbeatdride: How to turn marketing fails into awesome human moments

I spent over ten years in the trenches of corporate marketing, so I have a lot of fist-bumping love for the creatives who find themselves paying the bills with public relations, marketing, and other sales work. That said, maybe having worked in marketing makes me even less patient with marketing mistakes. I’m like a former waiter, who’s both prone to tipping 40% because I remember so clearly the challenges of doing that work… but who’s also extra critical because, look: I know what it’s like, and it’s not that hard.