Candice (00:00.257)

It's your business coach speaking and let's talk about the two non-negotiable marketing strategies that every single wedding pro needs to take seriously in 2025. You're here to grow a business, but not just any kind of business. You want to grow a profitable business with purpose, a business where you wake up every single day driven to serve your customers and make a difference in your own life.

I'm Candace Coppola, published author, business coach, and your guide to building a profitable business with purpose. Join me here every single week as we explore how to build and grow your business with purpose. Get ready to dig in and have meaningful conversations about the strategies and techniques that will help you build your dream business. This is the power in purpose.

Candice (01:00.226)

Hey there, friends. Welcome back to the Powered Purpose Podcast. It's me, your host Candice. Thank you so much for being here today. We're talking about marketing again, and I wanted to share with you two non-negotiable marketing strategies that you should really be paying attention to and putting some time and maybe even some money into this year so that you can attract better clients and grow your business scale, make more money.

Do all the things that I know you want to do in your business in 2025. Now, you've heard me talk about these two strategies before, so it's not as if it's going to be some big surprise, but these two marketing strategies I know are going to be game changers for any wedding pros that decide to invest the time, invest the money, and just make an investment in these strategies because marketing is changing.

your ideal couples are changing. Couples are taking much longer to book, much longer to book. The booking window has really increased. I find it so fascinating how long couples are waiting to make decisions. And if you're a planner, you know this all too well because you watch your clients take forever to make decisions more than they used to.

And even if you're a stationer, photographer, caterer, florist, it's like pulling teeth to get the clients that have already booked you to make decisions. So we know that couples are taking longer to book. We know that search behavior is evolving big time. And honestly, most wedding pros are stuck in outdated marketing loops. You're stuck in outdated marketing strategies that

worked for you five years ago, worked for you during COVID, worked for you pre-COVID, but I have to be honest, they're not all working the same as they used to. And some of the marketing strategies that you're using are just flat out outdated and they're not working at all, which no wonder if you're struggling to book and if you're struggling to really grow your brand in a saturated marketplace, if you feel like you're being left behind,

Candice (03:26.188)

No wonder, because the marketing practices that you're using are not going to bring in a new era of clients. So if you're posting on Instagram, just like on a hope and a prayer, hoping for the best, posting and ghosting, then there's a good chance that you're probably feeling a little panicky about your bookings right now. And I know because I am so privileged to be able to see the behind the scenes of thousands of businesses, okay?

booking wedding clients anymore, I am watching hundreds and thousands of wedding pros struggle to book clients. And I get to see just a greater viewpoint than just someone who has one look into what their business is doing right now. And I see behind the scenes of so many wedding businesses.

And if you're struggling to book or your bookings just aren't the caliber that you're hoping for, if you're struggling to market, if you're struggling to figure out how to market, you're definitely not alone. This is an issue that is pervasive across so many different pros. And that's why today I wanted to break down the two must have non-negotiable strategies for every single wedding pro, planner, invitation designer, caterer, florist. And these two strategies I think should be the backbone of your

marketing and for honestly like long-term success in marketing and these two strategies are especially Powerful if you're in a slow season or you're trying to build consistent leads because I see these two marketing strategies as The engine in your business if you attended my 100k Masterclass my 100k playbook you heard me talk about how successful wedding planners, but this is for pros in general how successful pros

are developing a marketing machine and engine in their business and they're not just relying solely on one marketing channel to grow. So let's talk about the two non-negotiable marketing strategies you need to implement and to invest your time and money into this year. The first is SEO and I don't just mean blogging. So please listen. You've heard me talk about SEO at Nausium here on the podcast. I really believe in SEO because it freaking

Candice (05:45.701)

works. I watch women in my mastermind book incredible destination weddings, book incredible clients from SEO. When they implement it at first, they're like, it's not working. We did all this SEO work. We did all this work. It's not working because they're used to that instant gratification. But if you give it just a little time, it starts to work. When it picks up and takes off,

you're going to be amazed at how many people say, I found you on Google. I found you on Google. And not just people, qualified, incredible leads. But when I say SEO, you might just be thinking blogging or something even techie, and that's not the case. And while, yes, you should be blogging, and I mean, seriously, what are you doing? Why are you not doing this? This is the easiest generation to blog in because you have chat GPT, you have AI. It makes it so easy for you to just get started and then you can refine.

but you should be blogging. But what I also mean is that 2025 is all about search. And so I'm talking about, yes, Google, but also TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and even AI tools like ChatGPT, which we have to have such bigger conversations on the podcast about ChatGPT. I've decided that I'm leaning heavily into teaching this in my programs because I think

Well, I am using it in so many different ways. I think many people don't understand the capabilities of AI. So we need to have a bigger conversation, but I want you to know that AI searches are really big. If you're not prioritizing SEO tools like ChatGPT are not going to pick you up. We talked about this in just my marketing trends overview for 2025. I touched on this because listen to that episode if you haven't.

But your couples, they're doing deep dive searches. They're doing deep dive research. They're Googling you. They're checking Reddit threads. They're stalking your website. They're watching TikToks. They're reading reviews. They are heavily vetting you. They want to make sure you're legit. They might even be paying attention to some of these wild, crazy stories that explode on TikTok. I'm talking sepia bride. I'm talking other.

Candice (08:07.131)

who the hell did I hire? Kind of stories, those stories that pop up, they're probably paying attention to, I know they're paying attention to all of that. And there's naturally this mistrust that has entered the chat between couples and pros that we need to understand better. And we actually need to break down the wall of, and your marketing helps to do that. And if you're not searchable, if you're not searchable and if you're not discoverable, you are invisible.

If people can't quickly find you or find out information about you, or there's not enough information about you on the internet, that immediately is going to sow distrust. If I Google your business name and all that comes up is just your website, there's no reviews, there's no social media attached, there's nobody linking to you, there's no publications talking about you. That is curious. I think most couples

are way more advanced and smarter than they were 10 years ago and in what they're looking for. They know that the top pros have been around a long time. They have a lot of information outside of their own website or their own social media published about them. And they're looking for all of that information. If you're new to business, please don't be discouraged. You can build authority.

But if you have a business that's been in business a while and you don't have the search authority that is required, you're going to get left behind. And it's not even that people aren't going to discover you. They might search for you. And if they do find you, but they don't see enough about you, they're going to distrust you or mistrust you. So ask yourself, can people find you when they go looking for you? Or are you like, you know, Banksy?

We can see your work, but we can't see your face. We don't know who you are. Hey, friend, hear that noise? That's the sound of HoneyBook depositing cold hard cash into your bank account. HoneyBook is an all in one client flow platform that helps you manage your leads, send wedding proposals and sign more contracts all at the click of a button.

Candice (10:19.697)

HoneyBook also offers a variety of resources and materials to help you grow your wedding industry business. One of my favorite features of the HoneyBook platform is actually the community of creative entrepreneurs just like you. HoneyBook is offering listeners of the Power and Purpose podcast 35 % off any of their three plans for your first year. 35%. It's an amazing deal. Use the code PURPOSE at checkout or go to CandaceCoppola.com slash HoneyBook to learn more.

That's candiscopla.com slash honeybook. And thanks to HoneyBook for sponsoring this episode of the Power in Purpose podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by our partner, Flowdesk. Flowdesk is an email marketing software used by thousands of creative entrepreneurs just like you to grow their business and their brand. What I love most about Flowdesk is just how easy and simple it is to create stunning and effective email marketing campaigns

in just a few clicks. It's perfect for the wedding industry and for anyone looking to grow their business with email marketing. Go to CandaceCoppola.com slash flow desk to sign up for your free trial where you can start designing beautiful email campaigns while I teach you about marketing here on the podcast. That's CandaceCoppola.com slash flow desk to start your free trial and use the code Candace50 at checkout to save 50 % off

your first year. Check it out and see what's possible. And thanks to Flowdesk for sponsoring this episode of the podcast. Now let's get back to the episode. Now I know SEO can sound really overwhelming, but I promise you it is not. I promise you it's not. And I know I speak from a place of understanding it very well, but I mean, I'm self-taught. I didn't take an SEO course. I just taught myself how to do this. And if I can teach myself, you can teach yourself.

Having to teach yourself is no excuse. There are great SEO educators and SEO courses out there for everybody's different flavor and teaching style where you can learn this very simply and easily. You know, I've had Sarah down on the podcast so many times, love Sarah. She has an amazing course and she also has the ability to break down SEO in an approachable and easy way. Every student of mine that takes her course, they're like, this was so great. Thank you for recommending it, Candace. So you have no excuse not to learn this.

Candice (12:47.045)

I know it can sound overwhelming, it's not. And at the core, you just need to know who you're trying to attract and what they're looking for. If you don't know that, go and buy my client cocktail, I'll link to it in the description, and go take my training, it's $47, and I'm teaching you my secret formula for repelling the wrong people and attracting the right. And yes, this training will show you who you want to attract and

where they're hanging out so that you can supercharge your SEO strategy. Now all that to say, it's a good thing for you that these platforms, TikTok, Instagram, Google, YouTube, and ChatGPT or like AI tools, similar AI tools, are prioritizing search because it makes your content last longer and you can manipulate how you're found.

You can't manipulate per se how you're found on Instagram organically or even how your ads sometimes are shown, but you can manipulate searches if you understand how it works. In 2025, in 2026, I'm predicting from here on out SEO is going to be the number one way

in which you grow your business on any platform. And if you are not optimizing yourself, your content to be discoverable and found by the right people, you are basically invisible. Now, the next non-negotiable is email marketing. And I know that you were like, girl, no thanks. I know that almost none of you are doing this right now. Even if you listened to the email marketing series.

I know you have some work to do. You listen, maybe you participated in the challenge, but you didn't go the distance. Okay? I know that you are thinking this is hard, thinking this is a dead end. I promise you it's not. One of the core values in my business is when everyone zigs, we zag. So what that means, and I think I heard this in an Amy Porterfield podcast like years ago. What it means is this, when everybody is doing one thing, we try to do something different.

Candice (15:02.575)

And you probably do this in your business too. It's like when everybody latches onto one trend, we think, how can we not be mixed up in the crowd? How can we do something just even slightly different, even 1 % different? And I see email marketing as zagging rather than zigging. Everybody's on Instagram. Wedding pros are on TikTok, a lot aren't. There's an opportunity there. But email marketing is this sort of uncharted territory for our industry.

And the people who are doing it are seeing benefits from it. You wanna know why? Because their clients inboxes are not inundated with emails. Unfortunately for me, your inbox is inundated with emails from summits you've gone to, courses you bought, other educators, then you're getting my emails. And we know that there are a lot of people popping off into your inbox, but your couples and your clients is a different story. It's actually...

really like the Wild West, think, email marketing in the inboxes of couples. And you have this opportunity to do something marketing-wise that is so different from your competitors. You have the opportunity to actually speak to somebody in a space where not a lot of people are communicating with them. Think about it like this. If you could go on Instagram and if you could just pump out your content and really...

you're the only planner, the only photographer, the only videographer who was marketing on that platform, it would be so effective because you wouldn't be competing with so many different voices. That is what it's like in email marketing right now. Now, if you want consistent visibility and a long-term connection, which is what we all want, we want consistent visibility, we want to establish trust, we want to create a connection, and we also want to book out our calendar in a way that aligns with how we want to do business.

If those are the things that you want, email marketing is what you need in your toolkit this year. You need to be doing this. You got to get over whatever, whatever blocks you have towards it, the time, the investment. Maybe you tried it in the past. It didn't work. The reason why it didn't work was you didn't know what you were doing and you didn't have a strategy to implement it. You were just like, I need an email list. I need a newsletter, but you didn't understand the strategy behind email marketing, which by the way, I taught you in a furry

Candice (17:26.993)

series here on the podcast, our email marketing series. So scroll back to episodes 123 through 141. Don't worry. The content is not outdated. It is 100 % relevant. Everything I taught you in there is completely relevant. In fact, it was probably before it's time when I taught it. It is so relevant right now. And you heard me mention that couples are taking longer to book in 2025. So we're seeing this decision process being much slower. It's more

research heavy and way more emotionally driven. And if you're only showing up on social media, hoping that they remember you when they're finally ready to book, you're leaving money on the table and email keeps you top of mind. In fact, my business does most of its business on email, email and SEO. That's how I'm able to grow my business. Instagram is nice. We use it because we have to have a presence there.

I don't really think Instagram is the thing that brings me business. Now know our businesses are different, but I think there's a lot of things that are the same. I'm a service provider. I just happen to provide my service to larger groups of people, but I'm a service provider and people are finding me through those channels. Your couples are waiting for you to jump into their inbox. Let me share with you why I believe email is great.

in the grand scheme of longer sales windows and it just taking longer for people to book. It allows you to really nurture people at scale. It allows you to nurture people in a thoughtful, smart, strategic, elongated way. And you don't have to be constantly emailing everybody. Like you're responding to leads and inquiries right now.

That's not what email marketing is. It's automated or you're talking to one of many, not just one person at a time, although it can feel very intimate. So some of this can be automated like welcome sequences or sales sequences. And some of it can be ongoing, like a monthly newsletter, a quarterly newsletter, and anything that you do consistently really helps to build trust. So when you can consistently email, you build trust much faster. And this is what

Candice (19:43.491)

a lot of couples are lacking right now. This is what they're lacking in making decision. So I basically gave away a free mini course on email marketing that you can scroll back and listen to. It's one episode 134 through 141. And our partners for that were Flowdesk and Interact AI. And those two tools will help you to just create the most awesome email marketing strategy that

blows away whatever your competitors are doing and really puts you top of mind. Now, I hope this episode has lit a fire under you for your marketing because in 2025, you cannot afford to ignore SEO and email marketing. You can't afford to just put these on the back burner. And listen, you're just playing business in hard mode if you don't adopt these. I'm just gonna tell you that right now. You're just playing business in hard mode if you do not expand your knowledge around

SEO, email marketing, and incorporate it in your business. In fact, I want to do an entire podcast episode on ways you're playing business in hard mode that you just need to stop. Because these marketing strategies are the long game. They're the long-term strategies that actually bring in leads, that qualify those leads, that help to build relationships and get you booked by couples who already trust you. And it makes the process of working together so much easier.

So I want you to go take one action today. One action, just one. I want you to either open up ChatGPT or your AI of choice, and I want you to start a new chat. And I want you to tell your chat that you are either starting your blog or you are starting an email list. And you want to work with ChatGPT to get this started. And watch how AI helps you, gives you ideas.

asks you questions and gets you going. But do something today. Open up your AI and be like, I need a more sustainable marketing strategy. I want to start with blogging or email marketing. Which one do you suggest? And take it from there. All right, friend. These are two non-negotiable marketing strategies for 2025. I want to hear your thoughts as always. And if you have any suggestions of things you'd like me to cover here on the podcast, my inbox is always.

Candice (22:07.077)

All right, I'm here to remind you there's so much power in your purpose. I'll see you next week. Thanks so much for tuning in to this week's episode of the Power and Purpose Podcast. If you enjoyed the show, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode and consider leaving a review. Head over to powerandpurposepodcast.com to access all of the resources and links mentioned in today's episode. That's Power and Purpose Podcast.

I'll see you next time.