October 9, 2017
What NOT to say at a wedding...
This weekend, I attended a lovely family wedding on Cape Cod. It was held at a breathtaking estate on a cliff overlooking the water. There was a private beach lounge chairs and kayaks. The food was traditional clam bake style, with live lobsters and everything. The guests were - with the obvious exception of yours truly - vivacious, scintillating, and endearing.
The happy couple was two wonderful ladies, which I only mention because it’s relevant to the story. Here’s why...
I have a professional photographer friend who exclusively shoots same-sex weddings. If fact, he’s niched all the way down to specifically “two grooms” weddings. This has been quite lucrative for him.
ASIDE: This is a very highly specialized position for a pro photog. Most togs “specialize” in a laundry list of styles (e.g., kids, pets, boudoir, seniors... oy vey!) mistakenly thinking that they can build a profitable business by trying to be everything to everyone.
As I strolled through the grounds of the estate, my photography friend was on my mind. I found myself wondering who - if anyone - was a specialist in same-sex weddings. The wedding planner? The photographer? The minister? The caterer? The stylists? The DJ?
This was just a background curiosity in my mind. I didn’t bother to ask anyone if they specialized in same-sex weddings. But one thing’s for sure:
The DJ did NOT specialize in same-sex weddings.
You know that part of a wedding after the ceremony and at the beginning of the reception when everyone is getting their drink on and the DJ introduces the wedding party one by one, culminating with much anticipation and excitement with the first public introduction of the newlyweds?
Yeah, well... it was at this point that the DJ said with grand flourish:
“AND NOW... IT IS MY PLEASURE... TO INTRODUCE... FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PUBLIC... MISTER AND MISSUS JACOBSON!”
The entire audience exchanged horrified glances. Everyone’s face said:
“Oh SNAP! Did he just say MISTER?!”
Oof. Major faux pas. What a buzzkill. And right at the pinnacle of excitement.
As someone who has put their foot in their mouth loudly over a public address system many times in the past, I felt REALLY bad for this guy. And to his credit, he managed to recover and get the momentum back.
But the thing that keeps popping into my head is what a great story this would make for a DJ who specialized in “two bride” weddings:
Bride: “We’d love to work with you but you’re more than twice as much as the next guy.”
DJ: “Sure, but the ’next guy’ doesn’t normally do same-sex weddings. Do you really want to take the risk that he’ll accidentally introduce you as ’Mister and Missus’ in front of your entire reception party?
To the right couple, mitigating that risk will be well worth paying a premium.
Takeaway
Specialization is a powerful way to supercharge your marketing, do better work, and raise your profits.
What niche market vertical would you most like to serve?
Yours,
—J