By Tracey Manailescu, Co-founder of WPIC Inc.
The road to success is never easy. One day you are on top of the world, and the next you feel like you are drowning in mediocrity. We can’t always have wonderful posts to share on social media or words of wisdom to inspire those around us to stay top of mind.
We can, however, put some marketing practices in place that build up our presence in the wedding world to show consistency and staying power.
Here are some ideas that can help people in “wedding world” get to know you better:
Network: Get to know wedding pros in your area. Attend wedding open houses, conferences and get together’s to help you build relationships. (At this time we are dealing with COVID-19 and these in-person events are not happening.) However, there are plenty of webinars, industry groups on Facebook and Linkedin that you can join.
Use social media for your business: Have a business Instagram, Facebook and Twitter account. Share professional photos of real weddings, events and editorials that you have worked on. Share behind the scenes photos and advice.
Blog: This is the easiest way to show the world what your business is about. The articles that you choose to write about show what’s important to you, and what you want couples to know. Your writing style provides a glimpse into your personality and what makes you a good fit for them. It also is one of the best ways to boost your SEO organically. Try to post 1-2 times a week for best results.
Venue site visits: Set up an appointment with a few other wedding pros and schedule a visit with the venue coordinator to see the property. (Due to COVID-19 in-person site visits are not happening yet, but quite a few of them are doing virtual tours.) Take this opportunity to reach out to venues that you would love to work with, that suit the level and style of your clientele, and set up an appointment for a virtual visit.
How does this help you market your business? You are meeting a key contact for the venue, and you can share your experience first hand on social media and in a blog.
Ask clients or other wedding pros that you have worked with for testimonials: Feedback from people you have worked with is really important. Did they enjoy working with you? Would they do it willingly? What positive professional traits stood out to them? How did you make their wedding better, or what problems did you overcome? These are things that potential clients want to see.
Use videos in your social media: Instagram Live, Facebook Live, and your regular posts can be used to share interviews with clients, other wedding pros, your views on a subject, or to show a snippet from a wedding that you are coordinating.
Offer a contest: Do it alone or better yet, team up with another wedding pro for a giveaway (cookies, flowers, a gift card, a small service, or even a big one, etc.)
Sponsor a local event or charity that is close to you: Provide a product, service or a prize giveaway to a wedding event (conference, networking event, open house, wedding show) or a charity that you admire.
*This is something that I am a very strong advocate of. WPIC and my own planning company, Tracey M Events donates regularly to several charities each year (Second Harvest, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Alzheimer Society of Canada) to name a few.
This was a very informative read. Thank you very much for giving us useful wedding tips.