Is your outdated “ineffective” marketing giving couples cold feet?
1. RUNAWAY BRIDE
Don’t cause brides to run away with a sub-par website and ineffective wedding venue marketing! Your site needs to be current and fresh which includes: a responsive design, stunning photography/videography, and links to your active and engaged social media accounts. The best designs should include calendars for brides to check availability along with comprehensive FAQ pages to minimize phone calls and confusion.
2. OPEN BAR
How to get to the bottom of your sales funnel and not the bottom of the bottle! Open bars are all fun and games until your wacky uncle is dancing on top of the tables – the same goes for your marketing; it’s all fun and games until you have no business. The bottom of the sales funnel is the last step in the purchasing process but your bride may still have cold feet. Your job is to demonstrate why your wedding destination is the best choice. To get your brides to say ‘I do’ to your wedding venue, you have to stand out from the crowd. Maybe it’s your price, maybe it’s your all-inclusive buffet dinner, or your ability to adapt to any color scheme. Highlight your core values and what you bring to the table. The groom didn’t just propose after the first date and hope that the bride would commit to him; it took time and work. The same rings true for you. Put in the work and you’ll be rewarded with a full wedding calendar.
3. BEST MAN
The best man stands by the groom’s side and is there to help escort the wacky drunk uncle off the table and send him home. Just as the groom needs his groomsmen, your business needs the help of others. Don’t be afraid to reach out and partner with other vendors such as florists, bakers, or event planners. You don’t have to do this all on your own; other suppliers need the business. Work together to create something the bride and groom will never forget!
4. MOTHER IN LAW
The mother-in-law, whether welcome or not, will be at the wedding and so will your competitors. Find out who your direct competition is and fuel yourself with strategies to keep the couples running towards you rather than into the arms of your competitors. Knowing what angle your competitor is working is going to give you an edge. Just like knowing what color the mother-in-law is wearing to the wedding so as to not clash with the bridesmaid, you want to know what offers your competitor is promoting.
5. BUFFET
Having a buffet at the wedding is any guest’s dream, but ultimately the bride and groom usually suffer at the price of an all-inclusive buffet. The same can go for your marketing. Investing your marketing budget into the wrong channels can cause you to feel stretched and see no return on your investment. That’s why Google Analytics is so important when it comes to tracking what channels are ultimately bringing you profit. Make sure you are smart when you go ‘all out’ with your expenses.
6. DESTINATION WEDDING
When brides are choosing their location, a perfect destination will come to mind. Locations play a big part in your marketing which is called Geographic Segmentation. Some locations make it hard to be found because there is so much competition in the area, others can also be difficult because they are too rural and/or not grouped in with major cities. This is where local SEO plays a big role in making sure your wedding location is a destination people can find. The bride doesn’t want to walk through mud in her heels; she wants a clear path to the altar, and the same goes for your marketing. We want your customers to have a clear path to finding you in organic search results.
Hot Tip: If you are a wedding venue make sure to check out our blog about the top ways to effectively market your wedding venue.
7. DRESS CODE
Have you ever seen that one guest who didn’t understand the occasion and showed up under-dressed in a hoodie and sweats? A more important code for you to consider these days is ADA compatibility on your site. Your site needs to be as ADA-compliant as possible so as to arm yourself against potential lawsuits.
8. PHOTOGRAPHY
Some couples spend a small fortune on their wedding photos as they keep them for a lifetime, the same goes for your business. Are your website pictures up to date and Pinterest-worthy? You can put all of your efforts and budget into photos only for them to sit on your desktop and not be used to entice couples. Photos can turn a bride off in an instant if she sees an outdated venue photo or something that does not suit the dream wedding she imagines. Help her plan the dream wedding she’s always wanted by painting a picture for her on your site. For more information, head over to our blog on the top 3 strategies for a beautiful wedding.
9. WEDDING DRESS
Have you ever been to a wedding and seen the same wedding dress you wore on the bride? Unlikely! Brides want to stand out and feel special; the same goes for the wedding venue they are booking. What is your unique selling point? What makes you stand out above the rest? Brides want something unique whether it’s your location, special services, or the complete package you offer. You have to find a way to stand out with your marketing and on your property. Predicting and following modern trends will give you the edge you need to keep up with today’s competitive landscape.
10. HONEYMOON
Similar to how a bride and groom will come home from their honeymoon and realize the real work has just begun with the marriage, the wedding planning may be over for you with this couple, but your real work is just beginning in terms of their business. You want to create a flourishing and long-lasting relationship with each couple who comes to your wedding venue. An important step after a wedding should include reaching out to the photographer to gain access to the photos with written permission to use those photos in promotional content. Next, you want to share these photos with your marketer so that they can include these images in your next email blast and update your wedding portfolio online. You will want to keep in contact with the bride and groom and grow a relationship – give them a promotion for their anniversary every year, inviting them to relive the moment. This will create the perfect situation for you to get referrals from their friends and family members. Like a successful marriage, you have to take care of one another for the relationship to work so that the honeymoon feels like it never ended.
Are you ready to say yes to wedding marketing? Get ready to grow your business with White Stone’s digital marketing plans, we have a solution for every budget.