Each Tuesday evening (UK time) our UK campus hosts WedBizHour, a lively hour of Twitter Chat for anyone interested in the business of weddings and events. Every week leads to a new understanding about something you need to know, but a recent topic really stood out to me, because it included a plan of action and I love action plans! It is also a perfect theme for the blog this month, as this month we are delving deeper into the topic of launching a wedding business; because we know that this is the ultimate goal for many of you.
This action plan is all about marketing for your business. But it is not just for those of you who already have a business. Whilst we must review our strategies at all stages of business and this action plan will help you to do this, it is also going to be useful to you if you are just starting to think about your business and attracting customers.
The action plan is actually a 10 Step Marketing Plan that is going to give you a framework for researching your target market and competition, identifying what makes you different and will help you to develop strategies for promotion, price and branding.
This step-by-step plan looks simple and it is, because we have broken the steps right down, but it is not a quick fix. It should take you time to work through, as it is a plan for research, application and analysis when it comes to marketing your business, or future business.
I have outlined the steps below and given a little more information about each of them too. If you want to know more, I recommend reading the full transcript of this Twitter Chat on our website here. The participants in this chat have lots of questions and you may find that the discussion enhances your understanding of how to work through the plan.
I also have two blog recommendations for you. The first is Bride Appeal published by Kathy Dalpra and the second is OFD Consulting published by Meghan Ely. Kathy is a member of our Advisory Board in the Caribbean and the US and both Kathy and Meghan have contributed to this month’s edition of The Wedding Business Magazine. Their expertise is in Marketing, PR and SEO specifically for the wedding industry and you will learn a lot that will help you with your own marketing by regularly visiting their sites.
- Collect and Organise Data – about the market that is currently buying your products/services.
- Target Market – Find niche or target markets your products/services & describe them.
- Product – Describe your Product. How does it relate to the market? What does your market currently use.
- Competition – Describe your Competition. Develop your unique selling proposition. What makes you stand out.
- Mission Statement – Write out your mission Statement. Who are you selling to and what makes you different?
- Market Strategies – Write down the marketing and promotion strategies you want to use to reach your target market.
- Pricing, Positioning, Branding – establish strategies for determining the price of your product or service from your research.
- Budget – what strategies can you afford? What can you do in-house and what do you need to out-source?
- Marketing Goals – establish quantifiable marketing goals. This means goals you can turn into numbers.
- Monitor your results – test and analyse. Identify the strategies that are working. Survey your customers.
If you are a student or graduate needing help with marketing and your wedding business, connect with us in our private Facebook group, Academy Live. If you would like to find out more about how our courses help people like Dee launch a business, contact the campus nearest you to speak with one our Course Specialists.
