The 3 busiest times for engagements are Christmas, New Years, and Valentine’s Day. That means spring and summer are going to be super important for your business because this is the time when brides are looking for vendors for their weddings.
Where do brides go after they get engaged? They go to find a venue, an event coordinator, the invitation designer/printer, the dress and tux shops, etc. These are the places you need to be networking with. Here are some tips to help you increase your exposure and help you to get more bride inquiries this year.
1. Send an email to all event coordinators in your area.
If you’ve already worked with a coordinator, now before wedding season, send them an email to see how they are, send them updated pricing (even if you haven’t updated it) to be on their radar. Because now is the busy time for booking.
2. Feature vendors/venues you’ve worked with in the past on your blog.
If you love shooting at a particular venue, do a blog post of your favorite images from that venue. (It can be from different weddings.) Write up 5 reasons why you love that venue and release this post as a Featured Venue/Vendor of the Week.
This is great for two reasons: 1. It’s giving the bride confidence she’s going to be getting good photos; and 2. It’s promoting that venue/vendor to be great for weddings.
Here is a sample from a featured vendor post on my photography blog:
Here are some more samples of reviews that I would give to other vendors:
Sample 1: “I love shooting at the Allure in LaPorte, IN. It has the best lighting I’ve ever seen and my dance shots always turn out amazing!”
Sample 2: “The architecture of the Indiana State Building is to. die. for. I’m so in love, could shoot there everyday. Don’t even get me started on the lighting! Every shot I’ve taken there has become instantly one of my favorites.”
Notice how in these reviews I mention how great the venues are for photography.
Tip: You can also include a special that the vendor/venue may be running at the time of the blog feature.
You can also start a vendor page on your site to lead potential brides to your favorite vendors and venues. Brides will love you because you are showing them how to find great companies to work with on their big day. Vendors will love you because you’re promoting them and increasing their chances of more bookings.
3. Feature different wedding venues and vendors you want to work with.
This is free advertisement for the venue and also a great way for you to get your foot in with new venues. If you have been wanting to shoot at a certain venue, but you haven’t had a bride book you there yet because you haven’t shot there before, contact the venue and tell them you’d like to feature them as ‘Venue/Vendor of the Month’ on your blog.
Ask if you can come by and take a few shots of the venue and then have them answer 5 questions. This will help brides envision your work in that venue.
For tips 2 and 3, make sure to email the vendors when you feature them to let them know so they can promote it on their social networks.
Remember: You want to try to do all of these things before the brides start booking this spring. You need to get your name out there as much as possible before they start looking into all of these vendors so that they see your company everywhere and want to look into it more.
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Want more networking tips? Check out this article: How To Build Your Photography Vendor Network
We ❤ your feedback! Share your thoughts/questions in the comment box below. Have more tips? We’d love to hear your ideas!