It takes work to get your new wedding planning business off the ground, but have the confidence that you can do it. Like this new wedding planner, you might just need to make a few changes to the way you’re marketing your business to attract more brides.
Question
I’m just starting my business and I’ve got one bride scheduled for a day of service and one destination wedding. I’ve been sending information out to newly engaged couples but haven’t received anything back. I’m wondering, should I just give up?
Answer
You’ve just started your wedding planning business and it sounds like you began with unrealistic expectations of how fast you would get all of the brides you want.
This isn’t a business that can promise overnight success. It takes time to develop the relationships, recognition and reputation it takes to be successful. And, if you’ve heard or read stories of how someone just told a few friends about starting their business then suddenly had hundreds of brides trying to hire them, realize that many of those stories are not true.
If you are willing to do some extra work, here are 3 things you can do to attract more brides:
1) Pick your niche
Successful wedding planners focus on a niche. They select a specific group of brides, learn all about them and target their marketing to speak directly to them.
2) Develop your online presence
Your Facebook Page has very little information, in fact you name was not on it and most photographs were not of weddings. If you want to attract brides, you must put photos of weddings you have planned, even if you planned them free.
Follow other wedding Facebook Pages, share their information and photos and add your comments to them. You want your Page to be the place brides visit to get the best wedding information and recognize you as an expert.
Also, it doesn’t appear that you have a website or blog. Or, if you do, it didn’t come up in Google and you don’t have a link to it on your Facebook Page. If you don’t have a site, I encourage you to set one up as soon as possible, don’t just rely on brides to find you on Facebook. You want your business to start showing up on Google searches for wedding planners in your area and it only happens when you have your own web presence.
3) Get out and meet brides and wedding vendors face-to-face
You mentioned that you are “sending out information to newly engaged couples.” Unless these are couples you have met, chances are good they are seeing it as junk mail and not reading what you send.
You need to get out and meet people. Find local chapters of wedding and event planner associations to meet wedding vendors and become referral partners. Attend business networking groups and get the word out about your business. Join social groups at your place of worship. Learn about the brides in your niche and start finding places where you can meet and socialize with them.
If being a wedding planner is truly your dream, don’t let yourself get discouraged. Keep working to attract clients and don’t give up!
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.
