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NZ Wedding Vendors: would you love to book more brides, create more income & rapidly grow your wedding business?

WeddingWise was created to help NZ wedding vendors connect to their ideal customers online, and we’re always looking for new ways to offer value to the hard-working wedding industry professionals in our directory.That’s why WeddingWise, partnered The Wedding Entrepreneurs Academy, would like to invite you to some free video training specifically for wedding business owners wanting to grow their business.If you’re struggling to stand out in the crowd, or develop a powerful brand that positions you as a leader and an expert then this training is a MUST.Developed by Kim McGann, Founder of the Wedding Entrepreneurs Academy, this training is exactly what you need to begin building the wedding business of your dreams.Kim created this system after building her own 6 figure multi award winning wedding business, and is now sharing it with WeddingWise members.…

In our monthly Vendor Tips column, we look at expert advice to help wedding businesses succeed. This week we’re delving into social media – the darling of the Internet that is transforming the world of marketing. How can you use social media as a wedding vendor to gain leads and clients?Social media should factor into every wedding vendor’s marketing plan. Why? Well, first of all, it doesn’t cost anything. For any wedding business starting out, funds are at a minimum, and social media is a great way to get some attention for your business without a huge cash investment.Second, social media has a positive impact on your website’s search rankings. The more people are talking about you and engaging with your brand on social media, the higher Google ranks you for your search terms.Third, social media is a great way to network with other wedding businesses – you can join Facebook groups and contribute to group Pinterest boards, pooling resources to bring additional hits…

Most wedding vendors provide a selection of packages and pre-made services/products – such as photography packages, pre-designed stationary and particular sizes of cake. But if you want to stand out from your competitors in the crowded wedding market – as well as appeal to a wider clientele of couples – then you should consider offering custom services.Custom services mean you create unique designs for one couple only. Obviously, all photography work is by nature a custom service, but many stationers, dress designers and other wedding professionals could benefit from offering custom services alongside their “out-of-the-box” packages. Here are a few tips on offering custom design services as a wedding vendor:

Show examples

If you’re claiming to do custom work, then the client will want to see examples of exactly what you can do. If you’re just starting to offer custom work, it pays to create 1-5 examples (depending on time and expense) to photograph for your…

Our regular Vendor Tips column has been a huge hit so far! This week we’re talking about one of the first decisions a wedding vendor has to make – which wedding market are you targeting?Engaged couples come in all shapes, sizes, genders and personalities. It’s important for you to narrow down a sector of this market to help you target your advertising and promotional efforts. Targeting a defined market will also make your job more enjoyable – you’ll be working on the types of weddings you enjoy and skipping the others.In this article I talk about some of the different wedding markets and what you need to think about if you’re targeting each one.

Defining Your Market by Gender

In the wedding market (which caters to predominantly hetero couples), the people making the majority of purchasing decisions are women. Hence, most wedding marketing material is directed at and designed to appeal to women.However, that’s not to say that men don’t have a say in their wedding…

Wedding shows are one of the primary marketing events of any vendor’s calendar. They are a chance to meet personally with hundreds of brides and promote your business in the wedding industry.A significant chunk of any wedding vendor’s marketing budget will go on wedding shows every year, so it’s important to optimise your wedding show experience to get the biggest return on your investment.Success at a wedding fair isn’t some magic formula – it’s all about matching your services to the right couples and providing them with all the info they need. Here are my top strategies for rocking a wedding show.

Choose the Right Wedding Show

Different wedding shows focus on different wedding markets, and this will definitely impact. Some cater for high end, luxury weddings, while others focus on the mid-range or budget end of the market, and there are even some shows for alternative weddings. Almost all wedding shows attract brides predominantly from the immediate geographic…

As more and more couples move to the internet as their first source of wedding planning, it’s more important than ever to have a portfolio of work that stands out. Brides are using sites like Pinterest to gather inspiration, so choosing images for your portfolio that are appealing will greatly increase your business’ reach.But how do you create a portfolio that’s eye-catching and professional? Here are our top tips:

Create Two Portfolios

You’ll need two separate portfolios, and each will have a different layout and function. Your online portfolio will be a major component of your website, and will include a gallery of your best work. On a website you can usually include lots of different photographs – I like to include “in progress” shots that show an event coming together.You’ll also need to create a high-quality photo album of your work to show to potential clients you meet in person. Choose these photographs to highlight your different skills/packages. For example,…

Did you know that your About Me page is usually the second page on your website potential brides will click on? It is vital that your website about page accurately portrays not only what your company does and who you do it for, but who you are and what you’ve set out to achieve with your business. A friendly, personable website bio will show a bride that you’re a real person who can be trusted.So what should your website bio/About Me page include? There are no hard-and-fast rules, and the contents of each bio will differ from industry to industry and company to company.

Tell a Story

Your About page is meant to be interesting, so grab your reader’s attention with a story. Talk about how you founded the company, how you came to be a cake decorator or a dressmaker, or how the company has grown over the last few years. Showing not just who you are now, but how you got there, will make your page – and your company – much more real and enticing.

Explain What Makes You…

Your website is often the first contact a bride will have with your company. She might be Googling for a particular product, or a friend might have sent her the link to your company. But once she lands on your site, you want her to stick around as long as possible – and hopefully choose you as her vendor.It helps to think of your website as an online storefront – first impressions count. You wouldn’t open up shop in the morning with rubbish on the doorstep or grubby front windows. Likewise, you shouldn’t leave your website unattended. Here are five tips to improve your vendor website:

1. Professional Design

Even if you’re not very web-savvy, your clients are, and if a bride sees an amateur, template site, she’s going to assume your company is amateur, too. Your website design is an investment that will pay for itself many times over – so bite the bullet and invest in a professional design. If you have a tiny budget, talk to design students or ask for a service swap…