To have a successful wedding planning business, you need to select a specific group of brides to market your services to. I explain why it’s important in my answer to today’s question.
Question
I’m just starting and I’m not sure who my target audience will be yet but I think it will be anyone who wants to get married. Is this wise?
Answer
In a word, NO.
“Anyone who wants to get married” is not a target market and trying be the wedding planner for anyone and everyone may get you a few brides but never enough to have a business.
I know you might be thinking if you select a very specific target market you will be limiting your opportunities, but it actually increases your chances of attracting brides, vendors, and good referrals.
When you identify the specific type of brides you want to work with and determine the services they would buy, you can then create a marketing message that speaks specifically to their needs and easily captures their attention. They will read your website, blog, Facebook and Twitter posts, and see your Pinterest boards and realize that you are speaking to them. When you speak directly to them, they will say to themselves, “this is the wedding planner for me, this is the one who can help me plan the wedding of my dreams.” Then they will contact you.
Also, wedding vendors who target the same brides will seek you out to work with you. And, with a clear understanding of who the brides are that you are trying to reach and how your services help them, people can more easily refer you to others.
Understand that targeting specific brides doesn’t mean you can’t plan weddings for brides who are not part of your target market. You can still plan weddings for any brides you want to take on as clients but spend your time refining your niche for the greatest success.
And if you have a pressing question about starting or running your wedding planning business, you can send me an email at [email protected]. I will answer them on this blog or in my ezine, “Wedding Planner Tips,” which you can subscribe to here.
