By: Tracey Manailescu
1. Stay Consistent in Social Media Endeavours: We have seen so many people start off with the gleam in their eye and a get-go attitude only to quietly disappear after a few months because success didn’t happen overnight. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your wedding planning business. Remember the saying, “Out of sight = out of mind”. Communicate with potential clients in your blog, twitter and business Facebook page on a regular basis. Stay true to you, by discussing things that are directly related to your wedding planning business. Show your personality in your posts. Share feedback and photos from events you have attended, courses you have taken, recent weddings and trends & news that you think your readers will enjoy hearing about.
2. Invest in Your Company and Your Brand: Hire professional companies to build your website, create your business cards, design your logo. Trust me, people know if you made them yourself. Make sure your company name matches your website and email address. A pet peeve of ours at the WPIC office is when a company does not have a professional email address. @sympatico.ca or hotmail.com with your company name is not a professional email address. Make sure your printed material is spellchecked and with proper grammar. Check the WPIC Alumni Association boards for referrals, ask people in other groups & Associations you belong to, search websites that you think are similar to your tastes and style and find out who designed it. Contact them to see what they can custom create for you, find out pricing, and hire them! Sometimes, to make money, you need to spend money. Clients will not come banging down your door to hire you, if they cannot find you, or don’t even know that you exist. Place an ad in a print or online magazine (or two), that represents your company best. Purchase a booth in your local wedding show (invest in a great backdrop, booth decor, marketing materials and give-aways). Attend conferences that interest you and have seminars that relate specifically to what you want to/need to learn more about.
3. Know Your Target Market: What type of client is your dream client? Market to them. Think about who you are comfortable around, it should be similar to your friends and where you socialize. What inspires you and is already in your life now? Is it fitness, diet, design, clothing, shoes, jewelry, etc.? That is where you will find your target market. You have to be true to you. Do not try to be something you are not, and couldn’t possibly be. What skills do you have that will set you apart from the crowd? Are you a DIY type of personality, a budget savvy expert, a trend setter, a social butterfly, or a travel junkie? Put your money and attention to where your passion lays.
4. Great Customer Service: Think about what it is that makes you return to your favourite store, restaurant or even a car company. 9 times out of 10 it is for the customer service. How does the company make you feel? Pretty special I’m sure. They might aknowledge you as a returning client with a warm welcome, handshake, smile, send you personal invitations for in-store sales or an invite for a new product launch or end of year party, give you something free on your bill like an aperitif or dessert. Whatever it is, it makes you feel appreciated. Professional speaker, Alan Berg actually made me aware of this train of thought. It really resonated personally with me, and I always strive to do this with my clients and colleagues.
5. Never Put a Limit on Learning: Yes, I know you are tired of hearing it, but it is something we at WPIC Inc. strongly believe in. You can never stop learning. Ever. If you feel you lack a certain skill in your business dealings, or need to learn more about a product or language, then get on it and take a course, attend a conference, read a book, subscribe to a business magazine, whatever it is conquer it. No one is perfect, and no one can possibly know everything there is to know. Just when you think you are safe, something new comes along and shakes up the world’s way of thinking.
It takes time, money, networking skills, a strong will and desire to stand out from the crowd. We know how frustrating this can be. Don’t give up if this is your passion.
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful article. Definitely help for business owners old and new! Such a well timed piece to come out, as many of us are heading back to the drawing boards at the end of summer.
Great post! I’m currently working on strengthening my branding and client experience, so this was a perfect read for me!
Having been involved with wedding photography and wedding decorations and planning for over 20 years it never ceases to amaze me that some wedding planners don’t understand what their clients really want. Taking the time to listen and I mean really listen to your prospective clients is the most important part of your job as a wedding planner. This can be a fun and exciting industry and it is your job as a planner to bring the expectations of a couples lifetime dreams to fruition, once you have made first contact listen to what your prospective client wants to achieve out of what will be one of the biggest days of their lives.
Great information! This will definitely help me.
Success in wedding planning is sum of three factors: Dedication, social activities and your brand name. I have seen many wedding planners who began their career without having any degree but dedication for their work made them popular among all. Now a day’s for gaining popularity you need to do digital marketing and building a reputation on internet.
Nice tips you share to grow wedding planner business. I am also wedding invitation provider in affordable price. Thanks for sharing!