With over a decade of experience as a mentor in the wedding industry, I’ve spent my fair share of time talking about marketing with my students and mentees. I know marketing can be really tough–it’s time consuming, energy draining, and full of imposter syndrome. And as a wedding planner, you’re told constantly that you need to market your business in a thousand different ways–always scared you’re making a mistake. Plus, there never seems to be enough time. Today, I’m going to share with you the social media mistakes I see every wedding planner make so you can avoid them as you start or continue to market your own wedding business.
Before you come for me, I know that not every single wedding planner makes every single one of these mistakes. But as you keep reading, I bet you’ll find yourself guilty of at least one of these things.
Sorry, not sorry.
But now that you know, you can fix it! If you want tangible results with your marketing, you’re going to want to take notes on this one!
Social Media Mistake #1: Not Sharing More About You
People want to do business with people. How often do you share about yourself on social media? I know you might feel shy–or feel like your life isn’t perfect enough to share… but people really do want to get to know you.
Sharing more about your personal life–including your sense of humor, how you see the world, and yes your favorite cocktail–can help to accelerate that know/like/trust factor.
What’s the know/like/trust factor? Well, in order for someone to buy from you they need to know you (aka find you). Next, they need to like you–and that’s where sharing more about your personal life comes in. Finally, once they know and like you, you’ve got to get them to trust you.
Once you complete those steps, you’ve unlocked the customer buy button.
So, instead of spending so much time talking all about your business, find ways to share more about yourself.
I believe most businesses fail because they don’t know who they are talking to.
If you’re still not sure about what your ideal client really wants, make sure to take a look at the Ideal Client Cocktail. It’s so much more than “What’s their favorite color?” and “What do they like to eat for dinner?” and more about what your clients truly value and are looking for in a high-end wedding planner. It also shares a whole lot more about how to attract them!
Social Media Mistake #2: Not Having A Cohesive Brand Message
We have all done the “throw spaghetti on the wall and see what works” kind of thing when it comes to marketing. I’ve said before that I believe marketing can be just one big experiment, and you should give yourself permission to have fun with it in your business.
However, when it comes to your brand, you’re going to want something that is both visually and emotionally consistent. That doesn’t mean you need to use the color blue everywhere, but your company should stand for something, and that something should be recognizable to your ideal clients.
As a self-proclaimed purpose pioneer, I believe purpose is the cornerstone of your business.
Your company’s purpose should lead the way in any marketing strategy you try. My motto? Marketing is simply sharing your message so that it reaches the right people. So, friend–what the heck is your message?
Your customers want to know that you value what they value, whether that means being active in social issues or valuing over-the-top floral arrangements. What is your business’ purpose? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? Why do you serve your clients?
Social Media Mistake #3: Not Engaging with Followers and Creating Connections
I know you’ve heard this one before. Social media was meant to be social. To be honest, this is one of the biggest social media mistakes I see every wedding planner make.
Are you responding to comments? Are you reaching out to newly engaged couples and vendors in your area? Do you take the time to acknowledge the folks who engage with your content? And do you also take the time to meet new people and support your peers?
Seriously, take advantage of the opportunity to be social on social media. Personally, I love sending voice notes to new followers because it always catches them by surprise and makes them feel so special and appreciated. I’ve had people say, “WOW, I didn’t expect you to respond!” That’s exactly what I want for my brand!
Social Media Mistake #4: Being Inconsistent With Content
Instead of just trying to research the latest hashtag hack, or hoping to go viral using the latest reels trend, ask yourself if you are actually being consistent with your content.
Whenever one of the ladies I’m coaching comes to me and says their marketing is “just not working”, the first thing I ask is always: Are you being consistent? And if so, for how long? Always remember that running a business is a long game. Even if you’ve been consistent in your marketing for a month or more, that is literally a drop in the bucket.
In the wedding industry, you need to be consistent with your marketing as much as you can. Don’t worry. You can batchwork it to make it a little easier. But truly, nothing will trump pure consistency.
Get into a routine and schedule with your marketing. Don’t fall off the face of the earth for two months and wonder why no one has filled out your inquiry form. Find time to consistently post and connect. If you can’t–then hire someone to do it for ya.
Social Media Mistake #5: Not Sharing The Transformation You Provide Your Clients
As wedding planners, there’s a lot of stuff we do that goes unnoticed. How often have you been told by a customer that they just need someone to “oversee everything” on the wedding day? Just stand there with a clipboard, looking pretty and hand-delivering their cocktails? Or worse yet – asking why they even need a wedding planner at all! Their vendors know exactly what to do. Right?
LOL!
If you’ve been in business for a minute, this is almost laughable, but a social media mistake I see wedding planners make all the time is not talking enough about what you do. What do you do behind the scenes? How do you make your clients feel? What is made possible when someone hires you? Share the transformation you provide your clients. Make them feel so at ease that they can’t wait to add you to their vendor list (right at the top).
Seth Godin says, “People don’t buy paint. They buy painted walls.”
What does that mean, exactly? Let me break it down.
When you head out to good ole Home Depot, you’re not there to buy a can of paint. Yes, you do walk away with a can of paint (plus a new drop cloth, paint roller, brushes, tape, and some new painting gadgets you found on an end cap)…. but is that really what you went to buy?
No, you drove out to Home Depot and dropped a couple of hundred dollars on products because you wanted the painted wall.
You know the one Pinterest’s algorithm served you, and now you have to paint your living room Pantone’s color of the year.
People don’t buy paint–they buy the end product that sent them to the store in the first place.
Yes, sharing more about you and who you are is important. But clients care about themselves. They want to see themselves in your marketing–and if you’re spending more time talking about yourself and not enough time showing them the “end of the rainbow,” you’re in trouble.
When it comes to marketing, I want you to balance sharing more about yourself with what your clients really want. Show them that painted wall, girl!
Remember, people don’t buy paint–they buy painted walls.
Ready to do social media differently (and a lot more effectively!)? If you need a little help, don’t forget we include a strategic marketing plan EVERY month inside the Planner’s Playbook!
Seriously, we covered a lot here, but nothing makes implementation easier than an actual plan. I created the Planner’s Playbook with YOU in mind to share everything I know after over a decade in the wedding industry. Yes, we cover marketing every month, but we also teach you how to deliver what you promise. With weddings, there are no do-overs. When you are confident in the experience you are delivering, your marketing gets a heck of a lot better (with a lot less effort). Trust me when I say you want to get on this waitlist.
Skipping to the end and looking for a summary? Stop making the mistakes above when marketing your wedding planning business and do this instead:
- Share more about you and not just your business.
People want to do business with people who share more about who they are.
- Have a cohesive brand message and look.
Keep your messaging and your brand look cohesive.
- Engage with followers and create connections.
Social media is supposed to be social–so put yourself out there and engage with other folks’ content. Respond to comments, DMs, and people who engage with you.
- Get consistent.
No more excuses, OK? If you want to market your wedding planning business the right way–you need to put yourself out there consistently.
- Share the transformation you provide.
People don’t buy paint, they buy painted walls. Reveal the painted wall to your ideal client as much as you can through your marketing.
Explore More Wedding Industry Resources
- The 5 Best Social Media Management Tools For Wedding Pros
- 7 Easy Ways to Market Your Wedding Planning Business Consistently During Peak Season
- Enji Marketing Software: A Review
- Wedding Planner Marketing: How to Attract and Speak Directly to Your Ideal Client
- Pricing Mistakes You Can’t Afford To Make In Your Business As A Wedding Pro
- Stand Out in a Saturated Market: Performing a SWOT Analysis as a Wedding Planner
- Marketing to Gen Z In The Wedding Industry: 5 Things You Need to Know
- How To Design A Styled Shoot As A Wedding Planner
- 9 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your Wedding Planning Business
- 8 Free Ways To Market Your Wedding Planning Biz
- How To Get Wedding Clients When You’re Just Starting Out
- 4 Strategies That Will Help You Book MORE Of Your Ideal Clients
- Why You’re Not Attracting The Right Clients and How to Fix It
- 4 Tips for Creating a Preferred Wedding Vendor List as a Wedding Planner
- 4 Wedding Blogging Mistakes Almost Every Wedding Planner Makes
For More Wedding Planner Business Secrets Follow Me On Instagram
If you’re sitting on a sales call running through your bullet point list of what’s in each package, congratulations. You just signaled to a luxury couple that you’re not the right fit for them.
Luxury clients are not shopping for “20 hours of planning” or “30 free belly bands” or “500 edited images.”
They’re shopping for the version of their wedding that only you can pull off.
They want to know what you’ll DO. How you think. What you’ve handled. Where you’d push back.
If they wanted features, they’d go to The Knot and filter by price.
They’re talking to you because they want a person with a point of view.
So the next time you’re on a consultation with a luxury buyer, give them one.
If you’re interested in learning more about how luxury buyers think, check out episode 209 of my podcast — or comment “209” and I’ll DM you the link!
A typical Monday for me. How do you spend your Monday? 💜
no thoughts just boss 💅
photography @c10ike (aka my co-boss)
Nobody is coming to choose you or your business.
I said this to a student last month who had been in the business for years. Her process was dialed in. She had weddings on the books. But the work she was getting didn’t reflect what she was actually capable of, and she’d been waiting for the right client to come along and finally give her the chance to prove it.
That’s not how it works.
If you want to be booked for the work you actually want to do, you have to start showing it. Styled shoots. Venue tour reels. A post that says “manifesting this venue for my next dream couple.”
If you sit around and wait for a dream client to pick you so that you can prove what you’re capable of, you’re going to be waiting around a long time.
On the flip side…
Another client told me how she pivoted out of the $70K weddings she didn’t want by telling two prospective clients their budget was actually going to be $120K.
Both signed.
She didn’t wait for permission. She decided. She chose.
I want you to do the same.
What’s one thing you could post this week that shows the work you want to be hired for — not the work you currently have?
All, Building Your Brand, Ideal Clients, Instagram Marketing, Wedding Industry Marketing, Wedding Planning Advice
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