Building a network with related businesses is a great way to ensure that brides-to-be who are shopping for their dress or future grooms checking out rings hear about your venue early on. Establish relationships with tuxedo and dress shops, florists, caterers, etc. - any local business that plays a part in weddings. When couples looking for guidance ask them for advice, you’ll be the first venue on their lips.
Word-of-mouth referrals are one of the best — if not THE best — ways to ensure new business gets lined up regularly. While repeat customers are likely to be a small percentage of your business, making sure that you give satisfied couples the opportunity to share their experience as a testimonial will give your venue organic authenticity to be a trusted vendor. Consider offering a small gift to the referrers and a discount to the ones referred as a gesture of appreciation.
Your website is likely going to be what potential couples see before they call you. It may be the determining factor to if they call you at all! So make your site perfect: include contact information everywhere, concentrate on the visuals, and make sure your Google Analytics are set up so you can track where your referrals are coming from. Based on that data, you can constantly tweak your site for peak performance.
Note: if you’re relatively new to the venue industry and you don’t have any/many photos of events, it’s going to be crucial for you to focus on your early marketing strategies until you can build up a good portfolio.
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Pinning a few stock photos of rows of white wedding folding chairs decorated with bunting isn’t going to cut it anymore. However, ignoring social media could spell disaster for your wedding venue. Allocate time every week to social media updates, especially on channels like Pinterest and Facebook where brides-to-be are most active. Also consider contributing content to sites like The Knot, where you’ll have the chance to be exposed to thousands of potential clients in one fell swoop.
You have to be able to determine your own comfort level when it comes to what types of events you’re willing to put on as well as what sort of specials you offer, but there are a few things you may want to consider in terms of flexibility. For instance, you don’t want to adjust your pricing so much that you aren’t able to meet your bottom line, but could you consider seasonal or holiday specials? Your venue will likely get booked early on weekends, but what about Mondays or Tuesdays? Think about offering a deal during slower seasons or days.
You should also consider having a variety of catering and party rental companies to recommend. Lots of venues insist their guests use their in-house photographer/caterer/DJ/etc., but if you have a potential client who has very specific dietary requests, is your caterer of choice going to be able to accommodate them? What about if someone wants purple instead of white wedding chairs? Be prepared for any and all requests by having relationships with multiple vendors.
There are tons of wedding venues that couples could choose, so why should they choose yours? Make it worth their while with little extras that are easy for you and helpful for them. Think about offering free WiFi so guests can Instagram from the dance floor. Make sure you have plenty of parking, or offer a shuttle as part of a wedding package if the wedding and reception are in two different locations. Give them different options of backdrops for weddings, or offer a discount to set up and tear down the white wedding folding chairs they rented. Your guests will remember the little things, and those will be what set you apart from the rest.
Lots of brides have their own wedding planner or day-of coordinator, but many of them don’t. Having someone reliable on the day of the wedding will ease a bride’s nerves and ensure things go smoothly from start to finish. They’re going to be the person smoothing the wedding drapes for photos, who brings a bride water and a snack to keep her blood sugar regulated, and make sure all of the groomsmen are on time for photos. On a day when anything could go wrong but nothing should, providing an experienced coordinator will provide insurance against the odds.
8.) Scope the competition
Check out what other successful local venues are doing! Do they only offer Chiavari chairs, or do they have an option for white wedding folding chairs for an outdoor space? Who do they use for party rentals? Stay within your niche, but you might be able to pick up some good tips from the competition.
With these tips, you will be able to dominate the local wedding venue market. Good luck!