9 Sales Promotion Ideas for Your Wedding Planning Business

In the business of wedding planning, promotion is everything. Whether you’re a solo planner or a larger company, you can’t rely on organic traffic and hope that people “just happen to find you” when they need your services. Sales promotions and marketing are a must, but the good news is that when you do it right, you can find plenty of creative and unique solutions to help beat out today’s ever-increasing competition. 

In the wedding planning industry, discounts and freebies are always appreciated. This is a multi-billion-dollar industry where people spend thousands, and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars on their special day. If your promotions help cut down on those expenses, they’re sure to add you to their shortlist of planners. Here are some ideas to help you draw in more business and increase your clientele to take your wedding planning business to the next level. 

1. Partner with vendors 

Partnering with others in the wedding and event industries is a great way to promote your business and get more clients. For example, you could partner with venues that you use frequently to cross-promote and offer savings, or even partner with florists, bakers, and so forth. The more people in your corner, the more opportunities you have for promotion. 

2. Utilize social media 

Social media marketing is no longer optional. It’s likely going to become the bulk of your business if it hasn’t already. You can use social media in so many different ways, from sharing your weddings and previous clients to advertising specials (such as February discounts on planning services for Valentine’s Day). You can’t just put up profiles and walk away, though. You have to consider all aspects of social media marketing to create a strategy that works for you. 

3. Consider offering incentives for reviews 

While getting reviews just because you’re good at what you do is great, there’s an even better way to garner more of them—offer an incentive. This is a good place to use partner offers or upsells because it gives you a chance to offer people something they wouldn’t get otherwise without paying for it. It doesn’t have to be a huge incentive, either. Just try to find something that motivates people to help you out by sharing their experiences. 

4. Offer bundled discounts or a special upgrade for new clients

If new clients are what you’re after, sometimes it can pay to give them a bundle or special discount for their business. Even better, offer the chance to upgrade their planning services for no extra cost. However you do it, you should make sure that it’s something that people will appreciate. Even if you just offer a couple of free bottles of wine when they book with you and use your winery partnership, that’s more than they might get elsewhere. 

5. Check your website 

If your website isn’t up to snuff, it doesn’t matter what else you do. You need to optimize for SEO, have a mobile-friendly design, and provide relevant, useful resources for people. Your website is also where you’ll want to have a portfolio of your work available for prospective clients. Link to your social media pages, too, and make sure that your site ranks well and gets the spotlight it deserves. 

6. Are you listing locally?

Starting with Google My Business and getting listed on Google Maps, you need to make sure that your wedding planning business is being listed locally. This is a business that depends on your local clientele and no matter how big the Internet gets, you still need to focus on your local audience. Make sure that you consider traditional advertising or local partnerships, in addition to other promotions and efforts. 

Even if you’re willing to travel, you’ll still be regional in many cases, and can use those locations as part of your SEO to make sure that your wedding planning website ranks well. Then, your business will essentially promote itself. 

7. Start a blog or Pinterest following 

While we already mentioned social media marketing in general, we want to home in on the real value for wedding planners here—a blog or Pinterest board collection could be a great way to promote your planning business. Plus, it will give you a place to post photos of weddings that you’ve planned so that people have visual proof that you’re the best person for the job. 

A blog can be good because you’ll have room for pictures and text, but it might not hurt to make a Pinterest board, too. Many people who are planning weddings turn to sites like Pinterest for inspiration and could stumble upon your business. 

8. Trade shows and expos 

As a wedding planner, expos and trade shows are the ideal places for you to find new clients. They’re also great for networking and helping to build your professional portfolio, so be sure to utilize them in any way that you can. You might even want to give people that contact you because of the show a special discount or incentive that other clients don’t normally get. 

9. Partner with the team at Smith.ai to handle all those new leads, and to help find them in the first place

Our last tip is going to free up a lot of your time, which will be valuable when you’re inundated with all kinds of new leads. When you partner with the dedicated virtual receptionists at Smith.ai, you’ll have systems in place to handle lead intake and qualification, as well as things like after-hours answering so you never miss a lead or opportunity. 

Plus, we’ll even be there with outbound sales and support, outreach campaigns, and all the communication solutions you need to keep in touch with clients and leads via email, text, and even live website chat. 

To learn more, schedule a consultation to find out how the 24/7 virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can help you grow your wedding planning business. You can also reach us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.