Most of the brides you will be serving are in their twenties or early thirties, and are considered those of Generation Y. This is a generation filled with the desire for instant gratification, uniqueness, and ease. Here are a few tips on how to market your services to brides of today:
1) Make it easy to do business with you.
Most research a bride will perform when attempting to find wedding planners and/or wedding vendors will be done on the Internet. Having an easy to use and informative website, blog, or social media profile can go a long way in getting you potential clients without you actively seeking them. List your website on local wedding directories or purchase small advertising spots on sites like The Knot, Wedding Wire, etc. Have multiple ways available to connect and contact you: phone, email, website submissions, etc. This will let people choose which means of communication will work best for them.
2) Provide a unique experience for each bride.
Bridal magazines these days are filled with informative articles on how to "personalize" the big day and make it unique to the bridal couples interests and personalities. When marketing your services, make sure you highlight your desire and ability to create a unique and personalized wedding for each client so they can truly feel special instead of just attending another cookie-cutter wedding.
3) Show them everything they will get with your service upfront.
In the age of instant gratification, it's extremely important to let a bride know everything she will get if she buys your services BEFORE you start going into details about how you will turn her dreams into reality. This lets her see all of the benefits and details she will get by hiring you and will often catch her attention before she loses interest.
4) Show them examples of weddings you've done for couples just like them.
Brides will want to see examples of weddings you've done. Show them photos of weddings you've done for couples that shared their similar budget or style. (Outdoor weddings for couples who are interested in an outdoor ceremony) This will help them envision what you will be able to do for their wedding.
The great thing about Generation Y-ers is that they love to share their good experiences with other people. Do a great job and you will receive great recommendations and references which can go a long way with finding your next clients.
Tips for Wedding Planners
Showing posts with label Marketing Your Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marketing Your Business. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Exhibiting at Bridal Shows
Bridal shows are great for business and can put you in front of hundreds
to thousands of potential clients that are actively seeking wedding
vendors, venues, & planners. As a wedding planner, using
bridal shows as a tool for gaining clientele is a great way to quickly
fill up your schedule with weddings. Here are some great tips for
preparing for a bridal show or expo:
Find the Right Show to Exhibit at:
Many larger cities have a number of different shows throughout the year and each show can be ran by a different company. Some companies may hold two or three shows a year whereas some may only do one. The best bet is to first visit a show held by each company to see which one brings in the biggest crowd, offers the most to vendors, and is held at the best time of year (January, February, or September, October).
Once you have found a show that interests you, ask a few questions before paying your deposit. What is included in your fee (table, chairs, linens, etc)? How many vendors will be exhibiting at the show? How many of those vendors do the same thing that you do? How big is the booth area? When will you be allowed to set up? As a wedding planner, you will want to make sure that there are no more than 10 other wedding planners exhibiting or the cost may not be worth the reward of additional clients since there may be too much competition.
Make Your Booth Unique & Exciting:
You want your booth to stand out from the rest. It's best to find a location near an entrance or in a corner. Rent (or buy if you plan on exhibiting at a number of bridal shows) your own linens that are cohesive in color and theme with the rest of your booth. Invest in a sign. It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to look nice and stand out. Balloons, lights, and plants often attract the attention of brides passing by. There will be a lot of vendors exhibiting at a bridal show so it's extremely important to stand out.
Have a Way to Capture Leads & Follow Up:
There are some great companies out there that help small businesses set up a campaign to capture lead information, and then follow up with them immediately by offering valuable free advice or tips to make a great impression. You can then begin a campaign (through emails & text messages) to build rapport with brides and grooms and keep your name at the top of their minds during their decision making process. Just because a bride and groom don't book on the day of the show, doesn't mean they won't. It's best to stay in contact with them, offering them great advice, free wedding planning worksheets, and even awesome discounts or promos to entice them to use your service. Check out 10x10 Marketing who specializes in wedding vendor marketing & follow-up campaigns for more information:
www.10x10marketing.com/pittsburgh/wedding-vendors
They are based in Pittsburgh but work with vendors all over the country.
Find the Right Show to Exhibit at:
Many larger cities have a number of different shows throughout the year and each show can be ran by a different company. Some companies may hold two or three shows a year whereas some may only do one. The best bet is to first visit a show held by each company to see which one brings in the biggest crowd, offers the most to vendors, and is held at the best time of year (January, February, or September, October).
Once you have found a show that interests you, ask a few questions before paying your deposit. What is included in your fee (table, chairs, linens, etc)? How many vendors will be exhibiting at the show? How many of those vendors do the same thing that you do? How big is the booth area? When will you be allowed to set up? As a wedding planner, you will want to make sure that there are no more than 10 other wedding planners exhibiting or the cost may not be worth the reward of additional clients since there may be too much competition.
Make Your Booth Unique & Exciting:
You want your booth to stand out from the rest. It's best to find a location near an entrance or in a corner. Rent (or buy if you plan on exhibiting at a number of bridal shows) your own linens that are cohesive in color and theme with the rest of your booth. Invest in a sign. It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to look nice and stand out. Balloons, lights, and plants often attract the attention of brides passing by. There will be a lot of vendors exhibiting at a bridal show so it's extremely important to stand out.
Have a Way to Capture Leads & Follow Up:
There are some great companies out there that help small businesses set up a campaign to capture lead information, and then follow up with them immediately by offering valuable free advice or tips to make a great impression. You can then begin a campaign (through emails & text messages) to build rapport with brides and grooms and keep your name at the top of their minds during their decision making process. Just because a bride and groom don't book on the day of the show, doesn't mean they won't. It's best to stay in contact with them, offering them great advice, free wedding planning worksheets, and even awesome discounts or promos to entice them to use your service. Check out 10x10 Marketing who specializes in wedding vendor marketing & follow-up campaigns for more information:
www.10x10marketing.com/pittsburgh/wedding-vendors
They are based in Pittsburgh but work with vendors all over the country.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Marketing Your New Business
You can spend all the time in the world setting up your office, developing your business plan, and creating excellent pricing and packages, but if you don't get the word out to potential customers, it will be hard to get any clients!
While most start-up wedding planning business aren't working with hundreds of thousands of dollars for their advertising budget, there are a number of low cost or even free ways to advertise & market your new business.
Check out the following ideas that I have found to be quite successful:
Online Methods
Business Website
Wedding Planning Tips & Ideas Blog
Social Media Accounts (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube)
Pay-Per-Click advertising (like Google Adwords)
Listing in Wedding Directories (Check Out www.wedpittsburgh.com for an example directory)
Offline Methods
Booth at Bridal Shows
Handing out Business Cards to Vendors or Wedding-Related Professionals
Brochures
Flyers
Ads in local newspapers
Direct Mailings
Car Window Decals
Yard Signs
Advertising doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to be effective. The best idea is to try small doses of each and decide which one works the best for you and then focus your attention to those methods.
While most start-up wedding planning business aren't working with hundreds of thousands of dollars for their advertising budget, there are a number of low cost or even free ways to advertise & market your new business.
Check out the following ideas that I have found to be quite successful:
Online Methods
Business Website
Wedding Planning Tips & Ideas Blog
Social Media Accounts (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube)
Pay-Per-Click advertising (like Google Adwords)
Listing in Wedding Directories (Check Out www.wedpittsburgh.com for an example directory)
Offline Methods
Booth at Bridal Shows
Handing out Business Cards to Vendors or Wedding-Related Professionals
Brochures
Flyers
Ads in local newspapers
Direct Mailings
Car Window Decals
Yard Signs
Advertising doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to be effective. The best idea is to try small doses of each and decide which one works the best for you and then focus your attention to those methods.
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