Is it your dream to be your own boss and start a wedding business?
It’s an exciting prospect and one that can often be a little overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. But don’t worry, at the Wedding Academy that is what we specialise in.
Our Advanced Certificate In Wedding Planning, Styling & Business course leaves no stone unturned and gives you a blueprint and exact formula for starting a wedding business.
In this post we’re giving you a little sneak peek at some of the tactics we teach you once you become a student.
5 Things you Need to Start a Wedding Business
Find Your Tribe
Every wedding planner, stylist or designer has a style that is unique to them. They have qualities that nobody else has and they offer a client experience that is exclusively theirs.
To really succeed in the wedding industry you need to find your tribe and make sure everything you do speaks directly to them. Every picture you put on Instagram, post you publish on your blog and email you send.
If your style is minimalist chic then don’t post pictures of rustic weddings or talk about wildflowers in jam jars because you’ll be putting off the people you want to work with.
Become a Stalker
You have to be prepared to do some detective work. When you first start out you need to know and understand where your bridal clients are hanging out both on and offline.
Once you find those places its time to become a stalker and start watching their every move to understand that strongest desires, their biggest challenges, the things that scare them about their wedding and the things that get them excited.
You need to get a handle on how they talk, the brands they love, the places they like to eat out in and the stores they love to shop in.
Why?
Because this is how you’ll find your tribe and be able to start really marketing to them in an authentic way. It’s how you’ll start to build the trust and begin that all important relationship with them.
Choose A Social Media Platform
When you first start your wedding business you’ll have a lot to do so trying to be everywhere all at once isn’t going to work. However, once you’ve done your detective work you’ll know which social media platform is the preferred one for your potential clients.
The key then is to focus on that one platform with purpose and an end goal. Consistency is key when it comes to social media and to build engagement you’ll need a plan that hooks your ideal client and gets them talking to you.
Although social media is free to market yourself on it’s also free for everyone else so getting yourself heard above the noise is crucial. A well thought our plan will help you do that.
Speak their Language
Understanding how to communicate with your bridal clients is so important. Every piece of content you deliver to them either on your blog, through your website, on social media or via email should speak their language.
If your clients are sticklers for grammar then make sure you are too. If they like to talk in text speak then consider how you can weave this into your conversations with them. In other words, everything you write should sound like something they would say.
In order for them to feel like you know them, get them and understand them they need to connect with you easily. It shouldn’t be hard and they shouldn’t be questioning things you say. You want them to feel as though you’re the voice in their head.
This sounds harder than what it actually is but don’t worry we can help. We have a method we use at the Wedding Academy that helps you to easily know the right language to use.
Know Your Numbers
Pricing is important and unless you want to have a very expensive hobby you need to know and understand the costs involved in the weddings you plan, how to account for your time and what to charge your clients so you make a profit.
You’ll also want to consider your competition and the region you’ll be working in to see if you’re competitive. You might want to look at the luxury market and if you do then everything you put out there will need to reflect that, including your pricing.
As part of our Wedding Business training we have a pricing formula we use with you to make sure you know what to do and how to do it. This includes how to create and sell packages your clients will book.