Love and Logistics: 8 Key Steps to Launching a Wedding Planning Business

Merging your entrepreneurial spirit with your love of the wedding industry could result in a rewarding career. You could become the next great wedding planner for modern couples if you know how to establish and maintain your brand.

Check out this guide to launching a wedding planning business when you’re ready to create a roadmap for your professional success.

 

1. Research Your Competitors

Every entrepreneur needs to research their competitors. Your future clients will compare price packaging and services to ensure they get the most for their money. If you start with a package that includes fewer perks for a more costly price tag, your business will take longer to turn a profit.

You should also note which social media platforms your competitors use. Research shows 80% of businesses have an Instagram presence. Note what your competitors post, the hashtags they use and what their stories look like to see what your future followers will want from your brand.

 

2. Study Industry Trends

Your clients will trust your vision. They want you to know what’s trending and out of style, so keep up with wedding trends by reading weekly articles posted by leading industry experts and publications.

Picture a couple who wants to decorate their reception, but they’re unsure how to use flowers beyond traditional vases. You might suggest how brides often build floral arches for photo ops and decor. If you didn’t know floral arches were popular, you wouldn’t provide a service as helpful as in-the-know competitors.

3. Build an Accessible Website

When people find your website, they may not see your services or posts because the site doesn’t fit on their phone screen. The latest data shows 60% of global website traffic comes from global mobile devices.

Ensure your site is adaptable for desktop and mobile users by designing both layouts on your hosting site. It’s a small step that makes a significant difference in converting site visitors into clients.

 

4. Consider Hiring Team Members

Launching a wedding planning business sometimes involves hiring team members. You might be able to handle everything at first, but extra helping hands make your business stronger. Your team members can assist clients to give them better experiences while minimizing the stress of running your business.

Your employees could become the point of contact for your clients and assist you during wedding days. Even if they only keep track of your calendar or monitor your inbox, you’ll have more energy to invest in your business and make it more successful.

When it’s time to become an employer, remember that people want to grow where they put down roots. You’ll retain your new hires by building a progression path for their careers within your company.

It’s essential to provide a framework for them to follow so they can track their professional growth. After all, turnover can be financially fatal, as replacing an employee can cost up to two times the employee’s annual salary.

 

5. Partner With Local Businesses

Exclusive discounts have significant appeal to couples planning their weddings. They may pay more for planning services if they can cut costs on other fees later. You can offer these discounts by partnering with local businesses that routinely work with weddings.

If your couples routinely want to play cornhole at their receptions, you could arrange a deal with a local rental company offering boards and bean bags. Everyone benefits from the business partnership. The rental company gets more clients and your couples save money they can put toward their honeymoon or future plans together.

 

6. Include Some Freebies

People want to work with experienced wedding planners. If you don’t have experience planning weddings specifically, you’ll need other features to entice new couples. Freebies add value to any of your service packages.

Your clients could enjoy a free consultation appointment or a free goodie bag after putting their deposit down. If it’s something they couldn’t get with another planner, you’re more likely to secure their business.

 

7. Remember to Market Your Business

You could include every trending hashtag in your social media posts, but it might not be enough to draw eyes to your website. Digital marketing includes a multi-faceted approach. Consider how much you can invest in virtual ads, local commercials and experts writing website content designed for search engine optimization.

Your business will grow more quickly with strategic marketing. Reach your audience through multiple channels to expand your audience and enhance your brand recognition. As people become familiar with your posts, they’ll think of your services when they or their loved ones need to plan a wedding.

 

8. Give Yourself Time

It takes time to run a profitable business — especially in a competitive industry. Remember, there are 25,404 other wedding planning companies in the U.S. Couples have many planners to choose from while browsing Instagram or wedding websites.

You may not have overnight success, but that doesn’t mean you should put your dreams on hold. Give yourself a year or two to become both profitable and consistently booked. As you achieve more brand awareness and stellar client reviews, future couples won’t want to turn your services down.

 

Launch Your Wedding Planning Business This Year

Don’t wait any longer to make your dream job into a profitable career. Create a wedding planning website, start posting about your business and strategize how to stay ahead of your competitors.

You’ll become one of the most successful planners in the wedding industry with time, effort and some patience.

 

Author Bio: Oscar Collins is the editor-in-chief at Modded, where he writes about a broad spectrum of topics. Follow him on Twitter @TModded for frequent updates on his work.

 

 

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