How Can I Get Leads When I’m New to the Wedding Business?
A wedding business, just like any other business, can be a little difficult to get involved with if you’re new. You don’t have a well-known name or a high-status position in the wedding industry.
Many wedding planners often ask questions like: How to get leads when I am new to the wedding business?
How do you get people to notice you and want your services, especially when they have a plethora of options? How would you get them to choose you over the huge wedding business down the street?
Your business is very competitive, and one of your biggest hurdles is getting brides to notice you and close more leads.
The wedding business can be intimidating, especially if you’re just starting out. You don’t have a big company name or money to invest in marketing your new business.
But you can still make some noise for your new wedding business. Here are a few ways to break through the noise, get brides to notice you, and get more wedding leads.
- Network, Network, Network!
It doesn’t matter if you are a PRO or just starting! If people don’t know about you, they won’t hire you. And the best way to get people to know about you is by networking!
Wedding industry professionals are often very helpful toward each other. You know, “It’s not what you know but who you know counts?” Well, in the local wedding market, it’s true.
Networking is one of the best ways to get your name out there and introduce yourself to others.
Who do you think your target market is going to want to hire? A new wedding business that’s been in business for a few months or that professional wedding planner with a solid reputation and a fantastic portfolio?
Networking is the best way to build your business and show that you’re a professional wedding planner.
And it doesn’t have to take a lot of time! You can participate in online networking groups, join industry organizations, or even attend events that are not specifically related to wedding planning.
How can you network? Here are a few ideas:
Cross-Promote:
Promote your services through other wedding professionals. Create a short promo video on Instagram and direct it to influencers in the wedding industry or invite them to your wedding vendor workroom
Participate in Online Networking Groups:
That’s the best way to get more wedding leads. Join online networking groups with other wedding professionals and participate in discussions to meet others.
Show Your Worth:
You don’t have to be famous or well-known to enjoy networking and close more leads. Just prove that you are knowledgeable and valuable in your field by participating in groups.
Follow the leading blogs:
Follow industry leaders and influencers who write about the wedding planning business to learn more. It will also help you keep up with trends and developments. It can be a wedding blog about wedding photography, wedding venues, or generating leads.
Organize Your Own Local Meetups:
Organize small events where local wedding vendors can meet each other. You can even include a brief presentation on how they can promote themselves or work together as a team.
- Target One Niche Group at a Time
There are so many wedding planning niches nowadays! We’re talking about everything from destination weddings to LGBTQ weddings, themed weddings, green weddings, etc.
The bigger your target market is, the more challenging it will be to close wedding leads. You need to know where you stand and who you’re working with.
If you want to close more leads in the shortest time, choose one small niche and work it!
Now try to find the difference between these two sentences:
“Hi! I’m a wedding planner and help brides plan their perfect day.”
vs
“Hi! I’m a destination wedding planner and help LGBTQ couples plan their dream weddings.”
Which one will close more wedding leads? Both of these sentences say the same thing, but one is more specific and targeted towards a personalized introduction of the wedding.
Think about making your description more specific to the type of weddings you plan. This will help you attract more brides and improve your response rate.
Let’s say you focus on destination weddings. Focus on reaching out to couples that are getting married abroad.
The next step is to reach out to local influencers who have a lot of international followers on social media or who have had destination weddings themselves.
It might take a little longer to make a connection, but it will be worth your time, and you would easily close some wedding leads.
- Invest in Mentorship
If you want to become a wedding professional, it takes real dedication and passion. You have to put in the time to learn about local laws, how to manage a budget, and many other details.
Would you just jump into the industry and say: “I’ll figure it out as I go along”? Or would you want to make sure you will stand out from your competition by investing in your wedding business?
If you are just starting out, mentorship can help you turn your business dreams into a reality and help you avoid costly mistakes.
It’s not easy to find the right mentor, but it will be worth the effort.
Here’s what you should consider when looking for a mentor:
- Is it someone who has been in the wedding business for a long time? How many weddings have they closed?
- Do they have a lot of experience in closing wedding leads that you can learn from?
- Is it someone who is active in your industry and is frequently mentioned in local wedding associations?
- Is it someone who has a history of successfully helping other people grow their wedding businesses?
- Is it someone willing to give you access to an exclusive community or network?
A mentor isn’t just the coach; they have been in the trenches before and been through all the things you’re facing.
When you invest in a mentor, you’ll get personalized attention and help find your footing. And the beautiful thing about mentorship is that this relationship can carry on throughout your career.
Your mentor will help you build a brand that sticks with your small group of brides, show you how to attract more brides, and guide you through the early stages of your business (and even the later stages, depending on your mentor!)
If you’re a good student and follow your mentor’s advice, you’ll grow your business into a strong brand name, the foundation of your success.
- Use Your Inexperience As an Asset
Now that’s a really unique angle you have there! Seriously, why not brag about how fresh and new you are to this industry?
Here’s why:
You’re new and inexperienced, so you’ll work extra hard to earn your brides’ trust. You don’t have any old habits that you won’t be able to break with client retention.
You’ll also be focused on providing exceptional service and doing things the right way. You won’t have to worry about old wedding business models that don’t work anymore (and other planners are stuck in their old ways), which is a significant advantage!
Everyone loves new. New is exciting. New is fresh. You can get that effect by mentioning that you have been into mentorship programs and learned from the best.
Many seasoned wedding businesses have seen it all, but you’re just starting, and that’s a 100% advantage.
Bear with me. What does a bride want? A perfect wedding, correct? That’s what every bride wants.
You don’t have to be pro to tell a bride that you offer the perfect wedding, but you better deliver! That’s your duty.
Your duty is also to ask the right questions and show that you care. Ask for her special wishes, even if they are not included in the package she hired you for.
She might want something unique, something you never thought of. That’s your chance to shine and close more wedding leads!
You have to care even if it costs you some money. If she wants something special or unique, you have to go the extra mile to make that happen.
- Stand Out From the Competition by Offering Exceptional Service
When you’re new to the industry, it’s even more important to be known for excellent service. Because if you slip up on one of those details, you can be sure that your clients will spread the word and leave a bad review.
Your first 2 to 3 weddings are crucial because they will set the tone for you and your services. Your career will skyrocket if you can successfully plan a couple of weddings in a row with no major incidents or problems.
On the other hand, if you make a few mistakes initially, your brand will never recover and gain momentum, and you will never get more leads.
You have to do your homework even more carefully. You don’t have the luxury of making small mistakes that no one will notice. Every mistake will be pinned to your brand.
Treat every bride like she is the only one you’ve ever worked for. You need to make sure that every detail is accounted for, including the tiniest ones.
If she wants something unique or specific, you have to deliver even if it costs you money. Every new planner was once in your shoes. They all started their wedding business from scratch.
Take advantage of this fact and offer your help when you can. You’ll instantly stand out from the competition.
And if you need extra help, you can always reach out to your mentorship program.
- Make Your Own Luck
If you’re new, you can’t count on luck. So if you want to jumpstart your wedding business, you have to create your own luck.
Luck is when opportunity meets preparation and hard work. In other words, if you’re prepared for something, you’ll be able to take advantage when the opportunity strikes.
So what does that mean for you? It means that nothing is going to fall in your lap. You’ll have to work for your success and build your client base from scratch.
For instance, closing more brides starts with finding your potential client then making sure that they are aware that you have services for them. It’s all about getting in front of the right audience.
In your case, you have to find brides in the beginning stages of planning and may need help choosing wedding venues. Then you have to offer them something unique, so they see your services as a must-have.
It’s not easy, but you can do it if you want it enough! How do you find these brides? This leads to my next point…
- Run Social Media Ads
When you’re just starting out as your wedding business, it’s hard to get in front of the right audience. After all, you have no reviews and no recommendations. You don’t have an organic audience, either.
That puts you at a serious disadvantage. But don’t worry, you have many other options.
One of them is to run social media ads. It’s fast, efficient, and affordable. It’s one of the best ways to get wedding leads and attract potential clients interested in your services.
It works like this: you create a Facebook ad or invest in Instagram ads. Then you target girls based on their interests, location, age, and many other factors.
But be cautious! Blindly running ads for weddings won’t work because it’s a crowded market. Hundreds of pros are in the industry, offering similar services. You have to be creative and come up with ads that are so good, so irresistible, they find you!
For instance, offer free consultations or free planning services. You get the idea. Think outside of the box!
Another idea is to attach a lead magnet with your ads. A lead magnet in your niche can be the latest report about the average wedding budget, trends in the wedding industry, or a free checklist for brides to choose their best wedding venue.
If you’re creative, I’m sure you can come up with an offer that will work for you! When you have the emails of your potential clients, half of the battle is already won.
- Reach Out to Other Planners
It’s hard to stand out when you’re new in the wedding business. When everyone looks the same, no one will take you seriously.
That’s why there is another option you can use to find new clients. It’s not an option…it’s more like a necessity. You have to find ways to collaborate with other planners in your area to get wedding leads.
You may not know yet, but many successful wedding planners are also willing to help up-and-coming pros. If you have a mentor, consider yourself lucky!
If you don’t, don’t worry.
Here is what you can do:
Go online! There are many forums and Facebook Groups where wedding planners help each other.
To start with, join a few of them and introduce yourself. Remember not to start a sales pitch like this:
Hi, my name is Pat. I’m new to this industry, and I have no clients yet! Can anyone help me get more wedding leads?
That’ll get you banned from the group. Instead, how about this: I’m Pat, and I’m new to this industry. Can anyone give me any advice on how to get more wedding leads?
People will answer. And you can use their answers in your future network marketing! But before you proceed, there is something you should know…
- Always Give Value First
When you’re new in the wedding business, it’s natural that your typical clients don’t know you. Even if they do, no one knows what services you offer or how good you are.
When people help you, especially experienced pros or mentors, it’s essential to give something in return.
For example, if you get advice on how to get more wedding leads, don’t immediately start a sales pitch on your services. Instead, ask more questions and let the person know that you’re really interested in what she is saying.
Then, after you get to know her better and she talks about her services, reach out with the first direct message. It should come across as a genuine compliment, not just another sales pitch.
For instance:
Hi Pat! I’m Anika, a fellow wedding photographer. Wow, you have a great point about using ads as a lead generator. I never thought about it, but I will definitely try that.
Thanks so much for sharing this! Want to meet up for some coffee? We can talk about many things, and hopefully, I can learn something from you as well.
This is an excellent example of showing other wedding photographers that you value their time and expertise. People love to help if they feel appreciated, so use that to your advantage!
- Get Your Business Listed In Wedding Directories
Wedding directories are like Yelp for weddings. The best part is that they attract brides looking for wedding planners in their areas.
You can find popular directories on Google search or Yellow Pages. Then sign up and list your business profile there. Be sure to upload some quality images of your work, and don’t forget to include testimonials.
No matter how good your services are, if brides don’t trust you, they won’t pick you. That’s why reviews and testimonials play a big role in getting the attention of new clients.
If you already have some reviews or recommendations from previous clients, that will work. Feel free to update your profile with that information and add testimonials of previous clients.
Don’t forget to do this for all your social media profiles as well. Many brides will check you out online before contacting you, so make sure that they have the best impression of your wedding business! Remember, you have to stand out from your competition if you want to close more wedding leads.
- Attend Bridal Fairs and Meet-Ups
When you’re new to the wedding business, it’s difficult to meet brides and your wedding clients. You can go online and sign up for a few local wedding websites, but those usually attract the same people as you.
If you really want to meet wedding clients, attending bridal fairs and other networking events is the best way. Look at your local Chamber of Commerce or Wedding Association, and you can find loads of options.
If you’re in the USA, check out The Wedding Wire. This website has a huge directory of bridal events in your area.
Of course, you have to pay for that information, but it’s still better than nothing.
If you’re in the UK, The Perfect Wedding Guide shows brides precisely what events are happening around them.
- Get Creative With Social Media
Finally, it’s time to get serious about your social media profiles! Most brides search for wedding planners on Facebook and Instagram.
So if you don’t have an online presence yet for your wedding planning business, it doesn’t matter how many weddings you get; you will always struggle to get new wedding clients.
Make sure you have a nice logo and profile picture. Then you should post some good-quality images of your work.
Your profile will attract brides only if you have decent followers, so try to post regularly and interact with people.
- Keep Up The Momentum
Building your online presence and getting quality leads from brides takes time. So keep doing what you’re doing, and don’t get discouraged if it takes longer than expected.
As long as you offer quality services, treat your clients well, run online ads smartly and constantly improve yourself, you’ll eventually get the leads you need.
It doesn’t hurt to ask for referrals either – your current clients can be a huge source of new leads. Just be careful not to come across as desperate or annoying.
If you are clear about what you want, it’s easier for clients to say yes and recommend your services to their friends.
That’s how great wedding planners get more wedding leads even when they’re just starting out!
How to Get More Wedding Leads Takeaways:
- Network with other wedding pros.
- List your business on bridal directories and social media sites.
- Attend bridal fairs and events to meet new clients.
- Use your current clients as a source of leads.
- Continue to advertise and improve your services over time.
- Keep up the momentum and continue to push for results!
- Wedding Directory Sites: The Wedding Wire
- The Perfect Wedding Guide (UK)
- Social Media Sites: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+
- Pay For Advertising: The Knot, Wedding Wire, Bridal Circle, Weddington Way
- Mentorship Programs: Find a mentor or take part in an online program to help you grow your business.
Ready to Leverage These Sure-shot Lead-Generation Tactics?
My students are raving about my specially curated workshops that are helping them generate leads, book more weddings & earn higher returns on their investment.
The idea is: I share what I’ve learned on my journey of building a high-quality boutique wedding planning business, and you get to fast-track your success.
If you’re serious about growing your business and want to run it like a CEO, not just a sole proprietor, join me!
That’s it from my side.
Do share your thoughts and tips about getting business as a new wedding planner in the comments below!
