As a wedding planner, you have the unique opportunity to live through this special day over and over again, each time making it a new experience. However, in addition to the fun, being a wedding planner also means that you have to run your own business, wearing the hats of an accountant and a marketer.
Marketing without the right background
can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t want to invest thousands and thousands of dollars into conventional advertising. Luckily, you don’t have to invest much more than time when you use the following marketing techniques:
Face-to-Face Marketing
A booth at a bridal show with a custom stand banner can be more effective than almost any other type of traditional marketing. When selecting a show, look for a well established show and preferably one that is affiliated with a statewide or national bridal magazine. At a show, you will have the opportunity to chat face to face with brides to
be, but don’t forget to network with the vendors. You need a list of preferred vendors, and an expo is the perfect way to meet them.
Professional Certification
With professional certification, you give your business an extra edge. Clients will take you seriously, and businesses will be more likely to partner with you and share referrals. Along with lending to your credibility, a wedding planner career diploma from schools like PennFoster.edu, for example, grants you admission to the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC). ABC is a professional organization that gives you access to educational resources, support, and networking opportunities with other wedding industry professionals.
Networking
Once you launch your bridal planning business, spending time on Facebook stops being a distraction. Instead, it becomes the cornerstone of your marketing efforts. Create a business page, and invite all of your friends to like it. As they start to follow you, your posts will be seen in the sidebar of their friends’ pages, which will help to garner even more attention.
Apps like Edgerank Checker (EdgerankChecker.com) will help you figure out when your client base is using the network so that you can maximize the effects of your posts. Pictures are worth a thousand words and weddings are very visual, so be sure to post lots of pictures. This is a really easy way for potential clients to visualize your capabilities and get excited about what you do.
The First One’s Free
Before you attract a huge roster of clients, you may need to give a bit away. Keep the fact that you are working for free a secret, or people may undervalue your services. Make your first few forays into the wedding planning world a gift for friends. Those free jobs are an investment into finding paying gigs, and you need to treat them as such.
Labeled Party Favors
When you plan someone’s wedding, don’t forget to market to the guests. Most brides and grooms have friends who are also at the marrying age. Labeled wedding favors and water bottles are the perfect place for you to get your name out there. At My Wedding Favors, you can grab anything from bubbles to customized wine stoppers. The couple’s name and the date should take center stage, but add a bit of text that credits the planning of the big day to you.
Create a Blog
Your website should talk about the services that you provide, but your blog is where you can showcase past events. Create a story of each wedding that you plan, and make sure to give the link to the happy couple. They will share the link on their social networking sites, and as their friends scroll through the story, they may be convinced that they need your services as well.
Also remember that a website or in this case a blog, would be your presentation card for potential customers. You don’t want their first opinion about you to be misleading. Hire a professional to create your blog – there are plenty of designers who can help you with this. For example, Pink Studios offers a variety of price ranges to fit most budgets and we specialize in event planning businesses.
Don’t Forget Pinterest
Even before they realize they need a planner, couples will start searching for ceremonial ideas online. Create an attractive Pinterest account dedicated to wedding ideas. DIY projects won’t necessarily convince the bride to do it herself, but it will show her what you and your preferred vendors are capable of creating. Keep in mind that providing useful content online will posit you as an expert in the field, and it will bring you more traffic than you would normally get.
Feeling a bit overwhemed with all of this? Sit back and relax. We can definitely help you put all the pieces together to market your business in the most productive way! We have the expertise needed to take your event planning business to the next level. From stand banner designs, favor boxes, goodie bags and boxes, table numbers, business cards, trifold brochures, folded cards, blog designs, social media management and cosultation and so much more!
Take a look at some of our creations by visiting our Facebook page.
Which other techniques do you use to maket your wedding planning business? We’d love to hear!