Category: Suppliers

How to become a winning wedding supplier in 2018

 

All those things you promised yourself you’d do differently last year can finally be put into practice and you could make 2018 your best year of weddings yet.

 

That is, as long as you’re prepared to make positive changes now.

Here are 3 things that the most successful wedding suppliers of 2018 will be doing right now and throughout 2018. If you want to have a winning year too, you’d best get started…

 

1. Be stringent with time management and communications

Think back to how busy you were during peak wedding season 2017. Wouldn’t it be incredible if you could be equally as busy this year but without the added stress of feeling like there simply aren’t enough hours in the day?

 

Streamline your communications now and you’ll soon notice how much more efficiently you’re managing your time, and how much more you’re able to get done. We strongly recommend that you write down a basic communication plan and stick to it as closely as you can. It could look something like this:

 

  • Enquiry: respond via email within 24 hours (tip – prepare a template and include personalisation fields)
  • Follow up email / phone call: if you haven’t heard back since the initial enquiry, schedule a follow up email and / or phone call 5-7 days later.
  • First meeting: organise a first meeting to discuss ideas and secure the booking. At this meeting, inform your clients of how you prefer to work in terms of ongoing communication between now and their wedding day. Perhaps you could share a Google document with the couple and ask them to input all of their ideas and requests there, and let them know that you’ll be free to discuss all ideas exactly 12, 10 or 8 months before their wedding day – whichever schedule works for both you as the wedding supplier and for the couple in question.
  • Ongoing communication: set your second meeting (whether face to face, skype or phone call) and schedule a final pre-wedding meeting with the couple so that they feel comfortable knowing that you’re in control of things. This also helps you better manage your time.

 

 

Prepare for ad hoc email communications and phone calls but try to keep all communications direct and concise – it’s simply a better use of everyone’s time.

 

2. Be clear on your goals

What do you hope to achieve in 2018, both personally and professionally? It’s important to consider what a better wedding business and a better life means to you, and to think about how these elements tie together.

If you’re challenging yourself to generate more revenue and more bookings but are also determined to secure a better work-life balance this year, you’ll have to consider building a bigger team to free up your time. Is this financially feasible?

Carefully consider your objectives for this year and document three clear goals for you to work towards and remind yourself of regularly. Checking in monthly will provide reflection; enabling you to see how you’re progressing and helping you stay on track.

 

 

Tip: you’re much more likely to do something if you write it down so even if you work alone, note down your goals and display them in your office so they’re clear for you to see!

 

3. Build your online presence

It is getting more and more difficult to get noticed online but it’s absolutely essential that you try and that you’re consistently dedicating a fair proportion of your time to doing so.

Consistently produce and upload fresh, new, high quality content and stay abreast of new developments in SEO. If you’ve already got a great website and are present on social channels and online wedding planning tools like Bridebook, consider working with a local SEO consultant or digital marketing specialist to boost your presence and further build authority in search results.

 

 

Local pros can be found on Linked In and on specialist freelance sites like UpWork, but be careful to ask for examples of work and demonstrable experience before engaging a freelancer as specialist sites don’t always mean specialist services!

We’ll be sharing our top SEO tips right here, at Bridebook Business Hub, throughout the year so if you’re keen to have a go at becoming an online marketing pro yourself, stay tuned for hot new tips and tricks.

 

It’s time to change the game

To make a positive long-term impact on your business it’s essential that you focus on making small changes today. These super achievable game changing tips will make your life easier and your business better. Start today and become this year’s winning wedding supplier.

 

Looking for more wedding industry trends and couple insights? Head to the Bridebook Business Hub, the home of wedding industry knowledge. 

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Supplier Stories: The Key to the Granary Estates’ ‘New Wedding Venue’ Success

Welcome to this week’s Supplier Story! ‘Supplier Stories’ is an original Bridebook Business article series, where we go behind-the-scenes and into the wedding world through those that know it best – the experienced and talented venues and suppliers across the UK.

So whether this is your first story or 10th, enjoy as we look into the industry as a whole, and celebrate a true story in itself! Who says couples have all the fun?

The Granary Estates’ Supplier Story:

 

This week we shine the spotlight on Lynne, Marketing Co-ordinator at The Granary Estates. This beautiful venue comprises two rustic barns joined together by a modern glass walkway. The Granary Girls manage to attract couples from all over the world to celebrate their special day in this equally special setting. The Granary Barns opened in April 2013 and this dynamic young team are taking these stunning barns from strength to strength – read on to find out how!

So without further ado, Lynne over to you!

 

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

 Hello! We are the GG’s (aka The Granary Girls) and we are the team behind the award-winning Granary Estates! The Estates consists of two venues located on the Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border; The Granary Barns and The Polo Club Dullingham. With its classic flint walls and original timber beams throughout, our 18th century Granary Barn is the perfect setting for a relaxed and intimate wedding day. The Polo club in Dullingham offers space, flexibility and versatility for those looking for a blank canvas. We operate all year round, sharing our love and passion for all things wedding!

 

2. Share the story of Granary Estates?

 The Granary Estates opened its doors in April 2013 and has continued to grow ever since! We have just completed our fifth summer wedding season, seeing our newlyweds travel from as far as Australia and America this year.

Mr. Taylor, owner of The Granary Estates, grew up on the farm and had the idea to renovate the barns after attending a family wedding on the site. By implementing a stunning glass walkway, we were able to link both the smaller Flint Barn and the main Granary Barn, creating an exclusive venue space with bundles of natural light and flexibility whilst maintaining the barns natural charm and character.

 

 

3. What’s your favourite part of the venue?

 We love every part of the barns but if we had to choose, there’s something very special about The Flint Barn. The untouched, original timber beams give the barn an intimate and warm atmosphere as guests arrive at the venue. The flint walls add a rustic charm and are the perfect backdrop for the many civil ceremonies that take place here.

 

 4. What drew you to the wedding world?

 Working in weddings and events we understand how important it is to make sure our couples are stress free and able to enjoy themselves on the lead up to and on their big day. A persons wedding day is one of the most important and special days of their lives and we are honoured to be able to be a part of that. Being in the wedding industry, we enjoy working with people and find great job satisfaction in helping others to achieve their ultimate goal, whether it be through helping them to source a photographer to helping pin the button hole on to the groom’s lapel at the last minute!

 

 5. What do you see as the biggest challenge in the wedding industry currently?

 Nobody can escape just how fast technology and the online industries are growing. It’s quite a hard topic to pin down, but we feel that as much as Pinterest is a fantastic platform to explore with its various ideas, planning and inspiration, this can sometimes work as a negative for some brides/grooms when planning their wedding. We feel that having these aspirational ideas from the beginning can sometimes put pressure on newly engaged couples to create the ‘perfect’ wedding. We love to encourage creativity and those all-important personal touches here at The Granary Estates and will always try to help and guide our couples if they are struggling with certain decorations or styling options. We ultimately want their wedding day to reflect them as a couple as this is what makes a wedding unique to them.

 

 

 6. What wedding venue trends are you seeing in the industry?

 In the past few years we have noticed an increase in historical and industrial venues; those venues that can offer space and versatility to couples who want to create a wedding totally unique to them. The tradition of the bride’s family paying for the wedding is slowly fading out and in its place, we see far more couples paying for the wedding on their own. We can therefore understand how couples are preferring to have the flexibility to pick and choose certain elements of the day, being far more knowledgeable with budgets and how they can make the day work better for them. We believe this is why venues with built in character and interesting aesthetics have become more desirable as in a lot of cases there is more freedom with regards to decoration and on the flip side, less need for additional styling of so desired.

 

 7. What is the biggest challenge you face on the wedding day itself?

 Our main goal on every wedding day is to ensure that our soon-to-be-wed couple are happy, relaxed and are enjoying every minute. Every wedding is as important as the last and as a luxury venue, we ensure our high standards are met with great communication throughout the planning process within our team and external suppliers. There are no dress rehearsals on a wedding day and we have just one chance to get it right! We go in to every wedding day fully prepared and excited to watch them celebrate one of the best days of their lives!

 

 8. How do you feel technology is changing the industry?

 There has been a massive change in how we market and advertise in the industry over the past 3 years. As social media platforms, blogging and online interaction show no signs of slowing down, we as a business have had to adapt and embrace these changes. Couples are now able to plan their weddings from anywhere in the world, on any device which has totally changed the wedding and creative industries.  We like to use our social media to inspire and interact with our followers, making their experience fun, creative and helpful.

 

9. What has been your biggest time saver this year?

 As our company continues to grow, we have been able to expand our Events Team and welcomed Victoria in July this year. Victoria has been invaluable in helping to provide additional support to our Events Team in both practical and administrative duties and has also quickly become an integral role in the running of weddings and events at the barns.

 

10. How do reviews affect the industry?

 The first thing we all do when booking a holiday or checking out a new restaurant is to read personal reviews about the place in question and this is the same for your wedding venue! Reviews are a fantastic way to share experiences and give personal insights in to what others could expect. We love to hear from our past couples sharing their thoughts and memories from their big day.

 

 11. How do you get to know your couples before the big day?

 We begin building relationships with our couples from the very first phone call, email or initial meeting. After the first contact with them, we always encourage our couples to come and have a look around the venue which gives us an opportunity to meet and discuss their big day in more detail. We always endeavour to find out more about what makes them unique, how they met and what their aspirations are for the big day. We are always available to talk to and to give advice where needed to ensure our couples are happy and making the right decisions for them.

 

 

12. What do you think makes The Granary Estates unique?

 Without blowing our own trumpet, we feel it is our team which gives the Estates its uniqueness.

We are a young, dynamic and friendly team here at The Granary Estates and have a fantastic working relationship with all of our suppliers and industry colleagues. As a team, we are dedicated to our various job roles and are passionate about what we do. We always strive to continue to grow and develop individually and with the business so we can share our knowledge and expertise with our brides and grooms.

 

13. What do you think makes for the perfect wedding?

 Friends, family and fun! By now you have planned everything, managed to get all of your friends and family to the venue and created the day of your dreams – now you need to enjoy it! It’s important to be able to relax and enjoy the day you have dreamt of and nothing makes for a better wedding than happy newlyweds, good food, chilled drinks and a busy dancefloor!

 

14. What’s your favourite wedding memory?

 A favourite memory that stands out from this year has to be when a couple shared the news that they were expecting not one, not two but three babies!! We were let in on the secret as the groom planned to share the news in his speech and we were thrilled to see everyone’s reaction in the barns! Jaws hit the table, tears were shed and glasses were raised, turning the day in to a quadruple celebration – a great moment to have been part of!

 

15. What do you love about Bridebook?

 We find Bridebook is extremely easy to use, with clear navigation tools and a clean, minimal design all backed up by a supportive team. Having images located at the very top of our listing is fantastic as photographs are the best way to have an immediate impact and to display the venue. The response we receive from our Bridebook page is great with daily enquiries and a strong online presence in our region.

 

A huge thank you to Lynne for sharing her Supplier Story. See the rustic Granary Estates in their Bridebook profile.

 

Want to feature in your own Supplier Story? Get in touch with Beth at [email protected].

Supplier Stories: RSA House shares the Importance of Communication and Bespoke weddings.

Welcome to this week’s Supplier Story! ‘Supplier Stories’ is an original Bridebook Business article series, where we go behind-the-scenes and into the wedding world through those that know it best – the experienced and talented venues and suppliers across the UK.

So whether this is your first story or 10th, enjoy as we look into the industry as a whole, and celebrate a true story in itself! Who says couples have all the fun?

RSA House’s Supplier Story: 

Photo Credit: Guy Collier

 

This week we’re shining the spotlight on Rosalind Craven, Wedding Co-ordinator at RSA House. Set amidst the daily hustle and bustle of of London’s West End, RSA House is a hidden gem in all its Georgian  splendour. Each room is completely unique with its own tale, making it a remarkable place to say ‘i do’ on your very special day. 

So without further ado, Rosalind over to you!

 

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I still sometimes cannot believe my luck that I have fallen into the wedding world as it has always been a dream to work in such a creative and diverse industry, and the perfectionist in me loves nothing more than a flawlessly planned event!

Asides from wedding planning and marketing, I enjoy discovering new places to eat with friends, spending time in the countryside or by the coast, listening to all sorts of music and a new hobby this year has been practising calligraphy – which comes in handy when couples are missing a placecard or two on the big day!

 

2. Share the story of yourself and RSA House.

Since starting in the events industry I have worked in many different types of venues and organised over 150 weddings. Having tried working in the corporate events sector, I found myself coming back to weddings because I missed the more personal relationships you build with people and the creativity and challenges involved in planning such intricate events. Working at RSA House particularly appealed to me because in addition to having such a fascinating history, all of the profits from the events go back into supporting the brilliant work that the charity does.

 

3. What do you see as the biggest challenge for couples planning their wedding?

I would undoubtedly say that the biggest challenge for couples these days is the overwhelming amount of choice that there is in the wedding market. Then on top of all these decisions to make, people often tell me that they get pulled in every direction by family members and friends who want to help. The most important thing to remember is that it is YOUR day. The final decision lies with you so remember that you don’t have to please everyone!

 

4. What wedding venue trends are you seeing in the industry?

One trend that I am particularly loving for winter weddings at the moment is a move towards choosing more homely, filling and charmingly simple dishes for the wedding banquet. Our last wedding at RSA House requested a bespoke dish for their main course of ‘Bangers and Mash’, which went down a treat with their guests on a cold December day! It was such a lovely, relaxed atmosphere and everyone really enjoyed the food.

 

5. What advice would you give to a couple who is just starting to plan their wedding?

The first step is to find the venue and pick a date! Once the venue is secured, then you can ask your wedding coordinator to give you lots of advice about the best suppliers to use in that area. Venue coordinators will be able to help you in lots of areas, not just related to the venue and catering.

 

6. How do you feel technology is changing the industry?

Although the amount of choice that technology has generated for couples these days can seem a little daunting at first, it is hard to imagine how people used to plan a wedding without Pinterest! All of the information you could possibly need is right at your fingertips and couples have access to a wealth of advice and support from industry experts along the way. Forums are also a wonderful way to be able to chat to other newly engaged couples who might be going through the same experiences as you.

 

7. How do you get to know your couples before the big day?

As I look after each wedding we have here at RSA House, it is lovely to be able to see every wedding through from the very first enquiry to the day itself. During the planning process couples are welcome to organise the day via email or in person – whatever suits them best. I often work with a lot of couples who live abroad so even if they cannot visit us in person, I can get to know them and what’s important to them over the phone or Skype.

 

8. What do you think makes RSA House unique? 

The thing I love most about how we work at RSA House is that in addition to personally looking after every couple that books with us, I am also there on the day to ensure that every little detail we have discussed throughout the planning is always carried through to fruition. Having worked in several different venues, many may offer a coordinator to help you plan the day but there will be a different person present on the wedding day itself. Having that consistency of communication is such a crucial part of creating the perfect wedding day.

 

9. What do you think makes for an unforgettable wedding?

The best weddings I have seen are when the couple really put their personal stamp on the day. Letting your personality shine through things like the decorations, music, entertainment and food is one way to make your wedding day truly unique. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and often it’s the smaller touches like personal family traditions that make the day memorable for everyone.

 

10. What’s your favourite wedding memory?

It would be impossible to name just one favourite memory from the weddings I have organised. However, the best feeling is when you see the couple truly relax and enjoy their day. Nearly all couples say that their wedding day goes by so quickly, so the last thing you want is for them to still be worrying about timings and logistics. It is the most rewarding feeling when they wholly put their trust in you and just enjoy every moment of their day.

 

11. What do you love about Bridebook?

There is such an overload of information available about weddings these days that it can be overwhelming for newly engaged couples who don’t know where to start. Bridebook is a fantastic way to keep all of your planning in one place and get helpful suggestions on how you can take things step by step.  

 

A huge thank you to Rosalind for sharing her Supplier Story. See the stunning RSA House  in their Bridebook profile.

 

Want to feature in your own Supplier Story? Get in touch with Beth at [email protected]. 

Bridebook Business Hub

Bridebook Business Hub

 

Welcome to the Bridebook Business Hub.  

Bridebook Business Hub has been created for you, the wedding industry professional. We want to make sure you have the skills and resources you need to build a strong digital presence and market your wedding business with confidence. From couple insights and trends to social media and lead generation (and much more), the Bridebook Business Hub is a one-stop shop for the all the latest news and top tips to power your wedding business.

As well as this, we look to provide supportive and educational insight into the industry. We do this by working with our Bridebook data scientists and by partnering with leading experts, inspirational thinkers, and thought generators. 

 

Be Good To Yourself:

  1. 3 New Year’s Resolutions for every wedding professional
  2. Your bedtime routine could be wrecking your wedding business
  3. 23 Motivational Quotes to help Inspire Wedding Professionals
  4. 3 Ways to Stay Motivated as a Wedding Professional
  5. TED tips for building creative confidence as a wedding professional

 

Bridebook Business Account & Profile

  1. The New Face of Bridebook Enquiries for Wedding Industry Professionals.
  2. Your 2018 Engagement Season Checklist
  3. 5 improvements to your Bridebook Business Profile that will help grow your wedding business!
  4. Why successful wedding suppliers spend more time choosing the right profile pictures
  5. As Featured On: Personalised Bridebook Business Badges For Your Business.

 

Business Advice and Top Tips

  1. Do’s and dont’s of coronavirus for wedding venues
  2. 10 Essential Wedding Photography Tips from a Famed Photographer
  3. How to become a winning wedding supplier in 2018
  4. 10 Essential Wedding Photography Tips from a Famed Photographer
  5. Why every wedding supplier website needs an FAQ page
  6. Essential questions you should be asking your couples in 2018
  7. 9 of the Best Free Tools To Help Grow Your Wedding Business
  8. Is your wedding website deemed ‘relatable’ by couples of today?
  9. 10 things brides hate about you…
  10. The Wedding Supplier’s Guide to Reducing a Couple’s Planning Anxiety with Mind Marriage
  11. 5 ways wedding pro’s can deliver big impact with a small team
  12. 12 Tips of Christmas for festive wedding professionals

 

Marketing for Wedding Professionals

  1. UK wedding venues have discovered the secret to free marketing and more bookings
  2. The importance of ‘email’ in the UK wedding industry today
  3. Does featuring on B2B wedding directories defeat the point of having your own wedding website?
  4. 5 tips to guaranteeing wedding show success
  5. Wedding Venues and Photographers – a match made in marketing heaven
  6. Dog-friendly weddings and the marketing opportunities they present
  7. Bridebook Business: Confidence In Marketing Your Wedding Business.
  8. Bridebook Business: Self Promoting Your Wedding Business

 

Miscellaneous:

  1. How wedding suppliers get into the world of wedding industry awards
  2. UK wedding supplier events 2017 / 2018

 

Networking:

  1. How to network with wedding suppliers 
  2. A professionals guide to Networking in the Wedding Industry with Engage Weddings
  3. Why Targeted Accounts are the wedding industry game changer of 2018

 

Public Relations:

  1. How wedding businesses like yours are using PR to bag bookings
  2. How wedding suppliers get published in PR

 

Pricing:

  1. Why it’s more important than ever to be transparent with your pricing
  2. How wedding pro’s play the pricing game

 

Reviews & Testimonials:

  1. How reviews help wedding photographers generate bookings
  2. How reviews help wedding planners generate bookings
  3. How reviews help wedding food suppliers generate bookings
  4. How reviews help wedding dress, makeup and accessories suppliers generate bookings
  5. Why reviews and recommendations are a wedding suppliers best friend
  6. How to use your reviews
  7. An idiot’s guide to making reviews work for your wedding business
  8. Bridebook Business Live: How To Make The Most Of Reviews.
  9. Are reviews important sales tools for wedding venues?

 

Successful Sales:

  1. From enquiry to booked: 10 top tips to increase your wedding venue bookings this Engagement Season
  2. 3 places wedding suppliers must be to never need bookings again
  3. How to stand out in the wedding industry and win new business
  4. Wedding Industry Insights: where do quality enquiries come from?
  5. How wedding suppliers impress couples at the first meeting
  6. What couples want from a wedding venue in 2018
  7. 7 things Wedding Venues can clarify upfront to help secure bookings

 

Seasonal Saviours:

  1. How UK Wedding Suppliers can get the most out of Engagement Season
  2. 5 easy ways to prepare your wedding business for the slow season during peak season
  3. 3 Tips to Help You Survive the Wedding Season 2017
  4. How to make more time for yourself during peak wedding season

 

SEO: 

  1. 5 ways to fail or nail SEO in 2018
  2. 4 Killer SEO Content Tips for Wedding Professionals
  3. Using local SEO to attract local brides and grooms
  4. Bridebook Business Live: How Bridebook.co.uk grew to 350,000 social media followers in 12 months.

 

Social Media: 

  1. How Savvy Wedding Suppliers use Instagram to get Bookings in 2017
  2. How wedding suppliers can generate interest from Pinterest in 2017
  3. 5 ways Wedding Venues can use Facebook to boost bookings this summer
  4. Should we – as Wedding Suppliers – embrace social media at weddings or discourage it?

 

Supplier Stories: 

  1. The Do’s and Don’ts of Hosting a Wedding Showcase Event
  2. Inspiring Stories – an interview with successful start-up wedding business, Barnutopia
  3. How Penton Park transformed into a wedding venue
  4. John Nassari – the story behind the man, the photographer and the artist
  5. Wedding Stylists Hattie & Flora on Creativity and Collaboration in the Industry
  6. Insights from Award-Winning Wedding Florist and Blogger Thoughts of You Flowers
  7. Wedding Personalisation And Insights From Wedding Venue Woodhill Hall
  8. Wedding Trends and Insights with Historic Ashridge House
  9. Industry Insights From Wedding Stylist, The Vintage House That Could
  10. Industry Insights From Wedding Cake Designer, Blushing Cook.
  11. Iona Thomas’ Journey from Professional Concert Player to Wedding Musician
  12. London Wedding Venue Queen Mary University London Shares Insights on Staying Unique in a Changing Industry
  13. Wedding Venue Blenheim Palace on Tradition, Millennials and the Wedding Industry
  14. Woodhall Spa Manor On Helping Couples Keep Wedding Costs Low
  15. Heaton House and the Importance of Reviews in the Wedding Industry

 

Top Trends

  1. How wedding venues can work 2018 trends into any space
  2. Visual trends influencing wedding photography in 2018
  3. Hot wedding trend 2018 – let the purple reign
  4. Predicted: wedding industry technology trends 2018

 

Wedding Industry Insights:

  1. 7 trends wedding suppliers need to know about Millennial couples in 2018.
  2. Bridebook Marriage Report 2017
  3. Are We In The Midst of a Wedding Revolution?
  4. How to deliver personalised weddings in an impersonal online world.
  5. 4 wedding traditions that are getting ditched when couples get hitched.
  6. REVEALED: how millennial couples planned their weddings in 2017.
  7. Weekday wedding bookings overtake weekends at South Farm – and it’s not difficult to see why.

Is there a Business topic you’d like to be discussed or a business concern you currently have? Pop Beth an email at [email protected] and she will give you a helping hand. 

 

Bridebook Business Hub

A professionals guide to networking in the wedding industry

We asked wedding and networking expert Becca Pountney to share her top tips on how to triple your business by simply saying hello.

 

Becca started her journey as a stylish Wedding Videographer and worked her way through networking to create Engage Weddings – now hosting many supplier events across the UK. Find out how you can also meet with your local suppliers and grab every opportunity that comes your way!

So without further ado,  Becca over to you. 

(Photo credit to Becky Harley Photography)

 

 

‘It’s not about what you know, but who you know.’ This is true in so many areas of life and when you run your own business it’s a fundamental truth.  As wedding business owners it’s too easy to spend long periods of time in front of the computer expecting opportunities to come our way. That can be a lonely place. Doors to new opportunities rarely open on their own, yet if you give them a little push there can be huge benefits.

 

One of the fastest ways to grow your wedding business is to grow your network. Networking online using email or social media can be great tools, but nothing beats getting out there and meeting people face to face. People buy from people they know, like and trust so get out of your comfort zone and start building those relationships.

As wedding suppliers, we are in a unique position to work together and collaborate. A bride and groom will be looking for a variety of different businesses to create their dream wedding. Brides will often look to suppliers as a trusted source, and will ask them for their recommendations. If you build up a network of contacts who are recommending you to their clients, you are going to see some great results.

 

How do I get started?

Find a local networking group that you can go along to and book a place. If you can, find a group that is specifically for the wedding industry as it will mean you meet very relevant contacts. There are groups like this meeting across the country. If you can’t find one near you, why not set one up yourself? I did just that and that is how Engage Weddings began. Having moved my videography business from Bristol to rural Bedfordshire I realised I needed to make new local wedding connections. Having failed to find an existing network I asked around at a wedding fayre to see if any suppliers would be interested in meeting up for a drink. 25 suppliers attended the first meet up and the events have been growing ever since. If I can do it, you can do it too.

 

Be confident

Networking can feel much scarier than it really is. Arrive armed with your business cards and your head held high. Everyone is there for the same reason as you and will be really willing to chat. Find a small group of people and say hello.

 

Don’t reel off a sales pitch

People are there to meet people, not to be sold to. Ask questions and listen to the people that you are talking to, wait for them to ask what you do before you tell them, if they ask they are genuinely interested in connecting.

 

Speak with as many people as possible

Try to move around and talk to as many people in the room as you can, you never know who you may be able to collaborate with. Remember you are not only networking with the person in front of you but their whole network of contacts. They may not have a need for your services right now, but they may know somebody who does.

 

Collaboration not competition

If you meet someone who has a similar business to yours, don’t see it as competition. You may be able to share tips and advice with one another, you may even be able to pass work on to them if you are already fully booked.

 

Follow up after the event

In the days following the event send out emails to people you have met, perhaps even try and meet them for a coffee. The more people who know about you and your business, the more opportunities will come your way.

Now get out of your comfort zone and get out there and start meeting new people. Be open, honest and approachable and people will be happy to work with you. New opportunities are behind the doors – now just go and give them a push.

Becca Pountney

www.engageweddings.co.uk

 

 

Bridebook Business Hub

Bridebook Business Hub is here to make sure you have the information you need to build a strong digital presence and grow a successful business in the wedding industry.

Head to Bridebook Business Hub now for more wedding industry insights and top tips.

 

3 New Year’s Resolutions for every wedding professional

 

Well what a year it’s been.

Whether you’re eager to see the back of it or are feeling super positive about the changes this year has brought you, the New Year signals a fresh start which means out with the old and in with the new.

As we near the end of 2017 and prepare to welcome a new year steeped in brand new opportunities, it’s time to think about what went well this year and decide what we resolve to do in 2018.

 

We’ve taken a fair few learnings out of 2017 and it is with this new insight that we bring you our recommendations on where you should be focusing your efforts to win more bookings next year.

 

Here are 3 New Year’s Resolutions we want wedding suppliers to commit to in 2018.

 

Define your brand

Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business – whether you’re large or small, B2B or B2C. Your brand is a promise to future clients that you’re a trustworthy wedding supplier who commits to delivering a certain quality of service, consistently.

Brand should reflect whether you’re a high cost, high quality wedding supplier or a low cost, good value for money one, and potential clients should be able to recognise where your product or service sits on this spectrum.

 

Resolve to answer these questions in 2018 and ensure that everyone you employ at your wedding company understands your brand attributes and what makes you, you.

  • What is your company’s mission – why do you exist and what are your objectives?
  • What are the benefits and features of your products or services?
  • What do existing clients and prospect couples already think of your company?
  • What qualities do you want people to associate with your company?

To do list:  once you’ve defined exactly who you are as a wedding business resolve to build a brand guideline document which details all the key brand attributes your team should be aware of and how these tie in to your business objectives. If you currently work alone, this is still a great exercise and will help remind you of your brand values throughout the year.

 

Ask For Reviews

If there’s one thing we’ve learnt from 2017 it’s that reviews matter. And we mean REALLY matter. Newly engaged couples are clocking up hours researching wedding suppliers like you on the internet, and they’re particularly interested in star ratings and reviews.

 

You must resolve to ask your most recent clients to leave you a review in 2018 and beyond. Showcasing reviews from over a year ago simply won’t do. Potential clients are looking at dates and relevance – they want to understand who you impressed recently.

Go one step further and ask couples who said no to leaving you a review why they made that decision. Appropriately managing negative reviews or opinions can actually help new potential clients see your wedding business in a positive light as it shows that you care about the opinions of couples you’ve worked with and are always looking to improve.

 

To do list: set up an alert system whenever you receive a booking from a new client for 1 month after their wedding date. This will remind you to reach out to clients post-wedding and ask for a review once they’ve had time to get over the wedding buzz.

Psst: post reviews on your Bridebook Business profile and secure more new bookings than ever before thanks to increased brand exposure (+40,000 couples to be precise).

 

Refine your online presence

Does your wedding business feature on multiple sites and platforms across numerous corners of the web?

Well as long as you’ve been strategic in deciding where to feature your wedding services it’s good that you’re showcasing your brand in various places. However you must ensure that you always keep your information up to date – otherwise this increased presence could be detrimental to business rather than beneficial.

 

Resolve to ensure that wherever you’re present on the web – that means your website, your Bridebook profile or your social media accounts – that you ensure you’re featuring current photographs in your portfolio, new reviews, accurate pricing information and correct contact details.

Millennial couples will do their research and may check out your Instagram profile, then your Bridebook profile and then your website, so make sure you’re consistent.

To do list: it’s really important that you link between profiles to ensure Google knows you’re all joined up as one wedding business. Make sure you include a link to your website on your Instagram accounts and other profiles.

 

Let’s make 2018 your best year yet

Wave goodbye to 2017 and welcome in 2018 with these key action points and watch your wedding business flourish in the new year.

What did you learn in 2017 about your wedding business or the industry in general? And how will this affect how you do business in 2018?

What couples want from a wedding venue in 2018

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And what might make one couple watery eyed and besotted could indeed leave a different couple feeling…well…not very much at all.

But as the wedding industry landscape changes so too do the priorities of wedding planning couples, and whilst we cannot say in absolute terms what will make every bride or groom tick, we can’t ignore the trends we’ve identified whilst working with wedding venues throughout 2017.

 

What couples want from your wedding venue

Here are five key things that couples want from wedding venues today and key trends you should be aware of going into 2018…

 

1. Beautiful scenery

Unsurprisingly, couple’s look for impressive landscapes and beautiful backdrops when choosing a wedding venue. Couples want to achieve the wow factor and impress their guests, and they want beautiful scenery to form the background of their wedding photographs.

[Gosfield Hall Wedding Venue]

 

Now your wedding venue doesn’t have to be a manor house set in rolling countryside to reel in landscape-loving couples; success is dependent on how creative you are with the photography you use to advertise your wedding venue.

Include as much scenery in photographs as you can but if your venue is set in a city centre or has limited surrounding natural beauty make the most of nearby scenic opportunities. If your venue sits adjacent to a beautiful park include photos of a bride and groom there; if a village a few streets away makes for a great backdrop, grab your camera kit and take a few shots there.

It’s all about offering the best your local area has to offer and showing newly engaged couples what their wedding photos could look like should they choose your venue. You’re the expert of your local area so make your landscape work for you

 

2. Couples are willing to spend more for perfection

Couples are certainly still cost conscious but the majority are also more willing now than ever before to stretch their budget if you can offer them their perfect wedding venue.

And what makes your wedding venue perfect for each couple is heavily based on your ability to be flexible and offer each couple the opportunity to customise your venue to suit their big day.

You should focus on selling your space and ideas of how the couple in question could utilise different areas of your venue in different ways.

[Parklands Quendon Hall]

 

Empty rooms won’t get couples excited so if you can’t set up a demonstration of how their wedding could look be sure to talk through ideas and show photographs of rooms decorated for previous weddings.

Be sure to let couples know that they can decorate and transform your space to suit them – personalising lots of little elements to make their big day truly unique to them.

Tip: Be transparent with your pricing. Couples are willing to spend more if you’re open, honest and work with them to build a wedding package that fits. List your pricing parameters and share photographs and details of wedding open days at your venue on your Bridebook profile for free to attract more couples in 2018.

 

3. Photographs of real weddings at your venue

One of the most important marketing tools at your disposal are photographs of real couples and real weddings held at your venue.

[Yasmine & Matt in Berkshire]

 

Couples want to see examples of how weddings look and how certain spaces are used. This helps them to imagine their own wedding day at your venue which in turn, makes it much more likely that they’ll choose to book with your venue.

[Old Thorns Manor Hotel, Golf & Country Estate]

 

Getting hold of these kinds of photographs is largely dependent on you forging good relationships with local photographers. Strike up a deal in which you promise to include the photographer on your preferred supplier list in exchange for access to a handful of the photo’s they take for each wedding held at your venue. Or take your own photographs with a good quality camera and ask permission from the couple to use them after the wedding.

Tip: choose a photograph of your favourite real wedding to use as your Bridebook profile photo and show newly engaged couples what they could have if they chose to get married at your wedding venue.

 

4. The bar is a big deal

It’s no secret that us Brits know how to have a good time (ahem…drink). So it should come as no surprise to learn that bars are important business. Couples are more interested in having well stocked open bars at their wedding now more than ever before.

[Elmore Court]

 

Ensure your wedding venue advertises a good bar space and include various examples and creative options on how to dress the bar and make it into a fantastic feature of the evening.

Couples are loving signature cocktails so include this as an option, and advertise a qualified mixologist as part of your bar package to wow couples and their guests. The bar is evening entertainment in itself.

 

5. Indoor / outdoor wedding options

Couples are loving the idea of outdoor weddings but unfortunately, the UK climate isn’t really best placed to reassure us that this is always possible!

Being able to offer both indoor and outdoor spaces to newly engaged couples is really important and could mean the difference between you securing a booking or not.

[Winters Barns]

Work with whatever outdoor space you have to offer – whether a large lawn or a rooftop deck – and showcase photographs of the space being used for weddings on your website, on your Bridebook profile and on all marketing materials.

If you’ve not got any outdoor space to offer, try bringing a little of the outdoor indoors! Adorn your wedding reception rooms with bundles of floral arrangements and hanging plants to show how romantic flowers indoors can be as beautiful as anything anyone else has to offer outdoors.

 

Make the most out of your wedding venue

Now you know what couples look for in wedding venues today, make sure you’re marketing your assets in the right way to attract more couples and secure more bookings in 2018.

Have you identified any other trends in couples searching for wedding venues this year? Share your feedback in the comment section below.

Dog friendly weddings and the marketing opportunities they present

 

They’ve always been man’s best friend but the integration of dogs in everyday (human) life is ever increasing, and we’re seeing cuddly canines pop up everywhere; online, in marketing and in advertising campaigns for all kinds of organisations and across all kinds of industries.

And the wedding industry is no exception.

Our furry favourites now have their own Instagram accounts

 

And they’re being used to market all types of products and occasions quite simply because they’re pretty darn irresistible and are more likely to attract people’s attention.

 

Check out all of those #dog inspired hashtags used by Blenheim Palace!

And who could ignore the latest addition to the Hedsor House family?! Almost 800 people couldn’t

 

More and more couples are including their pets in their weddings and it’s time for you, as a forward-thinking, business savvy wedding supplier, to take advantage of the opportunity this presents in helping you market your business.

 

Why embracing our canine friends in the wedding industry is beneficial to business

Dogs make you look. And look again. They grab our attention and they make us feel. Emotions and memories stay with people; they’ll remember your wedding venue or service in association with that oh so gorgeous picture of a pretty pooch.

It’s no surprise that many couples opt to include their pets in their weddings. I mean, is there anything more adorable than a ring-bearing dog?

 

Wedding venues – allow dogs at your venue

We’re a nation of dog lovers so try not to isolate the couples who’re set on including their dog in their wedding day,

If you’re concerned about ‘dogs on the loose’ potentially damaging your wedding venue why not insist that couples use a dog sitter? You could even partner up with one so that they’re on hand for you to recommend to couples.

Tip – a good selling point when asking couples to use a dog sitter is to explain that the sitter is primarily there to make sure that the dog has enough time to develop a level of comfort around guests, and that the sitter is there to act as your pet’s guide.

A dog sitter is responsible for bringing the pet to the ceremony, taking him home after and watching him during the reception so you’ve really very little to worry about.

 

Hockering House welcome dogs at their ceremonies – who doesn’t love a dog walking down the aisle:

Dog friendly Wedding Venue Hockering House Norfolk

 

Photographers – be sure to ask couples to let you know in advance if they’ve any special additions you should be aware of, such as dogs at the wedding.

As a photographer, you’ll want to be prepared to capture pets in action so ask couples in advance whether they’re doing anything special on their big day – like inviting pets along. It also means that you can brainstorm fun photo ideas for your clients and their beloved dogs.

 

The next generation of weddings will include our furry favourites as guests

Pets play such an important role in a couple’s life and for many ‘pet parents’, family festivities such as weddings would not be complete without their involvement.

As a result, it’s becoming more common for couples to include their furry companions in their wedding day. So as wedding suppliers, you should consider how to cater for pups at your wedding venue or incorporate them in your business plans to ensure your wedding services appeal to a wider audience of dog loving couples.

What do you think about the idea of dogs at weddings? Total pawfect or a no go?

12 Tips of Christmas for festive wedding professionals

 

We’re dreaming of a white Christmas. And with that, we’re also wishing for a successful snowy season for you and your wedding business.

But why rest your dreamy head in the wintry clouds when you can create your own winter wedding success and secure seasonal bookings?

 

Introducing the 12 tips of Christmas.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my wed-pro gave to me…

…“twelve excellent tips on how to make your wedding business stand out over the Christmas period.”

Ok so our version of that crimbo song may not have the same ring to it but our advice is worth its weight in gold.

We’re gifting you with twelve tips on how to make winter weddings your thing so that you can build a dream vision of your wedding services and attract couples dreaming of a winter wedding.

 

1. Wedding venues – carry a camera (or a photographer!) with you everywhere.

The weather is unpredictable and you never know when those flakes of snow may fall or when you’ll catch a newlywed couple snuggled by your venue’s roaring fire over a steaming mug of mulled wine. Christmas 2017 is a wonderful time to capture sparkly moments that you can advertise on your website, and appeal to couples hoping to get married in the winter of 2018.

 

2. Wedding photographers – do what you do best.

We don’t have to tell you what makes an inspiring winter wedding photo – you’re the experts. But as winter weddings aren’t yet as popular as fair weather weddings, take a look at the world around you and capture the season itself if you’ve no winter weddings booked to photograph.

Showcase a gallery of frosted flowers, iced lakes and mugs of hot mulled wine and cinnamon sticks by a fireplace to draw in attention from winter wedding loving couples. You need to sell a story to capture hearts.

 

3. Wedding florists – stick to seasonal flowers.

Upload shots of berry bouquets and holly adorned garlands to your social accounts and website. Think brides in fur boleros holding frosted flowers in the snow and sell your services visually.

 

4. Wedding caterers – create seasonal menus.

What winter warmers can you conjure up to offer prospective couples before they’ve even thought about exactly what they’re after? Whether you’re a fresh produce and wholesome food provider or an elegant a la carte caterer, now is the time to be creative with your culinary skills and whip up winter menus that no other wedding supplier could rival.

 

5. Winter wedding cakes  

if you specialise in making beautiful wedding cakes make sure you’re not seasonally biased! Present photographs of your wonderful winter collections of cakes on your website to show how versatile your skill set is and how dreamy winter wedding cakes can be.

 

6. Wedding transport

If you’re in the specialist business of wedding transport make sure you’re optimising your website to get to the top of google results for all sorts of specific terms, including phrases such as “winter wedding transport”.

 

7. Wedding decorations

Between November and January wedding venues should build a festive atmosphere to really set the scene for winter wedding lovers. Make a real statement and create a winter wonderland of your very own; transporting couples to a Christmassy world adorned with fairy lights and scented cinnamon candles.

 

8. Wedding planning

Although wedding planners are typically behind the scenes you should absolutely boast about the weddings you’ve helped plan on your website. Optimise your site for wedding planner searches by season.

Did you know long tail keyword searches are one of the best ways to target smaller but more engaged audiences? Try including phrases like “wedding planning for winter weddings” and ask permission to use photographs of winter weddings you’re particularly proud of.

 

9. Wedding entertainment

Bands and musicians…why not include a couple of christmas favourites on your playlist or share on facebook? Who knows; your rendition of the Pogues, Fairytale of New York, could help you win the hearts of a newly engaged couple keen on a festive affair!

 

10. Wedding dress

The perfect winter wedding dress is stylish, demure and elegant but with practical elements to keep the bride warm. A faux fur throw is always a great winter addition but could you offer something different? Be daring and creative with your winter bridal wear collection and turn heads for all the right reasons! Dress your shop front to reflect the change in season and make sure your website showcases the best in winter bridal wear.

 

11. Wedding accessories

Remember to invest in a new collection of closed toe shoes for your wedding boutique in winter, and it may be worth investing in a few pairs of white wellies to ensure you’re offering an ‘all eventualities covered’ one-stop-shop for brides. Sparkly hair decorations work particularly well in winter as do velvet headbands decorated with crystals or feathers.

 

12. Wedding makeup

Winter makeup can be a much more enjoyable affair than summer makeup, as makeup artists need not worry about the bride sweating off her foundation and more! Embrace the colder seasons and show your talents for fair foundations with peachy pink blushed cheeks, icy tones for eye makeup and a bold red romantic lip. Show your best season makeup trends on your wedding website.

 

This winter is your chance to show couples getting married next year how well you cater to winter weddings and how beautiful and romantic a frosty affair in the UK can be!

Predicted: wedding industry technology trends 2018

 

In recent years, wedding technology has advanced somewhat and we’re seeing pioneering businesses lead the way with innovative new ideas on how to make the wedding experience, even more, WOW for next-gen couples.

This is largely in response to millennial couples expecting technology to play a big part in their wedding day (as well as in the planning and research phase of their wedding journey) now more than ever before.

 

 

1. Something old something new

We’re not the only wedding business to have detected a surge in the popularity of online invitations between 2016 and 2017, and sending digital invites has become normal custom for many younger wedding planning couples in particular.

In 2018 we’re expecting to see a resurgence of the physical invitation but with a modern ‘techy’ twist.

 

We predict that on pretty printed wedding invitations, couples will start to ask guests to download an app and scan their personal invite to RSVP, or at the very least, visit their wedding website to respond.

2018 is going to be all about streamlining and efficiencies. Couples want to keep their weddings personal but also make their own lives easier, hence the decision to collect RSVPs all in one place – online.

For wedding stationery suppliers in need of a little inspiration, Interactive Wedding Invitations is a UK based wedding supplier that specialises in making real wedding invitations come to life.

 

2. Virtual wedding planning 

Wedding industry experts expect couples in 2018 to go fully mobile with their wedding plans, using platforms like Bridebook to help them plan their big day.

 

Millennials want to be able to plan their wedding on the go and have access to all the information they need there and then – right at their fingertips.

According to a Forbes article on tech trends that will shake up content marketing in 2018, 69% of digital media engagement happens on mobile platforms across all industries right now.

Experts predict a continued increase in the entire wedding planning process happening online and we’ll begin to see more and more wedding suppliers developing processes and systems to facilitate this change in behaviour.

3. Photo apps will become the norm

We’re seeing more couples choosing to use photo sharing apps for their wedding day in addition to (not instead of) a professional photographer.

Photo apps like Scripin, mean that guests can be actively involved in the happy couple’s wedding day -taking photos and videos, sharing them with all the other guests in one simple and easy to use app, that you can download after your wedding so you get the complete picture!

 

4. 3D wedding planning designs

We’ll soon wave goodbye to loose conversations about reception layouts and colour scheme blends because 3D design tools that help couples virtually design and plan their reception rooms and then explore them in 3D are coming in 2018.

 

These tools do already exist and are becoming increasingly popular within the US wedding industry, so we predict they’ll be crossing the pond into the UK very soon.

These design tools enable couples, suppliers and venues to collaborate in an interactive, real-time way to create beautiful layouts and styles within the room specified.

Couples simply drag and drop wedding themed items into their real wedding venue or a template venue created to the exact measurements of the real deal.

They can then start designing how their day will look – making it almost impossible for wedding suppliers to misinterpret a couple’s requests and in turn, reassuring the couple that everything they’ve chosen works well together.

We expect to see future wedding technology trends build from this idea, and have seen similar examples of virtual wedding planning support in the form of Brookfield Barn which offers 3D virtual tours of their facilities on their website – helping couples and suppliers work together throughout the planning stage without having to actually visit the venue in person.

 

5. Hidden action cameras

Expect to see GoPro’s in brides’ bouquets, in vicar or registrars’ top pockets, in brides’ hair, on pets walking down the aisle, and even on bottles of alcohol and disco balls!

 

As a wedding photographer, get creative and go one step further than offering drones. Incorporate action cameras as part of your premium wedding day packages and impress the couples you work with in 2018.

 

6. GIF Photobooth

We’re seeing the already very popular wedding photobooth give way to the GIF booth in 2018.

A GIF booth captures a selection of around 3-5 photos and then automatically animates them into a GIF that is instantly shareable there and then. The booth also provides printouts of the single shots as well so you still get all the benefits of the original wedding photo booth.

 

7. 3D Printing

3D printing is nothing new but we predict an increase in popularity as 3D printing helps facilitate some truly unique and special ideas such as 3D Wedding Cake Toppers of the actual bride and groom (both humorous and personal!) and 3D Wedding Cake projections.

 

Couples will start to experiment with printed cake designs and personalised 3D projections to make their wedding cake come to life.

This process is unique and requires a lot of time but the results are stunning

 

8. Social will play an even bigger role 

Couples will continue to find new ways to integrate technology into their wedding day plans; adopting things like custom Snapchat geofilters.

 

This year, we’ve also seen more wedding venues offering live streaming as a service in wedding packages, indicating a shift toward incorporating social and tech into standardised wedding packages.

 

Are you ready for the latest in wedding technology?

Whilst we don’t think anyone expects all wedding suppliers to tick all the techy boxes any time soon, it’s important to keep abreast of industry developments to ensure you’re not lagging behind.

What technological advances do you think will hit the UK wedding industry in 2018?

Will your wedding business be investing in a techy upgrade next year?

Wedding Industry Insights: where do quality enquiries come from?

Where do quality wedding enquiries come from? Well isn’t that the million dollar question.

Whether you’re inundated with wedding enquiries of a mixed quality or are struggling to get enough leads to your inbox, it would be pretty handy to know exactly where you should be focusing your efforts and resources to guarantee the best quality enquiries, wouldn’t it?

Well we’re here to tell you that if you can invest a little more time in being strategic in your approach to lead generation and begin to build insights around your target audience’s behaviours you could very quickly streamline your marketing efforts so that they focus on the channels that bring YOU your best enquiries.

What does a good quality enquiry look like to your wedding business?

Before we look at where you can find quality enquiries you must first determine what you consider to be a high quality enquiry for your wedding business.

 

We use a traffic light system to categorise the types of enquiries we typically receive and to determine where they fit in our priority list. This helps us to decide where to allocate our resource.

Here’s what a traffic light system could look like for your business:

Green = newly engaged couples with a wedding date, location and budget in mind

Amber = couples who seem to be contacting many suppliers to ‘get a feel’ for what is on offer

Red = secret shoppers or individuals reluctant to give you much information about themselves

Once you’ve established what a good lead looks like for your business it’s time to go through your enquiry database from the past few months or year (depending on the volume of enquiries you’ve received – you should ensure you’re working with a large enough sample size) and organise your enquiries into categories to see which channel has been working well for you historically, over the short-medium term.

 

Determining where to allocate your resources

It is important not to entirely dismiss a channel that appears to be delivering lower quality enquiries unless the volume for that channel is also very low.

 

High volume enquiry channels mean exposure. You’re getting noticed. These channels are worth closer inspection to see if there’s anything you could be doing to filter your enquiries further and ensure only the ‘Green’ enquiries make it through to your inbox.

This is the formula we use to help us decide how to approach each channel, post enquiry analysis:

High volume, low quality = opportunity

High volume, high quality = lead gold

Low volume, high quality = opportunity

Low volume, low quality = dead wood

The ‘lead gold’ channels are the ones you simply cannot do without and they’re the ones that are already working well for you. Take a closer look at these channels and make sure you’re doing all you can to make sure they continue to work well for you.

The ‘opportunity’ channels are there for your exploration. You’ll need to invest time and effort into optimising your business presence on these channels in an attempt to generate higher quality leads and filter out the Red enquiries altogether. Make sure you set yourself a deadline to revisit and re-measure the success or failure of ‘opportunity’ channels. You should be looking for short-medium term improvements in their performance to justify your resources being invested there.

The ‘dead wood’ channels are those that have consistently delivered poor quality leads and disappointing volumes for a prolonged period of time. You should cut your losses with these channels and allocate your resources elsewhere, where they’ll be more impactful.

Taking a closer look at key lead-generation channels 

Company website

Your website should be a high quality enquiry generator. It will most probably fall within the lower volume, high quality category which means there’s a definite opportunity to work on optimising your website and increasing traffic to it.

And more relevant traffic to your website means more, high quality leads.

Tip: read Using local SEO to attract local brides and grooms.

Social media

Social media is a tricky medium to call in terms of predicted success rate as it depends entirely on your objective for each social channel.

Many wedding professionals find Linked In is great for networking with fellow suppliers but it’s certainly not a channel for attracting couples.

Facebook and Instagram are probably the best two social platforms for attracting newly engaged couples however actually generating quality enquiries on social platforms is tough.

The fundamental nature of social media is that of fast content consumption and skim reading behaviour, and your messages are broadcast to a vast, broad audience which means it’s a lot trickier to use social channels as lead generation platforms.

Social media is better placed as an attraction tool – helping your wedding business improve local exposure so that couples want to find out more about your wedding business rather than make an instant enquiry off of the back of a social post.

 

Wedding directories

It is commonly believed that enquiries coming through third party websites such as wedding directories are of poorer quality and that couples enquiring through these channels are just looking for discounts and cheaper suppliers, regardless of whether they’re professional or not.

This kind of stereotyping is harmful, as it deprives many wedding pro’s of an excellent opportunity to benefit from a high volume of quality leads. As mentioned above, where high volume is concerned there is at the very least an opportunity to receive excellent quality enquiries if you approach featuring on wedding directories in the correct way.

Choose the right third party platform. A UK based platform such as Bridebook focuses on location based searches to ensure couples searching for wedding suppliers are shown the most relevant wedding companies possible. This is good for couples and it’s good for you.

Most wedding planning platforms are free for suppliers to register with. You can feature your wedding business on Bridebook completely free which means the risk associated with receiving what you deem to be a low quality lead is minimised because you’re not actually paying anything for it.

Optimise your business profile by adding tons of relevant information about your wedding services, location, pricing and reviews. This is likely to get you noticed in search, help filter out any time wasters and ensure you only receive informed enquiries from couples with real intent to book your wedding services.

 

It’s important to be where your clients are

If we could ask our readers to take away one key thing from this article it would be to remember that your business is unique and that what works for you may be very different to what works for a fellow wedding supplier.

Of course, sharing tips between wedding pro’s is helpful but be sure not to let preconceived ideas about certain channels discourage you from trying them out.

As long as you adopt a strategic approach to identifying which channels work best for your wedding business and you ensure that your wedding business has a presence where your potential clients are hanging out, you can’t go far wrong.

Remember, millennial couples behave differently to the generations before them and you need to be where they are. This generation of newly engaged couples will browse wedding services and suppliers on multiple platforms. They will do their research and use tools such as Bridebook to ensure they’re getting the best supplier for the best value.

It’s now up to you to be strategic in your approach to choosing where to feature your wedding business. Be where your audience are and provide tons of useful information to filter out the ‘Q&A via email’ process.

Do these things and you’ll snare the highest quality enquiries in the wedding industry.

5 ways wedding pro’s can deliver big impact with a small team

 

Working as part of a small team can have big perks – both for employers and employees. 

We all have to start somewhere and it’s reassuring to know that even companies like Apple and Facebook would have started with a handful of experts before growing to employ hundreds of thousands of people all across the world.

What we do know first hand is that having a small, quality team of skilled, engaged and motivated employees beats having a large team. But knowing how to keep that team engaged, motivated and productive is the key to making sure your small team delivers big results for your wedding business.

 

Here are five ways to get the most out of a small team…

1. Hiring the right people

Being selective with who you employ is paramount for a company or team of any size but hiring the right people is even more crucial for small teams. And the right person isn’t necessarily the one with perfect experience.

Ensuring that a new members personality fits your wedding company culture is key as you’ll need new additions to be hard working, ready to get stuck in with all manner of tasks and able to thrive in a small team environment.

You’ll need to make sure that you’re hiring a people person too. The wedding industry is a public facing one so personality is key.

The impact of hiring the wrong person can spread throughout the entire team quickly and it can negatively affect the performance of your wedding business.

 

2. Cultivate a culture of respect

The benefits and challenges of a small team are that you’ll be spending a pretty significant proportion of your lives together. This can result in a close team with great relationships but it can also mean frustrations and disruptions are likely.

By encouraging all employees in your small team to have respect not only for each other but for the business, you maximise the chances of developing a professional yet relaxed environment for all team members to flourish in.

Boundaries are important when small teams become good friends as well as colleagues.

 

Be sure to arrange team building events to show you support relationship development but be clear that work time and down time are two separate things. And make sure to include all team members in decision making – giving everyone a voice by holding regular team catch ups and encouraging an open forum of discussion and idea sharing.

 

3. Ensure clearly defined roles and responsibilities

It is especially important that you ensure everyone is clear about their tasks and responsibilities within a small team. This prevents people stepping on each others toes and competing within close proximity. That isn’t to say that you should discourage collaboration on certain tasks; simply ensure that day to day tasks don’t overlap between colleagues for more streamlined operational efficiencies.

 

4. Invest in learning

Having a smaller team means that you can invest more time and money in helping them develop and grow as individuals. Offer to send employees on training courses or to wedding industry conferences and they will become valuable assets to your business.

 

5. Ensure your people have fun and a good work-life balance

Encourage your team members to have lives outside of work and you’ll enjoy the benefits of happier team members who spend less time doing a better job than someone who’s burnt out and demotivated.

 

Be sure to celebrate successes and arrange fun activities as a team to acknowledge a job well done.

 

A small team can have big advantages for wedding pro’s

A small team can be as successful (or even more) as a large team as long as they’re managed in the right way.

In a small team, each team member has even more responsibility in ensuring your wedding business is successful; so hire well, reward right and ensure everyone pulls their weight, and you’ll pride yourself on having the best team in the industry.

Start with good people and success will follow.

Why Targeted Accounts are the wedding industry game changer of 2018

 

Did you know that Targeted Account selling is now recognised as the number one approach in lead generation by successful wedding suppliers?

Targeted Account management – or taking a strategic approach towards developing relationships and partnerships with specific companies or industry heavyweights – is being hailed as a game changer in B2B marketing for 2018.

For suppliers, the wedding industry has long been centred on winning customers in the form of engaged couples. And whilst this is still the case, 2017 has seen a surge in wedding professionals choosing to focus more of their time on developing relationships with other wedding suppliers and wedding venues instead.

 

We’re moving from a siloed industry approach to an inclusive one.

The benefits of referrals and preferred supplier lists is only really just beginning to be capitalised upon by UK wedding companies.

However the success of these partnering relationships is so significant that we predict business and bookings in 2018 will be driven largely by B2B relationships and targeted account selling and management.

 

What do we mean by Targeted Account selling?

Targeted Account selling is based on you identifying the very best potential customers for your product or service, and then spending time, efforts and resources on targeting that audience with personalised messages and communications.

 

It’s about being proactive in your approach to securing new wedding bookings rather than being reactive to enquiries that come through to your inbox.

This means building strategic B2B marketing objectives into your marketing plan – be that partnering with wedding venues, forging mutually beneficial referral relationships with other wedding suppliers, spending more time networking and even speaking at events and exhibitions.

Your key accounts will be the ones that generate the most bookings for your business and in accordance with Pareto’s 80:20 rule, you should spend more time (80%) on the smaller proportion of clients (20%) that bring you the most business (80%).

 

Here are three tips to help you kick-start a Targeted Account management approach in your wedding business…

1. Take your time and do your research

Learn as much as you can about local wedding venues and local wedding suppliers.

Do your research before approaching potential partner suppliers and find out who the decision maker is for the wedding venue or organisation you’re approaching.

You should have the name/s of one or two people you want to reach out to when discussing preferred supplier lists and referral agreements – don’t settle for sending a generic email to a generic address.

 

Swot up on all kinds of information about the wedding pro’s you’re targeting. What have they announced recently on their website? Which events have they attended or sponsored?

The key is to know more about your targets than your competitors do so that you leave a lasting impression and come across as professional, personable and knowledgeable.

2. Be clear and persistent in your communication

If at first you don’t succeed…

Reaching target wedding suppliers and receiving even an initial response may take multiple attempts, and whilst you should persist to get noticed be sure that each communication is clear, simple and focused, not harried.

The content and medium of communication should vary for each attempt you make at contact. Try emailing your target once then following up with a phone call before reverting to another email with new content. If that doesn’t work, perhaps try attending a local event or researching where the wedding venue or supplier may be exhibiting.

 

Be creative with your communication attempts and develop a system that works for you.

3. Prepare your marketing material in advance

When you hear back from your target account contact they’re likely to want to arrange a meeting with you, and knowing the wedding industry as well as we do, that meeting is likely to take place pretty quickly.

Make sure you’re ready to accept their meeting invitation by pre-preparing marketing materials ahead of time.

Prepare standardised questions that you can tailor to suit each wedding supplier as well as your portfolio of works, and have a think about any referral fees, rates and USP’s you can sell to partner suppliers that might work as an added bonus to them working with you (e.g. a successful blog you own or awards you’ve won that position you as an industry leader).

 

Choose a Targeted Account approach for your wedding business in 2018

Wedding suppliers – start building an account list today so that you can focus your sales and marketing efforts in the right place and on the right people in 2018 and beyond.

Target Account selling is a structured, repeatable methodology that enables you to efficiently build a network of distribution channels – that is, suppliers and wedding venues who will market your services to their audiences to help you win more bookings.

This Targeted Account approach will help you reduce marketing costs and rely less on more resource heavy avenues such as online advertising.

Partnerships and referrals are a surefire way to earn the trust of engaged couples and are one of the best ways to win new business in an era of savvy consumers.

An idiot’s guide to making reviews work for your wedding business

 

‘Tis the season for wedding industry reviews! We’re talking how to get them, how to use them and why they’re so darn important for your wedding business and brand.

When is the perfect time to address reviews? Well that would be now.

Summer and the multitude of weddings that come as part and parcel of the season are now officially over.

And October signals the beginning of what we’re imaginatively calling ‘wedding pro preparation season’; a time when you should be focusing on getting your wedding business ready for the next wave of newly engaged couples.

 

NOW is your cue to review

We’ve already shared a post on why reviews and recommendations are a wedding suppliers best friend which, in case you’re strapped for time provides great, original ideas for obtaining and using reviews.

It also highlights that according to the UK Wedding Report 2017, couples rank recommendations from friends and family (72%) followed by reviews (58%) as the most important resources when finding wedding suppliers.

We thought that was worth mentioning again.

We’re often asked by wedding suppliers what the simplest and most effective ways are for getting reviews, and getting more of them. And our tips are simple. Here goes…

 

4 idiot proof ways to get more reviews

Tip 1 – Simply ask for them

If you’re wracking your brain for original ideas on how to get more reviews, stop immediately. Have you simply asked for them?

Most newlyweds will forget to write you a review unless you remind them. Hey, life gets in the way sometimes.

Remind the couple you’ve worked with (via email, on the phone or on social media)  how important reviews are to your business and how much you appreciate them and we’ll bet you’ll be inundated with the good stuff.

 

Tip 2 – Timing is everything

If you ask a couple to leave you a review the day after their wedding it’s unlikely you’re going to actually see anything happen off the back of it. Be patient and schedule a reminder for around 4 weeks after their wedding and ask the couple for feedback then.

They would have had time to settle back into the swing of things by then and are probably feeling a little nostalgic. This is the best time to ask them to relive their day through a few words on a page.

The exception to the timing rule applies for photographers and videographers who should ask for a review after their photos and videos have been delivered, and for stationery suppliers who will deliver their product to the couple way before the wedding day.

 

Tip 3 – Make review collecting a standardised process

Collecting reviews after each wedding you work on should become second nature and be ingrained in your business culture.

Share existing reviews with new clients so that they know early on how dedicated you are to delivering a great service or product, and so that they know to expect you to ask them to write one after their wedding. It helps if the couple have seen the benefit of reviews first hand.

 

Tip 4 – All feedback is valuable

And when we say all feedback, we mean all feedback! Why not ask the couples who said no to your wedding venue or service why they made the decision to go elsewhere.

This feedback is invaluable and by showing you really care, who knows; you could be able to turn those no’s into a YES.

 

Reviews are pretty big news

The way that past clients describe their experience with you is one of the best ways you can advertise your skills and strengths without being egotistical. Happy couples can say things you can’t. They can express emotions that demonstrate to others what it’s like to work with you when building their wedding.

Remember to respond to every review you receive on your website or social media accounts – whether positive or negative – so that the world can see how much you care about each and every couple you work with. And of course, remember to thank all couples for taking the time to share their feedback.

Find out more on how to use your reviews and really leverage their value across different online platforms.

23 Motivational Quotes to help Inspire Wedding Professionals

 

With 2017 peak wedding season now firmly behind us and engagement season just around the corner we think now is a great time to stop, breathe and refocus. 

When the Bridebook Team is struggling to focus we often find that reading a few inspirational quotes works wonders; helping us feel more motivated and driven to achieving whatever it is we set out to do today, tomorrow and in the future.

If you’re in need of a few words to inspire you and help refocus your mind in time for the next wave of weddings, revisit this list of motivational quotes for life and work.

 

Motivational quotes for wedding professionals

“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” Albert Einstein

“It’s not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life, it’s what you whisper to yourself that has the most power.” Robert T. Kiyosaki

“Don’t count the days. Make the days count.” Muhammad Ali

“A year from now you may wish you had started today.” Karen Lamb

 

“Someday is not a day of the week.” Janet Dailey

“Make each day your masterpiece.” John Wooden

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” Steve Jobs

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” Theodore Roosevelt

“The more I want to get something done the less I call it work.” Richard Bach

 

“What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do.” Ralph Emerson

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” Joseph Campbell

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” Bruce Lee

“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” Tim Ferriss

“I always had the uncomfortable feeling that if I wasn’t sitting in front of a computer typing, I was wasting my time – but I pushed myself to take a wider view of what was ‘productive.’ Time spent with my family and friends was never wasted.” Gretchen Rubin

 

“Never mistake motion for action.” Ernest Hemingway

“I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” Oprah Winfrey

“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” Carlos Castaneda

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” Seth Godin

 

“A man should never neglect his family for business.” Walt Disney

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin

“You are not your resume, you are your work.” Seth Godin

“When writing the story of your life, don’t let anyone else hold the pen.” Harley Davidson

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” Jim Rohn

 

Hopefully you’re now feeling more inspired and empowered to take on the wedding industry of 2018!

Whatever lies ahead, you are the creator of your own destiny.

Does featuring on B2B wedding directories defeat the point of having your own wedding website?

When it comes to marketing your wedding business it can be difficult to know where to start. 

With so many free and paid-for options on countless numbers of online platforms and an abundance of opinions on which approaches are right or wrong circulating the web, marketing can seem like a minefield; where one wrong step could catapult your wedding business into lead-less space for all of eternity.

 

One of the most common questions we’re asked by space-fearing wedding businesses is whether featuring on wedding planning platforms or online directories is counter-intuitive where a business’s website is concerned.

Let’s address this question now.

Dispelling myths surrounding third party wedding websites

Myth 1 – “Third party wedding directory websites will just be fielding my traffic. I want direct traffic to my website.”

I’m not sure if you’ve heard but getting to the top of Google search results isn’t easy; which means that if you *really *believe you can knock wedding directories and planning platforms off of the number one spot, you’d better have a shed load of resources to throw at content, development and SEO; not to mention some super advanced Google-esq knowledge and a lot of time to be able to wait for this seismic shift to take place.

 

Realistically, you’re unlikely to be in a position to compete with wedding supplier directories who probably have bigger teams, better financing and access to expert SEO and technical knowledge.

However, that definitely doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still be trying to gain visibility at the top of search results. The first position on Google search results on desktop has a 34.36% clickthrough rate and the first position on Google search results on mobile has a 31.35% clickthrough rate. (Source: Hubspot)

That’s a phenomenal proportion of traffic that wedding suppliers like you should be capitalising on that actually support the ranking of your website. A tip, consider using WordPress hosting for your website to maximise your SEO advantage. 

Be present where wedding bookings are taking place. 

Engaged couples are using wedding directories and wedding planning platforms to search for local wedding suppliers like you. If you’re not listed alongside fellow suppliers, you could be missing out on a serious amount of bookings.

 

Visibility and ‘being present where your audience is browsing’ is how wedding suppliers generate sales online.

It’s not a case of competing for traffic with wedding planning platforms or directories – it’s about realising that you cannot change consumer behaviours; only adapt to them.

Did you know that 1 in 5 couples are now planning their wedding with Bridebook? If engaged couples are clicking on websites at the top of Google and you have a chance to feature your wedding brand there, do so.

Myth 2 – “Wedding directories cost money and don’t add much value”

This is largely untrue. In fact, many wedding directories and wedding planning platforms (like Bridebook Business) are completely free to sign up for and use, and have already proved invaluable to thousands of UK wedding suppliers.

Bridebook Business allows you to manage your very own personal account and chat with thousands of couples via free, direct email enquiries. Set up a free portfolio showcasing awards, reviews and your finest work to attract engaged couples who are searching for suppliers just like you.

 

What we find is that the value you gain from these platforms is directly proportionate to the effort you put in. It’s up to you to determine how significant these platforms are for you and how much resource to dedicate to them.

Myth 3 – “Featuring my wedding business on third party websites seems impersonal and I worry it will become too much to manage alongside my company website”

The level of control you have over your brand presence on wedding directories or planning platforms will be pivotal in ensuring that you can deliver a personalised experience and streamline any company updates between your company website and the third party website in question.

Let’s take Bridebook as an example. Setting up a Bridebook account is not time consuming or labour intensive, and can be as detailed or as basic as you’d like.

Tip: the more information you add to your Bridebook profile, the higher you appear in search so it’s definitely worth going with more detail if you can!

 

By featuring photographs of your work and letting couples in to admire a glimpse of the wedding services you provide, you’re actually providing a very personal sneak peek into some of the fabulous things you have achieved in your time as a wedding pro.

It follows the same principle as your company website.

Plus, visitors are able to contact you directly which means there’s no need for you to log in to Bridebook to see if you’ve received enquiries – they’ll all be sent straight to your inbox.

In terms of maintaining your Bridebook portfolio, we advise that you check contact details are always up to date and that you refresh your account with new photographs, pricing and testimonials as and when you receive them – just as you would with your website.

Updates can take just a few minutes and it’s simply a matter of you training yourself to update both your website and your profile at the same time – making the process less labour intensive and less of a hassle.

All technical updates and site maintenance is of course taken care of by Bridebook (the time consuming part of managing any website) which means you’ve actually very little to do considering the potential return you could achieve by featuring so much higher up in the search engine results pages.

Registering on wedding planning platforms and directories simply makes sense

As with most forms of marketing, you’re best trying it out (if your analysis suggests it makes sense for your wedding company) and finding out for yourself what works best for you and your business.

We’ve never known of a wedding supplier who has considered having a Bridebook Business account to be a mistake because it simply makes sense to ensure your business is listed on a site where 40,000 engaged couples go to plan their weddings.

Ultimately, how you choose to market your business is up to you but we strongly recommend you try out different approaches across different online platforms to see what fits.

Who knows – we could be a match made in marketing heaven.

Give Bridebook for Business a try today and join 14,000 other UK suppliers who’re making sure their business is where the bookings are.

Your bedtime routine could be wrecking your wedding business

 

We’re often discussing ways in which wedding suppliers can remain on top of their game throughout peak wedding season and we think we’re pretty good at providing tips on how to look after number one throughout the working day to ensure you’re performing at your very best.

But what happens after dark and the impact this has on our productivity and success as wedding professionals seems to have been somewhat neglected in the content stakes, so we’re here to change that. 

 

Waking up to the realisation that sleep matters

Did you know that your bedtime routine could be one of the most important factors in ensuring you’re operating at peak performance as we approach engagement season and prepare to start taking bookings for 2018 weddings?

Most of us won’t even have realised that our evening routines are affecting our daily productivity.

We’ll blame ‘typical’ daily stresses and mundane tasks for our inability to concentrate, and for making us feel lethargic and unmotivated instead of taking a closer look at the choices we made the night before.

 

Having to read just one more chapter of that captivating novel, watch one more episode of that trending box set or answering just a few extra emails as your evening slips away could be costing you more than you realise.

Did you know that more than one third of the UK population regularly gets less than six hours of sleep a night (source: The Independent) and studies suggest that getting less than seven hours could lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and mental distress.

Daytime fatigue and emotional stress are the most commonly reported symptoms of sleep deprivation and in turn, a bad night sleep is the most likely cause of the former.

Stress and lack of sleep go hand in hand, and unless you address the two, you’ll eventually exhaust yourself – not great for wedding pro’s coming into a busy season of bookings.

 

So here are 4 things that could be affecting your bedtime routine and ways to shake up bad habits to boost your productivity levels at work.

 

1. You’re not eating right

Whilst not sleeping enough causes us to make poor food choices, similarly a poor diet high in carbohydrates and saturated fats can lower our sleep quality.

 

Eating late at night can also affect sleep rhythm so try to get into a routine of eating dinner at least two hours before bedtime to give your body time to digest what you’ve eaten. This really will improve your chances of getting a good night sleep.

Tip: on Monday after a busy weekend of weddings, why not cook up a large batch of your favourite healthy dinner so you’ve got nutritious meals ready to eat at a sensible hour throughout the rest of the week? This will help you stick to a more regular dinner time and ensure you’re eating well rather than choosing convenience over health.

 

2. You’ve not scheduled in sleep

Working in an industry as hectic as the wedding industry demands organisation, and we’ll bet you can’t live without your diaries and work calendars.

How else would you remember everything?

It may sound a little over the top but setting a regular time in your calendar to go to bed and setting a regular wake up alarm will really help make sure that you stick to a routine and get a better night sleep.

 

Fixed hours won’t take long to adjust to and you’ll notice the benefits quickly as your body adjusts to a new and improved routine.

It’s also a good idea to schedule in a time to ‘unplug’ – ideally around 2 hours before you go to bed to allow you to unwind and give your mind a better chance of switching off.

 

3. Separate work and home

Whether you work from home a lot or just occasionally, it’s important not to turn your entire home into a workplace.

Set aside a designated work area and make sure that whenever you’re making calls, planning for the next day or brainstorming wedding ideas, these tasks happen in your work zone only – no matter how tempting it is to wander around with your phone in your hand.

When you leave the office for the day you should be able to enter a personal, work free zone.

 

4. Prep your morning tasks the night before

Taking just a few minutes in the evening before you go to bed to lay out tomorrow’s outfit, prep your lunch and pack your bag can help your morning run smoother which in turn, will help keep stress levels to a minimum.

 

This also gives you more me time in the morning to prepare yourself for the day ahead. Read the news over a cup of coffee, exercise or practice yoga and you’ll find your mind is clearer and better engaged by the time work starts.

 

Will you change your ways? At least sleep on it…

Your mood matters, productivity is key to the success of your wedding business and your health should always come first.

By changing just one small thing at a time you could find better balance and really reap the benefits of an improved bedtime routine.

Before you know it, these changes will become second nature and you’ll wonder why it’s taken so long to realise the benefits of a good night’s rest.

Get your head down and take a step up in the wedding industry.

How to use your reviews

 

Reviews aren’t easy to earn so once you’ve banked them you should be making the most of them and leveraging them in different formats across different mediums.

 

Getting the most out of client reviews is simply a case of knowing how to use them; that is, where to feature them and how best to let the voices of happy couples you’ve impressed speak for themselves.

 

You can spend as little or as long as you like sharing reviews far and wide but here are eight things you should definitely be doing as soon as your good feedback comes in.

 

8 ways to use your reviews

1. Your website. The most obvious and arguably most important place to feature reviews and testimonials is on your wedding website. But think outside of the box and rather than just featuring your reviews on a testimonial page which could easily be missed by web visitors why not add good feedback to your homepage, blog, photo library and other website pages too.

 

2. On your Bridebook profile. Did you know that 1 in 5 UK based engaged couples are currently planning their wedding with Bridebook? Leaving reviews on third party wedding websites like Bridebook Business which are already benefiting from high rankings in search engine results is imperative, as it helps your wedding business stand out against all the other competing businesses. If a bride or groom searches for local wedding florist and your business appears alongside five others, the one with the great reviews and five star ratings will inevitably be the wedding business that receives the enquiry. Make that YOUR wedding business!

 

3. In your marketing materials. Every review you receive should be leveraged across all marketing collateral and on all mediums. Whether online or offline, make sure your reviews are included on all communications. Reviews and recommendations are real deal clinchers and their impact in boosting bookings is something all wedding suppliers should take seriously. Find out more about why reviews are so important in 2017 and beyond.

 

4. On proposals, package details and invoices. Wherever cost and wedding service details can be found, support your specialism with testimonials! Reviews will help you justify your costs and provide further depth to details of the wedding services you offer.

 

5. On social media. Share good feedback with your followers and indirectly through your client’s audience by encouraging likes, shares and mutual post promotions. By showing the world how happy you make the couples you work with you’re boosting brand awareness and promoting your wedding business using the words and opinions of others. Very clever.

 

6. In testimonial videos. Smart entrepreneurs are realising the true power of video and are embracing opportunities to make quick video clips of happy newlyweds sharing their joy and appreciation of your wedding services. You can share these videos on all the same platforms and pages that you’d share written review content on. And don’t forget to include a video transcript of the couple’s comments underneath the video on your website to benefit from SEO juice.

 

7. At wedding shows. Whether you’re exhibiting at a wedding event or attending as a guest to network, be sure to bring postcards, signage and business cards featuring some of your most powerful reviews alongside your contact details.

 

8. In email communications.The power of email in communicating with prospective and existing clients is not to be ignored so why not add your favourite review to your email signature along with your website address and a link to your Bridebook profile. Including all three of these things increases the likelihood that reviews will be read on at least one of the platforms and it means that interested couples can quickly see how you’ve impressed on previous weddings you’ve worked on.

 

Reviews are an essential way to showcase your expertise because there’s no better way to promote your wedding services than indirectly through the voices and opinions of happy couples.

 

But don’t forget that earning reviews is only part of the process and you must make sure that you use these powerful marketing tools to support your client attraction strategy and a subsequent increase in bookings.

 

Let happy clients or fellow suppliers tell the world just how special you are. Just remember to include the good feedback where it counts.

How wedding suppliers get into the world of wedding industry awards

Tips on how to approach submissions, win more awards and build credibility in the wedding industry.

 

Being able to showcase a plethora of wedding industry awards in your office and on your website is not only good for business, it’s good for your morale too.

You work hard to do the best you can for the wedding planning couples you work with and you should enjoy the success that follows the year-round effort you and your team have put in.

Whether you’re motivated by money and financially driven or are solely in the wedding business for the love of it, winning awards and earning recognition from your peers is a fantastic way to end one wedding season on a high and prepare to see in the next chapter with a zealous determination to keep on improving.

 

However, whether you’re new to the world of wedding industry awards or not it can be difficult to know exactly where to start in terms of shortlisting, applying and producing win-worthy entries.

How to approach (and win) wedding awards

Before you consider sending out blanket applications and entries read our tips on how to approach submissions and win more awards to help you build credibility in the wedding industry.

1. Before you choose which awards to apply for consider your business goals. Yes, it looks great to have lots of awards to show off but successful award submissions take time and effort so always shortlist the most suitable awards for you and your business. Ask yourself how the award will contribute towards you meeting your end goals and then actively pursue the most relevant ones.

2. Take time to read the award guidelines. Each awarding body will differ slightly in their requirements so never assume that you know it all. Overlooking entry requirements and not paying attention to detail could cost you your entry and mean you missing out on winning an award for a trivial mistake. Your time is too precious for that.

3. Plan out your award application before you begin writing. Create an outline of what you need to include and think strategically. Our top tips for crafting your award entry are:

– Include both quantitative and qualitative examples when preparing information for your submission.

 

– Incorporating facts and figures that detail your business’ success will help you stand out.

 

– Make sure that you bring your business story to life with real life examples of the weddings you’ve worked on.

 

– Give solid reasons as to why you deserve to win the award above anyone else.

 

– Support your award content with good quality images, making sure you seek approval from photographers and couples before you submit anything that’s theirs.

 

1. Don’t send your application in immediately. Go away for an hour, a day or a week and then return to it with a fresh pair of eyes and proofread it carefully. Do the words on the page still have the same impact you thought they did when you wrote it originally? Ask a friend to review and proofread your entry too. A second pair of eyes is essential in making sure your story has impact and that you’re grammatically sound.

2. If you win the award don’t forget to spread the news! It sounds obvious but ‘ride the hype’ around the event and be sure to share news of your win on social media with the appropriate tags. Don’t forget to add your award to all marketing materials – both online and offline.

 

Couples have so much choice when it comes to selecting wedding suppliers these days that you need to be doing all you can to stand out against the competition.

The ability to showcase current and impressive awards on your website and in all communications will undoubtedly impress clients and earn you the respect of other wedding industry professionals.

Get out there and end 2017 on a high with a big win! Or take our tips into 2018 with you and make next year one to remember.

UK wedding supplier events 2017 / 2018

In our previous post, we highlighted the importance of networking and how wedding suppliers like you can network smarter to secure more referrals.

This week, we thought we’d take a look at exactly which big wedding industry events are happening in your area as we near the end of peak wedding season 2017.

Whether you’re interested in attending a big wedding industry event to network or are hoping to have an exhibition stand at the next great wedding show, here are some of the names you need to have on your radar…

 London 2017 / 2018

 

National Wedding Show: London Olympia

Friday 22nd September

Featuring over 300 of the UK’s finest wedding suppliers across stationery, bridal wear, jewellery, favours and wedding cakes – to name a few – The National Wedding Show is one of London’s biggest and best opportunities to showcase your specialism and network up a storm!

Pssst! The Bridebook team will be here too so hunt us out for any ‘on-the-spot’ networking tips or even just for a good old chin wag!

 

The National Wedding Show: ExCeL London

Saturday 21st October 2017 

The ExCel London show (born of a joint venture between The Wedding Fair and The National Wedding Show) is fundamentally the same but slightly smaller than the Olympia show above – but every bit just as good!

The October ExCel Wedding Show features around 200 of the UK’s finest wedding professionals and their skilled wedding work.

Pssst! The Bridebook team will be here too!

 

Chosen London Wedding Fair: Islington Assembly Hall 

Sunday 8th October 2017

A small but exciting event, the Chosen London Wedding Fair is a newer addition to the Wedding Show scene featuring creative, unique, modern and vintage suppliers, ideas and services.

We’re talking cutting edge trends from London’s most stylish wedding pro’s – showcasing the very best in contemporary wedding design. Between 25-50 exhibitors.

 

The London Bridal Show – An International Bridal Buying Event: EXCEL London

25 – 27 March 2018 

This international bridal buying event features over 200 collections from over 100 exhibitors over the course of three days. Plus you’ll have the opportunity to impress over 2000 attendees.

 

The Wedding Industry Awards

Technically one for 2018 however entries, nominations and voting is now open. Attending this fantastic award ceremony will grace you with the company of industry greats. It provides a fantastic opportunity for wedding pro’s like you to find out what the best in the business have been up to as well as giving you the chance to meet and speak with industry experts afterwards over a glass of wine.

 

East of England 2017

 

The Suffolk Wedding Show: Wherstead Park 

Sunday 24th September 2017

The Suffolk Wedding Show takes place on Sunday 24th September 2017 (10:30am – 3:00pm) at Wherstead Park. This show is the biggest of its kind in the area and featured around 75 exhibitors at its last show.

 

East Of England Wedding Show

 

 Peterborough Arena, East Of England Showground

Sunday 22nd October 2017

Now in its 13th year this prestigious event is one of the best known and loved wedding shows in the east. Attracting the most spectacular exhibitors and a huge number of visitors from across the region, this wedding show now boasts over 80 stands, amazing fashion shows and the greatest exhibitors in the region.

 

The Cambridge Wedding Fair: Anstey Hall

22nd October 2017

The Cambridge Wedding Fair is recognised for its unique fashion shows featuring some of the very latest in bridal style, as well as between 25-50 inspirational exhibitors from in and around the Cambridge area.

 

 South West of England 2017

 

Cheltenham Bride & Groom Wedding Show: Cheltenham Town Hall

Sunday 3rd September 2017

Attending the Cheltenham Bride & Groom Wedding Show will give you the chance to meet some of your County’s finest fellow wedding suppliers! Join 75-100 exhibitors also hoping to network with you and secure more bookings.

 

The Bath Wedding Show: Guildhall Bath

Sunday 17th September 2017

This friendly, welcoming wedding exhibition provides the perfect opportunity for you to meet likeminded wedding suppliers in a glorious environment. Expect between 50-75 exhibiting wedding suppliers.

 

The Dorset & Somerset Wedding Showcase: The Exchange, Sturminster Newton

Sunday 17th September 2017

Showcasing the most talented wedding professionals in North Dorset and South Somerset this wedding show will be showcasing the work of 50-75 wedding suppliers all of whom serve the rural areas of Dorset and Somerset.

 

Plymouth Guildhall Wedding Extravaganza: Plymouth Guildhall

Sunday 17th September 2017

With up to 100 stands, the Dream Weddings Extravaganza at Plymouth Guildhall is the city’s biggest and best wedding fair so don’t miss out on the opportunity to see what your fellow wedding professionals are cooking up for 2018 weddings.

 

Midlands & North of England 2017

 

Birmingham National Wedding Show: NEC, Birmingham

29th September – 1st October 2017

Officially the UK’s Biggest Wedding Show, the Birmingham National will feature over 300 wedding specialists from all areas of the industry; from bridal boutiques, venues, honeymoon companies, florists, wedding cake companies to jewellers, photographers and everything in between. This is truly one not to be missed.

Pssst! The Bridebook team will be here too!

 

Manchester Wedding Show: Manchester Central

28th – 29th October 2017 

The North West’s biggest wedding show is back! With over 250 wedding specialists from bridal florists to jewellers and photographers, this is a networking and / or exhibiting opportunity to take full advantage of if you’re local to Manchester.

Pssst! The Bridebook team will be here too!

 

Durham Wedding Show: Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground

Sunday 24th September 2017

The hugely popular Durham Wedding Show is back this September with up to 75 exhibitors and a whopping 1500 visitors or moreregularly attending.

 

Newcastle Wedding Show: Newcastle Racecourse

Sunday 1st October 2017

Expect to find the North East’s most impressive wedding suppliers and wedding venues exhibiting at Newcastle Racecourse this October. With 100 stands expected to be filled, could you be an exhibitor this year? Get yourself down to the Racecourse anyway to mingle with the industry elite in your local area. 

 

The North of England Wedding Awards 

Monday 18th September 2017

One to watch; this annual Gala Awards Dinner held to celebrate outstanding customer service from the wedding industry throughout Yorkshire and North East England is an event you don’t want to miss in 2018. Whether as a guest or a nominee for an award, surround yourself with the best in the business.

 

Scotland 2017

 

The Scottish Wedding Show: Scottish Event Campus, Exhibition Way, Glasgow

7 – 8th October 2017

Scotland’s largest wedding show will feature over 300 suppliers taking over the SEC and providing you with inspiration and networking opportunities. Enjoy glittering catwalk shows and a cocktail bar to keep you entertained and inspired for hours!

 

The Big Dundee Wedding Exhibition: The Caird Hall, City Square, Dundee DD1 3BB, UK

14th October 2017

Between 11:30 am – 4:00 pm over 100 exhibitors will adorn City Square for the opportunity to meet newly engaged couples and local wedding suppliers like you.

 

Wales 2017

 

Top Tier The Members Centre Wedding Fair: Royal Welsh Showground

Sunday 1st October 2017

Get yourself along to Mid Wales’ biggest Wedding Fair at the The Members Centre at the Royal Welsh Showground, where the finest local wedding suppliers will be on hand to showcase their wedding talents. The clue is in the name – this really is an event for the best of the wedding supplier bunch. Between 50 – 75 exhibitors expected.

 

Chosen Artisan Wedding Fair: Portland House Cardiff

18th March 2018

Sister to the Chosen wedding event in London, Chosen Artisan Wedding Fair Cardiff is returning once more to the gorgeous Old Banking Hall to feature 25-50 wedding exhibitors and welcome hundreds of newly engaged couples looking to create their very own wedding with a difference.

Showcasing some of the finest artisan businesses in Wales and the South West, you can guarantee you’ll be in good company here; amongst the most talented and passionate creatives, designer-makers and businesses in Wales.

 

Will you be attending a wedding show in your local area this year?

Let us know of any must-visit wedding fairs near you and we could feature them in our upcoming articles on networking and the importance of attending events in your local area.