Tips to Help Create Your Booking Season Marketing Plan
Engagement season happens every year (like clockwork), and every year thousands of wedding pros across the country scramble to figure out how they are going to capitalize on it. Because, for whatever reason, a lot of people think they can get through the most important sales season in the wedding industry without a plan to put their business in front of the new cohort of recently engaged couples. Maybe it’s because they’ve gotten away without it in the past or maybe it’s because they don’t know where to start. But, regardless of where on the spectrum of “I’ll risk it without one” to “I know I need one but don’t know how” you are, today we wanted to dive into the basics of what a marketing plan can look like so you can see how simple it can be! Read on to learn about what tools you have in your toolbox, how to decide on which to use, and content ideas to round it all out.
Why having a marketing plan for booking season is important
If you’re like a lot of wedding pros, you see a spike in the number of inquiries you’re getting between November and February of every year. And while some of that spike might just be because of luck (or you’ve got a strong marketing base to begin with), that spike could be so much more if you had a strategic plan in place—one that focuses your marketing efforts and puts your business in front of the most qualified potential clients out there. But, in addition to increasing the number of leads you get, having a marketing plan can help you get better leads. Because when you aren’t just throwing spaghetti against the wall and you actually have thought about ways you can get couples to know, like, and trust you (a fundamental goal in marketing), you’re that much more likely to attract your ideal client and have a smooth booking process and working relationship.
Marketing channels and tactics to consider
When it comes to the tools you have in your toolbox, this is where most people feel overwhelmed—there are so many places you can market your business! But when we think about the channels that are typically effective for wedding business owners, the list starts to shorten (a little). So as you think about where you can market your business, here are some of the channels you can consider (this is not an exhaustive list):
Instagram: posts, stories, reels
Facebook: posts
TikTok
Pinterest
Advertising: The Knot, WeddingWire, Style Me Pretty, Google, social media
Website: pop-ups, updated content
SEO: blog, Google Business Page
PR: networking and outreach
How to pick your marketing mix
If most people feel overwhelmed by the number of marketing channels they have to pick from, they feel even more stressed by the need to pick the “right” ones for their business. But here is our biggest piece of advice—you only need to pick 1-3! The reason being, you are only 1 person with so many hours in the day, and you are also responsible for keeping your business moving forward—so don’t fool yourself into thinking you need to (or can) be everywhere all the time.
The best way to pick the “right” mix of marketing channels is to start with a little bit of research. Look through your website, social media, and advertising metrics as well as your consultation notes to see where exactly your leads are actually coming from. The answer might surprise you! Once you know your numbers and what your best lead sources are, those are the marketing channels you should focus on…and save yourself from wasting time and money on anything else.
Pro-tip: The right pace of creating and posting content is the pace you can commit to!
Content ideas that help people know and like you
We talked about how one of the most fundamental goals you have in marketing is to get people to know, like, and trust you, so we wanted to break down a few content ideas that will help you do just that. Here are a few to work into your marketing plan that will help newly engaged couples get to know and like you:
Personal and team introductions
Takeover days or day in the life
Sharing mission and inclusivity statements
Pro-tip: Even though it might feel excessive, you need to do this more than once during booking season! A pace of introducing yourself and/or team members once a month is a good idea.
Marketing ideas to earn people’s trust
And when it comes to getting people to finally hit inquire, you need to have earned their trust first—you are asking them for a lot of money and to trust you with a big responsibility! Here are a few content ideas to help you show your expertise, creativity, and professional trustworthiness:
Behind the scenes content
Client reviews and testimonials
Content that shows your logistical/planning skills
Content that shows your design skills and ability to bring things to life
Content that shows your connections to and knowledge of local venues
Pro-tip: Another really important thing to do in order to earn people trust is show them you understand the problem they are having (which is their motivation for looking for a planner, florist, etc.) and your ability to be the perfect solution. Don’t just write captions that describe what people see in the photo or video—talk about the why behind it all or what it took to bring it to life!
If you need some visual assets to help you execute your marketing plan this booking season, becoming a Sourced Co. member is going to fill your content toolbox! Get access to more than 50 photoshoot galleries of styled stock photos, done-for-you graphics, videos clips, caption templates, and blog outlines—each created with your needs as a wedding pro in mind! Learn more about our membership and sign up today!
